The Millionaire Daughter

Nicholas

Max had called to tell me that he and Aalyiah were a few minutes away from the penthouse. In just a few short minutes my daughter would be here; it hit me quite suddenly that I was taking a young child under my non-child-friendly roof. There was so much she could break, stuff that couldn't be replaced no matter how much money I had. There would definitely have to be strict rules for her to follow as to what she could and could not do.

I was sitting at the bar island when there was a click from the door of the elevator leading into the penthouse. That let me know that they had arrived. I took a breath and swirled the whiskey in my glass one last time before downing the rest and standing. With a cough to clear my throat, I straitened the blazer of my suit and turned to exit the dining area to the visiting room.

Right as I entered, there she was. Standing next to Max, round faced and doe eyed. She was indeed my spitting image. I couldn't say that I automatically fell in love with her like I thought every normal parent did with their child, but something inside me did spark when I saw her. It really hit me then. I was a father. I had a daughter that I didn't know about for over ten years.

I gave her my best smile and motioned her forward, crouching down to meet her at eye level so as not to intimidate her as much. I remember as a young child I was intimidated by the height of my father since he never once had a falter in his stance. I didn't want Aalyiah to feel the same fear I had.

She looked up at Max uncertainly before walking closer to me. I held my hand out for her. "Hello there, Aalyiah. I'm your dad," I slapped my forehead internally. I knew I wasn't handling this very well.

She gave me a small smile and timidly moved to shake my hand. "Hi...sir. Um...what do you want me to call you, Mr. Coleman?" She asked in the most soft and scared voice I'd ever heard. It broke my heart. I hadn't known her for five minutes and I already hated all the men that had dared to hurt her. It was a foreign concept since I'd never wanted children, but I couldn't seem to help the anger when thinking about her being hurt.

I had to think for a moment after her question. What was she supposed to call me? I wouldn't exactly mind if she called me dad, but did she want to? And was it fair to say she could call me da when she didn't know me anymore than I knew her? I coughed awkwardly. "Well, we can't have you calling me sir or Mr. Coleman, both of those belong to my father. So, you can call me Nicholas or dad. Whichever one you prefer is up to you," I told her unsurely. I had no idea what to say.

She nodded briefly. For a moment it looked like she wanted to say something, but she quickly closed her mouth and lowered her gaze away from me. I waited patiently, knowing she would eventually say what she wanted to if I waited. "Why didn't you get me sooner?" She whispered. I could hear the tears in her voice.

I was shocked back. I didn't expect that question at all. Sighing, I rubbed the back of my neck in thought. "Aalyiah...I honestly had no idea that you existed until a few days ago. Your mother never told me about you, and no one in the system was able to find me until now," in all honesty I didn't even know what I would have done had I known about her before she was born. But, she didn't need to know that.

Something in her eyes seemed to brighten at that revelation. I knew why. Me not even knowing about her existence assured her that not being with me didn't mean I didn't want her. It broke my heart to know that she'd been deprived in many similar manners that I had. No child deserved such a cruel fate.

I stood up once more and turned my attention toward Max. "You can leave her bag here, bud. I'll take her from here, your mom will be expecting you," I said to him while handing him a wad of cash. "This is for bringing her here." I knew he wanted to argue, since there was two grand in the roll, but he needed to know that this meant more to me than he would ever know. With a nod and a smile, and a tip of his hat in Aalyiah's direction, he turned and left.

Once he was gone, I picked up Aalyiah's suitcase and turned back to her, holding my hand out for her. "Come on, I'll show you to your room," she took my hand and I walked with her out of the living room and down the hall. We cam to the last door on the left and I stopped and opened it. "This will be your room. I don't know what kind of things you like, so my assistant, Ariel, will take you shopping for you to decorate your room," I told her as we walked in and I set her suitcase on her bed.

She looked up at me and giggled. "Your assistant's name is Ariel, like princess Ariel?"

I had to think really hard for a moment. I vaguely remembered the mermaid princess that she was referring to, and joined in on her laughter. It was slightly funny. "Yes, like princess Ariel. Anyway, she'll take you out tomorrow to get some things for you to decorate your room with," I looked around at the dull room. God, no child would like this room. As a kid even I'd had posters and trophies decorating my room to give it personality.

She looked around in awe and looked back at me with tears in her eyes. "It's perfect. I've never had my own room before. This is amazing."

I was shocked, and it broke my heart all over again. Shaking my head slightly, I coughed and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you get settled. I'll make us some dinner. Also, if you ever need anything, my room is right across from yours. Don't be afraid to come and get me whenever you need."

My eyes widened when she threw her arms around my waist. "Thank you, dad." She whispered.

Dad. What a terrifying word. With the fear of God in my heart, I crouched down again and put my arms around her. "You're safe here,  Aalyiah. You'll always be safe with me. I promise I will never hurt you."