Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Damien’s POV
“For fuck’s sakes, I said I’m not in the mood.”
I flung Vanessa’s hand away from me and got off the bed. She was getting on my nerves these days.
“Damien, come back.” She pleaded.
“If I only needed you for sex, I would have hired a high–class escort. Think hard about that. Although,” A leer curled my lips. “You’d fit the bill.”
I surveyed her body. She had dressed to kill, and it would have normally roused me. I was just too frustrated with her to be interested.
Her mouth fell open, color climbing up her neck and staining her face red. Then her face scrunched up, furious.
Vanessa grabbed a pillow and flung it with force. It flew past my head and thumped against the door behind me. She groaned and buried herself under the covers.
Buttoning my shirt, I stepped over the pillow and out the door.
Lheaded to Bonnie’s bedroom down the hall. It was late, but her light was still on. Vanessa was doing a poor job of following the schedule Celeste included in the notebook.
I snuck into her room. She let out cute little sneezes while she played with her blocks. I couldn’t help the smile that tugged on my lips.
The room was a wreck. Piles of clothes, dirty dishes, and toys became an obstacle course as I tiptoed up to her. The fact that my princess had to live in this state irritated me beyond belief.
“Boo!” I shouted from behind her.
Bonnie let out a high–pitched squeal as I swept her into the air. I tickled her, and she wriggled in my arms like a
worm.
“Daddy, stop!” She begged while giggling infectiously.
A full–blown smile reached my lips. Bonnie was my sunshine.
Her pajamas were covered in cupcakes and unicorns, but I noticed that her top was on backwards. She sneezed again. I stopped tickling her when my eyes locked onto her dripping hair.
Bonnie said, “Daddy, come build with me.”
“What are you building?” I kept my voice light to mask my growing rage.
She answered with pride. “A castle.”
“That sounds awesome.”
I could already guess the answer, but I had to be certain.
“Bon–Bon, why is your hair wet?”
“Auntie Vanessa washed my hair at bath time.”
How could she wash Bonnie’s hair and not dry it? Wasn’t it common sense? I suppressed a sigh.
1/3
+25 BONUS
Chapter Ten
“Come, let Daddy dry your hair.”
I sat my daughter at her small white dressing table and picked up her hairdryer. I tested the heat on my hand before gently drying her hair.
Vanessa lounged around the whole day while I ran a large and successful jewelry company. Then I had to come home and still do menial labor? This was unacceptable.
It was time to set things straight.
Bonnie sneezed again as I finished up. I helped her blow her nose before changing her into dry pajamas. Then I tucked her into bed.
She complained. “But Daddy, I’m not tired.“–
“Come on, Bonnie. It’s way past your bedtime.”
“Do you wanna build blocks with me? You can build the horsie stable.” She asked with a sneeze,
It was hard saying no to her.
“Let’s build blocks tomorrow, okay?”
She nodded reluctantly.
“Goodnight, Bon–Bon. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
As I leaned in to kiss the top of her head, I saw that her nightstand was littered with candy wrappers. No wonder she was awake so late.
I could feel a tension headache coming on.
Vanessa’s lack of common sense was becoming a more profound issue as time went on. I’d scoffed when Celeste gave me that notebook. But god, Vanessa needed it.
Bonnie fell asleep after a few minutes. I pulled the blanket up to her chin and gave her one last kiss before switching off the lights.
I headed straight for Vanessa’s room. Pushing the door open, I kicked the pillow out of my way and marched in.
My voice was full of dissatisfaction as I reprimanded her. “How could you leave Bonnie’s hair soaking wet at night? Do you want her back in the hospital?”
She didn’t stir from under the covers.
“For god’s sake, don’t be petulant. This is serious, Vanessa You need to take proper care of our daughter.”
She pulled her pillow over her ears and ignored me. The throbbing in my head intensified. I dealt with enough stress at work. I didn’t need this insolence at home.
“Listen carefully, Vanessa. You’ve been begging me to divorce Celeste since we started our relationship. Well, you’ve finally achieved your aim.”
My voice was sharp as I laid out the law.
you a
“Celeste is out of the picture, and you’re the madam of the house now. You don’t have to work. I g. generous allowance and a credit card to manage the household expenses. But all this gets taken away if you don’t take proper care of Bonnie.”
Her grip tightened on the pillow over her head. I knew she heard every word I said.
2/3
Chapter Ten
+25 BONUS
“I’ll ensure you never have to worry about money again if you fulfill your responsibilities. But remember, Vanessa,” I said coolly. “You’re easily replaceable.”
Just then, my phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the lock screen. It was a bank notification; Celeste’s divorce settlement had been refunded to my account.
The corners of my mouth curled into a cold smirk as I placed my phone on the nightstand. She’d regret her rash decision to return the money.
Celeste couldn’t survive without me.
