"It hasn't been a month and my son is already this close to you. What did you feed him?" I internally rolled my eyes. I know for a fact that his question has a negative connotation. The tone of his voice alone can already attest to that. "Perhaps I'm just good at dealing with kids." I shammed a smile. A disturbing silence rose between the two of us for a couple of moments. "Cleo," he suddenly called my name. I heaved out a deep sigh. "Sir, if you're going to apologize for calling me offensive names a while ago, keep it to yourself for now. I won't fake my attitude and say that it was nothing, because your words really made my hackles rise." I took a short pause and looked at him straight in the eye. "So I'm sorry, but I don't think I can instantly give the forgiveness that you're asking." I want to applaud myself for having the courage to say those words right in front of my boss's face. "What the fuck are you saying?" I was taken aback when he asked that. Did I say something wrong? "You called my name and I thought you were going to apolo-" "No," he says, cutting me off. "Why would I apologize? My point still stands. Don't teach Greyson how to be barbaric." I pursed my lips together. I could feel my cheeks heating up because of utter embarrassment. "I called your name to tell you to leave now, as I have other important things to do, and your presence is not helping." He said that without any hesitation. I swallowed hard and slightly bowed my head. "Yes, sir." I turned my back and was about to exit that suffocating room when he once again spoke. "One last thing..." I took a deep breath before facing him. "What is it, sir?" "I don't want the same incident to happen again. Because if it does, I won't have a second thought about firing you. " I bit my lower lip out of nervousness. "I understand." He signaled for me to leave. I felt like a huge boulder was lifted off my chest when I stormed out of his office. "That was embarrassing," I uttered. I glared at the door as if it was Garren. "How dare you call me rowdy and barbaric after I protected your son?!" His words are still engraved on my mind, and it's honestly ticking me off up until now. When Greyson appeared and backed me up, that I was indeed telling the truth, I seriously thought that Garren would say sorry. That was the least that he could do for Pete's sake! But he still couldn't give it! Worse, he stood on his ground and still believed that I'm indeed a bad influence to his son. I scrunched up my nose. "Why did I even expect that you would own up to your mistakes and apologize to me? Your ego is probably much bigger than your brain." I don't want to step foot on this floor again. This is a demon incarnate's territory. I headed towards the sala where I found Greyson playing alone with his toys. He has class today, but it's still early. He must have noticed my presence because he suddenly stood up and sprinted towards me. "Cleo!" I smiled at him. "Did you eat your breakfast already?" "What did my dad say? He's not going to fire you, right?" he asked nervously instead of answering my question. "Don't worry, I will still be your nanny." I ruffled his hair. I don't want to mention that his father threatened me, as it might trouble him more. He sighed. "I'm sorry if I put you in this situation, Cleo. If only I hadn't punched Chadwick, my father wouldn't be mad at you." I crouched down to level our gaze. I cupped his cheeks and flashed a reassuring smile. "Don't blame yourself, Greyson. It's my job to protect you. Besides, you were not the one who started the fight. If only your classmate was not a bully, then you wouldn't have resorted to punching his face." He didn't respond and continue looking at me with a gloomy and guilt-ridden expression. "Speaking of, you must have punched him really hard because his black eye looked so painful." I saw him trying to stifle a laugh, but he failed because muffled giggles escaped his lips. That made me smile. I pinched his hands. "But Greyson, I hope this is the last time that you will resort to violence, alright? If anyone bothers you, as much as possible, tell me and I'll handle it. Can you promise me that?" He nods his head. "I promise, Cleo." "Good. Now eat your breakfast and take a bath afterward. You still have classes to attend." Greyson smiled widely. "Alright!" He dragged me to the kitchen, where we found Aunt Viviane cooking food. "Anyway, who told you that I was in your father's office earlier?" I asked Greyson while putting rice on his plate. He pouted. "I overheard Aunt Esther and Uncle Oliver's conversation. They said that Dad would possibly fire you after what happened, so I rushed upstairs to talk to him because I didn't want that to happen." My heart fluttered. "I'm really your favorite nanny, aren't I?" "Of course!" He answered jovially. I pinched his cheeks. "I'm only your favorite because I let you drink soda." He giggled. "Well, that's one of the reasons," he said, obviously teasing me. This kid is really the exact opposite of Garren, and I'm glad that he didn't inherit his rude and disdainful attitude. The world doesn't need another clump of negative energy. ••••• "Thank you." I smiled at Uncle Oliver as he handed me Greyson's lunchbox. I forgot to bring it with us this morning. It's a good thing that I noticed it immediately before lunch came. "You're welcome. Go now, your son is certainly waiting for you already," he teased me. I couldn't help but laugh at his joke. They've been making jokes about me being Greyson's mother because that kid always wants to stick me with me. He wants to go wherever I go. It's not a problem for me, though. In fact, I'm happy that he's close to me. After I thanked him, I turned my back and took my way through Greyson's classroom. I'm walking silently through the walkway when I noticed a group of students looking in my direction. I don't know if I'm just assuming things, but I can really feel their eyes on me. "What are these college students doing here on the elementary campus, though?" I uttered while observing them through my peripheral vision. I consciously checked my appearance, scrutinizing if there's dirt on my face and uniform, but there's none. My brows snapped together when I saw that they were pushing one of their friends while saying something. They are teasing him, I guess. "You're such a pussy, Elijah!" I heard one of them shout those words when I walked past them. I decided to ignore them. Perhaps they are looking at someone else and not me. When I reached the elementary building, I was greeted by the kids running around. I can see some of them looking at me, which is certainly because of what transpired two days ago. After that incident, Chadwick, his classmate that he punched, mysteriously disappeared. From what I heard, his mother decided to transfer him to another school. I don't know the reason, though. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that she did. I don't need to see her infuriating face anymore and deal with her obscene behavior. I drove those thoughts away and went to the garden where I left Greyson. I saw him talking to his classmate, Sophie. She's also the same girl that I met when I first came here. I stealthily walked to them, wanting to gossip about their conversation. "Dad told me that he's going to bring us to Russia this coming December to celebrate Christmas. I can't wait for that day! I'm excited to tour around Red Square in Moscow!" I overheard Sophie excitedly telling him their future vacation plans. I stopped on my track to listen to them more. "What about you? What's your plan for Christmas?" I saw how Greyson scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Uhm, my dad hasn't told me anything." Sophia pouted. "That's sad. You guys should be planning already." Greyson didn't say anything. "Speaking, we've been classmates for two years already, and I haven't seen your dad yet. You already met my parents, but I haven't met yours." My brows snapped together. Does that mean that Garren hasn't been to his son's school ever since? Is this what Aunt Esther meant when she told me that only a few people knew about Greyson being his son? "Y-You will meet him soon." I can't see his face, but I can feel Greyson's nervousness. She scrunched up her nose. "That's what you always tell me." I decided to reveal myself after a while. "Greyson." They both turned their heads at me. "Here's your lunch." I sat on the chair across from him and put out all the food containers. His eyes sparkled when he saw the beef brisket, one of his favorites. "Eat now before the food gets cold." He smiled at me before digging in. "That smells so great, Aunt Cleo. Did you cook it yourself?" Sophia asked. I shake my head. "No, baby. But anyway, you want to try it?" "No, Mom and Dad will bring me to my favorite restaurant for lunch. Still, thank you." She politely refused. As if on cue, someone walked towards our direction. It's Madelyn, Sophie's mother. "Sophie! Let's go. Your dad is waiting for us outside." Madelyn greeted me, and I smiled in response. My eyes landed on Greyson, who's watching them as they walk while holding each other's hands. "Sophie is so lucky with her parents," he blurted out of the blue. There's an expression of envy and jealousy glimmering on his innocent eyes. I tried to say something, but no words came out. "I wish I have a mother like Mrs. Evelyn," he added before taking my eyes off of them. My heart broke for him. This is the first time that I have heard him say that. He said those words so casually, but I know that there's an obscured sorrow behind them. I suddenly remember the picture of the woman that I found in his room. Until now, I'm still wondering if that was his mother or not. It seemed like he felt my stares because he looked at me and flashed a smile. "Please forget what I said, Cleo. Aren't you hungry? Let's share my food!" He obviously doesn't want to talk about his parents. I forced a smile. "I'm not hungry yet. Finish all of that so you can grow faster, alright?" He flashed a genuine smile. This kid looks as though he already mastered the art of putting on a front smile to mask his emotions, and I feel bad for him.