Bloom

The woman, Adelaide, was extremely annoying. She hovered around Bloom the entire party, talking about how Bloom's hair had such beautiful curls or how her eyes were smart and expressive. It couldn't be very expressive if the annoying witch couldn't tell that Bloom loathed her presence, or maybe she could tell but chose to ignore it.

Grandmother still found a way to arrange a date for her dad and the woman. Grandmother called it a 'get-together' and emphasized that she and the woman's mother would be there, but Bloom was sure they would leave early with some lame excuse. Her dad agreed, with one condition—Bloom had to come along. She rolled her eyes when he said, 'I've been so busy, I hardly spend time with my baby. This will be a good opportunity.'

She knew he just wanted to use her as a cupid shield. She'd make sure he paid for that—five hundred silver Galands, to be exact.

On a Saturday evening, they were seated in a luxurious private room at Salem Restaurant. An exotic spread of delicacies covered the table. Bloom sat between her father and Adelaide. When they arrived, the woman had seated herself next to her dad, but he shuffled to the next seat and plopped Bloom between them without even acknowledging the woman's presence.

Bloom leisurely cut into her succulent lobster flesh, even though she was at the receiving end of Adelaide's subtle glares. She was tempted to confront the woman but changed her mind; the poor girl probably considered her a rival for Sullivan's attention.

"Come sit beside me," her grandmother called, and Bloom shrugged, making to stand up. Her dad pressed down on her shoulder, saying, "I want to spend time with my daughter." The two Campbell women looked displeased.

Mrs. Mario forced a short laugh. "Haha, they have always been close. Since she was brought to us, he had to serve her as both a mother and a father figure, and he suddenly matured."

The Campbell daughter sighed and rested dreamy eyes on Sullivan, who at that moment chose to find out if he could successfully flip his pea into Bloom's juice glass.

Ten minutes into the affair, Grandmother and Mrs. Campbell stood to visit the ladies' room. Grandmother beckoned Bloom to "escort them." Bloom shook her head and returned to her seafood buffet. She could feel Grandmother's eyes boring a hole into her head. Finally, both women exited the room, not to return until much later.

Adelaide giggled, "How are you, Sullivan?" Her voice was lowered and sweet. Bloom gave her a dubious look, then turned to her father, who was busy with his phone. "She's talking to you."

Her dad stood and walked out, pressing the phone to his ear. "Yes, Victor, what is it?" Bloom clearly saw the screen was in a gaming interface.

So childish. She clicked her tongue and returned to her meal. Two more prawns, and she should be half full.

"Hi," Bloom turned to Adelaide, who was bending forward to meet her eyes. "Would you like me to be your mom?"

Bloom coughed.

"Ah, here, have this." Adelaide reached for the glass of fruit juice, but instead of handing it to Bloom, she moved it farther away. "Well? Would you like me to be your stepmom?"

Bloom rewarded her with a blank gaze.

Adelaide hissed, "Sullivan was meant to be mine, but your mother stole him from me. Finally, she's gone, but here you are being a nuisance." She caught Bloom's elbow in a painful grip. "Why don't you just die, hmm?"

The door to the private room shook, and Adelaide returned to her seat, drawing up a sweet, charming smile. Sullivan walked in, and Bloom stared at him to see if he would show an ounce of attraction for the woman. When he sat and continued tapping away at his phone, she smiled.

Bloom scooped up some shrimp meat and placed it in Adelaide's plate. She smiled sweetly. "Eat."

Adelaide frowned at the meat, pushed the plate away from her, and said crisply, "No, thank you."

"Eat," Bloom repeated.

Sullivan turned to them, noting her impatient frown, and knew she was in one of her moods. He sighed. "Just take a bite, okay? It won't kill you."

"I'm allergic to shellfish!"

Sullivan raised a brow "So you won't take a bite? Not even for me?"

"But it causes red blisters on my face," Adelaide cried.

Bang. Bloom stood abruptly, toppling her chair over. Adelaide glared at her maliciously. She looked up at Sullivan. "Make her eat it. I'm leaving."

"Take a guard with you," Sullivan called out as she shut the door.

Bloom walked into a small dining place across the road. She wasn't afraid because she was sure one or four of her father's guards followed behind, out of sight but close in case of danger.

She had her hand on the door when a shadow loomed over her. She looked up at the man smiling down at her. "Move," she spat.

The man pressed closer. "Little girl, did you lose your parents?" Bloom didn't answer. When the man reached out to grab her, she stepped back. Her mind whirred and landed on a conclusion—he's a child napper.

She couldn't hurt Adelaide because of her family, so she had a chestful of anger, and this dirty child snatcher waltzed over, just begging to be tortured. She smiled and signaled for the guards to come close.

The man, thinking he had her fooled, grinned, showing off browning teeth. "Come, I'll take you to your mom."

Bloom raised her hand, waved, and slowly put down all but her middle finger. The man's grin fell, and he roughly grabbed her on the elbow, right where Adelaide had hurt her. She hissed in pain. Suddenly, someone kicked the man, sending him crashing into a fire hydrant. He lay there unmoving. Bloom looked up in shock. This was not the style of her guards. Somehow she expected a buff hero, not the slender beauty that was looking her over worriedly.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

The bit of pain was nothing to her, but for some reason, under the woman's worried eyes, she pulled up her sleeve, revealing the reddening bruise.

The woman frowned. "Sh*t, I should have kicked the f#cker even harder." Bloom giggled. If she had kicked him any harder, he might die. Bloom glanced at the man who was yet to move. In fact, he might already be de#ad.

"Aww, what a cute little smile," the woman said. Bloom blushed then frowned.

"Oh dear, did you lose your parents? Do you know their contact? You know what, it's cold out here. Let's get you inside for a cup of hot chocolate. That should thaw you right out." Bloom nodded.