The Society | Completed

Part 29

How had he forgotten Sabrina was off school this week?

"Why are you cooking? You never cook," Sabrina points out, wrapping her arms around her father's waist.

"No, I know; how did you get here?" He asks hesitantly, and Sabrina rolls her eyes, looking far more mature than her seven years.

"Jackie's mom dropped me off," Sabrina sighs, unwrapping herself from her father and walking over to the counter, standing on her tip-toes to see what was on the marble.

"It's a smoothie. Do you want some?" He asks, and Sabrina nods, giving him a wide smile.

She's missing one of her baby teeth since the last time she was home, and he had made sure to send the school money for the tooth fairy as soon as she had called him to let him know.

He felt bad for missing out on so much of her life, but he knew it wouldn't make sense for her to do schooling at the capital.

He worked so much, and she had nobody else to go to; his mom was three hours away, and she had little interest in the grandchild her son had been abandoned with.

Carlos did originally have a nanny for Sabrina, but he thought it was too risky. His position exposed him to a lot of danger, and he was no stranger to threats against his life. The boarding school Sabrina attended was used to hazards and risk, and their security was the best he could find - he had even sent two of his trackers to try to break-in in order to test it.

Sabrina is filling him in on her first-grade gossip.

To her credit, she really seems to love school.

Carlos is a little worried she only pretends to like it for his sake, because he's not great at hiding his emotions, and her first years of schooling at home were full of him being worried and upset over his daughter.

He pours some of the smoothie into one of the heart-shaped glasses she begged him for weeks for over the summer, handing it down to her with a small smile on his lips.

On her weeks off, he usually brings her into the office with him.

She loves it, because Rina is a naturally friendly and talkative child - she gets to talk to everyone in the office when she goes with him.

"And Jack said he likes Niamh, and then Niamh said she wasn't sure! Daddy, are you listening to me?" Sabrina frowns, tugging on Carlos' t-shirt.

"No, I am, don't worry, Jack and Niamh. Keep going," he encourages, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Okay, well, I said I thought they were being silly, because they should wait for their mates, and they won't know if they're mates till they're sixteen, and that's so, so long away," Sabrina chatters, taking her father's hand and leading him out of the kitchen.

He allows the child to lead him along, a small smile on his face.

He hopes she'll always be this open and interested in talking to him.

"Do you think I was right?" She asks, walking up the stairs.

His eyes widen as he realises Conrad is still asleep in his bedroom, Sabrina's favourite place to gossip.

"I do, sweetheart, but sixteen is a lot closer than you think it is. Will we watch a movie? I have all of the Barbie ones downstairs," he insists, steering her around and towards the living room.

"No, daddy, I want to go to your room," Sabrina frowns, wiggling away from her father.

She skips up the stairs, and he follows, hot on her heels.