Mommy for Billionaire's Baby

"Don't give me that grumpy face, Tasya," Nathan turned off his car engine. The sedan he was driving had been neatly parked in the basement courtyard at Central Park. "You should know why I'm like this," Tasya sighed softly.

"Come on, is it my fault that we're alone sometimes?" Nathan grumbled. When Nathan got in a sulky mood like this, it always left Tasya feeling perplexed. He was way clingier than Naina. She didn't know when Nathan started acting like every time he couldn't fulfill what she wanted. How could Tasya not get irritated when Nathan casually invited her to watch a movie-okay, Tasya agreed. She didn't even protest when Nathan said he wouldn't drive her home-fine, she could handle that. What really got on her nerves was when Naina wanted to join them. Nathan forbid it!

Oh my goodness, why forbid it at all?! They were just going to watch a movie, and Naina could enjoy it too. She was still within her age range. So why did Nathan make that girl whine? When they got home, Naina would definitely greet them with a severe tantrum. Who else would be struggling to pacify her if not Tasya?

Tasya had already unfastened her seatbelt. "Are we staying here then?" She knew Nathan hadn't unlocked his car's automatic door.

"If you're gonna pout like that, I might as well turn around," Nathan teased.

Tasya rolled her eyes in annoyance, her arms crossed. "Who's the one making me pout?"

Nathan let out a soft sigh. His hand reached out, just a little, to hold Tasya's hand, but he hesitated. There was a sudden doubt that crept in and made him change his mind. "I just want to spend time with both of you, Tasya." "Usually, it's the two of us, right?"

"With you calling me Mr.?" Nathan grumbled, not pleased. "I'm not your Mr., Tasya."

"I know, not really," Tasya released her hug. She knew Nathan had second thoughts about holding her hand. For some reason, Nathan's attitude this time warmed her heart. In Tasya's eyes, Nathan was wrestling with his own feelings, with a strong desire to assert himself. To prove that Nathan should indeed be taken seriously about whatever he had been saying lately.

In the end, it was her fingers that reached out to Nathan first. What Tasya liked the most was gently tracing Nathan's head with the tips of her fingers. There was no rejection; instead, Nathan closed his eyes softly, as if savoring what Tasya was doing.

"Next time, if Naina wants to join us, don't forbid her. It's tough on her too, you know?"

"Okay," Nathan still had his eyes closed.

In fact, he leaned in slightly. He intentionally rested his head on Tasya's shoulder. He tried to make himself comfortable because Tasya suddenly felt stiff about their closeness this time. "Daddy also wants to spend time with Tasya's mom, right? Can't we have some alone time without being disturbed by the boss's kid?"

"Don't be silly!" Tasya playfully tugged at Nathan's hair, making him wince in pain but then laugh.

"Do you realize, you're not really my assistant anymore? Which assistant stays overnight at their boss's house? Getting close to the boss's family, even to their kid?" Nathan still didn't want to move from his position. "Rub my head again. Your tug from earlier made my head hurt."

"I didn't tug too hard, you know." There was a hint of guilt in her voice for her recent actions. She wanted to create some distance from Nathan because her heart was beating faster by the second. Plus, Nathan's words were creating a million justifications in her mind. "What you said is true, though." Tasya stopped rubbing. "So, how should I act then?"

Nathan chuckled. He could smell the subtle perfume Tasya was wearing. Sometimes, her hair strands brushed against his face. "Like you always do, Tasya. You're my most special assistant." Nathan shifted a bit, feeling a bit uncomfortable in his position. "You're so thin, Tasya. Can you eat more?"

"God made it hard for me to gain weight, Nathan. When do I not eat a lot? Before you eat something, I always try it first. I taste if it's delicious or not, according to your taste. Not to mention, when it comes to new snacks, I try them all," Tasya complained but then laughed. "I'm puzzled myself why I haven't gained significant weight."

"You think too much, Tasya."

Tasya chuckled. "Especially because of the reports you requested, Nathan. They've been giving me a constant headache."

"Really?" Nathan moved away because of this. His eyes stared at Tasya in disbelief. "I didn't realize because our workload is just so much."

The bespectacled girl laughed. "Come on, you said we were going to spend time together. Changed your mind?"

"No way!" Nathan was suddenly enthusiastic. "I worked hard to find tickets for tonight."

"But one promise," Tasya shook her head in amusement. Nathan, having a tough time? Nowadays, many things have become so much easier. A few clicks here, and you can get things delivered by a courier service. Click there, and you can get huge discounts. Want to watch a movie like Nathan's desire tonight? It shouldn't be hard. Besides, Nathan's movie choice isn't a premiere or anything.

It was just that the choice of venue was premium. That's the only difference.

"What promise?"

"I always enjoy being with you, Nathan. But I like it even more when Naina's around."

Nathan took a moment to think about Tasya's words before finally nodding. He gave in and tried to understand Tasya's simple request. "Okay."

"Just the two of you, alright? Can't you leave each other behind? Naina doesn't stay too long with her grandma. Either Aunt Alexa or Aunt Sunny. Can you really do that?" "Yes, Tasya," Nathan surrendered.

"Well... when did I ever ignore you?"

"Hmm." Nathan checked his wallet and phone in his pocket once more. "Come on, it's starting soon."

"Don't force it, Nathan." Tasya still wasn't satisfied with Nathan's answer.

"Yeah, Mommy Tasya."

***

Before Nathan had Faldom in his life, he was a free spirit. Off-roading, street racing, or just having fun trying out new sports cars on the streets of Sydney, he had done it all before. And his skills hadn't diminished at all, even though it had been a while since he had freely overtaken other vehicles. He was just a bit stiff handling the car's brakes.

"Be patient," Nathan said, trying to calm Tasya.

"To be honest, I'm afraid you won't be able to control the car," Tasya said, biting her lower lip. "My mom just got mad, that's all."

"Mad but made you cry, Tasya?" Nathan frowned at the girl who seemed irritated by his driving style. He tried to speed up so that Tasya could get home quickly. Why protest? He was also curious why Tasya had cried. Usually, when there's a call, no matter what it's about, Tasya just has a normal expression. No matter how detailed the questions, there's no definite answer from Tasya.

Sometimes, Nathan really wanted to shake Tasya's head. Gather all the scattered pieces and make sense of a snippet of her family. All Nathan knew was that Tasya lived with her mother and two younger brothers. Her father had passed away a long time ago.

That's it.

Not like him, where without realizing it, Tasya knows too much.

"I'm worried about Robin, Nathan." She wanted to talk more, but her head suddenly hurt. The phone call she received about half an hour ago triggered it. She was enjoying a popular show, and she was into it.

The call that prevented her from continuing her date with Nathan came from Ronan. He said that Robin had been beaten by their mother for not obeying what she wanted. His head was bleeding. Ronan didn't want to delay helping Robin, but he had to make sure their mother wouldn't cause trouble. Ronan even asked their neighbor to take Robin to the nearest clinic.

Which older sister's heart wouldn't ache upon hearing such news? Before Tasya really left with Nathan, she informed her two younger siblings. There was no objection, no questions. Instead, they asked Tasya to take care of herself. Both of them understood that their big sister often worked extra hard for them.

Only earlier, Robin said there were two homework problems he couldn't tell Ronan about. He said, "Ronan doesn't understand problem number five, Sis. I took a picture of it, you know."

Afterward, nothing was out of the ordinary. Until that phone call came, startling Tasya so much that she almost tripped over one of the stairs in her rush to get out of the movie theater. She wanted to hear Hari's intermittent call more clearly. "Yeah, just calm down. We'll be there soon," Nathan finally reassured her, mustering the courage to do so. He gently rubbed Tasya's shoulder. "Don't cry again."

Tasya nodded softly. Her mind was suddenly filled, especially thinking about her mother. Many had warned her to take her mother to a specialist who could address trauma and emotions. Unfortunately, Tasya was too busy with work. It's not that she didn't want to. She also didn't want her mother's condition to deteriorate further, as it put pressure on her. But a part of her still couldn't accept that her mother needed more than just food and drink.

Sometimes, Abigail spoke softly. But most of the time, it couldn't bring Tasya's smile back as it used to. Tasya remembered that Abigail used to soothe her. Although there was a father who paid much more attention to Tasya, she felt her mother's love. It was different with Robin. Her younger brother often became the target of their mother's anger.

That's why Tasya loved Robin so much and worked hard at her job to ensure he received a decent education. Hari was also her motivation to search for money sheet by sheet.

It seemed like this was Tasya's breaking point.

"Thank you, Nathan," Tasya sighed softly. "Sorry for ruining our date."

Nathan laughed. "We can do it again tomorrow. With Naina. I promise."

Tasya's smile, albeit faint, eventually appeared amid her worries about Robin. Although the words were simple, repeating their time together meant a lot to Nathan. But following what Tasya wanted, to be with Naina, was significant. Tasya couldn't bear the thought of Naina sulking alone in her room with a grumpy face. For Tasya, Naina was as dear as her own brother. All three of them had an equal share of affection.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Nathan inquired cautiously. He also placed his bets on each word spoken, afraid that Tasya might be offended or uncomfortable when asked about what had happened.

"My mom... is acting up," she said softly. Her gaze, which had occasionally met Nathan's, was now cast down. Her hands were tightly gripping the hem of her shirt, and her eyes were welling up again.

"I'll accompany you," Nathan reassured her, rubbing Tasya's shoulder once more. He gave her extra encouragement, although he didn't understand what "acting up" meant. It didn't feel right to ask too many questions when Tasya was clearly overwhelmed like this.

The cas he was driving started to enter Tasya's residential complex, which Nathan knew like the back of his hand. It was quite far from the main entrance of the complex and involved navigating many roads and rarely manned security checkpoints. As his car pulled over at their usual spot, Tasya quickly got out, and Nathan followed suit. Right in front of the gate, Tasya could hear the woman calling her name.

"TASYA!!! YOU REBELLIOUS CHILD! DAMN YOU! DON'T KNOW YOUR BLESSINGS!"

"Mom!" Ronan shouted loudly, gripping the woman's arms with the help of two neighbors. His mother continued to struggle vigorously. Hari himself was baffled as to where his mother got such strength. "WHERE IS THAT CHILD?! HUH?! A DAMNED CHILD! A CRAZY GIRL!"