Nina's POV

★NINA★

If I thought the exteriors of Malachi's house was luxurious, the insides were even more magnificent. Looking at his luxurious building, you'd know he came from old money.

One of the security guardsmen who stood outside the main door to Malachi's led me inside. The foyer was an empty hall but then we passed by the sitting room which had perfect polished brown couch and a sleek caramel table at the middle. My eyes went around the sitting room, viewing all the paintings hung on the wall. 

Malachi probably had a thing for paintings.

We took a turn to the left my breath hitched when we arrived at the dining room. Malachi—only in a white singlet that did nothing to hide his chest and muscles—was seated at the head of the table. A little girl with dark hair and that same beautiful shade of green eyes her father has, was seated on the right bedside him.

My eye tilted to Malachi, he stared at me with narrowed eyes—at my neck particularly—amd then I suddenly remembered why he should be looking there. James had probably left some choking marks there. I shifted uncomfortably them bowed my head to him.

"Good morning, Mr Malachi." I greeted and raised my head in time to see the little girl jumping down from the chair and approaching me. 

"Daddy daddy, is this auntie the new caretaker?!" She squealed when she stood before me. Blinking her big round eyes. 

"Yes, cara, she's the one." Malachi said and I looked up at him before I crouched down to be on face level with his daughter—although a little bit taller. 

"Hello..."

"Lila! That's my name, auntie." I chuckled at her cuteness. She was so small and her cheeks so puffy I felt like kissing the living fuck out of them but remembered I'm right before her father. 

"Oh Lila, you're very adorable. Do you know that?" I lifted my hand and lightly pinched her cheek.

"Yes auntie! Daddy always tells me that!" Sje giggled. "Auntie, what's your name?"

"Nina. My name is Nina and I'm your new caretaker." I told her with a bright smile. 

"Yay! Auntie Nina!! My best friend's name is Nina too!"

"Really?" I chuckled, "she must be as adorable as you then."

Lila squealed and chuckled before she nodded. 

"Join us for breakfast." I heard Malachi said and then I looked up him.

"It's alright. I'm not really hungry." Oh I was deathly hungry, but I wasn't going to tell him that and lose the remaining self-respect I had before him. 

"Auntie Nina, join us for breakfast! Daddy made fries for breakfast!"

I rose up with widened eyes. Malachi made breakfast for his daughter? I stared at him and he tilted his head to the side.

"You heard the girl." He chuckled and I nodded.

I hadn't even registered when the security man had left. I gently grabbed Lila's hand in mine and walked to the dining table before I let her go. But instead of going back to her sit, she sat down beside me.

"Piccolina, you like your new caretaker?" Malachi asked with a warm smile. He was very different from the man I had met last night. 

"Yes daddy! Auntie Nina is very beautiful!" She giggled at the end and Malachi nodded. Raising his eyes to me before he stood up. 

I knew what he was about to do before he did it and so I stood up immediately after him. His brows shot up at her stared at me. "Let me... Let me help you." I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress and he nodded. I followed after him to the kitchen which was just half a wall away from the dining. 

"Lila loves fries and ketchup, that's what I prepared this morning. I hope you have no problems with it?"

My eyes widened before I shook my head, "Of course not! I eat everything, I'm not picky at all." I clamped my mouth shut when I realised I'd spoken too much but Malachi only chuckled.

"Great then." He said then scooped fries from the sieve bowl and dropped onto a plate he had retrieved. He scooped on more but I stopped him.

"This is enough. Thank you." I muttered. He handed the plate to me and I collected it and we walked back to the table.

"Auntie auntie Nina likes fries like me!" Lila yelled when I got back to the dining table. She reached over the dining table and collected the ketchup, pouring a outrageous amount atop my fries.

"Oh my! That's enough little Lila." I stopped her by placing my hand on hers. 

"Okay! Try it then. Daddy daddy makes the best fries." 

I chuckled then slowly cleaned my hand with the napkin before picking up the fries and eating and composed and gently as I could. 

After breakfast with Malachi and his daughter. A tutor came over and it was obvious Lila was familiar with her. They ran out of the dining room and I had no idea where they went, leaving on me and Malachi.

"She teaches her mild things like alphabet and numeracy." He said, pulling my gaze away from the door they had walked from. "Lila started school a bit late and she didn't attend kindergarten, so everything is a bit too much for her at this age."

"Oh..." I nodded slowly, fidgeting with my palms under the table. Not that I minded what Malachi did with his daughter, it was his daughter anyway and not mine. It made me wonder what had happened to her mother. "It's great." I concluded and watched him lean back on his chair and fold his arms. His muscles flexing with every movement. 

"What about you?"

I blinked. "What about me?"

"Your schooling. If my guess is correct, you're still around the age of nineteen or twenty." He said with a light frown on his face that only made me chuckle.

I knew why he would think that way. I was twenty two but I was petite. "I'm twenty two. I didn't attend college." I said with a small voice and he nodded. I could tell he wanted to know the reason why but chose not o ask. 

"There are some rules you need to abide to while you are staying here, Nina." Malachi said. The air shifting into something more serious. 

I'd never heard him call my name before, and the sound of that single word on his mouth alone rose goosebumps on my skin. "I'm following." I nodded curtly.

"Lila goes to school everyday with an exception of Saturday and Sunday. She wakes by seven and by eight we're out." He paused, staring at me, silently asking if I understood..

"Uh... Am I to drop her off to school everyday?" I asked and he shook his head.

"No. That's my work. You're to prepare her and make breakfast. I'm going to give you a list of meals and snacks she likes. I'll be the one taking her to school." He explained and it was my turn to nod. "She likes being sang a lullaby or read a story to. She has a lot in her shelf in her room."

"That's the only way she sleeps?" I asked, my brows furrowing a little.

"Her preferred method. I don't read to her every night, I tend to be busy on some nights. But then that's why you're here." He stated, leaning back on his chair. "Are we cool, Nina?"

Is it unhealthy then way I love the sound of my name from his lips? At that thought, my eyes trailed down to his dark pink lips. I took my eyes up to his immediately. 

"Yes, yes sir. We're cool."

"Great then." He then elegantly rose up from his chair, looking at his apple wristwatch. "Saturdays are usually my day off, but there's an urgent meeting today. I'll be leaving now. Be good and take care of Lila."

With that he left, leaving me in the dining room.