Broken Pieces

Chapter 18

Bella and Jeremy went to see Sofia after breakfast. Sofia was sitting up with pillows as her support behind her back. Mrs. Clarke was tidying up the room.

As the door opened, both her parents stood there giving her a saccharine smile. Sofia didn't want to talk to either of them. Sofia turned her head towards the window looking out at the wide expanse of the sky rather than the set of people who were her parents.

Mrs. Clarke stopped working and left them alone. They needed to sort out their problems and if she needed to interfere in their matter she wouldn't hesitate to do so.

"Good morning, my dear princess!" Jeremy chimed as he opened his arms wide and strode to where Sofia was looking. Bella smiled and stood by the bed with a wide fake smile.

Sofia turned her face and closed her eyes. She could feel a headache approaching her. She pinched the bridge of her nose to keep the headache at bay.

"Oh come on, Princess. Please forgive me?" Jeremy said as he took a seat beside her on the bed and held her free hand. Sofia kept her eyes closed. She didn't wanted to see their faces. She was very angry.

"You know you have to talk to us, right? You can't keep avoiding us. After all, we're your parents." Bella said in a mocking tone. Jeremy turned his head and gave her a cold stare.

"Bella, I suggest you stop using that tone with my princess," Jeremy warned Bella. Bella gave a tight smile and stayed quiet.

"No, let her use whatever tone she wants to use with me," Sofia said in a weak tone. Jeremy motioned Bella to sit. Bella went to the farthest corner of the room and sat there. She kept glancing at her watch. She was getting late. She had some important deals to make. She started getting restless as time passed.

"Now, how is my favorite daughter doing?" Jeremy asked Sofia.

"Dad, I'm the only daughter you have. And I'm better." Sofia said as she smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that." He said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck. Sofia laughed a little.

"It's so good to see you smile, princess," Jeremy said as he kissed her hand.

"I miss you dad. And you too, mum." Sofia said catching Bella off guard. She was busy typing on her phone.

"Huh? What?" Bella asked in nervousness. Jeremy scowled at her.

"I said I missed you, mum. But it seems as though you don't care. You're too busy." Sofia said emphasizing on missed.

"It was an important message from work. I had to reply to that. I missed you too, Sofia." Bella said as she put her phone beside her on the chair.

"I'm sorry. I need to go. I'm getting late." Bella said as she stood up. She took her phone and strode out of the room. She released her breath which she didn't know she was holding in.

"God! That was suffocating." Bella said to herself as she descended the stairs.

"Dad, what has happened to mum? Why can't she look at me in the eye?" Sofia asked as Bella went out of the room.

"You don't need to worry, princess. I'll talk to her. She may be worried about something at work." He said.

"I'll be back. I need to remind her about something." Jeremy said as he dashed out of the room and sprinted down the stairs. He caught Bella getting out of the door.

"Bella, Can we talk?" He asked coldly. With a nod, Bella turned back inside.

"Yes Jeremy, What do you want to talk about?" Bella asked as soon as they were out of sight of their staff. Jeremy held her firmly by the upper arm and took her to one corner of the garden.

"What you did up there was certainly not good. Just keep in mind that you'll be punished when you'll return from work." He threatened her and gave her a smirk. Bella's insides coiled. She didn't want any punishment. Jeremy left her and went back to Sofia's room. Little did they both know that Sofia had seen them from her window.

Jeremy treads back up the stairs to Sofia's room. Sofia had readjusted herself back on the bed. She didn't want Jeremy to know that she had seen them both.

"Today, I'll spend the whole day with my princess," Jeremy said to Sofia as he sat beside her and put an arm beside her.

"No business calls, meetings, dad?" Sofia asked as she looked at him shocked. It seemed odd. Never once in her life, her parents had given up their business for her. They both were workaholics.

"Yes, no business today. Nothing is important than my daughter." He said as he smiled and kissed her forehead. Sofia closed her eyes and relished the feeling of having her father close to her. She missed her mother. She rested her head on his chest and drifted off to sleep.

When Jeremy saw Sofia had slept, he took out his phone and texted Mark.

"Find someone to keep tabs on Bella. I need to know everything." He typed and put his phone back on the nightstand.

"Wake up, princess. It's time to get ready. We are going out. C'mon!" Jeremy said as he nudged her shoulder to get up. Sofia got ready and they both went to a tiny café to eat a scrumptious breakfast of pancakes and orange juice. After breakfast, Jeremy took Sofia on a tour of his office.

As they were on their way to the office, Jeremy noticed Sofia was a little spaced out. She was lost in her own world. She rested her head on the window of the car as she looked at the city passing by.

"Princess, would you like to work with me?" Jeremy asked Sofia.

"No. Dad, people would think because I'm your daughter that's why I'm working here." She said with a smile.

"I don't care what anyone says or thinks. I need my daughter with me. It's high time you're taught how to do things around work. Besides you need a distraction from your boring life." Jeremy said with a firmer tone.

"But..." Sofia trailed off.

"No excuses. I told you I want you to work with me and that's final. You're not chickening out." Jeremy interrupted.

"It's a challenge for you." He added as he smirked.

"Okay, Dad. When do I start?" She asked as she sat straighter and accepted her father's challenge. Jeremy knew she wouldn't back out if he challenged her.

"We'll start tomorrow. Today, I'll just give you the tour of the whole place. You should know your way around." He said as he parked the car in its usual parking spot.

"Good morning, Mr. Taylor." People greeted as they stood up in respect.

"This here is my wonderful daughter, Sofia. She'll join us tomorrow. I want you to get her all the necessary access cards." Jeremy said to Kayla, the receptionist.

"Good morning, Ms. Taylor. I'm Kayla, welcome to the Spring group of hotels." The petite strawberry blonde said with a smile.

"Good morning. It's nice to meet you, Kayla." Sofia said in a professional tone she had seen her parents use on business calls. She nodded and Jeremy showed her around the huge lobby.

The Spring group of hotels was a sight to behold both on the interior and the exterior as well. It was magnificent and calming. The flooring was pure shiny marble and the walls were white with hints of different colors here and there. There were different kinds of indoor plants which gave the place a more calming vibe.

Jeremy led her to his office which was on the other side of the lobby. There was a seating arrangement on one side of the room. The front wall of the office was made of glass which was opaque on the outside but transparent on the inside. Sofia could see the hustle of the lobby but nobody could see her. Sofia was excited to work with her father. She forgot all her problems and looked forward to starting a new chapter of her life.

Jeremy glanced at Sofia as she looked around the office and observed everything. She was quite a beauty that too with brains. It hurt him a lot to see her hurting. He had never wanted to hurt her but whatever happened he will rectify it. He will be the best father for his princess. Jeremy vowed to himself.