Chapter 51 - I'll save you from your own stupidity!

"I gave the staff a day off. So someone had to do the cooking!" He said with a grin in his voice.

She looked at him in surprise. "But why?"

"I thought we should also take a day off today to relax. Just you and me..."

"Where is Adrien?" She interrupted him, as she remembered her little protégé who was nowhere to be seen. It was not common that the little guy did not stick to her side when she was home ...

He blinked, a little speechless. "With the Nanny ..."

"Then there's a nanny at home?"

"Not really..." A short hesitation. "She accompanies Adrien to a toy shop."

"Doesn't Adrien already have enough toys?" She looked at him puzzled. Before she had an idea. "I think you pamper him a little too much." She chattered happily. What made Alexandre even more dumbfounded. "I don't want him to become one of those spoiled rich snotty brats. He should continue to be so cute and sweet."

"Spoiled rich snotty brats?!" He tilted his head. Perplexity mingled in his undertone. "I thought..."

"It's not good if you allow him everything, you also have to say no to him sometimes..." Lily tried to lecture him as she shoveled another fork and shamelessly devoured one bite after another. While he watched her speechless falling in some kind of breakfast euphoria.

"To say no …?!" He let click his tongue rebukingly.

Lily raised her head questioningly. "Yes ... I think you are giving him too much. His room looks like a toy store. "She innocently pulled her head to the side and looked at Alexandre thoughtfully. "If you want to be a good father to him, you should just be there for him, spend some time with him and play with him. With toys and money you can't earn his affection. What I mean, we are both new in this job as parents. We don't know much and have to learn a lot, but I think it's not good if we spoil Adrien too much. So ... for his future .... We have to learn to draw boundaries and keep them. And that's why you should start to say no when he looks at you with puppy eyes and wants a toy that he doesn't need at all."

"Say no...hmm?" He emphasized slowly. As if he let the words melt on his tongue, quite relish.

"Exactly!" She confirmed and nodded.

"Hmpf ... I think I should start practicing that right now." He ran his hand through his dark hair and leaned forward, his eyes fixed on hers. Abruptly, Lily stopped in her motion. Her arm stopped moving, with the forks in front of her mouth. Some eggs flakes trickled back onto the plate. Suddenly she had the feeling of being watched by a predator.

"One of my snotty brats got clearly carried away with his actions yesterday. What should I do with him? What punishment do you suggest, Lily?"

She stared guiltily at him.

"I think I remember telling you ... don't wander off alone. But you needed to wander through empty corridors. Alone! Very clever!" His voice grew an octave louder.

"But..."

"Shit Lily! What would you have done if I hadn't come. God, I don't even want to imagine." Suddenly his eyes became serious. He grabbed her two hands and held them in front of his face. Tenderly his lips touched her fingers. Concern came to light on his otherwise so hard features, mingling with a touch of annoyance. He looked at her. Something seemed to rage in him. "He had beaten the hell out of you." His fingertips slid across her forehead as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Tender.

But then he jumped up. The chair scratched over the floor. His face went dark. "Eat now ... we still have to see the doctor!" He looked down at her thoughtfully, before he pulled back the chair and sat down. He still held her hands in his. His hands were big and warm. Alexandre looked down at her hands, turned them over and ran his thumb over her palm.

"After all, it doesn't matter." Alexandre looked up again. "I'm glad to have been there in time." In his eyes was this fragility that hit her so unprepared. What had happened to this man that made him feel so vulnerable? The novel did not say much about the past of Alexandre de Valois. It only mentioned his painful love for Elodie. Elodie, who reminded him of his first love. But who was this first love? What happened to her? What had she done to him to be able to hurt such a strong man?

Lily grabbed his hands and pulled him closer, searching for his eyes, which looked at her in wonderment.

"So ... I'm sorry." She forced herself to smile. "I was careless and stupid. And I swear, I will never be so careless again. I can also learn from my mistakes. Especially when they're painful." She laughed sheepishly.

"Yesterday... I admit I did a grave mistake. I didn't think Pascal was such a crazy bastard. But in the future I will take more care ... "

"Don't worry, love, I'll take care of that!" He did not let her speak.

For a second she sat there frozen, wondering what he meant, as she tilted her head to one side and looked at him.

"I've hired two bodyguards to save you from your own stupidity!"