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I wasn't worried, though.
Not today.
Today he was smiling.
It was a sad smile, but I would take it.
Not stopping until I was sitting in the big brown chair opposite him, I settled my hands on my lap and smiled back at him, legs swinging.
"Hi, Mister Daddy."
"Hello, Miss Ashton," he replied, lips twitching upwards in amusement. His Italian accent was thick and it made me smile. He sounded strange sometimes. It made me giggle. "You are eager to see me tonight."
"I missed you," I replied truthfully. "Like so, so much." I held my hands out to show him just how much. "You were gone a long time for work, Daddy."
Nodding slowly, he leaned back in his huge chair, watching me with the same colored eyes as I had. "Yes, I was. Did Miss Charlotte take good care of you while I was gone?"
I nodded eagerly. "Yes, Daddy." A smile spread across my face. "She's super sweet."
Smiling indulgently, he rested his chin on his fingers and watched me. "I see."
"We read The Twits by Roald Dahl," I decided to tell him, voice hushed. A giggle escaped my lips at the memory and I slapped my knees, remembering. "It was so funny, Daddy."
"And Fabio?" he asked then, brows furrowing. "Did he pay a visit while I've been away?"
"Nope," I replied, scrunching my nose up at the mention of his name. I didn’t like Daddy's friend. He was old and creepy. "I didn’t see him."
"No lies?"
"Nope."
"Good." His shoulders loosened and he let out a sigh. "Do you know why I was gone for a month this time, Ashton?"
I shook my head. "No, Daddy."
He frowned at my words. "It's okay to call me that when we're alone," he told me. "But only when we're alone." He gave me a hard look, the kind of look that made the servants tremble and cry.
I knew why.
He was a bad man.
My daddy was evil.
At least, that's what they all whispered.
I didn’t understand it.
He wasn't evil to me.
"Never call me that in company."
"Yes, sir," I replied, remembering my manners.
He smiled and it was another sad one.
I didn’t like it.
Something was wrong.
