3

Once uncle Romario arrived with our car and parked it before us, daddy picked me up in his arms and threw me in the passenger seat. He fastened me with the seat belt and told uncle Romario that he was going to drive.

"I'll drive."

"Si." Uncle Romario bowed to daddy and stepped away. Afraid of being alone with my angry daddy, I immediately cried for uncle Romario to join us in our car, "Uncle Romario, why aren't you coming with us? I want to go home with you."

But as soon as I said that daddy brought his angry face to my level and glared at me furiously, "You live in my house, you have to follow my rules. You're mine! Do you get that, Iris?!"

I was stunned with the way daddy had just shouted at me, but I still nodded my head slightly.

An ugly looking woman had also accompanied daddy to our car. Daddy turned to her and told her to take a seat in the back.

"Who is she, daddy?" I asked him immediately. I wasn't comfortable with the lady who had too much makeup on her face, hands and legs.

"Mind your own business Iris!"

I looked up at uncle Romario from behind my window and saw him standing there with his head bowed down.

He was not allowed to speak in between or even raise his head and look straight at daddy. No one was, except for the people I met at this party.

Soon, daddy got in the driving seat and started the engine. He started racing the car at a very dangerous speed, and I was scared. I grabbed onto daddy's shirt in my fists and clenched my eyes shut. I wanted to ask him to slow down but couldn't because I was scared of doing so. Even the lady seated behind didn't say anything to daddy.

Soon, we were at our doorsteps. Daddy got out of the car and opened the back door to get that lady out of the car by grabbing her from her arm. He forgot to unbuckle my seatbelt and get me out of the car. I was left to figure out the mechanism by myself in the car alone.

"Daddy? Daddy? Unlock me daddy?" I called out from behind but either he didn't hear me or he just ignored my plea.

"Aunty Jenny. Uncle Romario." I started crying and banging my fist at the glass window but it was night time and car was soundproof.

After half an hour, I started to fidget with my seatbelt trying to find a way to unlock it and soon, I successfully figured it out.

I opened the car and got out of it, alone walking inside from the front door. As I walked near our living room I heard the voices of that same ugly lady. She was screaming in what sounded like pain.

I was afraid if daddy was hitting that woman. With slow steps I approached the recliner in our living room and what I saw there left me numb.

I saw daddy and that lady were both naked and they were doing something weird to each other. I could see both their lips connected and their sweaty bodies entwined with each other's. He was pushing himself towards her getting away and then pushing himself harder over and over again.

I immediately felt nauseous and ran into my room closing the door and locking it shut.

I was curious for knowing what they were doing because it looked like daddy was hurting that lady but that lady was enjoying and crying in happiness.

I can't ask daddy for he would punish me, so then, who else should I ask? Aunt Jenny?

THE NEXT MORNING

LITTLE IRIS'S POV

I woke up with Aunt Jenny's sweet voice falling into my ears, "Iris? My little munchkin? Come on, get up. Your daddy has been asking for you since morning."

Daddy's name and I was all awake with fear and anxiety so early in the morning.

"Wh-Why? Why has daddy been looking for me? Is daddy angry with Iris because Iris was bad?"

"No. Sweetheart." Aunty Jenny gave me that warm smile and took me inside her embrace "Your daddy has got a surprise for you. He's going to take you to a school today."

"A school? Is it some place for punishing the bad kids?"

"What?" Aunt Jennifer heard me and started laughing, "No. Sugar, it's a place where kids your age go to study. Although after a while with all the studying and homework you have to do, it will seem like a place to punish children but still-" She laughed some more making me think of she just cracked a joke, "Honey, it's a place where you're gonna meet and get to be with children of your own age and learn something new and fun everyday."

"Other kids? Will there be Zephyr there?" I asked aunty Jenny excitedly. I remember last night and I remember meeting Zephyr. He was so beautiful, I wanted to meet him again.

"Zephyr? Sweetheart, I don't know who you're talking about."

"I met him at the party daddy took me to yesterday. Aunty Jenny, he was so pretty. I haven't seen anyone as beautiful as he was."

"Really? That's nice. Tell me more about what else did you do at the party and who else did you meet?" Aunty Jenny now took me by my hands and stood me up and she started to get me dressed into a green checked shirt and a green skirt with a belt and a tie and a green blazer on the top of the attire.

"I met Zephyr and his big brother and I also met another kid who was Zephyr's best friend."

"Really? What was his name?"

"Umm..." I started thinking. I couldn't remember it. Neither Zephyr's brother's name nor his best friend's name, no matter how hard I tried. I just couldn't.

"I can't remember Aunty Jenny but I do know that Zephyr's brother put a beautiful ring in my finger and Zephyr's friend was very nice to me." I said giving up all the thinking.

"Okay. And was this Zephyr kid nice to you?" She asked.

"Umm... I don't know. He barely talked to me. I made him angry a couple of times at the party. Aunty Jenny, he doesn't like me, does he?" I asked aunty Jenny a little bit of disheartened and she took me in her lap, started to caress my hair with love.

"You know, when you meet someone for the first time, it is not necessary that you like that person immediately. And my munchkin is so beautiful and so sweet. Everybody loves you and so would Zephyr. Just give him some time. Okay?"

"Okay." I chirped happily after listening to Aunty Jenny. I really was happy and ready as well. "Okay now, go to the washroom brush your teeth and then meet me downstairs at the table okay?"

"Okay." I nodded along and started to go to the washroom but then I remembered something.

"Aunty Jenny?"

"Yes, princess?"

"I saw daddy with an ugly aunty he brought home last night. He was doing something to her and she was screaming in pain and still kept telling daddy to do it more and harder."

I asked and upon listening to my question I could say that Aunty Jenny's face lost it's colour.

JENNIFER'S POV

"What?" I couldn't help but ask her. I couldn't believe Mr Rodriguez would let a child as young as Iris was, witness something so huge at such raw age, "Iris, baby, I don't think you should worry about the things your daddy do to other people. He is not a very good person."

I shouldn't be filling little girl's ears speaking ill about her father but I had no idea how else to respond.

"He is the worst. I know. He likes to hurt people. But what scares me is that he was hurting her one moment and then sucking her lips in the next one. Isn't that something you do to people you love?"

I really have no idea how to respond to her juvenile mind filled with questions that she couldn't understand the answers to right now. She was too little for these things.

"Iris, Baby..." I took her in my lap and stroking her hair gently I made her understand. "When you suck someone's lips, it's called kissing them on the lips, like how I kiss your cheeks? You do this to someone you love, more than friends. Someone you want to spend all your time and all of your life with."

"So then, can I kiss you on the lips Aunty Jenny. I want to be with you forever like this." She said and hugged me tightly. She is such an angel. One could never believe that she was the daughter of such an evil person.

"Okay." I said pecking on her lips gently and then told her, "You are supposed to kiss someone special. Like a boy who means more than friends or even best friends to you. Okay?"

Iris looked at me intently. I didn't know what was going on inside her little head right now but she didn't ask me any further questions.

Soon we heard her father calling out to her.

"Iris? Aren't you ready yet? Was I not clear about leaving on time Jennifer?"

Iris looked up at her daddy's face and then gripped onto my hands while she sat there in my lap like before in fear.

"Let's go!" Mr Rodriguez came at us and grabbed onto Iris's hand snatching her away from my lap's comfort, "I have to take you to Boss Martinez's house. I cannot afford to be late and loose face because you, little menace" I heard him screaming at Iris while he kept dragging her alongwith himself outside of the house.

Iris didn't get the time to have her breakfast and I don't think Mr. Rodriguez would even care about that.

IRIS'S POV

It was dead silence throughout the way to the house of daddy's boss. Neither did I utter a word, nor did daddy spoke. Once we were at the entry gate of the royal palace like place I visited the last night with daddy, I watch the beauty of the castle in the broad daylight.

It was beautiful with very large gardens with all the flowers blooming, the birds chirping as I saw multiple gardeners nourishing the greenery all around.

"Here we are. I hope you will behave yourself this time and not make me lose face like you did the last night?" Daddy showed me his monstrous eyes, and I was immediately more than obliged to not give him any chance to complain.

"Yes Daddy."

He then got off the car and opened my side of the gate to offer me his hand as we walked together like a father daughter duo towards the lawn where everyone was seated

"That little annoying girl from last night? No, thanks, Theo and I will leave first." I heard Zephyr talking from a little distance grabbing onto Theo's hand. The two of them were wearing same green blazers over their green checked shirt and green pants and had a piece of cardboard hanging down from their necks. Oh, wait. All the three of us are wearing same coloured clothes.

"Or we could wait, like uncle Martinez just said." Theo said interrupting before uncle Martinez would scold Zephyr because by looking at his face, I could see how angry he was at Zephyr's behavior just now.

"Theo??? What are you DOING?"

"I kinda like her though." Theo said, and I saw him immediately shifting in his place as me and daddy were finally present at the conversation circle and Theo saw me.

Theo shifted his gaze somewhere else and then hesitantly looked up at me. I gave him a smile, and he immediately smiled back to me his brightest one. He then looked at my daddy and got scared and started looking into his shoes. I looked up at daddy and I could see him glaring at Theo.

I don't know why daddy looked so pissed at him.

I then looked at Zephyr Martinez. There was something inside my chest that was exploding when I saw him look back at me.

But then, he immediately rolled his eyes away from looking at my face which made me a little sad.

"Martinez? Say hello to Iris now?" Uncle Martinez told Zephyr.

"He-Hello Iris?" But instead Theo greeted me, Zephyr just stared at both of us in anger.

"If it's okay, I know the route to school. I can go by myself as well. Theo can bring her along. Ir- whatever her name is." Zephyr said displeased.

"Why do you not like me?" I asked, getting a little emotional on the way he was acting with me.

"What's there to like?" He askedbagain rolling his eyes at me, breaking my heart little after little.

"|-"

I was about to cry when daddy gripped onto my hand tightly and squeezed it. It was my signal to behave and not let daddy lose his face here. So, I decided to suck up on my tears.

"Zephyr William Martinez! What kind of attitude is that? Apologize to her this instance!" Uncle Martinez shouted at Zephyr and I could literally see him shiver in fear just like how I would, when daddy would scream at me.

"I'm sorry. I will wait for you two to finish and join me in the car." Zephyr said without looking at me and picking up his backpack he left from there.

After Zephyr left I could sense daddy getting uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable too, but then Theo came near to me and tried to be enthusiastic.

"Iris, come. Let me take you to our car. We're supposed to go to school together." I looked up at daddy for his permission and he signalled me to go with him. Therefore, I was about to leave with Theo when I heard Zephyr's big brother call out to me.

"Iris? Hey!"

"Em- hi." I kind of did not remember his name, so I didn't say anything just smiled.

"Mr. Rodriguez. Pleasure to meet you."

He bowed to daddy and daddy gave him his brightest smile in response. Something I've never had the fate to get from him in my entire life. It made me a little jealous of Zephyr's brother though.

"They're going to school together. Rodriguez wanted Iris to be in the same classroom as Zephyr, so she could be taken care of, but you are aware of Zephyr's attitude towards her." Uncle Martinez said to Zephyr's big brother.

"Don't worry uncle Martinez I will take care of this and make sure Iris isn't troubled. But father, Iris has never gone to a school or even preschool before. Don't you think we should put her in the lowest class, so she learns everything gradually?"

Wait! Does that mean I won't be going with Zephyr? No! I don't want that.

"I want to go with Zephyr." I said immediately panicking and felt an intense glare from daddy's eyes on me.

"Umm Iris, you don't understand. You have to learn the alphabets before you start making sentences. You have to learn the numbers before you start adding and subtracting."

I didn't know any of the stuff Zephyr's brother just told me about, but I was adamant about going to the same classroom as Zephyr.

''Zee, don't worry. I'll teach her everything. Just please let her come with us? Please??"

Theo said, and then I got to know that his name was 'Zee'?

"Please Zee?"

I gave him the puppy eyes, and he stopped to stare at my face for a moment before sighing out and nodding a 'yes'

"Although I'm afraid Zeph wouldn't be too happy about it." He then said under his breath, but nobody paid a heed to his words.

"Come, let's go Iris. We're getting late, okay?" Theo said offering me his hand which I grabbed onto the next instance and walked out happily with him.

I was going to see Zephyr everyday starting today. Knowing this gave me intense happiness, I couldn't even explain in words

Little Theo

(I get to see Iris everyday starting today. Knowing this gives me intense happiness, I couldn't even explain in words)

Little Zeph

(Great! I have to see Iris everyday starting today? This is the worst way dad could've ever punished me!)

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***