Ch.104

Ch.104
Travis's POV

I had no idea why Irene didn't like Allison. The girl was harmless, maybe a little reserved, but there was nothing about her that should've made Irene act so cold. Still, I knew my daughter well-she wasn't the type to dislike someone for no reason.

I sighed, rubbing my temples as Ayanna tried to reassure Irene.

"Irene, with time, you'll get to like her, okay?" I said, keeping my voice calm. "Just come now. Let's go eat, then you can shower and sleep. Deal?"

She hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Yes, Daddy."

At least that was settled-for now.

During dinner, I kept an eye on Allison, who was lingering by the table, unsure of where to sit. Ayanna invited her to sit beside her, but the moment Allison spoke, addressing Ayanna so casually, something in me snapped.

"Why are you calling my wife by her name?" I asked, my gaze locking onto her. "Shouldn't it be Mrs. Sinclair to you?"

I knew my tone was sharp, but I didn't care. I had no patience for unnecessary familiarity-especially not from someone we barely knew.

Ayanna groaned, clearly irritated. "Travis, not in front of Irene. I just told her we were friends."

I shrugged. I wasn't going to argue in front of our daughter, but that didn't mean I liked it.

The tension at the table was already thick, but then Allison decided to open her mouth again.

"I heard, Ayanna, that you were an escort for years. What made you do that?"

I froze.

The audacity.

Ayanna's spoon stopped mid-air, and I could see her processing the question. I was about to say something, but she beat me to it, her voice eerily calm.

"The same reason you're doing surrogacy now."

Allison's face paled, clearly not expecting that response. She stammered an apology, but the damage was done.

And then Irene-sharp as always-spoke up.

"Mummy, what's an escort?"

I didn't even hesitate. "Princess, she escorted me as a personal assistant for some time before we got married. That's what it means."

Irene squinted at me suspiciously. "Then she should have said personal assistant. Aunt, are you dumb?"

Ayanna covered her mouth, suppressing her laughter, while Allison turned red with embarrassment.

"Irene," Ayanna scolded gently. "That's not nice. Apologize."

"Sorry, Aunt Allison," Irene muttered.

I focused on my food, trying to push away the irritation bubbling inside me. This whole situation was exhausting.

After dinner, Ayanna took Irene to bed while I went to our room. By the time she returned, I was already lying down, scrolling through my phone.

She crawled into bed beside me, resting her head on my chest. "Travis... I know you don't like this arrangement, but think about it. You weren't around during Irene's birth. Maybe this time, you could be involved."

I exhaled deeply, setting my phone down. "I know, Aya. Just don't worry about it. I'm not angry."

She didn't seem convinced, but she didn't push further.

A few minutes later, her phone buzzed. I felt her tense beside me.

"What's wrong, Ayanna?" I asked, glancing at her.

She hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's nothing. Just a text from an unknown number. Probably spam."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. Her body language told me otherwise, but I was too tired to question it.

"Goodnight, Travis. I need some sleep."

"Goodnight, love." I kissed her softly before turning off the bedside lamp.

But as I drifted off, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something.

I came home to find Ayanna in the kitchen, slicing vegetables. Something about her posture was off-she seemed distracted, lost in thought.

Then, out of nowhere-

"Ouch!"

I immediately rushed in. "Hey, what happened?"

She shook her head, clearly downplaying it. "It's just a small cut, Travis. No need to freak out."

I crossed my arms. "A small cut? You yelped loud enough to wake the dead."

She rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating."

Ignoring her, I grabbed her hand and examined the wound. "You're too distracted. What were you even thinking about?"

"Nothing important," she mumbled.

I shot her a pointed look. She was lying. But I knew better than to push when she wasn't ready to talk.

"I'll get the first aid kit," I said. "And don't argue-you're letting someone else finish cooking."

She sighed. "Fine."

I turned to leave but paused. "By the way, where did you go earlier? You were out for a while."

She hesitated for half a second before saying, "I just felt like getting some fresh air."

I frowned. "Fresh air? That required you to leave the house entirely?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes, a walk isn't enough. I wanted a change of scenery."

I studied her for a moment. Something didn't sit right with me, but I let it go-for now.

"Okay, if you say so."

Then she brought up Timothy.

"What about Timothy? It's been a while since I last saw him."

I barely hesitated before responding, "He's fine. He told me he needed time away. He said he'd be traveling abroad for some self-reflection and wouldn't be reachable. He also said he wouldn't be taking any calls until he's ready to come back."

Ayanna's expression was unreadable. "And you believe that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I shrugged. "I even checked-he booked a flight and everything."

Her jaw clenched as she muttered something under her breath.

"Huh?" I asked. "What did you say?"

She forced a smile. "Nothing. I just... thanked you for helping with my finger."

I kissed her forehead. "It's my pleasure."

I could tell she was still holding something back. But again, I let it go.

"I need to take a shower. I have a meeting with some foreign investors later."

"That's fine, Travis. Go ahead."

I had just wrapped up my presentation when the office door swung open-without warning.

Ayanna.

I clenched my jaw. "Ayanna?"

She looked like she was about to say something urgent, but then her eyes flickered to my screen.

Her face paled slightly.

I exhaled, already irritated. "What's wrong, Ayanna? Why did you barge in like that?"

Before she could answer, I closed my laptop. "Never mind, I'm already done with the meeting."

She hesitated. "Your expression earlier... It looked like you saw something bad."

I sighed. "Yeah, I did."

She tensed. "What was it?"

I studied her for a moment before answering. "You remember Becky?"

"Yeah, your secretary at the time."

"I originally planned to fire her, but I decided against it. Instead, I transferred her to another branch as the finance manager because of her qualifications. But I just got a report from my secretary-she's been embezzling company funds. That's why I was shocked."

She let out a relieved sigh.

That reaction... was odd.

"So what are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking about it."

"But... you haven't told me why you barged in here so suddenly."

She hesitated before forcing a
smile. "Well... I missed you and wanted to see if you were done."

I raised a brow. "Really? You missed me?"

"Don't you believe me?"

"I do. I'm just... surprised, that's all."

She quickly backtracked. "Okay. I'll go back to my room now."

I did find that odd. She had been behaving strangely, but I didn't want to doubt her-especially since we had promised each other not to keep secrets.