Diana

I love children, but working among rich, spoiled kids hasn’t been a very good experience. I always wished my life could be easy like in the books, where someone always appears to help amid the turmoil, and that someone is always a millionaire. Oh, how I wished it could be a rich Italian, who, when I show him my culinary skills, would create a little argument because I break the pasta, and then he would wrap his big hands around my waist and teach me how to do it the way he believes is right.

"Daydreaming again like a fool" Mag says, sitting beside me while she munches on her granola bar. She’s right; once again I was being foolish, imagining something that wouldn’t happen even in a million years. "You’re an interesting woman; you live in a fantasy world while being so grounded at the same time."

"Imagining is free" I joke, and she bursts into loud laughter. If there’s one person who laughs loudly without caring about the volume, it’s Magda, or as she likes to be called, Mag. We’ve known each other for six months, ever since I started working here as a janitor in a school for rich kids. I don’t understand how some of them can be so snobbish at such a young age; not all of them are, but some look at us mere mortals as if we’re disposable.

"It’s the only thing our money can afford" she declares, returning to her laughter, and it’s impossible not to agree and laugh with her. "Oh, how are your dad and your brother doing?"

"They’re fine." I reply, swallowing hard, and decide to change the subject as we head to the service room to grab our cleaning cart. The corridors where the students walk must always be spotless, especially the part I work in, which is the preschool section. My friend Mag. works on the east side with the older students, those over six.

My family is complicated; after my mother abandoned us to marry a rich man, my father started drinking, and he hasn’t stopped in two years. Sometimes when I get home from work, I have to head to the bar where I always find him passed out. My father, Mr. Desmond Taylor, was a passionate man who lived to idolize my mother. Despite what she did, I still love her and miss the times when we were happy. My twelve-year-old brother suffers the most from all of this.

"Hello, Princess Diana" I am startled by the sudden arrival of my little friend whom I met in the halls. I place a hand over my heart and slowly turn to face her, looking down to find her grinning mischievously.

"Oh my God, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life" I flatter her sincerely. Kids can tell when we’re lying, and the truth is, the little girl in front of me really is the most beautiful thing in the world. "I can’t believe they let you come as a ladybug."

"If they hadn’t let me, I would have cried to my dad, and he would have sued the school" she says, crossing her arms. She’s adorable; she’s one of the few kids who isn’t snobby, along with two others I know are relatives. I don't see them much, but this little ladybug always looks for me in secret since it’s forbidden for cleaning staff to talk to the students, which is why we only clean the corridors when they are in class.

"The correct phrase would be"would've sued,"Princess" I say, not correcting her out of malice. She agrees and points to the bench in front of us, asking me to sit, and so I do. I’m dodging lawsuits, but I have to say I like her for another reason: the first is that she’s sweet; the second, as I mentioned earlier, is that I love children, and if I had the means, I’d probably have a handful of kids "and that would be rude of you."

"It's alright, I would call my Uncle Michel" she says, starting to show her little fingers counting her uncles "Uncle Lorenzo, Uncle Sean, Uncle Rich, and the main one, Uncle Warren; he would take that annoying principal away. Costumes are really fun, and everyone should wear them."

"You're right, sweetheart, but sometimes rules are there to be followed so that everything doesn’t turn into a complete circus" I explained, and she frowned, considering my response. I would also love to come dressed up to work; my costume would definitely be Cinderella, not with her dressed as a princess, if you catch my drift.

Before she could respond, a pair of twins came over to us, and I stood up immediately. Unfortunately, they are a thorn in my side, and for dear Ladybug as well; not all the children here are like her, which is a shame.

"A cleaning lady and a bug" the boy says, making his sister uncomfortable. I don't know how these kids are raised at home, but they are definitely lacking in many aspects, primarily real education and love.

"Take back what you said" Ladybug says, standing up and confronting the boy, who is about fifteen centimeters taller than her.

"Kids, don’t fight; go back to the classroom, or I will call the counselor" I warned, and the boy laughed mockingly, as if dismissing me. I really wanted to put him in a corner for punishment to reflect on his actions.

"A trash-picker maid trying to boss me around?" the boy said disdainfully, and I widened my eyes. How could this happen? How can a child of probably six years have such a horrible attitude? How can he say something like that?

Before I could act like the adult I am, the worst happens. Very quickly, Ladybug – the only name I know her by, one she wears with pride – goes right up to the evil twin and kicks him between the legs, then punches him, thankfully not landing fully on his face, and thank God her little hands probably didn't hurt him that much.

But the wail that escapes the evil twin makes my heart race. Ladybug stares at me, wide-eyed, not even believing what she just did. It’s as if some kind of teleportation was used; the principal, who has never been fond of me, appears and glares at me furiously.

"What’s going on here?" she bellows while the boy thrashes on the floor, and his sister cries next to him. Ladybug clings to my legs as if I'm capable of protecting her.

"I have the right to a lawyer" Ladybug says, and I burst out laughing, unsure if it’s out of nervousness or because her adult phrase was funny. But the principal's deadly glare tells me two things: first, I’m in big trouble, and second, I’m fired.

Warren

Problems

Pressures

That's what has been surrounding my life lately ever since my sweet grandmother decided that we need a child at home, or better yet, that I need to marry and have kids, that I must give her great-grandchildren. She told me she doesn’t want to meet her great-grandson when she herself is already wearing diapers. Emotional blackmail is what she has learned to do with me over the past year since she found out Michel became a father, and to make matters worse, that bastard Dylan got lucky, two at once, son of a b***h. At least she doesn't know about Barbara's pregnancy yet.

And so the old lady with her powerful canes keeps tormenting me with the subject of children, and as if that pressure weren’t enough, she also wants me to take over the family business because, according to her, “if I don’t assume my commanding place,” the partner’s son will lead us to bankruptcy.

But I love what I do; I studied hard and struggled like hell to get where I am, even though what I earn wouldn't buy the apartment where I’m currently living. My salary doesn’t reach two hundred thousand dollars per year, which is even less than what my family's business makes in a day. The partner's son, Marco, constantly throws that in my face, no matter that he doesn’t know what I really do. I couldn’t care less; I’m happy with my achievements, and that’s what matters to me.

I’m at a cafe near the precinct with some teammates; we usually come here whenever we can. The work is exhausting, and sometimes the atmosphere gets so suffocating that we need to breathe. I don’t mean pure air because there’s no such thing in New York.

My phone starts ringing. I pull it from my pocket and see it’s a call from Dylan. I furrow my brow in confusion; at this hour, he should be enjoying his sudden trip with his wife.

☎️– You shouldn’t be doing anything that doesn’t involve a phone, should you? – I ask as soon as I answer, stepping away from the table where I was sitting.

☎️– But I am – the ex-bastard says with a smirk; I can recognize his mockery from a distance – Can you go to Flora's school? She did that thing you taught her.

☎️– Who did she hit? – I quickly ask; the only thing I taught the kid was to defend herself. In today’s world, self-defense is crucial, and I believe that’s one of the reasons I don’t want to have kids. Today’s world is a totally dangerous place, especially for children – Can’t anyone else go? I hate elementary schools, Dylan.

☎️– You’ve never been to one, Warren – he retorts, and he’s right; I’ve never been, and my plan was not to – The principal is already waiting for you, and who knows you might find the love of your life there?

☎️– Go f* yourself, Foster – I snap back, reprimanding his silly remark – I’ll be there in twenty minutes – I inform him after glancing at my watch to check the time.

I stash my phone in my pocket, still cursing that son of a b***h for making me go there. It’s not that I have anything against kids, but I do everything I can to avoid them. It’s no coincidence that I had a vasectomy despite always using condoms.

"I have to go; I’ll meet you guys at the precinct" I announce, leaving a tip on the table to help pay for the coffee. I then make my exit, hearing footsteps behind me, and I don’t bother to turn around because I already know who it is.

"Always so mysterious" Agent Sheffield says, leaning against my car door before I close it. She leans in and kisses my cheek. We have hooked up a few times in between shifts, nothing too serious; I got involved with her before she was transferred to my district.

"And late" I say firmly; I’m not known for handing out smiles. In fact, many question my lack of them "if you’ll excuse me."

She walks away, knowing I have no patience at all. I hate games of seduction and pressures; it’s enough that the guys I call friends already fill my head with their nonsense. I know that my appearance helps a lot in winning over the beautiful women who have slept in my bed, even though they don’t know I’m a major heir.

I always keep my personal life as private as possible; I’m aware that nowadays people betray for petty reasons, so I tend to avoid risks. In fact, my friends already put us at enough risk.

"I’m Louis Warren; I’m expected in the principal’s office" I inform the receptionist as soon as I arrive at the private school where Flora studies. As I enter, the receptionist stares at me, startled and completely mesmerized, damn this infernal appearance. I walk swiftly towards the principal's office, and the woman beside me walks as if she’s holding her breath, her gaze on me ever since I stepped in, still caught in some hypnotic state.

"Uncle Warren" Flora runs up to me, clutching my legs the moment they open the door for me to enter. I see other children in the room and a woman who seems overly frightened, wearing what appears to be a service uniform, along with the principal, dressed in designer clothes and sporting a beaming smile as soon as she sees me.

"So, the guardian of this delinquent has arrived" the man entangled with the other two children barks, and I almost smile.

"Sir, she is just a defenseless child; you shouldn’t speak about her like that" the terrified woman in the gray uniform defends Flora. I’m not surprised she’s defending “my niece,” as she’s probably only doing it because of my presence. I stare at her, trying to understand why on earth something about her makes me look twice, and why she wants to give the impression of being sweet and understanding. I notice her staring back at me; I knew there was some interest in her behavior "Sir, you’re dirty."

She points to my cheek; I frown, and she steps closer, rubbing my face. Her hands against my warm skin feel as soft as a feather.

"There, now you’re presentable to defend a child" she says, gazing at me intensely. Her light brown eyes are like a sunny day, reminding me of the sun. She lifts her upturned nose as if reprimanding me, ready to step over me without mercy, then returns to her spot, leaving me momentarily bewildered by what just happened. Wasn’t she supposed to be judging me for my looks that make women fall at my feet as if I were some kind of sorcerer?

Warren

The principal seems about to rip her employee's head off right now, she's visibly scared, it looks like she has a habit of biting her lips, I'm immediately alert to what happened to get out of here, I hate situations like this, especially one that draws so much attention to me.

"Miss Taylor, I hope this audacity doesn't happen again," the principal snarls at the frightened girl who now has a last name, she just nods her head confirming what the woman warned. When she looks up and finds me staring at her face, it turns completely red.

"Isn't anyone going to say anything about this girl? I demand that she be expelled from school" - the man who is apparently a very successful businessman, but I bet if I pull his name up in the system, I'll find something, even if it's a parking ticket, but I bet there's more to it.

"And I demand you shut the fck up" - I blurt out, leaving everyone startled, then I kneel before Flora, still leaving everyone silent, fck it, I don't care - "tell me what happened, can you do that, yes?"

"Yes, Uncle Warren," Flora says, and I almost smile as she takes a breath as if catching her breath to speak, only then I notice her clothes, she is wearing one of the many ladybug outfits my friend buys for her - "I was talking to my friend Princess Diana.”

"Oh, she's just a cleaning lady" - the man interrupts and I feel the blood run faster through my veins, I turn my gaze to the woman now huddled in the corner of the room and then to Flora.

"That's why I hit that idiot" - the girl says, mistakenly pointing to the boy - "he did that thing that children can't do and even called me a bug”

"Did he disrespect anyone?" - I ask because that's what I taught, I said that no one could be disrespected in front of us without us being able to do something, of course I couldn't explain it more clearly to a child.

"Yes, Princess Diana asked us to go to the room, then the fool said a garbage picker was bossing me around, so I went there and kicked him in the low countries and then I tried to hit him like this in the face” - she says and makes the movements she made and if I wasn't quick her little punch would have caught me in the face too - "then the meanie showed up and I said I would call my lawyer, who was my daddy" - she stops talking and takes a deep breath, when she's nervous and talking very fast she slurs her words and speaks haltingly, changing some letters - "but he wasn't there, but then you showed up, can you take him to jail?"

“You're the one who needs to go to jail, you marginal" - the boy yells, it's unfortunate to see that he is a reflection of his father, sometimes children are not to blame, they only repeat what comes at home, and unfortunately then we see the result of poor upbringing at the police station.

"Let's see that the level of education here is below what is needed," I begin, standing up. If Dylan was here, this employee would probably leave here practically rich from so many lawsuits Dylan would file against this unbearable family - "both at school and at home, children should be taught primarily about respect, empathy, education is essential, but what I see here are father and son completely wrong as if they were right. What kind of place is this where students are taught to disrespect staff?”

“Sir” - the principal calls my attention, I face her - “we just want to inform you that we do not accept this type of aggression practiced by your niece, we just want her to apologize and that someone responsible for her guarantees that such things will not be repeated.”

“You are right” - I say and look at my niece - “What are your names?” - I ask, giving a sideways smile to the principal who is about to sit on her own desk and spread her legs for me.

"I am the principal of the school, Suzane Grace" - she says, smiling sweetly - "and this is Mr. Fuchs."

“I am Flora Foster's uncle, I hope I don't use her father's power to resolve shameful situations like this” - I say, making their eyes widen - “my niece will not apologize, you should be the ones apologizing to Miss…”

“Princess Diana, Uncle Warren,” Ladybug says excitedly, and the cleaning lady's eyes widen.

"No need, I just want my job back," she says, her eyes now a little red, damn it, I hate to see a woman cry.

“Impossible, I've already given notice” - says the principal and points to the exit - “pack your things and go away, you induced our children to fight, the blame for this whole situation is yours.”

The girl quickly leaves with her head down without saying another word, she seems to refuse to let the tears fall, either she's one of those who pretends to be strong or it's all a theater, I notice Flora now wants to cry for her “little friend".

“You are despicable beings” - I say and hold Flora's hand as we leave the room leaving both of them speechless, I would like to intimidate them but I can't alert them about my position, however it wouldn't help much, I know the boys will get even with the two of them, I sent a message telling them what happened and on top of that I also sent the names of the two and I'm just sorry for him to run into Michel, the man who likes to buy things and people.

Flora takes us to her room to get her backpack, she does so still pouting, I don't understand the reason for her being upset, after all, how can you understand children if you've never lived with one?

“What's wrong, Flora?” - I ask as soon as we reach my SUV, as there is no car seat, I put her in the back seat and fasten her seat belt properly. I don't understand why Dylan didn't send his security.

“I didn't understand what happened,” she says, and I soon realize she's referring to the startled young lady in the principal's office, she's probably confused as to why her “friend” left in such a hurry and without saying goodbye.

Before I answer I sigh and look the other way out and find “Princess Daiana”, or whatever her name is, walking out dejectedly wiping away some tears streaming down her cheeks. Something inside me screams, not liking to see her so helpless.

Her eyes had an intriguing will to live, she seems to be a woman like Antonella, not in physical form because the two are completely different, but in personality, she is too good, too sweet for this world.

The worst part is that a side of me that had never surfaced before wanted to protect her so badly.

… ******** …