Ms. CEO

Chapter 19

*Not Edited*

The day when I went back to my office from the holidays, Mr. Lombardi started acting different; he seemed more interested in Rosie's life. If I couldn't leave my office on time and I had to go pick her up, he would quickly offer his help and brought her to the office. He would buy her food on their way over here and bring some for me as well.

The look on his was mesmerizing every time he stared at her. He had this great big smile on his face and his eyes twinkled with joy. Every time Rose did something funny, he laughed to the point where he almost had tears in his blue eyes. Whenever she got too close to anything harmful, like a glass vase or a sharp edge, he would quickly run towards her and swoop her up, almost as if he was Superman.

Rose liked him a lot. In fact, whenever she would wake up from her nap or when I picked her up instead, she asked for him.

"Where's Mr. Lombardi?" She had asked me one Wednesday afternoon. I playfully rolled my eyes.

"He's working, love," I would answer somewhat annoyed.

It's not that I didn't like him. Truthfully, he was a great help, but sometimes I felt like she enjoyed his presence more so than mine.

And I don't blame her. Most of the time I'm at my business office or I'm at my home office. And I know that it's a horrible thing for me to do to my daughter, but being a single mother and running a business is one of the hardest things to do. I try to balance everything; from taking Rose to school and picking her up, helping her with her daily homework and food prepping for the next day, and getting her ready for bed.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm the worst mother anyone can have. At night, I can't sleep anymore because I feel guilty for dragging Rose into my workaholic life. I want her to be happy, I want her to be loved, but I feel like I can't give her all that. I can give her toys and books, food and water. It's true, money can't buy happiness.

The times when I feel guiltier is when she asks me if we can go to the park and I can't take her. Or when she asks me if we can bake cookies together because that's what her classmate did with her mom the day before. The look when I tell her no is like a beautiful piece of stained glass shattered. Her eyes started watering and her lips are set into a frown. I have to quickly look away before I cry myself. Instead of staying there, Rose walks away, leaving behind a trail of tears.

Soon, my relationship with Rose became distant. She no longer looked at me in the eyes. She had opted to looking at the floor or her feet whenever she talked to me. Instead of walking straight, her shoulders were slumped. Before we had conversation after conversation during dinner, but I got too quiet to the point where I had to put some classical music on. I noticed that Rose permanently had a sour look on her face, and it was not flattering that a five-year-old had that face.

"Ms. Moretti, glad you could make it today," Mrs. Fields, the school's principal, said.

I sent her a small smile and sat down on a black leather chair. The principal's office looked like the usual office you would see in movies. The walls were painted white, the carpet was grey. Certificates for her accomplishments were proudly staring at me. Potted plants sat in every corner of the room, bringing in a bit of life. There was a mahogany book case on my left and a bright open window on my right. It felt comfortable sitting here, maybe a bit too comfortable.

"How are you doing, Ms. Moretti?" She asked once she sat down on her chair in front of me.

"Good," I simply answered. "And yourself?"

"Concerned," she instantly responded. I raised my eyebrows in shock. "Why, you see a bit surprised." She gave me a look, almost as if she was annoyed with me, but also as if I was amusing her.