"I’m not going anywhere!"
"You will watch your tone, young lady!"
Ian’s gaze hardened at the statement. He had initially softened his stance with Samantha earlier as he felt like he had been guilty from the ’neglect’. After Shelby had spoken to Ian that day about the children, he had thought long and hard and knew that he had to keep his promise to the woman he had loved with all of his heart. However, that did not mean that he would tolerate such disrespect.
Samantha folded her arms, her sentiments, painted all over her. She angled and raised her chin slightly and narrowed her eyes as she stared at Ian. Shelby looked from one to the other as Gabriel folded himself more into her as he also watched on. She rubbed his back fondly.
"I don’t like Sam now..."
"Why?" Shelby probed.
"She is going to make Daddy angry, and then he will leave us!"
Gabriel spoke as softly as he could for once, but Ingrid heard the words quite clearly. The boy sounded frantic, as if his dad had already left. She also looked on thoughtfully, wondering what her elder sister was up to.
"Your Daddy will not leave you, Gabriel."
"Yes! I promise!" Shelby answered without any hesitancy.
"Stay in this room if you do not want to move!" Ian stated factually. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with a child’s tantrums.
Shelby stood up immediately at that.
Shelby set Gabriel on the bed beside Ingrid and stormed up to them.
She placed her arms around Samantha, rubbing her shoulder,
"You shouldn’t be talking to her like that!" She gritted her teeth and stated firmly to him.
"... and who are you to act like a Miss-know-it-all? I hate you! You think you know it all! You step in and take over my siblings and ruin everything! Who even called you here now? Just fuck off!"
Samantha screamed, huffing and puffing.
Ian stood still. So still that, even Shelby knew something was wrong. She felt hurt by the words spoken by the young Samantha, but looking at how Ian’s fists were clenched as if he was using all of his being to prevent himself from doing something that he would regret later on.
His hands were clenched so hard that she could see his knuckles starting to turn white in that brief moment after the retort. One hand was casually placed in his trouser pocket as if he were in a casual stance, but Shelby knew better. In fact, that was the first time she had seen him like that: Like a quivering ball of explosives ready to detonate any moment from then. That was not the time to be poking on anything on Ian at all and Samantha had done just that.
’Stupid!’ Ingrid thought.
"Why is Sam talking like that to Mama Shelby?"
Shelby dropped her arms from Samantha as if she had been stung. However, she knew that her hurt emotions were not the priority then.
She took slow steps towards Ian’s rigid frame. She slipped her hands over his, immediately feeling him relax a fraction; Ian’s eyes remained on the little girl who was acting like a grown-up.
"You will not speak like that ever to my wife! Ever Again! Do you understand me, young lady?"
Samantha stood her ground. Her chin raised even higher as if challenging him.
"Do I make myself clear?"
This time, when the little girl’s eyes met that of her father’s, she felt her being tremble, and pure fear settled on her. She unfolded her arms and grabbed the folds of the dress as a state of nervousness descended on her.
She took a step back, nearly stumbling. At that moment, she knew that her dad’s boundaries were not to be tested with!
"Good that you understand. Know that she owes you nothing! Learn to appreciate what you are given! Now pack up your things and follow the designated place you are given!"
His tone booked no room for arguments. The kind of tone that made one know that the words spoken were not going to be repeated... for a good reason.
Shelby rubbed her arms over Ian’s, trying to calm him down.
"You know that she is just a child. She doesn’t mean that!"
Even as she said this, she was unaware when a lone tear flowed down her cheeks.
Ian used his thumb to wipe the tear and kissed her forehead.
"I’m sorry that you had to hear that."
Shelby looked up at him and said, "She’s just craving the affection that has been missing in her life. I don’t think that she meant it."
The door pushed open then, interrupting whatever was about to be said. A few workers, impeccably dressed, filed in.
"Master Ian, we are here to move the things..."
Ian nodded and then stepped out of the room with Shelby.
For some reason, the workers let out a sigh of relief when Ian stepped out of the room.
"Is it just me, or do you feel less pressure with Master Ian out of the room?" One asked as she started folding clothes into suitcases.
"I can’t explain it; I start trembling when I see him. The man has been nothing but sweet to us. We get our half day off, a planned dinner and even some benefits, I hear, but why is it like, I feel he might cause me harm if I commit any fault?"
"You too? I don’t even know why I feel like he might even kill me!"
"Hey! Why would you say that?"
This person looked around warily, afraid that he might have been overheard.
Currey, who had stayed behind, pretended as if he had not heard the hush whispers that were going on. However, he nodded in satisfaction. The lesson learned had been ingrained enough.
Katie, also heard these talks and harshly reprimanded them.
"Stop fussing around and get to work! I want this room cleared and crispy clean within the next hour!"
"Yes, Madam Katie!" They echoed in unison.
"Mike, make sure that the work is done perfectly and on time!"
Mike, one of the prominent male workers, shouted and started giving out sub-instructions.
"Oh, and also, you will be in charge of their new rooms now. Just make sure that they want for nothing in there."
"You will be in charge of the kids today and help out Mike with his task going forward."
Suzie bowed and stepped up behind them, approaching Gabriel and Ingrid. The two were already used to her because of her relation to Shelby. Both of them, except for Samantha, who wanted no one close.
However, as Katie gave out these instructions, she couldn’t help but wonder why she could relate to those statements made by the workers initially. Something about Ian screamed at her, telling her that she should be careful. She had only met Ian after two years on that day, and he had been anything but kind to all of them, so exactly why was she wary around him? Katie had no idea.
Katie frowned, trying to make sense of this as she directed them on what to do.
"This way, Master Currey, I’ll send you to the rooms made available for them."
Suzie led the kids out. Samantha was still left standing at the same spot, reluctance coating her frame.
"I would think very long and hard about my next actions if I were you, long lady."
Currey came to a standstill in front of her. A smile was still on his face, but Samantha shuddered. With Ian, she had been able to read his anger and displeasure, especially when she had made an insult towards Shelby. However, she could not read the man in front of her. He smiled brightly, but the words that came out of his mouth did not match, and she could feel her danger senses spring up.
She moved hastily, almost sprinting to catch up with Suzie and the rest, still looking back fearfully.
"Watch your step, young Samantha, before your trip and fall." Currey shot at her, but to Samantha, that felt more like a threat than a caution.
’Note to self! Stay away from that freak!’ Samatha thought.
Currey chuckled as he saw the fleeing girl and then followed them.
"Where is Ingrid and Sam’s bed?" Gabriel shouted and started jumping on the bed that he had been told was his.
"In the next room, young master."
"All of this is for me?" He opened his arms wide and gestured at everything in the room.
"Whoa! This is so big!"
The adults burst out laughing.
However, all Samantha could see was that. ’So, these rooms were available, and you gave us that?’ She wisely decided against speaking out this time, though.
The rooms were beyond the corridors of Shelby’s and Ian’s chambers. Even Shelby had not known that there were that many rooms in there.
"What of Ingrid and Sam’s?"
Katie opened the connecting doors on either side of the rooms, showing two equally large self-contained rooms. The rooms were like three co-joined rooms. They had their own ensuite bathrooms in each of them, a sectioned-off wardrobe, a study desk set and, for Gabriel, a sectioned-off area for play. All of them led out on a large co-joined balcony as well. They could enter each other’s room through Gabriel’s, but they each had their entrances as well.
"The girls can choose as they want."
Ingrid did not move and looked over at Samantha.
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