XY XX

SECRET

"Okay, Sia, mommy is going to make dinner. Do you want to draw?"

"Can I draw and watch Dora?"

"Yes."

Dora is educative, the show is good. Sia can watch Dora, and besides, she has free English lessons with Dora, Xenia thought.

As Xenia cooked, she made a mental note to remind her mother not to evoke Mark and her relationship in front of Sia. As much as she hated Mark, the woman refused to teach Sia to do the same.

XY XX

Gregory was exhausted; he stopped working and went to see what he could cook up for himself. He didn't have much in the fridge. He decided to go and eat at one of the restaurants in Bercy village. Despite his desire to relax, the little girl and Xenia kept coming to mind.

Was the child hers?

If so, who was the father?

If Xenia's sexuality had always been evident, was the little girl adopted or from insemination?

She let Jaila kiss her. Was she that loose?

Perhaps Xenia had not been a lesbian all her life. Maybe she dated men. The theory was possible, too, Gregory thought as he sat down to order. Though ashamed of his assumptions, he couldn't help to think Xenia was one heck of a mystery. Every day there was a discovery to make.

It fascinated and frightened the man. Xenia was a woman of many facets. As he took the first bites of his canard laqué, Gregory wondered how many layers Xenia had left before getting to the core of a woman. For some reason, he hoped she wasn't hollow; it would almost be a pity.

XX XY

The next morning, it was in front of the lift Gregory met Xenia and her daughter.

"Good morning."

"Morning, Gregory."

Gregory stared at the little girl. Xenia wondered what would be better to say. There was already the apartment incident; she didn't want to add another twisted tale to a plate that already weighed.

"If you are wondering, yes, she's mine," Xenia said without looking at him. The lift arrived, and they got in.

"Bonjour," Gregory said to the little girl who hugged her mother's legs in a shy stance.

"She doesn't like strangers," Xenia said while looking straight in front of her.

Gregory turned to stare at her profile, "Is it she or her mother who has adversity towards strangers?"

Xenia turned and gave him a blank stare and cocked an eyebrow just when the lift opened its doors. They separated in front of the building, where Sia suddenly waved at Gregory as she walked away with her mom, who speeded up her steps, making the little girl run alongside her.

So the child is hers, the man thought as he went to the metro.

XY XX

Gregory was surprised to find Xenia in front of the service, where he was after lunch. The woman seemed uneasy what did Xenia want?

"Eh, Gregory, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yes."

"In private."

Gregory followed Xenia to one of the floor's empty lounges; he let her go in first and closed the door behind them.

Xenia paced in front of him as though she was going to unleash a Wikileaks file.

"Eh, Gregory, about Sia, Iー."

"It's your private life, Xenia."

"It's just I would appreciate ifー."

"I don't mix things up, Xenia. Whatever life you have outside of Astoria has nothing to do with Astoria. Therefore I don't think it is of the company's interest to know whether or not you have a child."

Gregory knew where the woman wanted to go. It was evident Xenia didn't want other employees to find out. However, the reasons why it had to be kept a secret intrigued him.

What was wrong with people knowing she was a mother?

A myriad of reasons exploded in the man's head, but none were justified.

"Thank you, Gregory. I appreciate it," Xenia said as if she had obtained a favor.

"I'll be going back to work," she said, turning to leave.

Gregory wanted to ask her a few questions, but it was not the time or the place.

Some things started to make sense for the man. After-works and other company gatherings were probably complicated to attend for the woman. Staying behind doing overtime, too, was a no-no.

Gregory thought about the time she stayed till 2 AM; of course, her daughter wasn't there; otherwise, Gregory would have trapped her.

Gregory frowned in reflection; why did Xenia put herself in such a complicated situation?

And then he remembered she wanted a promotion and desired to have an equal chance of landing it.

The probability of absence or disponibility due to a childcare issue would weigh on the decision balance.

Gregory realized Xenia probably tried to climb the ladder putting all the chances on her side. It was both admirable and stupid thought the man who was fully aware that not being in her shoes, his view could only be of the sort.