Chapter 100

Mia

The moment the chauffeur parked the car at the front of St. Peter Elementary School, I felt my heart skip a beat. This would be the first time I was picking Aria up by myself, though it hadn’t been the first I’d been here. The previous two had been with James when he allowed me to tag along simply because the three of us had to go out shopping afterward.

“I won’t be long, John,” I said to the chauffeur.

The driver said, “Take your time, Miss Donovan.”

A few moments later, I was making my way toward the main building where reception was situated. As I was doing so, I couldn’t help but feel more than a little nervous. After all, I wasn’t used to doing this sort of thing, going on errands and picking kids up after school. It was completely new to me for sure.

“Hi,” I said the moment I was in front of the reception desk.

The elderly woman looked up and gave me a bright smile. “Hello, dear,” she said. “How can I help you?”

I licked my lips and said, “My name is Mia, and I’m here to pick Aria up.”

The woman looked at me long and hard for a moment, scrutinizing me. Once she was satisfied, she asked, “Mia? Mia Donovan?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Mr. Maxwell phoned. He said a Mia Donovan would be picking Aria up after school today, and I assume that’s you.”

I couldn’t help but feel she was judging me on the spot. Did I look out of place somehow? Was I supposed to be more like Sophie? Elegantly dressed with a know-it-all attitude? After all, this was a private school for rich kids, and their guardians would have to look the part.

I didn’t know James had to phone and tell the school I was the one coming. Was this a security step? If so, then I wasn’t surprised. They had to make sure the children were safe and the people picking up those kids weren’t imposters. Then, of course, I wondered if they’d need some form of identification to ensure I was who I said I was.

I wasn’t wrong. On cue, the woman asked me for my driver’s license. Luckily, I brought it with me and quickly dug into my handbag to take it out.

A moment later, she nodded in approval. She raised her eyes to me again and said, “So you really are Mia Donovan? Mr. Maxwell’s girlfriend?” She beamed at me.

I blinked. “Excuse me?” I asked, confused. Girlfriend? What girlfriend?

The woman wasn’t listening to me and headed around the corner. She said, “Please wait here until the bell rings. I’ll tell Aria’s teacher, Mrs. Thompson, you’re here to pick up Aria.”

I nodded as I watched her disappear along the hallway. Alone, I took a seat in the waiting area and retrieved a magazine to read.

Girlfriend? Had James told the receptionist I was his girlfriend? My heart skipped a beat. But why would he do that?

Then it clicked. Of course! It was obvious, wasn’t it? It’d be weird for James to inform the school that his mistress, the one he made a contract with, would be here to pick his daughter up because he was busy with work. It just didn’t sound or look right. It made sense that James would have to tell a little white lie that I was his girlfriend to make things seem more legit. It was normal for a man’s girlfriend to pick his daughter up after school, wasn’t it?

Yes, that made sense. I nodded at that sound conclusion, feeling more than satisfied.

A few moments later, the elderly receptionist was back. I was just reading through an article when she cleared her throat and asked me, “So are you living with Mr. Maxwell?”

I wasn’t sure what she was trying to get at. I answered, “Yes, I am.”

She looked pleased. “That’s good, dear,” she said, nodding in approval as a grandmother would to her granddaughter. She continued. “Poor Aria. I heard people talking, you know. Her mother ran off with a man when she was just three. The guy was some young stud. Stupid woman. Well, what do you expect? Those filthy rich people. They don’t care about their kids much, do they? Which is a shame.”

I thought about this for a moment and knew James wasn’t like that. He cared about Aria and loved her so dearly that he’d do anything for her, even take a bullet for her, as I would for Andy. The bottom line was I wouldn’t lump James with those filthy rich people. To me, James was a different sort of filthy rich.

The woman chuckled, which drew my attention to her. She commented, “You don’t talk much, do you?”

I said, “Not really.” This was simply because I didn’t know what to talk about. I had no doubt she liked making small talk, more so gossiping, which I didn’t. To be sure, I wouldn’t know how to gossip, which wasn’t surprising since I’d spent most of my adult life working my ass off, trying to survive and make ends meet.

“You know that Sophie woman? Aria’s nanny?”

That topic got me interested, and I nodded. “Yes.”

“What do you think about her?”

I licked my lips and couldn’t help but blurt out the truth. “I know she’s not very nice to Aria, and I don’t like her.”

The woman chuckled. “You’re honest, aren’t you?” She didn’t wait for my reply and continued. “I know. And I don’t like her either. She’s a piece of work I tell you. I know a fake when I see one, and Sophie is a fake. She doesn’t care about Aria. Honestly, I hope Mr. Maxwell fires her soon.” She smiled at me. “I don’t imagine it’ll be long, though, since he has you to look after Aria now.”

I nodded. I’d love to look after Aria, I thought and smiled with glee.

The bell rang then, and the place was filled with kids scurrying around everywhere. Their animated voices hummed loud in my ears, which only reminded me of my school years.

I stood and scanned for a sneak peek of Aria, my eyes sharp. A moment later, I saw her rushing along the hallway toward me, her backpack bouncing behind her. I couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute she was.

“Mia! Mia!” she called out to me, her arms widespread. “Mia!”