Leila's POV

The rest of the week was quite uneventful for me. I was still getting used to the routine of things. Got up early, got Emilia ready for school, made breakfast, made sure that she was in the school bus before going back inside then do the dishes.

I tried my very best to keep the promise I'd made to Linda, but it really was difficult. I made breakfast for three people, put the extra plate of food on the table for breakfast, but it was never eaten.

That was all because of Mr Carter, who wanted to be out of the kitchen as soon as he got in. He'd just take a glass of juice, gulp it down then leave. Even when Emilia told him to eat with us, he just looked at her, shook his head, saying that he was busy, and left.

I made sure to leave dinner every night, and the next morning, I'd see that the plate would be untouched, nothing out of place. I'd sigh to myself, not really knowing what to do about this. If only I'd known how much of a hothead he was when it came to food and eating, I would've backed out of the story before it got too complicated. However, I had made a promise, so I was bound to make sure that he ate.

I decided to wait for him after work one night, since he came back when we had already slept. I opened up a novel, and began to read whilst I was on the couch. As the minutes turned to hours, sleep decided to knock on my heavy eyelids and tired body.

Just as I closed my eyes, I heard the faint click of the door. I quickly sat up and put the book down, grateful that I hadn't dozed off. He was wearing a navy blue three piece suit, the red tie which he'd worn it with was gone, two buttons popped open. His step was somewhat sluggish, slow, showing signs of fatigue. His hair disheveled, almost going in different directions but nice. The entire look was not terrible, but that was not what I'd woken up for.

"Mr Carter....."

He looked up abruptly, shock to the idea of me being still awake, a little after midnight, still registering itself, as shown by his somewhat striking features.

"Why are you awake, Ms Rollins?"

I stood there, looking at him, trying to see if this was the right time for me to ask.

"I just wanted to know something, since I rarely see you. Why do you not eat?"

His face was unreadable, but I was sure that I'd seen a slight irritation there for a second.

"Should that concern you?"

I felt like I'd been given a blow, one that made me kinda stupid for asking such a question. I didn't want to ridicule myself in front of him.

"Actually, it somewhat does. I made a promise, and I am going to keep it."

After a moment of silence, he pinch the bridge of his nose, showing the signs of irritation that had only flickered a while ago.

"I don't care about that, Ms Rollins. Now, if you will excuse me........? I'm tired."

I was not going to let this go. I confessed that I had a temper, but I didn't want it to reach this level it just had.

"Well, you are actually tired like that because you hardly eat any breakfast, and you don't even eat when you come from work. How is that even healthy?"

He looked at me for a little bit, then began to take menacing steps towards me, a smile nowhere in sight, its future presence unpredictable. Only when he was a meter away did he stop, and his anger was now in full force, angled towards me.

"Ms Rollins, don't forget that I didn't ask you to work for me so that you take care of me. I made you EMILIA'S NANNY, not mine. I honestly do not care about any stupid promise you made to Linda. That is not what you're here for. Remember your place, or else you'll lose this job just when you'd just gotten it, understand?"

My eyes had widened then, rooted to the spot by his words. I was afraid of losing my job, and I honestly did not want to be in his bad books,not when he was my employer.

I nodded, and a small smirk rose from the corner of his lips, then he left me there, going up the stairs. Only when the sound of his footsteps stopped resonating in the quiet house did I sit down, my legs giving way.

That man was despicable. I was honestly trying to help but, I was human after all, and my job mattered to me. I quickly wiped a tear of anger from my cheek, and made my way upstairs. After changing into my pyjamas, I crawled into bed, and prayed, still feeling angry and hurt from what had happened downstairs.

"Lord....... I'm so angry right now! How can some people not see kindness when it is presented to them? He's just so....."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little frustrated at the moment. Father, I pray that you give me the strength to endure this, and not be angry, because at some point I am doing what I shouldn't be doing, but I made a promise, and I'll feel bad for not keeping it. Give me the power to walk through another day, because I really need it. Keep me safe in my dreams as I sleep, so that I may be able to see another one of your beautiful days. Amen."

I opened my eyes, and I felt a whole lot better than I did earlier. Closing my eyes, I found myself opening a portal to the land of dreams, allowing them to be the bright part of my day, one that didn't involve promises and crazy employers.

After a good night's rest, I had my morning prayer then did my morning rituals, bathing, brushing my teeth, doing my hair and go downstairs to think of what to make for breakfast. I'd woken up earlier than usual today, so I was shocked to see Mr Carter walking into the house so early in the morning. He was wearing a grey tracksuit with black Nike shoes, a bottle of water in hand. He had seen me in the kitchen, but he didn't greet me and simply went upstairs quietly.

I shrugged, still feeling some type of anger and resentment for what he'd said yesterday. I decided to make one of Emilia's favourite dishes this morning, and while it simmered on the stove, I went upstairs to wake her up. As usual, she was wrapped up in her blankets, hair in disarray on her head while she snored lightly. I laughed to myself, then woke her up.

"Emilia, it's time for you to wake up...."

She muffled some words and shifted position, eyebrows furrowed. I shook her again, but what she said next made me feel sad for her.

"Momma......."

I looked at her again, and a tear rolled down her face. I then realized that she was having a dream of some sorts, and decided to wake her up from the sad dreams. Only after shaking her vigorously did she open her eyes.

"Are you okay, little one?"

She shook her head at me, looking down.

"Is.....is my momma happy where she is?"

I frowned slightly as I sat down next to her, and held her in my arms.

"Of course. She's at peace right now, darling. But, you will see her again."

Her eyes sparkled, looking up at me, eyes filled with hope.

"Where?!? When?!?!?"

"In heaven sweety. Now, if you want to meet her someday, be a good girl, okay? And, be nice to others. Yes, even to those who hurt you or bully you."

She grew quiet for a while and then smiled and nodded. I could see that her usual jovial mood had returned. To this, I smiled too, happy to know that she was out of her sadness.

"Now, let's go bath. Let's go to church."

As I bathed her, she began to blabber on as usual about her friends at church and school, about that one mean girl in her class she wanted to befriend now. I left her to change into whatever she wanted to wear whilst I returned to the kitchen.

In a couple of minutes, she came down the stairs wearing a green dress that had sparkles on it, and cute little black pumps that clicked on the ground with each step.

"Wow, baby. You look so so pretty this morning."

She blushed as she sat down, mumbling a thank you as I put the food on her plate. I left her to eat while I went upstairs to change. Since she was wearing a green dress, I thought it best to wear a dark green one with long lace sleeves and a slight v-neck which was covered by lace as well.

After wearing my black heels and stylist my hair, I went downstairs to find Mr Carter and Emilia talking. He was wearing a blue t-shirt that clung to his body, and a pair of joggers with slippers on. He was not going out today, I assumed before I walked in.

He looked at me, a little bit longer than usual today, and I wondered what was wrong with him. Did a pin fall out and made the style look weird? I suddenly felt self conscious.

"Dad, she looks very pretty today, doesn't she?"

When she said that, he tore his gaze from mine, and looked at his daughter. He didn't say anything, and his face was expressionless. I sometimes wondered what he could possibly be thinking. He suddenly went to the fridge, got some water and left the room.

I looked at the girl, who now had a small frown on her face.

"Did I say something wrong, Aunt Lei?"

I shook my head as I made coffee to drink with my breakfast.

"Don't worry. He's just jealous that we are going to have a good time, while he stays here all by himself."

There was a silence for a while, and when I turned around, I saw that she was still frowning, not eating her food anymore.

"But.......why doesn't Daddy want to go to church with us?"

Mmmmm.........I thought to myself. Good question indeed.

★★★★★

Author's note

Your chapter is here!!!

Please keep safe, and make sure that you're social distancing while keeping at the top of your health. Good day and God bless y'all💞❤️