Chapter 135. FIONA

Chapter 135. FIONA
"Wow, presents!"
Mellisa exclaimed with joy. She ran to hug the giant stuffed pony and couldn't stop saying "wow." My little girl had never seen so many presents in her life. I had to give Joshua a stern warning when he got back from whatever he was doing out there not to waste any more money on these presents.
I'd told him this morning that I'd be washing my clothes in the storage room and that he wouldn't have to buy me any more. But he still bought me new clothes from well-known brands.
Mellisa got three large bags of new clothes. My little girl was picking them up. She couldn't carry them because they were too heavy, so she dragged them over to me.
"Mommy, open these. I want to see what's inside."
"We'd better open them in your bedroom and put them in your closet."
"I want to open them here," Mellisa whined.
"Honey, didn't I say we'd open them in your bedroom? Don't whine."
"Okay, Mommy," she pouted.
We finally managed to get all of Mellisa's belongings into her room. With the help of three guards, we had to make three trips back and forth to the living room to get them. Joshua really wasn't joking when it came to spoiling Mellisa. I intended to call him, but my call went straight to his voicemail.
He escaped my wrath this afternoon.
“Mommy, open that now.”
“Okay. Let’s see what your Daddy bought for you.”
I dumped the three large bags onto the carpet. Melissa’s clothes piled up like a small mountain in the middle of the room.
My little girl exclaimed excitedly. She picked up one of the dresses and pretended to try it on in front of the mirror.
“Mellisa is so excited,” Mia commented, laughing at Mellisa’s cuteness.
“She loves presents. Joshua is really over the top with all these gifts.”
“That’s normal. He’s a dad. He wants the best for his daughter.”
“I know. But this is too much. I even asked my friend to send our clothes here,” I sighed softly.
Clio called me this morning. She said she was free because she didn’t have any new cases. I asked her to send Mellisa’s and my things here. She said she would do it today so I could receive the packages tomorrow morning.
“Mr. Joshua has changed drastically since you guys moved here.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Mr. Joshua used to be scary. He spoke loudly and rudely. Sorry, I didn’t mean to badmouth him.”
"No, that’s the truth. Joshua was rude and intimidating. He's still like that now."
"But it's lessened. He's become calmer. I saw a guard not immediately open the door when Mr. Joshua's car was about to leave. Normally, Mr. Joshua would curse the guard with the harshest curses and repeatedly honk the horn. But this morning he just sat there quietly in the car and waited patiently for the guard to open the gate for him."
I couldn't believe Joshua had turned into such a calm man so quickly.
"Seriously? I should have seen that this morning."
"I'm serious. I was even gaping in surprise at how calm he'd become."
"Mommy... I want to open this."
Melissa's whining interrupted my intense listening to Mia's story about Joshua.
"Why are you opening it now? It's a set of colored pencils and crayons."
I turned the sealed gray box over and read the instructions on the back.
"We'll open it when you're really ready to draw. Tsk, why did Joshua buy this now?" I grumbled as I put the box of colored pencils in the cupboard.
Melissa whined, wanting to open it.
"Didn't you promise not to fuss? I won't open the box of colored pencils and crayons until you're ready to use them. If I open it now, you'll just use them to scribble on the walls."
"But I want to open it now."
"No," I said firmly.
Mellisa started crying and throwing a tantrum. She rolled around on the floor and messed up the pile of clothes on the carpet. Mellisa screamed and babbled through her tears. I couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Ma'am, she's crying."
"I know, Mia. Just let her be. She'll stop crying when she's tired."
I remained silent even though she was having a tantrum. I didn't want to talk to her.
Mia was confused, seeing Mellisa and me being equally stubborn. She tried to approach Mellisa with her other toys, but Mellisa threw them against the wall.
"You can't get close to her when she's having a tantrum. She's stubborn like Joshua. Give her time to cry until she's tired."
"But her face is red."
"That's what happens when she's having a tantrum. You had better help me put her clothes in the closet."
I picked up Mellisa's clothes scattered on the floor. My little girl was still crying and rolling around on the bed. She'd stop crying when she was tired. Sometimes Mellisa would cry and throw tantrums over trivial matters. I'd learned her pattern over the past three years. The best thing to do was ignore her.
"Mia, what do you think of Erick?"
She looked at me, confused by my sudden question about Erick.
"Umm... He's a good guy."
“I know he’s nice. But you might have a different opinion about him.”
“I don’t understand what you mean, Ma’am.”
“What I mean is, what if Erick is interested in you? What do you think?”
Mia frowned deeply. She looked nervous, but her hands still worked deftly to hang Melissa’s clothes on hangers, then separate them from the clothes that would be folded and put in the drawers.
“Have you ever dated before? Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Neither. I don’t have time for those things because I have siblings to take care of at home. Rose and Roberto have been very good to us. I’m busy doing whatever I can to repay them.”
“Good. I know you’re a kind and hardworking woman. Roberto loves you very much. He tried to protect you from Erick when he found out Erick was interested in you.”
“Why would Roberto protect me from Mr. Erick? He’s a good man.”
“I think so too. But Roberto clearly had his reasons for doing what he did. I guess he did it because of Erick’s background.”
I studied Mia’s expression and told her slowly, “He’s the Don’s assistant. He works for the cartel.”
“I know that. Roberto and Rose told me everything before I started working here. I know a little about what they do out there. I sometimes eavesdrop on the guards’ conversations. But I don’t think what they do for a living has anything to do with their behavior. Mr. Erick is a good man. He respects women and is never rude to the guards.”
“Erick may seem friendly to everyone, but that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous.”
“I’m not saying he’s not dangerous. I’m sure he’s just as scary as Mr. Joshua, but he manages to handle himself well in any situation.”
I smiled broadly. Her assessment of Erick was very positive. I was confident that Erick would be able to win Mia’s heart if he put in a little effort instead of sitting around passively. I might have to intervene if Erick didn’t take action soon.
“I agree with you. Erick is indeed great. If I were a single woman, I might have fallen for him. But Joshua won my heart first.”
“You two are a perfect couple. I admire you both. When Mr. Joshua was in prison, Roberto was very sad. He had high hopes for your relationship with Mr. Joshua. He always prayed for you to return to this house. He said Mr. Joshua never looked happy before you came into his life. And I agree with him after seeing it with my own eyes. You bring happiness to this family with your presence.”
I cupped my blushing cheeks. Mia had praised me too much, and I'd gotten a little carried away by her words.
"It wasn't just because I was here. We fought and cursed a lot," I admitted.
“But Mr. Joshua loves you. I can see it in the way he looks at you. Usually he always looks scary with his gloomy face, but when he looks at you and Melissa, his eyes sparkle with love. I can’t describe it,” she chuckled shyly. “But I can feel it.”
"Wow, is it that obvious? I didn't really notice it all this time," I played dumb.
I just realized the room had gotten quieter. I turned to the bed and found Melissa already asleep, face down. Tear marks were clearly visible on her cheeks. Her breathing sounded labored from crying for quite some time.
I turned her over so she was sleeping on her back. She whimpered softly with her eyes closed. I patted her thigh gently, then tucked her in.
This princess can be quite a nuisance when she's having a tantrum.
I kissed her cheek, then went back to work tidying up Joshua's many gifts.