Mommy for Billionaire's Baby
Chapter 9

"Naina, if you study as diligently as you did before, you won't encounter many difficulties during your exams." Tasya affectionately ruffled Naina's long hair. "Back when I had exams, I was so afraid."

"Why were you afraid?" Naina closed her book, yawning briefly as she stretched her arms. A sense of fatigue had overcome her now. Earlier, when she was discussing challenging problems with Tasya, she didn't feel tired at all. "I'm so tired, Miss Tasya."

"All right, go to sleep. You have school tomorrow, right?"

"I have Oma. If I run away from school, she can take me to her house."

Tasya laughed. "That's why you shouldn't have a habit of running away, Naina."

"I'm running to Mami's house, though." Naina sighed softly. "But I'm sure Mami won't be at her house."

"Mami Seira has her own personal matters, Naina. You shouldn't be selfish."

Naina lowered her head dejectedly. "But I really want Mami Seira to be my mommy."

"What's the reason? Can I know, sis?" Tasya swiftly packed all of Naina's textbooks for the next day. She also checked if anything was missing. Whenever Tasya was in this house, her hands were always busy helping with Naina's school-related matters. That included checking the girl's stationery. Sometimes, she felt drawn back to her own school days. What Naina had now, Tasya had experienced before. The only difference was that Tasya received attention from her parents. Naina? There was none. That's why Tasya tried her best to look out for the girl, even though it wasn't her obligation. But she felt sad if she didn't do what she was doing now.

"Mami is kind, Tasya." When Naina talked about Mami Seira, her eyes lit up with joy. "Even though she can be strict, she always pays attention to me. Especially when I'm sick. She makes porridge for me. She combs my hair and picks out the right clothes for me. She spoils me, even though she speaks harshly. Like Miss Rina at school, sis. She's strict, but caring. I know who truly cares and who doesn't."

Tasya gently rubbed Naina's head. "But Naina, you shouldn't talk about Mami Seira anymore, okay? Your Daddy might get upset."

"Why would Daddy get upset? He should be grateful that I've made a decision. If Daddy looks for a new mommy, she should be like Auntie Seira. Until he replaces one, I'll keep calling Auntie Seira 'Mommy'." Tasya chuckled. "That means you don't care about Daddy."

"When will you have a break, Miss?" Naina was adept at changing the topic. No one could refute any of her desires, including matters concerning the 'Mommy' criteria for Nathan's future partner. "I think I have a break on Sunday."

"Why 'I think'? Naina stared intently at Tasya. "Are there no breaks for adults when they work?"

Tasya actually wanted to use her break time wisely. Unfortunately, that rarely happened. There was always something that Nathan would bother her with. Especially when it came to extra work. Like now. How could it be finished quickly and immediately? Could it be read and analyzed first before making a summary? Oh my, Lord! And the file was so thick, like an enormous English dictionary. This was only halfway through... not even one-tenth of the journey of checking the reports that Nathan requested. Truly, this Raptor named Nathaniel Sinclair loved tormenting Tasya. It was making her emaciated! Oh... Nathan shouldn't hear this. It wasn't his fault. Tasya just couldn't take care of herself when it came to eating. She often ate late to chase after a lot of work to finish quickly.

Seeing Tasya's pained expression, Naina suddenly grew worried. "What's wrong? Why does your face look strange?"

"It's nothing." Tasya quickly shook her head. "Why are you asking when my break is?" She had to put on a fake smile to hide her true feelings from Naina.

"I want you to accompany me to Mama and Papa's graves. Will you?"

Tasya blinked slowly. Was this request not appropriate? After all, Tasya was an outsider. She was only close to Naina because of Nathan, right? If she had to accompany Naina to the graves of Mr. Noah Sinclair and Mrs. Janet Sinclair, oh... that's a private matter, isn't it?

"You don't want to, do you?" Naina asked softly. "Well, then I'll go with Mr. Jack again. Even though I enjoy being with "

"Okay. What time should I pick you up?" Tasya interrupted.

Initially, Naina had looked down sadly. Why did she invite Tasya instead of her grandmother? Talking to her grandmother wasn't enjoyable. There was always advice that she had to listen to, even though Naina was still young, right? But if she constantly heard that advice, she would also become annoyed. It felt like they had nothing else to talk about. Naina knew what she had to do. Besides, when was she ever asked if she felt lonely? As far as Naina could remember, no one had ever asked her. Not deep in her heart. So... who was the selfish one? The people around Naina or herself?

"I'll pick you up." Naina beamed with a wide smile.

"Okay. But Tasya, finish your work first. Boss Raptor doesn't hold back when it comes to giving tasks. It makes your head spin."

Naina laughed and immediately hugged Tasya. "Thank you, Tasya."

"You're welcome."

It didn't take long for Tasya to help Naina get onto her bed. She changed her clothes and made sure to brush her teeth, just as she usually did before going to sleep. She made sure the area around the bed was dimly lit, and the room temperature was cool. Tasya looked at the scattered pile of reports. "Should I work overtime here?"

Her eyes drifted while gazing at the soft pink-painted ceiling adorned with many ornaments typical of a little girl longing for affection. "Shouldn't I go home?"

Once again, she looked at the scattered reports. "If I go home, I can't take these files with me. But they have to be finished." She rubbed her chin, considering whether to work overtime in Naina's room. But... was that allowed? "Tasya?" A knock on the door startled her. Nathan's voice made her quickly rush to the door. She didn't want to hear another knock, fearing it might disturb Naina's sleep. "Yes, sir?"

"Aunt Tina has prepared a room for you. I can't take you home. I'm really exhausted, Tasya."

Tasya's gaze met her boss's tired eyes. Yes, indeed, the signs of fatigue were visible there. Nathan's eye bags were much darker than before.

"You can just tell your mother, right? Just say there's an unexpected business trip."

"Lying to parents is a sin, sir."

Nathan sneered. He gently pushed Tasya's forehead, still covered by her messy bangs, using the tip of his finger, eliciting a response of displeasure. "Don't pout. Your lips aren't sexy, Tasya."

"Who would want to look sexy in front of you? What a waste!"

The man only slightly pursed his lips. "Accompany me for dinner, Tasya."

"I've already eaten, sir." That was the truth, as Tasya had eaten with Naina, accompanied by Aunt Tina. The housekeeper in this house because Naina didn't want to leave her room. The girl didn't refuse to eat with her grandmother, but she had a lot of tasks and needed concentration. So, Tasya fed her. While memorizing, the little girl chewed her food.

It didn't matter to Sunny, fortunately, considering the reports that came in regarding Naina's school. She wanted to be angry at Nathan or anyone else in this house for neglecting Naina, but upon further inspection, sometimes Naina was the troublemaker herself. Oh... more than once or twice, actually. Often! Which made them all dizzy. "Why didn't you call me?"

Tasya blinked. "I ate here. Naina didn't want to leave her room because she has a math assignment tomorrow, sir."

Nathan nodded quietly. "You should eat again." As another form of coaxing, Nathan rubbed his stomach as if suffering from acute hunger. "Besides, having dinner is good for you, Tasya. You need to gain some fat."

Tasya grimaced. "It's not like that if you ask someone to have dinner, sir." She gently closed the door. Occasionally, she glanced at the peacefully sleeping Naina. "Let's go. Mrs. Sunny ordered kidnap and beef soup. Are you okay with that, sir?" "Beef soup?"

"Yes." Tasya walked alongside Nathan and asked about the available menu at the dining table. Their steps were only a few apart, allowing Tasya to steal a glance at Nathan's enticing back. He was wearing a bright blue polo shirt paired with comfortable knee-length pants. From behind, Nathan's appearance was appetizing, wasn't it?

Well, it was like she wanted to be hugged from behind or carried, but as Tasya focused on their steps to avoid tripping on the stairs, laughter suddenly burst out.

"What's so funny?" Nathan became curious. "Is something wrong?" They had been having a normal conversation until Tasya suddenly laughed. There must be something wrong, right?

"You're wearing Naina's sandals, sir?"

Ah, the furry sandals complete with big ears. "Yes, I am. I don't know where my sandals went." Nathan chuckled. "Still cool, though, right?"

"Many people say you're cool, sir. You don't need me to say that, do you?" Tasya replied softly. She walked ahead of Nathan and reached the top of the stairs. "Let me warm up the beef soup for you, sir."

In Nathan's ears, Tasya's question buzzed like a bee. It was quite noisy. Because Nathan was fixated on one point: from the first time they met until now, Tasya had only smiled and said diverting words, "Everyone agrees that you're cool and handsome, sir."

"Just be careful if you start praising me, Tasya," Nathan chuckled, following the footsteps of the girl. But instead of heading to the kitchen, he chose to sit at the dining table. Shortly after, the girl who was still asking Naina a few things he wanted, served dinner.

Only one portion. For Nathan alone.

"Where's your portion, Tasya?" Nathan asked, his expression curious. "I told you to eat more."

"I'm full, sir." Tasya grinned widely. "I'll just have some tea. There's a slice of cake to accompany it."

"Tasya," Nathan warned. "Eat."

"Sir," Tasya couldn't believe that Nathan was now forcing her.

"Either you eat or I eat?"

"Raptor suddenly went crazy, huh?"

******

For the next two days, Tasya's work was done at home, specifically in Nathan's office that she had only visited twice before. Quiet. Comfortable. Many books were scattered around, including several files that Nathan had kept as archives. Nathan requested Tasya to complete her work quickly without any disturbance.

Could she do it? Clearly not. Just as Tasya found her concentration, her phone rang loudly, followed by Nathan's voice echoing from the other end. He asked for this file and that file, even though Tasya had created a note and organized them in the glass cabinet around their workspace. It was as if Tasya was wandering around their workspace at the RDTZ Tower, even though her body was at Nathan's house.

"I've looked for it, Tasya, but it's not here. Did you write the note wrong? Are you trying to mess with me?" Nathan's voice sounded impatient. "I'm running out of time, you know."

God! Tasya really had to expand her patience dealing with this Raptor-like Nathan.

"Sir," Tasya said with a sigh. "I wrote in my note that it's on the right side of the glass cabinet. The row with the blue binders in the third position. The one next to the annual financial reports."

"It's not there, Tasya! Come here instead. I'm confused."

"Video call, sir," Tasya suggested as a compromise.

"You should have done that earlier!" Nathan snapped. He tapped on the video call icon, and shortly after, Tasya's face appeared on the screen. Nothing had changed. Was Tasya like Sailor Moon who could suddenly transform because of moonlight? "Where is it?" He quickly aimed the phone at the cabinet Tasya had been referring to.

"Sir, that cabinet belongs to you. Obviously, it's not there," Tasya slapped her forehead. "I said it's the storage cabinet in my room."

"Really?" Nathan furrowed his brow. "You didn't say that."

Tasya was tired of arguing. "Yes, sir. I've said it many times, but for some reason, your ears suddenly couldn't hear me." "Are you saying I'm deaf?"

"You said it yourself, sir." Tasya sighed wearily. "There it is." She slightly raised her voice while unintentionally pointing at the cabinet where the files Nathan wanted were clearly displayed on the screen. "Third row, sir. I can see it from here." "Yes, I know!" Nathan grumbled in annoyance. "Enough. I don't need your help anymore. Just finish your part. You've only caused trouble by making me search for the files myself."

If it weren't for the endless threat of being fired, Tasya would have argued, debated, and shouted at Nathan since earlier! And to top it off, he ended the call abruptly without saying anything. Goodness! What did Tasya expect? Such careless thoughts, assuming that Nathan would say goodbye to her even on the phone?

"Raptor is insane," she muttered while staring at the phone screen that had returned to its original menu.

The shirt Tasya was wearing was truly comfortable. When she first embraced her slender body, she felt that her appearance looked beautiful. "Ah, expensive clothes do make a difference," she said with a chuckle. Then she promptly resumed her work.

Before her eyes could even delve into the files she was studying, her gadget rang again. This time, Mr. Jack's name appeared on the screen.

"Yes, sir?" Tasya stood up for some reason.

"Is Naina throwing a tantrum and refusing to let me pick her up, Miss? She wants to go with you."

Tasya slapped her forehead! But she also heard Naina screaming in the background. "Quick, Tasya!!! I need you!!!"

Not the kid, not the daddy! They were both troublemakers, weren't they? Tasya grumbled in her heart. What sins did she commit in the past to deserve meeting these really patience-testing individuals?