Page 74

I rolled my eyes.

He pulled the laptop back in front of him and right as he was about to continue typing, he grinned mischievously.

Instinctively, I stepped back, eyeing him in suspicion.

I watched him lean forward on his forearms, interlocking his fingers. “You know, tesoro, if you want a kid that badly—“

“Oh, get fucked.” I cut him off and his eyes dropped to my stomach before lifting to meet mine again. “Anything could’ve happened had we left her alone,” I explained. “Have a heart.”

“I do.”

I forced a smile. “Debatable.”

Rosalia entered and I took another sip of water. “Excuse me, Miss Nirah, but the bedroom you asked for has been prepared. Would you like anything else?”

“No.” I sighed. “It’s okay, Rosalia, thank you.”

“Have you found anything?”

“Not yet.” I approached her and we left the kitchen. We entered the foyer and I stopped her. “Something about this doesn’t feel right.” I admitted, keeping my voice low.

“What do you mean, Miss?”

“Well…” I trailed off, shifting on my feet. “Who drops their child off in the middle of the day, at a busy mall and then just disappears?”

She pondered on my words, then nodded.

“Not to mention, she’s spotless, covered from head to toe in clean clothes, dressed for the weather and she has no bruises on her hands, face or neck.”

“Maybe that’s intentional?”

I shook my head. “She didn’t wince or seem to be in pain at all. And she’s clearly well spoken and educated. Nothing about her tells me that she’s been abused or neglected.”

“We’ll have to wait for Mr. Antonio to find her parents.”

With unanswered questions we entered the living room to find her curled up and fast asleep.

Carefully, I picked her up and Rosalia led me to the room she’d prepared.

Doing our best not to wake her, Rosalia helped me change her into one of my oversized t-shirts since she was wearing jeans and a thick jacket that’d be way too uncomfortable to sleep in.

Thereafter I tucked her in before we quietly stepped out.

* * *

It was around two in the morning when I left my bedroom and headed over to Sally’s room.

I yawned, quietly opening the door as I rubbed the side of my arm.

I crept up to make sure she was asleep but when I found her bed empty, my heart rate picked up. I checked the entire room before hurrying out and into the empty hallway. Had she gotten lost? Sleepwalked?

I sprinted downstairs and found the living room and foyer empty too. I entered the kitchen and immediately halted, seeing Antonio with his back toward me.

I was about to approach him but when he slightly turned, I noticed that Sally was clinging onto him for dear life with her arms nearly cutting off his oxygen supply around his neck. Her legs wrapped around his waist and I watched him shake his head.

“There are no such thing as monsters.”

I smiled, crossing my arms over my chest as I hid, listening in.