It was a regular day at work. I was dictating some important notes to Gabe while pacing too and fro in the office. The sun was setting behind the array of skyscrapers, colouring the sky with its reddish hues. I was nowhere close to finishing my work and I might have to spend some extra time in the office. This thought never disturbed me before but it was different now. I was dying to complete the work and go home to Scarlet, to have dinner with her and then cozy ourselves under the warm blanket.

I forced my attention back to the work so I could complete it as soon as possible. I started dictating the rest about the finance to Gabe while staring out through the window.

"And the gross production will be..." I was saying when I heard a muffled chuckle from behind me. Turning around, I found Gabe's face slightly puffed up as he tried to control his laughter.

My eyebrows dipped in displeasure and I took few steps towards my desk. "Did I say something funny?" I asked him.

He shook his head in no and lowered his eyes to the paper. "So I was saying the gross production will be..." A beep erupted from my mobile and a text message appeared on the mobile screen, that caused another girly giggle from Gabe.

The text was from Scarlet that read Miss me Mr. Workaholic? The words were followed by three winking emojis.

A smile appeared on my face on receiving her message. I wasn't used to people missing me because if you continue being unresponsive to everyone for a longer period of time, others leave you sooner or later. They stop trying to get your attention and gradually, you stop mattering. But Scarlet was different; she wasn't easily triggered when I was not in mood of talking, neither did she act all stubborn if I was busy in some work. She was a mature and understanding woman and that makes her much more attractive.

Why would I? I typed back with the unwanted smile lingering on my lips.

I kept the phone back to the table and sat down on my chair. Gabe was looking at me with his usual lazy face but I could see the very small smirk cornering his mouth. I drew my eyebrows closer and gave him a hard look, that forced him to look back at the piece of paper in his hand.

"We have a lot of work tonight. Hurry up." I ordered him and he nodded.

Another beep reached our ears and my eyes darted to my mobile screen that contained another message. Whatever. Come home early. I'll be cooking dinner.

Picking up my mobile, I called her and within a second, she responded with a hello.

"I won't be back home before midnight, Scarlet. I have a lot of work remaining." I told her and rested my head against the back of my chair.

I could imagine her leaning against the counter right now, pouting like a cute kid. She took a long sigh and then replied, "Okay. I will eat with Cara and save a plate for you." She replied in a disappointed tone.

"Will you?" I whispered into the phone, ignoring Gabe's presence in the room.

"Yep." She replied, popping the P. "And then I'll sleep without you."

I grinned at this and replied, "I will wake you up my way." At this, Gabe shifted uncomfortably in his seat and focused his attention to his mobile screen.

"We will see." She said and cut the call.

Putting the phone aside, I gave a distasteful glance to all the files in front of me. These things used to be the part and parcel of my routine but now, someone else had taken the role from them.

"Gabe, we have to hurry up and finish all the work. I need to leave by 8 o'clock." I said in a finalising tone.

"All the work?" He asked in a tense voice.

"Yes. Any problem?" I asked with a frown. He shook his head in no and began working without wasting any time.

..........

When I entered the house, George told me that Scarlet was in the kitchen. Instead of the room, I made my way straight towards the kitchen. Her back was towards me and she was completely engrossed in making the sauce for the pasta. She was wearing a white printed sundress, her hair was tied up in a messy bun on top of her head.

I leaned against the doorframe and watched her silently as she cut all the herbs and added in the Alfredo sauce. Grilled chicken fillets were already prepared and waiting for their turn in a plate by her side. She was an amazing cook who loved feeding others. With Eliza, both of us were always in dilemma that who would be the cook tonight because cooking wasn't something in our area of expertise. Thankfully, with a chef, you never have to worry about feeding your stomach.

She might have noticed my presence because a deep blush was crawling up her delicate neck. "I thought you were gonna be late." She asked, still stirring the pot.

Smiling at the slight hint of complain in her voice, I walked towards her and stopped behind her. Her delicious scent filled me and I leaned to take a sniff of her silky hair. "I missed you, Mrs. Parker."

"You missed me while at work? Who are you and what have you done to my husband?" She giggled and a huge dimple appeared on her cheek. I rested my chin on her shoulder and hugged my arms around her tiny waist.

"You smell amazing." I said and closed my eyes. She always smells like home, like shower, like bed, like kitchen. Weird way to describe a woman but true nonetheless.

"It's the pasta, idiot." She pointed at the pot. I chuckled at this and placed a small kiss at the angle of her jaw. "Don't... Don't distract me, Evan Parker."

"If you can distract me at work, why can't I?" I asked, placing another kiss on her milky neck.

"Evan," She whined and struggled in my hold, all the while blushing like a tomato. "I am sure you don't want overcooked, lumpy Alfredo."

"I'll manage," I said and placed one last kiss, before small footsteps coming towards us urged me to back away.

With small steps, Cara entered the kitchen, her hands tightly wrapped around her drawing book and her hair tied on top of her head just like Scarlet. "Mama, will you help me in drawing the house?" She asked Scarlet.

"Yes, sweetheart. Just let me cook the dinner quickly." Scarlet said to her.

"Mama is busy, Cara. Can Daddy help?" I asked her with a pout on my lips. She looked like she was in a deep thought, considering the pros and cons of letting me help.

"Do you know how to make a perfect rectangle?" She asked, as if making a rectangle was the most confusing task in the world.

"I will try my best," I kneeled before her with an assuring smile.

"Then yes, you can help," she grinned and showed me her drawing book. I picked her up in my arms and took her to the drawing room where her pencil colours were sprawled all over the sofa.

While Scarlet made the dinner, I showed Cara how to make a house. She was a little perfectionist like me who hated any minor mistake in her homework. I saw a hint of Eliza in her when she bossed me around about the colour scheme of her house and then I saw a whole lot of Scarlet in her when she asked me if I feel bad because she scolded me or if I would like to choose the name of the house instead of her.

She was definitely the cutest kid ever. She was my kid, my blood, and I felt bad for ignoring her for so many years. She deserved all my attention, all my time but I chose to drown myself at work instead. From now onwards, Cara would be the most important part of my life and everything else would come after her.

When my daughter took the notebook from me at the end, I found Scarlet standing in a corner, smiling at us. "The dinner is ready," she said and we both followed her to the dining room.

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