Nate walked into his office and leaned Scarlet on the desk.
«Does it still hurt?» he asked.
«A little.»
«What exactly happened?»
«I fell down and hurt my knee.»
«Why were you crying? Was it that painful?»
«No, it was because...» She stopped talking, feeling suddenly shy.
She had been scared of that woman at that moment. She couldn't think an adult could be so mean. Yet, was she ready to admit it to Nate?
«What happened? Is it something that woman said?»
«No... She just pushed me to the school. And she tore my shirt.»
Lastly, her eyes filled with tears once again. She didn't sob this time, but the tears flew on her cheeks in big drops.
She bit her lips to refrain from crying, and she looked Nate in the eyes.
«The shirt?» he said, observing the girl's clothes.
Indeed, there were some places where they were torn. Not too much, but the shirt had to be thrown away. Or sewed, Nate realised.
However, Scarlet seemed so attached to that shirt.
«First, let's wait for the wound to disappear,» he said.
He blew over the last remnants of the cut, almost healed completely. The pink and then white signs might have lasted for longer, but the wound was going to close soon.
Scarlet giggled, tickled by the warm air.
«Is this a spell?» she asked.
«Might be,» Nate said. «Let's see if it works.»
As they waited for the knee to heal, the door was opened, and a man walked in.
«It's almost time for... Oh, you're not alone, CEO Woods,» he said.
«This is my secretary,» Nate said to Scarlet. «And this is my daughter, Scarlet.»
«Da-daughter?» the secretary stuttered. He tried to smile reassuringly, but it was difficult after such a shocking piece of news.
«Yes, that's right. I'll be right there. I first need to solve something.»
As the secretary walked out, Scarlet bit her lips in confusion.
«We have to do something about the shirt, right? Also, we don't want Lara to find out it was ruined... Do you have spare clothes?»
«Yes, I do.»
«Then, you'll wear those for the morning. I will give you back the shirt, and you'll wear it back! Lara won't notice a thing.»
«Really?» Scarlet wondered.
«Yes.»
«Why are you helping me?»
«Because I'm your dad,» he said. That word, dad, flew out of his mouth so naturally that he felt surprised by it. Yet, it was the truth. He was Scarlet's father, her dad.
It was a simple fact, why was he feeling flustered.
«You don't need to let your mother know, though. I will keep your secret if you don't tell her about my job.»
«Okay,» Scarlet nodded. That was already better. He had a valid motive to help her: keeping his secret!
«Now, let's go back to the kindergarten. And don't run away again, all right? It's not good to wander around like this. If you're caught, the teacher will scold you, and your mother won't be happy.»
«Uhm.»
He picked her up, and they went to the school together. The secretary followed behind, observing the scene with wide eyes.
Since when did their Alpha have a kid? One so big, at that! The little girl was three, four years old already! Where did she come from? And where was the girl's mother? Were they going to finally have an Alpha female? It was time for their Alpha to get a mate.
Scarlet insisted on walking on her legs for the last few metres, but Nate held her hand. The secretary felt the urge to take a picture, but he couldn't take the phone out at that moment. In the end, he settled for memorising that cute moment.
He was sure it was some kind of misunderstanding, that the girl wasn't really the Alpha's daughter. There was a story behind that, for certain!
He had been next to him since he became CEO Woods, the leader of LY Corp. A thing such as an affair wouldn't have passed unnoticed by him. There were no women in Alpha Nate's life! Zero.
«Now, let's get changed...» Nate said, disappearing behind the door. The secretary waited for him to come back.
When Nathaniel Woods walked back with the girl's shirt in his hands, the secretary sighed. That man was growing attached to a random child, perhaps.
«Jack, bring this to a tailor. I want it like new before noon.»
«Ah?» he moaned. «Repaired?»
«Yes, that's what I said. I can manage alone for a while, so hurry up and find a place to sew it back.»
«But... Uhm... Wouldn't it be easier to buy a new one?»
«The same exact model? Are you capable of finding it?»
The secretary eyed the brand of the shirt. It was from a kids' chain of shops, but he wasn't sure which year's collection it came from. If it was of the new one, there might have been some hope to find another one of the same size and model. Yet, if it was from earlier seasons, it might have been impossible.
In the end, stitching it would be easier.
«I can sew it, boss. I know how.»
«Awesome, then. You can work while waiting, right? Are you sure you can make it in time?»
«Yes, sir. I'll deliver the shirt to the kindergarten when I'm done.»
«Good,» Nate sighed.
He returned to his job with a light heart. For some reason, he was refreshed. Maybe, it was because following Roxy's prompt was making him feel as if he was making progress.
In the end, approaching a single one of the Claytons turned out easier than when they were all together.
The Claytons. They all had that surname. He didn't like it. But was it too early to change?
In the end, he didn't want to force the kids to take his name against their will. And he would prefer to have all three of them, after Lara accepted marrying him, instead of one or two at a time.
«One step at a time,» he reminded himself.. Hurrying would just ruin everything.
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