BILLIONAIRE'S second chance ✔

Ch 19

Word count: 2278

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Resignedly, Monica went back into the house and avoided Sucre's inquisitive gaze the moment she stepped in. Stephanie, who just noticed her mother coming in also, left her dolls and ran to hug her mom.

"Why are you back?" Sucre questioned and dropped his phone on the table in the process.

He looked confused and it irritated Monica to no end.

He wasn't her dad, just a past lover whom she had a complicated relationship with since he'd refused to sever all ties with her and she had no idea where they currently stood.

Anyway, he had no right to question her for any reason.

Monica's gaze was fierce. "I changed my mind." She pulled off her shoes and bent to pick them, putting on flip-flops immediately.

"You're back." Stephanie breathed into her mother's waist while the woman was straightening up.

"Yes baby. I'm not going out anymore." She pecked Stephanie's forehead and the girl slowly walked back to sit on daddy's lap with her blonde doll in hand.

"Did that jerk really...he stood you up didn't he?" Sucre asked with clenched teeth as he noticed Monica's glum expression.

Monica's eyes widened a little. Was she that obvious and did he figure her out? "No. The point is, I changed my mind and won't be going out anymore. I'll just go in to sleep."

She went over to the couch and ruffled Stephanie's hair and then just went to her room to take off her clothes and wash her face. Sucre could see that she was very upset so he decided not to pry and just kept playing with Stephanie.

Monica changed into sweatpants and camisole after slowly cleaning the makeup off her face. Then she thought about it with tightly pursed lips.

"I'm in my house and I can wear whatever I want." She stated with a frown and changed into her shorts instead. She'd initially wore sweatpants because she wanted to cover her legs from Sucre's hungry eyes.

Lying in bed, she went through her notifications to get relaxed before sleeping off. She couldn't bring herself to fall asleep even after twenty minutes of mindlessly going through her phone and she also didn't want to go out there to face Sucre. But then she would have to face him sometime later, eventually. Resignedly, Monica got out of bed.

Back in the sitting room, Sucre was smiling down at the chubby cheeks of his daughter. The girl was beginning to mumble to her dolls and her words were drawling out because she was slowly beginning to doze off. When she finally drifted off to sleep, she dropped the doll on the ground as her breath evened out.

Sucre was awed at how carefree his daughter was. Even after scolding her for something— which he rarely did— Stephanie would still peck her dad and play with him as if he'd not just scolded her. Also, she was so innocent that it was shocking. It was almost startling how she was in awe at the littlest things which he sometimes did and the questions she asked out of curiosity, things an adult would be called dumb if they asked. But she was young, and still so oblivious to things happening in the world.

She always looked at him with so much awe as if he was the most special person in her life; like he was a superhero that had just saved the whole world and deserved to be highly respected.

Sucre chuckled and carried her in his arms, feeling proud of the fact that he was a dad. He should have made preparations and met her sooner so he wouldn't have to feel so much emptiness like he had all these years. After placing Stephanie on her bed and making sure she was comfortable, Sucre pecked her forehead and left the room.