Kate laughed amusedly and took the boy off her legs, placing him next to Adam as she stood up.
"Of course not. Do you really think I'd miss the chance to see you lost, not knowing what to do with the children? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Adam, and I'm looking forward to it."
"The maids who are going to look after them, anyway, and..." Adam started to say, but stopped himself when he saw Kate's debauched smile.
"You're very wrong, boss. Jenna gave them the weekend off, and she traveled too. You're on your own with this task, Adam." Kate informed him, and left the room laughing.
He heard the other child crying, and ran with the boy in his arms to where he had left the baby carriage, so as not to risk losing it again.
Adam thought about entering the baby's mind, to make him stop screaming, or calling his werewolves and forcing them to take care of the children, but he would break a promise. He had broken it before, but none of them had noticed. This time, they would know. And they would hate him for it.
"He's hungry." The boy in his arms informed him. "And so am I."
Adam took them to the kitchen and found sandwiches ready and a bottle with a note on it. The note said that the bottle should be heated for thirty seconds in the microwave, and there was a list of all the foods he had ready in the fridge, so that he could heat them up and give them to the children. He also had fruit for them to eat between breakfast and lunch, and in the afternoon before dinner.
Adam hated himself. He had no obligation to do that for anyone! How dare they go out and leave them with those endless rules about feeding those children? He thought about killing everyone who had abandoned them and he would start with Jenna. He would make them all suffer.
He served the children their food and they calmed down.
Adam didn't see Kate anymore and put the children to sleep in his bed, in the room he now occupied, which he had previously shared with Anna. He went exhausted to the bathroom.
Adam left the room stepping lightly so as not to wake the children and, without knowing why, looked at the door that didn't allow anyone in. He sighed. One day that room would be occupied by the right person. He knew this because Maxwell's mother had told him about it. He never knew if he wanted what she revealed to him, but he knew he had no choice. He closed his eyes and went back into the kitchen. He took one of the sandwiches and ate it in a few minutes. In the silence of the house, and not knowing what to do next, he went back to his room. He slept with the children in his bed, and the next day, it was already Saturday.
He got up and changed after a shower. He sat on his bed and wondered what he was going to do with those children all day. It seemed that the women in the house had rebelled against him. He wasn't fooling himself, and he knew that Jenna wanted to punish him because of the video he had made of Kate. Perhaps he deserved it. He took a deep breath and rummaged through one of the suitcases Alexander had brought, finding clothes for the children. He didn't dare leave the room before they woke up, and as soon as they opened their eyes, he changed them and took them to the car, after serving them their morning snack, as prescribed in the note. He took them to the golf club where he was a member, and there was a playground. The younger boy preferred his arms and didn't want to go down to the ground, but the older boy went on all the rides and only wasn't allowed in the pool.
While Adam was arguing with the boy about this, as if he were an adult, a young woman in a bikini approached.
"Excuse me... I couldn't help overhearing... Do you need help with the children?"
Adam turned to look at the owner of that soft voice and felt his heart freeze. The young woman with green eyes and red hair in a ponytail, slender and with beautiful skin, was Anna's double.
He shook his head to clear away the memories flooding his mind and looked at her with relief.
"That boy doesn't understand that I can't let him in the pool because his brother won't let go of my arms!"
"Are they your children?"
"No. I'm just looking after them this weekend."
"I'll help you. If you let me, I'll take the boy for a swim in the pool. You can trust me not to let him cross the children's line."
"Please." Adam agreed, once again relieved to know that he would be free of that boy's screams for a while. He suspected that the boy was a dwarf disguised as a child. No child was so obstinate with strangers.
Two hours passed and Adam could see the young woman enjoying herself with the child from where he was sitting. He reached out and took the younger boy's bottle from his backpack and handed it to him.
The young woman came back with the boy already dry, and sat down at the table. The boy looked exhausted, while she radiated good cheer.
She opened one of the bottles of water she had brought and handed it to the boy, then opened one for herself.
"Where are the children's parents?" She asked without curiosity.
Adam looked at her suspiciously, but then understood that it wasn't even curiosity, it was just a way of starting a conversation.
"They're the children of my... Friends, I think."
The young woman also looked at him suspiciously.
"You're not very good with children, are you? Is this your first time?"
"Yes. And the last time, too."
The young woman laughed and then Adam observed the dimples that had formed and only then did he realize how beautiful she was. And until that moment, she hadn't tried to flirt with him, and that was rare.