My Cupcake Nanny

CHAPTER ONE JULIAN’S P.O.V - A Fathers Love “Excuse me, have you seen some kids around here?” I asked one of the security guards standing by the entrance of the mall. He looked at me for a second and shook his head. That was the third one I’d asked. My right hand stayed firm on my waist while the other ran over my beard, trying to calm myself down. My eyes scanned every direction, left and right, over and over again. But there was no sign of them. My heart raced with panic. I should’ve known better than to bring them here. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids. But taking three six-year-olds to a public place like this? That was a disaster waiting to happen. Especially my kids. Aimee couldn’t stop asking questions. She was curious about everything, the lights, the people, the food court, even the soap in the restroom. Abel was obsessed with anything that sparkled watches, jewelry, toys, if it glittered, he followed it. And then there was Ares, who had the bad habit of running off on his own like a rocket with no brakes. Put the three of them together, and it's like trying to hold water with your bare hands. But it was Saturday. And they needed to get out of the house. They’d been bored all week, and I just wanted to be a good dad. I thought I could handle them for a few hours. Just a short trip to the mall, maybe grab some ice cream, pick a toy each, and head back home. I was wrong. One phone call, just one stupid call, and I turned around to see that they were gone. They had vanished. “Aimee! Abel! Ares!” I shouted, turning my head wildly in every direction. My voice cracked as I called their names again and again, walking fast, then running, weaving through the crowd. People looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn’t care. None of that mattered. My kids were missing. And my heart… it was clenching like a fist. I couldn't help but feel a deep ache, a heavy one. I couldn’t breathe properly. I wasn’t the type of man who panicked. I was known for being calm, cold even. I handled million-dollar deals. I ran a company. I faced courtrooms and boardrooms. But this? This felt like dying slowly. They weren’t just kids. They were my kids. I raised them alone. I held them through sickness. I read them bedtime stories every night. I gave them baths and warmed their bottles when they were babies. I promised them I’d always keep them safe. That nothing would ever happen to them as long as I was around. And now they are gone. I pushed through the crowd, my dress shoes hitting the tiled floor hard, ignoring the perfume-choked air and the annoyed looks people threw my way. My tie suddenly felt like it was strangling me. I yanked it loose and wiped the sweat running down my face. I looked everywhere. The toy store. The food court. The cinema hallway. The arcade. Even the bathroom. But i couldnt find them, nothing at all. Two hours had passed. Two long, cruel hours. I could feel my chest tightening. Every second that ticked by felt like a punishment. I had called out their names until my voice was hoarse. My legs were starting to hurt, but I didn’t care. I had to keep going. Finally, I stopped in the middle of the walkway. My hands shook as I dug into my pocket for my phone. My thumb hovered for a second. Then I pressed the numbers. “911, what’s your emergency?” a calm female voice answered. I didn’t hesitate. My voice came out rough, like gravel. “I think my kids have been abducted,” I said. “I’m at the Mega Mall in the city. Three children. Six years old. Triplets. Please…” I don’t know if I finished my sentence before my voice broke. “We’ll be there in less than five minutes,” the officer said before the line went dead. My phone fell slowly from my ear, and for a second, I stood there, frozen. My thoughts were racing. Where the hell were my kids? Who would take them? And mkst importation question, why? My heart pounded like a hammer in my chest. I rubbed both hands over my head, dragging them down my face as if I could scrub the fear off. My legs moved on their own, this time towards the far end of the mall. I searched every corner, under tables, behind stalls, even inside open cardboard boxes at a toy stand. Maybe… just maybe they were hiding, playing one of their annoying games again. But no, they weren’t there. Nowhere. I was about to give up when I turned my head and I saw them. Right there in front of the cake store. I could see Aimee. Her little pink dress caught my eye first. She stood near a colorful balloon display, holding a cupcake in one hand and a balloon in the other like she was in a dream. Abel and Ares stood close too, both of them beside a woman I had never seen before. They were smiling. Laughing even. My whole body became tensed. My first instinct wasn’t relief, it was fear. Who was this woman? She had brown curly hair that fell past her shoulders and wore a green sweater. She was kneeling right in front of them, talking gently, her hands stretched out as if offering them something. Abel clutched her arm. Aimee giggled again. Ares was laughing so freely, I could barely recognize the panic I felt in my chest. I ran. I pushed past a young couple, nearly knocking over a stroller. My feet slammed against the tiles as I moved faster than I’d ever moved in my life. “Aimee!” I yelled. Her little head snapped up at my voice. My eyes locked on hers, but then I looked at the woman again. Something about her didn’t sit right. Was she trying to kidnap them? “Stay away from my kids!” I shouted, voice sharp and loud. The words felt like a knife slicing the air. She looked up slowly. Her brown eyes widened, startled. Her hands dropped to her side and the friendly smile vanished from her face in an instant. She stood up quickly, her curls falling over her cheeks, lips parted like she wanted to speak but didn’t know how. “Excuse me?” she said, her voice soft but confused. “Don’t act like you don’t know what’s going on,” I said harshly, already grabbing my phone again and dialing mall security. “Yes. I’ve found a woman with my children. I believe it’s an attempted kidnapping. Send someone here now.” Her jaw dropped. “What?! No! That’s not true! I was just trying to help. I found them crying near the fountain. I was going to look for security, I swear!” I moved closer, blocking her from the kids. “You just happened to find three kids crying, and instead of getting help, you bought them cupcakes and stood around laughing with them? That makes sense to you?” “I saw them alone! I couldn’t just leave them!” she insisted, her voice shaking. “Wait… i know you. I was right, ive seen you before. I recognize your face. I was just going to take them to the security, then maybe someone would recognize them!” “Oh really?” I snapped. “You were going to just help while cuddling them and buying them cupcakes. Try harder.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “You have it all wrong… please, just listen..” “I don’t want to listen,” I growled. “You don’t touch my kids. You don’t speak to them. You don’t even look at them.” Security guards rushed over just then. I immediately pointed at her. “That’s her. Take her in. My kids were with her. I don’t want to take any chances.” Aimee tugged on my suit jacket. “Dad… Cupcake Lady didn’t hurt us,” she whispered. “She helped. She bought us snacks. We told her we were looking for you…” Cupcake Lady? “She’s lying,” I muttered. “It’s all a setup. Don’t talk to strangers, Aimee. That’s rule number one.” The woman’s face turned pale. “No… no… this is wrong. I didn’t do anything! Please! Ask them! I was trying to help them, that’s all!” The guards began to lead her away. She tried to resist, twisting back toward me. “Sir! Just let me explain, please! You’re making a big mistake!” I didn’t answer. I pulled all three kids into my arms, holding them close like I could protect them from everything in the world. Aimee started to cry, burying her face in my chest. Abel looked confused. Ares looked scared. But I stood firm. She had no right. No right to be near them. No right to smile at them like she knew them. No right to touch them. Whoever she was, she was going to pay. I was going to make sure of that.