Cooking the Books

My perfect little niece? Inherit that ego. Never, she’ll get her grandpa and uncle’s egos, isn’t that right, Bean? Malik, was not a mean man, and when it came to his niece, he was a downright teddy bear, as she acted like he was going to eat all the fingers off Annie’s little hand, making the comic sound of eating that those in plays affected.

Even if he had swore to never have children of his own, to not risk passing on the blood curse that ran through his veins, Annie made him question all of that. Every time he visited, to see her growing like a sprout, thus the nickname of Bean, he longed more and more for something like what Ella had. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but marriage wasn't.

He realized it was jealousy, after Malik had spent most of the last year keeping Ella’s wife alive in the prison. Jealousy that Ella had someone who seemed to love her, enough so to have a child, to go to prison, and to come back and be less... herself, to not cause problems. Yes, but, I did, because I knew had the tables been turned you’d have done the same for me. And I didn’t want to have to make Bean grow up without a parent. She never have missed Kaczor for up until this point, but going forward, if either of you are incarcerated for any reason, Bean will know, she’ll miss, and she’ll hurt, and I won’t see that happen.

How strange it was, that he could be so loving to Ella, to Annie, and yet, Seraphine he was cold as ice with.

I took father’s asset back to Oralis and came back, I did bodyguard duty at the Archon’s side this week. And I played with the cats in the garden. I’ve been thinking about trying to secure the townhouse next to yours, but your wife has such expensive tastes and what feels like a never ending cheque book. He raised a brow slightly, before the smirk on his face was patted away by a small hand, and the smirk faded into a small grin. Am I not paying enough attention to you, Bean? He picked a little cookie off the plate, and broke a small chunk off, before he soaked it in the cream placed on the tray for tea, and then let Annie nibble at it. How have things been here? Do I need to arrange a midnight visit and a half-hearted threat?

@Novella Tilani