Victor POV
“Whoa!” I grunted, taken aback as I pressed the doorbell, and it opened immediately.
I did not have to wait long. It was flung wide open as if someone couldn’t wait for my arrival.
It gave me immense satisfaction to know that they are expecting me.
But the greeting died in my throat when I saw Pepper’s reaction when she saw me.
She greeted me with her eyes flashing in anger.
Her glare was so intense that I instinctively stepped back, but it did nothing to shield me from the force of her anger. Pepper’s eyes locked onto mine, sharp and unyielding.
Her greeting left me stumped.
Pepper POVI woke up to the loud banging on my door.At first, I wanted to ignore it as I hugged a pillow to my chest.“It’s too early,” I called out to whoever was at the door, hinting at my displeasure at being woken up too early.My body has its own clock, and it knows when to wake up. But right now, it says it was still too early.Then, I heard the children’s voices.“Mommy! Wake up!”The alarm in Asher’s voice tipped me off that something was not right.Even the urgency in the way they bang on my door leaves me with apprehension.With sleep discarded, I instantly became alert.I rushed out the bed and ran toward the door to unlock it.On the opposite side, the sight of the triplets in their pajamas, hair disheveled as if they just got out of bed in a hurry, made me frown in confusion.“Mommy!” The triplets cried in unison.Then, they began to talk simultaneously.My head began to pound as I tried to decipher their words, but I could not make heads or tails of it.It was as if
Victor POV“Whoa!” I grunted, taken aback as I pressed the doorbell, and it opened immediately.I did not have to wait long. It was flung wide open as if someone couldn’t wait for my arrival.It gave me immense satisfaction to know that they are expecting me.But the greeting died in my throat when I saw Pepper’s reaction when she saw me.She greeted me with her eyes flashing in anger.Her glare was so intense that I instinctively stepped back, but it did nothing to shield me from the force of her anger. Pepper’s eyes locked onto mine, sharp and unyielding.Her greeting left me stumped.
Victor POV“Bye, Mr. Victor!” The triplets chorused when I bid them goodnight.Pepper walked me out of the children’s room.She let me lead the way as we navigated the narrow hallway to wind down the stairs.We passed by the main living room until we reached the main door.“Will the four of you be alright, here?” I asked, sounding very much concerned.I did not hide from Pepper that I was worried about leaving the four of them, but Pepper dismissed it.“Have you forgotten? I knew how to defend myself and the children if needed.” She told me smugly, and as an afterthought, she informed me that Shan will be coming later.“Shan lives with us now.” She added as if the information would assuage my worries.I nodded, not wanting to make a fuss, but I could not help myself.In recent months, Pepper had become a public figure. Her foundation, The Women Project, had been noticed by the media, and she had been in the constant spotlight because of it.“You should hire bodyguards,” I told her.Th
Victor POV“Mr. Victor, can you tie my hair, please?” Althea approached me with a scrunchie tucked between the pads of her index finger and thumb.She had just taken her shower and emerged from the mini walk-in closet that was hers alone.I stopped the grimace that wanted to erupt on my face when I heard her address me.If it were me, I would have preferred for Althea to call me 'Daddy'.“It’s too soon,” Pepper said earlier when she noticed the expression on my face every time the children would address me as Mr. Victor.It sounded weird to my ears. My children treat me like a neighbor they met on the road.“The kids need time to adjust.” Her words reverberated in my ears.Of course, I cannot force them to be ready.All I have to do is wait.At least, there were small concessions like this.I took the scrunchie from her, glanced around until I found the pink vanity dresser in the far corner—clearly hers—then spotted a canister filled with combs and hair brushes.Crossing to the dresse
Pepper POVVictor lied.He said that busy hands calm the mind, but the more my hands were busy, the more thoughts ran around in my head.“I just wanted to be sure,” I grumbled to myself while my hands were busy scraping off leftover food from the plates before sudsing them with a sponge and rinsing them under the faucet.Didn’t Victor know that I was risking the children’s well-being and happiness when I allowed him entry to our quiet life?We already established a fatherless family with certain rules and traditions.The children knew I was their sole provider and custodian.By letting Victor integrate into our lives, some old rules will be discarded in place of new ones to accommodate him.“He was not even appreciating what I was doing. I am protecting my children. I will bite bullets for them.”“I know. That is why I also wanted to prove to you that I am worth that risk.” Someone said from behind me.I spun around in surprise.My eyes widened in shock when I saw Victor standing a f
Pepper POVI expected awkwardness when I called the triplets to the dining table, but there was none.The children’s usual chatter followed them as they sat in their usual seats at the dinner table.“Why do we have an extra plate?” Aaron asked.“Because we have a visitor.” I pointed out.His face crumpled. “He is going to eat with us?”I nodded, “Of course. He cooked your food, so you better be grateful and say your thanks.” I reminded him.Aaron grumbled, but Asher nudged him when the door to the dining room swung open unexpectedly.Victor, with his hands protected with kitchen gloves, arrived carrying a large dish.The inviting aroma of tomato sauce made the children take simultaneous whiffs, making their chests expand.When they exhaled, the same satisfied smile covered their faces.Victor noticed their identical expressions, causing a warm smile to spread across his face.“The food smells heavenly,” Aaron commented.Asher nodded his head while Althea bragged about her contribution