Mommy for Billionaire's Baby
Chapter 41 b

"Ouch," Naina groans. Her hands repeatedly touch the edge of the bandage. "Gio really asked for a kick!"

"Hey." Tasya gently strokes the other side of Naina's head. "You can't do that. You're at fault too. Why did you tease Gio? Miss Zulfa said you were the one being mischievous." "No, Tasya." Naina frowns in disagreement. "I wouldn't have done anything if he hadn't started it."

Tasya doesn't believe it. Naina can be irritating at times. Even though she rarely initiates conflicts, her words can often annoy others. Their homeroom teacher briefly explains the sequence of events leading to Naina's fall after school today. Throughout the day, there was no issue between Naina and Gio.

Tasya knows they are close friends. They get along well, and Gio's name often comes up in their discussions about schoolwork at Tasya's house. So why did it end in a scuffle? Gio is probably stronger than Naina. What surprises Tasya is that there were no adults around to intervene.

Oh my!

"Gio apologized earlier, but you ignored him?"

"Yeah, why should I accept his apology? He did it on purpose. He was the one who was wrong first. He took my pencil without asking, didn't admit it, even though he could have just said he borrowed it. Normally, I would've given it to him," Naina grumbles. She walks while holding Tasya's hand tightly, her eyes looking disdainfully around. There's no friendliness whatsoever. She's still annoyed.

"Gio is waiting for you in front, you know."

"Nope." Naina pouts. "Let's take a different route. I don't want to see Gio. I have a headache, you know!"

"Okay." Tasya can't force Naina to do what she doesn't want to. This girl is stubborn, and she's upset about her friend's behavior. Fortunately, there's nothing to worry about regarding her injury. It doesn't require stitches, just a deeper scratch. The doctor's advice was to clean it and apply periodic treatment. Tasya had requested a thorough examination. After all, Naina is the boss's child. They don't want any lingering effects from her fall today.

"I don't want to be friends with Gio anymore."

"Sure."

"He's annoying."

"Okay."

"I'm in pain, Tasya."

"I know."

Naina sighs in frustration. "See, you don't care about Naina." She lets go of Tasya's hand abruptly. "That's it! I want to go home with Mr. Jack."

No matter if the teacher rushes towards her, and despite the pain in her head, she ignores them and quickens her pace towards the driver. Leaving Tasya dumbfounded by the actions of the twelve-year-old. "Hey? Where's Naina going, Miss?" Zulfa asks, puzzled. Her eyes follow Naina's hurried steps.

"To the car, Miss. It seems like she's still upset with Gio."

Zulfa sighs softly. "I truly apologize for this incident. It shouldn't have happened, even though it was a joke between the two of them. I've also advised Gio."

"Yes, Miss. I've talked to Naina as well, but Naina isn't the kind of girl to forget easily. She often explodes."

Zulfa chuckles. "This...Naina's mother?"

"Ah? No." Tasya smiles faintly. "But I've come to think of Naina as my own child."

Zulfa nods in response. "In that case, I'll take my leave, Ma'am. Please convey my regards to Naina. I understand if she needs rest at home. I'll inform her about her assignments personally later. I apologize again for this incident." "Yeah, Miss."

Tasya let Zulfa go. At least the school is monitoring what happened with their student. They explained in detail what happened and the best way to resolve it, including the hospital administration issues that the school would handle promptly. Although Nathan had provided Naina with an insurance card.

The phone in Tasya's pocket vibrates gently, and she's confident that it's Nathan calling. She intentionally took charge of Naina's affairs this afternoon. Tasya can be sure that Nathan has fully transformed into Raptor at the clinic, given that he's handling Naina this time. Dealing with Nathan might be more complicated than dealing with Naina. Tasya can't imagine what would have happened if she hadn't rushed to take care of Naina's matters. "How's Naina?" Nathan asks with a worried tone.

"No serious injuries, Nathan. Everything has been checked, and the test results are good. I've already sent a copy to your email."

"I know," Nathan interjects quickly. "Did Gio apologize to Naina? What's really going on?"

"Patience, Nathan," Tasya chuckles softly. "I'll take Naina home first, okay? It seems like she hasn't eaten yet."

"Tell me the most important things, Tasya. I can't relax if something happens to my child."

"Yeah, Daddy Raptor. The Raptor kids are fine. They started by arguing over a pencil, which continued until school was over. Pushing each other at the park, and, well...that's how it ended. Gio has already apologized, and he looks really remorseful. But Naina doesn't want to meet him."

"Yeah, right. Why meet someone who caused trouble?"

Tasya understands where Naina's stubbornness comes from. Although Naina isn't Nathan's child, just his niece, she has received a lot of attention from him. Without a doubt, the man has had some influence on Naina's upbringing, including her stubbornness.

"We're heading home now. Naina has been waiting for me in the car. I'm afraid she might get a fever tonight."

"Of course, the Raptor kid needs her mommy, Tasya. So... there's no reason to refuse my invitation to stay overnight."

***

Sautéed mushrooms with fish balls were now served right before them. Don't even ask about Naina's impatient face, eager to dig in. Tasya had to endure Naina's repeated questions, "When will it be ready, Tasya? I'm hungry. You know, chasing Gio takes a lot of energy? Plus, I fell too. I'm drained."

Tasya's patience level was at its maximum when dealing with Naina.

"Enjoy it while it's hot, Naina." Tasya always felt joyful every time she served various dishes. Not only Nathan, but Naina also enthusiastically responded.

"Is the omelet spicy?" Naina asked, her mouthwatering already. The aroma of Tasya's cooking never failed to make her hungry. Since they arrived home, where her lingering frustration still hadn't faded, Tasya's offer of lunch was quite enticing. It became even more appealing when everything was presented before her.

"No, it's not spicy. I used green onions."

"What about the chili sauce?"

"A little. There are plenty of tomatoes. You don't like it too spicy, right?"

"Yeah, the one with the spicy mouth is Daddy." Naina scooped a big bite of rice with mushrooms, not forgetting the piece of egg she smeared with chili sauce.

Tasya wanted to respond to Naina's somewhat scattered comment. There was some truth to it because Nathan's words sometimes lacked a filter of their own. However, she chose to tidy up her cooking equipment instead, all the while speaking with gentle strokes on the head of the girl who was happily eating lunch. "Eat a lot, okay? Then you can take your medicine."

What Tasya never expected was Nathan's sudden appearance in the dining room.

"Naina, Daddy's baby!" Nathan exclaimed dramatically, his tone full of theatrics. He deliberately stretched out his arms and contorted his face as mournfully as possible. Naina responded with a scoff and an irritated groan. "Why did Daddy come home?"

"Daddy was worried about you, you know!" Nathan pouted in protest. His facial expression immediately changed back to its usual demeanor, somewhat serious, and his eyes scanned the figure that had delayed his meeting. Nathan couldn't concentrate when his thoughts were solely focused on Naina.

Seeing Naina lying helpless in the hospital was enough for him. Her condition was worrying. Nathan didn't want to experience that again. He would never be ready if Naina had another unfortunate incident.

"Is your head still hurting?" he asked with concern. He pulled one of the chairs closer to Naina. His eyes couldn't help but stare at the bandage still wrapped around the girl's head, even though she was happily eating. Nathan wanted to touch it, but he was afraid Naina would scream hysterically.

Naina was a bit dramatic, after all.

"It's not cold yet," Naina replied, taking another bite of her rice. "I'll open it tonight. I'll look like a mummy."

"Why don't you see a doctor, then? Daddy can call the doctor who usually treats you?"

Naina glanced sarcastically at Nathan. "I'm fine, Daddy. Mr. Jack is overreacting. I want to eat. Don't bother me. Tasya said the stir-fry won't taste good when it's cold."

"Daddy's hungry." Nathan eyed the plate of food that Naina was enjoying. "Mama, didn't you prepare anything for Daddy?"

"Why didn't you come home to greet me?"

Since Nathan's arrival, Tasya occasionally observed the interactions of these two troublemakers. Warm, albeit childish, and requiring patience to deal with. But they couldn't be separated just like that because they were interdependent without the need for loud voices. Tasya's smile accompanied many conversations between Nathan and Naina, which she listened to carefully.

But playing a prank on Nathan seemed to be a must-do from now on.

"Oh my," Nathan stood up immediately.

Approaching Tasya, who was still in the kitchen area. The woman's hands were busy drying the cooking utensils, even though Merry was nearby. Nathan was sure Tasya didn't want Merry's help when it came to cooking in this house. "Is Mama Raptor jealous because she didn't get a greeting from me?" Nathan mischievously winked, making Tasya widen her eyes. How couldn't she? Nathan trapped Tasya in an embrace where the girl clearly resisted. Nathan could also hear what Tasya said. "Merry is here, Naina is here, ew. Embarrassing, Nathan!"