Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
Soon after, Tony came up to check on her. “Goddess, my uncle helped you apply the ointment, didn’t he?” Tony asked with a grin.
“I couldn’t have done it myself,” Shirley replied.
“Do you like Uncle Zacharias, then?” Tony pressed on.
“Sure! He’s the vice president. Who wouldn’t like him?” Shirley replied super calmly, leading Tony to glare at her. “You know exactly what kind of like I’m talking about.” However, Shirley played dumb. “I’m not very good at reading underlying messages.” Still, Tony saw through her. “I know you definitely like Uncle Zacharias.” Despite knowing that Tony was only joking, her heart still skipped a beat, as though her deepest secret had been discovered.
“Just now, I heard Uncle say he would sort the matter out. Those people are in big trouble; they might spend the rest of their lives behind bars for daring to mess with my uncle’s woman.” “Watch your words,” Shirley gave him a stern look. What do you mean by your uncle’s woman? Tony grinned. “I don’t see a problem with what I said.” Shirley chose not to argue with him. Tony expressed his gratitude, “Thanks a lot, Goddess, for saving my life tonight. Without you, I might have been in big trouble.” “It’s nothing,” Shirley replied. “However! I have a feeling that we might become family in the future! You could be my aunt-in-law, hehe.” With that, Tony quickly headed toward the door, fearing retaliation, and left.
Sure enough, Shirley became exasperated, but she couldn’t do anything about him. That said, she liked Tony’s personality-a playful and cheerful younger brother-like figure.
Tony left. Shirley couldn’t take a shower that night, so she changed into a set of pajamas and lay in bed. Zacharias’ words from earlier echoed in her mind. You must not die in front of me. Shirley thought it was somewhat ominous, not for her but for him.
Will it be any better if he died in front of me? Of course not! Shirley strongly refuted that idea. She wished him a long and healthy life.
In the middle of the night, gentle rain began to fall. The sound of raindrops hitting the window woke Shirley up. She opened her eyes and checked the time- it was 3.30AM.
Just then, a lightning bolt streaked across the sky, illuminating the entire room.
Soon after, a loud clap of thunder followed, sounding particularly striking as if it originated from the top of the house. Shirley lost any desire to sleep. She decided to sit up and contemplate some things.
Then, she heard a noise outside. Despite the thunder, Shirley remained vigilant.
As a bodyguard for Zacharias, she had to investigate any unusual sounds inside the house during such weather.
Shirley gently pushed the door open, moving quietly like a cat as she checked her surroundings. Since she was on the second floor and Zacharias stayed on the third floor, she had to go up and see if everything was alright especially the master bedroom.
Shirley took each step carefully as she ascended to the third floor. Meanwhile, on the third floor, Zachary was preparing to return to his room when he sensed someone coming up. Recognizing who it was, he couldn’t help but smirk and hid behind a nearby pillar.
Shirley reached the third floor and found everything quiet except for the thunderous noise outside the room, which was somewhat intimidating.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief, she suddenly noticed a shadow on the floor moving. Immediately, she approached the pillar with clenched fists.
Simultaneously, a figure emerged from behind the pillar, startling her.
It turned out to be Zacharias. What is he doing, wandering around in a robe in the middle of the night? Pretending to be a vampire?
“What are you doing out here, not sleeping?” Shirley felt a little annoyed. Can’t this man just stay in bed?
“Woken up by the thunder, went downstairs for a drink,” Zacharias explained.
He didn’t sleep well at night, and a drink usually helped him fall asleep. Shirley looked at him speechlessly. Since it was a false alarm, she said to him, “Don’t stay up too late.”
At that, Shirley headed back to her room on the second floor, but Zacharias suddenly extended an invitation. “Do you want to sleep with me?” Shirley’s steps paused, and her body stiffened. Turning back, she refused, “No.” “How about giving me a massage then? It will help me sleep. I have a whole day of meetings to attend tomorrow. It’ll be terrible if I spend the night sleepless,” the man said, sounding somewhat pitiful. Shirley immediately imagined this man dozing off during the next day’s meetings and found it amusing.
“Do you have sleeping pills at home? Take one!” Shirley suggested. This method would be more effective. Suddenly, Zacharias grabbed her domineeringly. “Alright, I’ll take the pills, but you have to stay with me.” Shirley was at a loss for words, but when she heard that he would take the medicine, she felt somewhat concerned for him. Is his sleep really that bad?
Whether out of empathy or pity, Shirley followed him into his room. Once inside, the man let go of her hand, took out a box of pills from the drawer, and popped one into his mouth, washing it down with water from a nearby cup. After swallowing, he turned to Shirley and said, “I took the pill.” Seeing him take the medicine so decisively, Shirley nodded. “Alright, I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, and then I’ll leave.” Since he took the pill, he would probably fall asleep quickly. She was also concerned about his other possible reactions to the pill.
Zacharias lifted the covers and lay down on the bed, leaving a side empty.
“Come here. It’s warmer under the covers,” he said while looking at Shirley and patting the empty spot. Shirley shook her head and went to sit on the couch. “I’ll stay here. You go to sleep.” At that, Zacharias turned to his side and fixed his mesmerizing gaze on her, not blinking. Shirley, with her arms crossed, too, observed him. Just like that, the two stared at each other in the dimly lit room.
Soon, Zacharias sighed. “I seem to have gotten more excited.” “What are you excited about?” Shirley asked with a frown. Zacharias didn’t know why, either. Despite taking the medicine, his nerves seemed to be resisting the effects, making him more excited and eager to do something.
“Can I call you Shir?” the man asked in a hoarse voice. Shirley quirked a brow in response. “No, only my family is allowed to call me that. Others are not permitted.” “Well, I’m calling you that,” he insisted obstinately. Shirley looked helplessly at him with crossed arms. Can’t you just close your eyes and sleep after taking the sleeping pill?
She decided to ignore him and simply wait for him to fall asleep. Just then, a clap of thunder sounded outside, startling Shirley visibly. The man in bed furrowed his brow, noticing Shirley’s reaction to the sudden noise.
At that, he got out of bed. Seeing that he refused to sleep, Shirley decided not to accompany him anymore. “I’m going back to my room.” However, she had just taken a couple of steps when a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Her back was pressed against the man’s warm chest while his chin rested on her shoulder. “Stay and sleep with me, please?” He pleaded with her.
Perhaps due to the effects of the medicine, the man’s tone was not domineering. Instead, it carried a gentle quality, akin to a puppy seeking comfort.
Boom!
Another clap of thunder rumbled overhead, causing Shirley’s body to instinctively tense up, fearing that the thunder might strike her directly. The man tightened his embrace a bit more. “Afraid? Come to bed with me.” Perhaps it was the early morning hour or the rainy night, but it could easily weaken one’s defenses and dull one’s will. Emotions that couldn’t be breached during the day seemed to dissipate at this time.
When Zacharias pulled Shirley toward the bed, it was like her legs weren’t hers, and she found herself standing beside the bed with him.
By the time she realized it, a small internal struggle took place. When the man lay down and reached for her wrist, his eyes were filled with desire.
Shirley sat on his large bed, and the man’s long arm pressed her down onto the bed. He lifted the blanket, covering both of them.
t felt warm under the covers. Despite the continuous thunder outside, it didn’t seem as frightening anymore.
Shirley felt herself tensing up. It was as if her sanity had taken a brief leave of absence, but now that it was back, she wondered, What the hell has gotten into you, Lloyd? How can you be sharing a bed and even a blanket with Zacharias?
Not only that, you’re even resting your head on his arm! Their bodies were only fractions of an inch away from each other, seeming rather improper.
Still, undeniably, the sense of warmth and security was intense.
“Go to sleep,” Zacharias uttered in a low voice. It was evident that the effects of the sleeping pills were kicking in.
Shirley was pressed into the man’s arms by his large hand. Due to the injury on her back, lying flat would naturally compress the wounded area, but turning her back to the man didn’t seem like a good idea either. So, she turned on her side, her face resting on the man’s chest, and fell asleep in his embrace.
She listened quietly for a while, and ten minutes later, Zacharias’ breathing became steady. Listening to his rhythmic breathing, Shirley seemed to catch the drowsiness as well. She closed her eyes and decided not to move.
I’ll just sleep here one night, she mused and closed her eyes. On this rainy night, on the gray bed, a man and a woman embraced each other, sleeping soundly.
Zacharias, who had taken a sleeping pill and entered deep sleep, woke up first the following morning. After four hours of deep sleep, he felt remarkably refreshed. He had been aware that Shirley was sleeping in his arms, but when he opened his eyes, it still felt like a dream.
The girl sleeping in his arms was soft and sweet, with long hair spread over his arm. Her exposed face was clear and tender, tempting him to kiss it. However, Zacharias refrained from doing so because he didn’t want to wake her. He wanted to savor this gentle moment with her, who was like a lazy cat sleeping in his embrace.
Zacharias’ phone suddenly vibrated, and he immediately reached for it, disconnecting the call from Freddie, who was already waiting downstairs.
Zacharias, who usually got up at seven, surprisingly hadn’t gotten up yet. They had a tight schedule that day, so leaving at seven in the morning was the plan.
After some contemplation, Freddie decided to head upstairs and knock on his boss’ bedroom door to urge him.