I didn't answer the person who knocked, but the door opened anyway. Alice. The pale skin and pink lips were visible at close range. I slowly closed my laptop. The sound of the rain splattering on the window was like a melody of fast-paced music. Alice cleared her throat, glanced at my bookshelf, and straightened her T-shirt. I re-read the inscription but stayed silent.
"Good day, sir. I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I have a word?" she asked.
"Of course, Alice. Go on."
She had a book and a pen in one hand. "It's about your kids, sir," she began. This should be interesting. "I've been working with them for the past few days, and I find them well-behaved and lovely. They have very lovable characters irrespective of their differences. I wasn't informed about how often I should make these kinds of reports. I wasn't even directed to make this kind of report," she continued.
"All right, Alice. Points for being dedicated," I said dryly.
"Well, thanks, sir. But that's beside the point of why I'm here. Even though your kids are well-cultured, there are some areas of concern I've noticed, penned down, and provided reasonable solutions for. Before I delve into that, let me share the insights I have about your kids, if you don't mind, sir."
She paused. Was she some kind of therapist that she thought she could diagnose my kids? Or was she simply more observant than the man who had sired them? It rankled me. The idea that a girl who had walked into my life only days ago could read the shadows in my son's eyes better than I ever could.
If she was truly a therapist, it wasn't included in the file she submitted to Doña Esperanza. What her file did make clear were her parents' names, the fact that she was an orphan and an only child, and that she had only an aunt, plus how she had had to drop out of school some years ago.
I regarded her for a moment as I took in her midnight hair, pale skin, and shaky hands. "Go on, Alice, let's hear it then."
"So apparently, sir, I've come to understand that Carlitos is the quiet and withdrawn kid. He only speaks when spoken to. On the surface, he's a wonderful character, but the problem is his age, sir. He's too young to be indulged in so much brooding. Serena is a cheerful one. She's free, and she likes conversations. She looks up to Carlitos, and he, in turn, protects her. It's so fiercely adorable," she paused again, and a look of sadness passed over her features. It lasted a fraction of a second. It made me wonder what it must have been like to be an only child.
"But, sir, there are times she cries out of the blue—a random act at the spur of the moment. They are short-lived moments, though, but they happen. I'm sorry, sir, but she also talks about how she wishes she had a mom. She said she has watched movies, and some of her tutors have often talked about their mothers too. For a child, that could be overwhelming, which brings me to my second point."
She paused to look into her book before she continued. "Lack of friends and social circles. Academically, your kids are exceptional; they're definitely brilliant beyond their years, and it only shows that they both have bright futures. But they lack social networking with kids their age. If you're adamant about homeschooling them for personal reasons, that's okay. But they have to attend functions—birthday parties, outings like the cinema, road trips, or campouts. They are super brilliant, but they are extremely lonely. I can't stress the point enough about how they need to be around kids their age and not just guards."
She paused for dramatic effect.
"Hmm... is that all?" I asked.
"Not in the very least, sir. The list still goes on. This morning, the kids were asking why they needed to leave early, and Serena told me she felt rushed. Yes, they understood that they were supposed to be prepared for their weekly visits to their grandparents, but not until they'd had their breakfast. Serena, in particular, wasn't happy with the fact that I wasn't coming along."
Dang it. Serena was getting attached to Alice too fast. Was it wise to put a stop to this charade before it was too late?
"It took a while for me to get her to understand I wasn't instructed to tag along, which brings me to my third point. Your kids, especially Serena, think I'm her substitute mom. If you could clear that up with your kids, that would be much appreciated, sir."
Bloody hell, this kept getting interesting. If she were to be a spy, as I suspected, would she have put in this much work?
When her role here was changed, Doña Esperanza had given her a certain pay for the work she did as a cleaner. But she had sent that money to Cynthia, the person she had phoned some minutes ago. What for? To finance a plan they hoped to execute?
Or was Leo a hired gun they were going to pay? A shadow waiting for the right signal to strike at the heart of the Montoya empire? I had seen empires fall for less: a misplaced trust, a pretty face, and a bank transfer that looked like a "family medical expense" but smelled like treason.
I only had questions, none of which I could direct to her because my cover would be blown, and the chase would be over too soon. And if my hypothesis were wrong, she'd view me as a freak.
"And then—" she began to say, but I cut her off.
"That's enough, Alice." I stood up from my seat and moved close to where she stood by the door. Closer still, until our feet touched. Her eyes widened a fraction, and her breathing hitched.
"Sir..." she let out a shaky breath.
"Let me take a look at your notes, Alice," I whispered, the heat from her body radiating through the small gap between us. Sadly, I just couldn't get enough. I wanted to map out the pulse point under her jaw to see if her heart beat as fast as mine was starting to. I was quite sure she applied some of her perfume right at that special spot on her neck. I refrained from inching closer to sniff it.
She handed me her notes, and I took a quick look at her well-articulated points and the solutions attached. I looked into her dark, dilated eyes and said, "I'll look into it properly tonight. Good work, Alice. Very…good... work."
She was a temptation. All I wanted was to take a bite. Forbidden. That's the one word that described her. Her responses to my closeness were raw and unhidden.
Just then, the door of my study opened. "Oh, dang it. You'll have to forgive me for barging in. I do hope I was not interrupting anything."
Lucy's voice came from the door. Slowly, I stepped back from Alice to look properly at Lucy.
"No, Lucy. What could you possibly be interrupting?" I asked.
"You really want me to say it, Big Gun? Hell no, seeing you two together and that close? You're not going to further traumatize me by putting me on the spot. Anyway," Lucy said, giving me a quick wink and a smirk. "...I got what you asked for. I'll need her current phone to transfer all her contacts and chats; then it will be as good as ready."
"Hand her your phone, Alice. From now on, you'll be using a new one," I instructed.
"What for, if I may ask?" Alice asked. She was still slightly shaken by the earlier tense atmosphere.
"Well, it's mandatory. You handle the kids; you get an upgrade. Nothing serious. It's the latest of its series, so yeah, I picked the best for you," Lucy answered before I could.
"Okay, but I don't want my phone changed," Alice replied.
"Oh, Alice, it's not a big deal. This phone will make your work so much easier, trust me," Lucy tried cajoling her, and it worked. Alice handed her current phone to Lucy.
Lucy looked at me while she took the phone. I signaled to her to check through the phone thoroughly, and she acknowledged the instruction.
"Take care, you two," Lucy said before she left with both phones.
I distanced myself from Alice to stand by the window. The rain had come to a stop, and the sun shone too brightly. I marveled at its beauty.
"And, sir, might I ask your permission to lend some of your books?" Alice asked.
"Of course. Help yourself," I replied.
I heard her shuffle through the bookshelf, the soft sound of paper against wood the only thing filling the silence I had reclaimed. When she was finally done, the click of the door signaled her exit, leaving me alone with a sun that felt too bright for a man with so much darkness left to uncover.