20 Played
Athena panicked for the first time since Ewan entered her residence.
She had believed her children were asleep an hour ago. But, again, fate had chosen to play funny games with her.
Her heart beat out of rhythm as she watched Ewan watch her daughter, his daughter-
wondering if this was the moment where she would out her entire arsenal
children from Ewan and his stupid fiancée.
However, that was not so. She saw no recognition on Ewan’s face.
The blue eyes didn’t do the trick?
Athena swallowed her unbelief.
to keep her
Not wanting to take any chances, she stood up from the sofa, walked to her daughter, and started leading the little one back to the room.
But Kathleen wasn’t done. “Who are you, stranger? She turned and faced Ewan squarely.
“Your mother’s friend.” Ewan replied, just as fast, enthralled by the little girl with beautiful blue
eyes.
Athena’s husband must be a handsome man. The feeling sat uncomfortably on his heart; he didn’t bother deciphering it.
“You should take a little aspirin for the headache, beautiful. I’m sure you will be fine by tomorrow.” Ewan couldn’t help the sudden velvety feature of his voice.
Yet Kathleen made no indication that she had heard him.
She stared at Ewan keenly, forgetting her godfather who was darting glances between them, his heart hanging on a thin thread, while waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Meanwhile, Ewan shifted on his feet, not knowing what to do with the little girl’s interest in him. Did Athena tell the girl about him?
He was about creating an escape from the girl’s onslaught, when she spoke again.
“You look familiar, stranger. What’s your name? Do you like children?”
It was exactly that moment that Athena discovered what her daughter was trying to do, what her daughter knew about the man before her.
She held back a hiss, drew Kathleen’s hand stiffly and walked to the children’s room, without a word to the males behind her.
“He didn’t recognize me, mom. Did you see it? He didn’t recognize his own daughter, despite our similar eyes”
Athena’s anger and zeal to scold her daughter was diffused by that singular statement when they
got to the children’s room.
20 Played
She sighed, and bent to her daughter’s height; sighing again when she saw the tears cascading her daughter’s checks.
“He doesn’t deserve your tears.” She said simply, before wiping the tears and drawing the little one to her bosom.
“I’m not going to ask how you found out he was your father, but I am going to ask that you stop keeping tabs on him. He might not be worth it. Tell your brother too. I don’t want your heart
broken.”
Kathleen made no such promise. She only nodded her head, and walked out of her mother’s hug.
“Let me get you aspirin, Kate…”
Kathleen shook her head, before getting on her bed. “I feel better now.”
Athena’s jaw slackened at being played at. Her daughter had never had a headache in the first place! She had wanted her father to see her. Why?
Athena wasn’t sure.
She looked at her children with their eyes closed, and wondered if they had been awake all this
time
She walked to Nathaniel’s bed, and placed a finger underneath his nostrils. He was actually sleeping.
“Mom, stop. I came out because I heard his voice. It was familiar to Nate’s, only deeper.”
Athena jerked, hearing her daughter’s voice.
When she turned, Kathleen was staring at her boredly. “Just send him away, Mom. I don’t want to see him in this house again.”
Athena was just about to do that. Yet she worried about her daughter’s anger.
As much as she hated Ewan and wanted nothing to do with him, she didn’t really want him to be at loggerheads with his kids.
Maybe she would strike a balance later. She thought, dropping a kiss on Kate’s head. But for now she had to send the brute out.
However when she returned to the sitting room, Ewan was already gone. Good for him.
“He left immediately you went in with Kathleen. Do you think he knows?”
Athena shrugged. “I’m not sure. But Kathleen is angry that her father didn’t recognize her.”
“I can understand that. They are too similar. Maybe because she’s a girl? Might have been different with Nathaniel…”
Athena couldn’t agree more.
“But how does she know he’s the one?” Zane asked after a few beats.
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Athena didn’t answer the question. She didn’t think it wise to let Zane know about Nathaniel’s. whiz skills. “So you were saying something about a contract Ewan had with my father…”
Zane understood the topic had been dumped, and nodded his head, even though he wanted to inquire why she was so secretive.
“So, complete the story…” Athena said, after waiting for Zane to pick up from where he left off.
“Well…”
Another knock dropped on the door.
Athena swore, got to her feet, and hurried to the door, ready to oust Ewan, but Gianna was the one that stood behind the door this time.
“Athena, why do you seem tense?” Gianna asked, as she walked into the sitting room with Athena.
She dropped her bag on the floor, when Athena said nothing, and hugged her friend–a hug that ran cold when she saw Zane a few feet away.
Before she could speak another word, Zane got up from the sofa, and walked to the door, ardently avoiding Gianna as a plague.
He muttered a goodnight to Athena and slipped away from her sight through the door.
Athena’s jaw slackened for the second time tonight. She turned to her friend. The latter was already heading to the kitchen.
She flung up her hands dramatically. What the hell!
As she made to follow Gianna into the kitchen, her phone rang with a text.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she stopped by the table and collected her phone, thinking it was a credit alert message.
When she saw the contents of the message however, she hissed, deleted the message and blocked the number, before continuing to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, back at the children’s room, Kate tapped Nathaniel’s arm softly, waking him up.
Comme.
