Billionaire Bear's Nanny - Alicia Banks Page 0,9

the little girl clutching a picture to her chest.

“Laura?” Pearl said softly as she sat down next to her. “Are you okay?”

“I hate you!” Laura shouted. “I hate you! My mommy is gone, and I want her back! I don’t want you! I want my mommy! I want my mommy with me! You are not my mommy!”

Pearl looked down, feeling guilty at having shouted at the little girl. She hadn’t realized that the girl might be missing her mother and feeling resentful toward Pearl.

“Laura, I know I am not your mommy,” Pearl said, her voice soft. “I know you miss her, and you may feel like I am trying to take her place. I know how you feel because I lost my mommy too.”

The little girl continued to cry but she seemed to finally be listening to Pearl.

“I was actually just as old as you when I lost my mother in an accident,” Pearl whispered. “Someone killed her because of some grudge they had with my father. I lived in a broken-down house, all alone with no one there to support me. I know you miss your mommy, and I miss my mommy too. Even though it has been so many years, I miss my mommy every day.”

“Did your mommy sing you to sleep every night?” Laura whispered, looking at her with wide, tear-filled eyes.

“Yes, and she made me my favorite cookies every single weekend,” Pearl said, softly stroking her hair. “She would read me a bedtime story and then sing me a lullaby until I fell asleep. No one did it for me after she passed away.

“Laura, listen to me,” Pearl said, looking into her eyes. “I am not here to take your mommy’s place. I am just here to look after you and keep you safe and happy, that’s all.”

Laura remained silent, staring down at the picture of her mother before finally putting it down and giving Pearl a tight hug. It surprised her but she immediately pulled the little girl closer and held her until Laura finally moved away.

“Now, how about some food, and then we get you to bed?” Pearl whispered.

Laura nodded and Pearl picked her up and walked over to open the room of the door. She almost gasped in surprise when she saw Rio standing there, gazing at her intently.

“I am sorry. I didn’t realize that you were home,” Pearl said.

“Uncle Rio!” Laura shouted, jumping off Pearl’s lap and into the arms of Rio. Pearl swallowed as he continued to stare at her intently as if trying to read her very soul.

*

Pearl walked down the street, wrapping her arms around her as the cold breeze blew through the air. She needed to get herself a jacket before winter arrived, otherwise she was going to be a shivering mess. She had finally gotten an advance on her salary from the agency and now, she could find a better place for her father to live. She was still rather far from home, having just left the penthouse.

She heard faint footsteps behind her, and she slowly picked up her pace. Her mind turned to the conversation she had with Mrs. Hayes, and she shivered once again, only this time, it wasn’t because of the cold. If he had already traced her all the way to Mrs. Hayes’s house, it wouldn’t be long before he found out where Pearl was hiding. She shuddered as she remembered the bloodshot eyes and the horrible scar that marred his face.

“I finally got you, you bitch!” She heard a voice say behind her and she screamed as she turned around. She saw a pair of yellow eyes and even yellower teeth, as the sleazy man grinned at her. She screamed and her voice echoed in the empty alleyway. His hands closed around her throat as she screamed for help again and again, but there was no one around to hear her.

Chapter 8

Rio closed his eyes as he lay in bed, trying to get himself to sleep. He kept thinking of Pearl as she softly told Laura about her mother. Something stirred in his cold heart and he felt a wave of sympathy for the young girl, who clearly had suffered a lot in her life. He turned over, starting to feel restless as his mind continued to work in overdrive.

He had a lot to worry about already, what with his recent problems with the Rain clan after he had stopped their unjust attack on the humans. Someone was attacking his squads, and