Chapter 2

“What the!!”

Isabella stopped her dance as soon as she noted the presence of a man in the office.

“I didn’t make her cry. I swear,” she said, pinching her throat lightly.

“She cried?” He asked.

“A little bit,” she said, showing her index finger and thumb holding it, showing how much little.

Baby Sapphire looked between the two people in the room and, realising her entertainment had come to an end, let out an ear-splitting wail.

“It’s you. Not me,” Isabella washed her hands off any involvement in the baby’s crying.

Benjamin shook his head in disbelief and hurried to his niece.

He took her in his arms and rocked her, trying to calm her.

But baby Sapphire’s eyes were on the woman in front of her.

‘Why is she looking at me? Is she trying to let her papa know that I woke her up with my chattering?’ Isabella wondered.

“Okay then. It’s time for me to go,” Isabella said in a hurry and rushed to the door.

“Stop, stop!” Benjamin called her back.

“What?”

“You said she cried before, right?”

“Only a little.”

“Fine. Little. And she stopped crying when you danced for her?”

“Yes,” Isabella said proudly.

“Great. Now dance,” he said.

“What?” Isabella screeched. It’s one thing to dance crazily in front of a little baby. It is totally different to dance in front of a strange man.

Baby Sapphire didn’t like someone screeching louder than her, and she, in turn, increased the volume of her wail.

“Hush-hush...” Benjamin rocked her again.

“Please dance. I don’t know how to make her stop,” Benjamin pleaded, and Isabella took pity on him and danced her weird moves again.

As soon as Isabella started dancing, Sapphire stopped her wailing as if switched off.

“Wow. It’s working. Keep on dancing,” Isabella glared at the man.

“I’m tired. I will hold her. You dance for a while,” Isabella said and swiftly took the baby from him, leaving him gaping.

“Me? Dance?” Benjamin asked in horror.

The baby wailed again. Benjamin hurried and did some dance. But the baby kept crying.

“She likes the other song. Dance for that,” Isabella said excitedly.

The baby fell asleep after a while.

Benjamin and Isabella sighed in relief.

“Thanks for the help. I don’t know how I would have managed alone,” Benjamin said with gratitude.

“Where is your wife?” Isabella asked casually.

“Wife? I don’t have a wife,” Benjamin said.

“You don’t?” Isabella asked with her eyes wide open.

“No.”

“You have a baby without marriage?” Isabella asked, wondering how he did it without marriage. The thought brought colours to her cheeks. She lived among people who believed sex before marriage was a sin.

“She is my niece,” Benjamin said, offended at her assumption.

“Oh, okay,” Isabella said, her cheeks still red.

‘She embarrassed me, and she is sitting there and blushing! Weird girl,’ Benjamin thought.

“You are the new errand girl, right?” Benjamin asked, and Isabella nodded.

“Benjamin Lockwood,” he introduced himself.

“Boss?” Isabella asked in surprise. In the chaos of consoling the crying baby, she totally forgot she was inside the boss’s office.

“Yes,” Benjamin chuckled.

“Your coffee, sir,” Isabella pointed at the now cold coffee she kept on his desk a while ago.

“Great! I needed one,” Benjamin said.

He took a sip of the coffee and spat it out in the next second.

“What the hell!?” He muttered.

“Why? You didn’t like it?”

“It’s bitter. So bitter. No milk. No sugar,” Benjamin said, making a face at the black concoction in the mug.

“Uh! You like milk and sugar in coffee?” Isabella asked in confusion.

“Why? Did anyone tell you that I need my coffee black?”

“Aren’t all bosses supposed to drink black coffee with no sugar?” Isabella asked, remembering all the novels she had read in her life.

“What kind of logic is that? I like my coffee with milk and sugar,” Benjamin said, shaking his head in disbelief.

The HR department hired a girl with some screws loose. Hopefully, she was on a probation period.

“Okay. Noted, sir,” Isabella said.

“Benjamin,” he prompted.

“Pardon?”

“Benjamin. My name. I prefer to be called by my name rather than sir or Mr Lockwood,” Benjamin said.

“Sure, Benjamin,” Isabella said, and Benjamin smiled.

“Well. It was nice meeting you, Isabella. Now get going. I suppose you have some work? Hmm?” He asked.

“Oh god. I was supposed to meet Tom after giving you your coffee. He wanted me to take some xerox copies. Micky started crying, and I forgot everything-”

“Micky?”

“Is it Minnie?” She asked.

“What nonsense?” He asked.

“I don’t know if it is a she or a he!” Isabella said.

“I mentioned she is my NIECE!”

“Oh, I forgot,” Isabella said sheepishly.

“And her name is Sapphire.”

“Aww. What an adorable name for an adorable baby!” Isabella cooed.

“Crazy,” Benjamin muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Okay, then. See you later, boss,” Isabella said and ran out.

Benjamin breathed in relief.

“Get back to work, Benjamin,” he murmured, opened his laptop, and started working.

His phone rang after a while.

It was his dad.

“Hello, dad.”

“Ben. How is everything over there?” William asked.

“Good going, dad.”

“How is Sapphire?”

“Sleeping,” Benjamin said with a smile.

“Are you able to manage alone, Ben? We will be back soon,” William said apologetically.

“It’s okay, dad. Let mom adjust to reality. Give her some time. I will manage,” Benjamin said.

Elizabeth had mentally broken down after Eleanor’s death, and every time she saw Sapphire, she broke into anguished sobs. So, Benjamin suggested his father take her on a short vacation.

As a result, Benjamin had to bring Sapphire to the office, and he couldn’t leave the baby alone at home with the maids.

Maybe he should hire a nanny…

But the thought of handing over Sapphire to a stranger felt so wrong.

Benjamin stood up from his chair and walked over to the couch where the baby was sleeping.

He touched her cheeks with his index finger.

She’s so soft. Like a cuddly doll.

“I love you. I will always love you. Just like your momma would have,” Benjamin whispered to the baby.

***

Isabella called Alice, her best friend, during her lunch break to share the news of the baby and uncle.

“Can you believe it? He was so nice. I thought all bosses in the world would be arrogant like in the novels,” Isabella said.

“And the baby?”

“The baby is really adorable,” Isabella said. “When she is not crying,” she added as an afterthought.

“How is work? Will you make enough money soon?” Alice teased.

“I will. They offered a good salary. I will work for a year. Make loads of money. And I can get a loan if I get a recommendation from a big company like this. Then I can start my own bakery,” Isabella said dreamily.

Opening her own bakery is her dream. Since childhood.

She remembered her mother pinching her lightly when she cried for sweets when she was a little girl.

Her mother was a health-conscious woman. So too much of anything was restricted at home. Her father used to sneak in sweets for her.

And the determined little girl that she was, had made the decision to open her own bakery so that she could eat sweets to her heart’s content.

The innocent dream had grown on her as she grew up.

“Yeah-yeah. If your mother doesn’t marry you off before that,” Alice said, and Isabella huffed in annoyance.

Being born into a conservative Italian family, she never had the freedom to choose her man. Even though they have been living in the UK, their lifestyle remains the same. She knew she would have to bow down to her family one day soon.

“I will only marry someone who will support my dream,” Isabella declared.