Chapter 163: Realization

Athena sat on my lap and quietly drank her milk while I did some work on my laptop in the study. It felt a bit odd that I had some extra weight sitting on my lap but it didn't bother me that much either. Maybe because I liked how a baby actually liked me so much.

After some time I felt my shirt being tugged and looked down at the baby who was doing it.

"You done?" I looked at the empty bottle in her hand, "Give it to me." I took the bottle from her and placed it on the desk and began to work again.

"Nnnn!"

"What?" My eyes were still on the screen and I was trying to focus on the emails I had received.

"Dada," I looked down at her,

"You want to go to your daddy?"

She didn't say anything, instead slumped back against my stomach.

What a tiny cute little thing.

I smiled.

My phone buzzed and I picked it up to see a text message. It wasn't anything important, just some information from Lorelai. The festival was coming soon after all.

I closed the text tab and the gallery opened behind it.

Oh…

I forgot to close the tab yesterday when I was looking at 'her' pictures.

I pressed the button but before I could close it Athena tapped her hand on the screen.

"Mama!"

It shocked me. I felt my heart take a giant leap at her word.

More like, I felt my heart skip a beat.

She looked at me with her big blue eyes and it was at that moment I realized something.

She had black hair.

Ella did not have black hair, neither did Ben.

My heartbeat began to accelerate.

I stared into her eyes, those deep blue eyes like the ocean resembled 'hers.'

I shook my head.

It can't be.

"Mama!" She slapped her hand on the screen again, "Dada!" She looked at the phone, "Mama."

"Oh God!" A sudden wave of anxiety took over me.

I held her and got up, "Lee!!" I yelled for him as I left the room but he wasn't on the fourth floor so I called him.

"Yes?" He answered his phone immediately.

"Did you find a nanny for Athena?"

"Yes,"

"Good, have her come to the mansion today and you come to the study this instant!" I sort of yelled and realized I shouldn't have done that. That was so not like me but then again, I looked at Athena, this all was too unexpected.

"Right away." Lee answered pretty calmly.

I looked at Athena.

Eight months…

It's been seventeen months since Azalea left.

The timing is uncanny.

***

A day's wait had never been this nerve wrecking.

All the worry and confusion was eating me up. I never knew a day like this would ever come.

But when I looked at the test reports in my hand I felt strange.

The paternity test between me and Athena stated positive with 99.999% match.

The very next moment made me furious, and in the moment of anger I crumpled the paper in my hand and looked at the man in front of me.

"So Ben," I gave him a 'smile', "Athena is your daughter huh?"

He looked down in shame, "I'm really sorry Arius, I didn't know how you would react to the news so I had to hide it. I wanted you and Athena to get along…"

"She's my daughter…?" The words still seemed foreign but yet again it made my heart tremble.

"Yes. She is."

"How long have you known?"

"About ten days?" He kept his eyes down.

"Where is she?" I asked with a stern voice, "Where is Azalea?"

He glanced up, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" I smirked sarcastically, "YOU DON'T KNOW!!??" I ended up raising my voice despite the fact that I actually wanted to talk normally.

Ben jumped when I yelled at him, "Really… I don't know where Azalea is…"

I rubbed my temples and tried to calm myself, "You have 1 minute to explain yourself." I looked at him, "Start."

"About almost two weeks ago Azalea suddenly visited my house, I wasn't there. She told Ella to take care of her daughter for a few days because she needed to do some work and said she'll come pick her up after she was done." He gulped, "Ella told me about it when I went home the next day but I don't know where she was before this or where she is right now but I did secretly arrange a search party for her."

"And?" I folded my arms.

"It was Ella's idea to bring Athena here." He looked down again, "She said that Athena should meet her father, especially now that her mother was away." I sighed, "Most of the people in the mansion knew about Athena being your daughter but none of us knew how to talk to you or have you meet her so in fear we hid her again and again but she somehow still-"

"Found her away to me…" I took a deep breath. Everything felt so unreal. Suddenly after all this time I find out I have a daughter?

Is this why she left?

I bit my lower lip hard.

It was then… In the hospital, when she asked me about having a family with her…

"God!!" I buried my face in my hands.

She was pregnant then… And I chose the wrong words to say.

"Mister Alucard?" There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The newly appointed nanny, Zara Nim, made her way in with Athena, "She's a bit uneasy, so I thought maybe she wanted to go to you."

I looked at Athena and she let go of Zara and raised her arms towards me.

It looked like she was very impatient and wanted me to take her immediately.

I took her in my arms and she hugged me.

It was a strange bubbly feeling or warmth.

A daughter…

I looked at Ben, "You still haven't found her?" I asked softly.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry."