The mate of his nanny

Chapter 31: Photo Op

Moana

The very next morning, I called Sophia as soon as I awoke.

"Sophia, it's Moana," I said into the phone. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

Sophia was quiet for a moment. I could tell that she was hesitant; I had just informed her only a couple of weeks prior that I was working for the very man who frightened the orphans, and she no doubt had a suspicion that I was going to ask for something after how he acted.

"Yes," she finally replied. "It's good to hear your voice."

I smiled, relieved that she was at least willing to talk to me. "You, too," I said. "I know this might seem a bit contrived, but I wanted to ask if Mr. Morgan and I could come to the orphanage today. He wants to speak to you and the children after what happened yesterday."

"Really?" Sophia responded, sounding a little surprised. "He doesn't seem like the type to talk much."

"Really. He wants to apologize." Sophia was silent again. I grew desperate. "Please," I said. "I'd really appreciate it if you gave him another chance."

"Alright," Sophia finally agreed. "When will you be coming?"

I glanced at the clock. "We'll be there by noon."

...

At noon, almost on the dot, Edrick and I pulled up to the orphanage. He was wearing a gray suit and tie that was almost as stiff as his demeanor, which was a sharp contrast from my light blue sundress. It was a scorching hot day; I was surprised that he was even breathing dressed like that.

The driver pulled up to the curb and let Edrick and I out. I glanced over at the Alpha billionaire over the top of the car, noticing how his image seemed to wiggle a bit behind the heat haze coming off of the black car. He took a deep breath and straightened his tie before brusquely turning on his heel and storming up to the entrance of the orphanage as if he was on a mission, where Sophia stood with the children as they waited for him. The children had made a banner that they were all holding, which read: "Thank you, Mr. Morgan!" I couldn't help but smile as I saw all of the little handprints on the long strip of paper that they held between them.
Sophia, smiling, came down the steps as Edrick approached.

"Welcome," she said, her eyes squinting in the sunlight. "We're happy to have you."

Edrick merely nodded and replied in a curt tone of voice, "Thank you. Where is the photographer?"
Sophia squinted even harder. "Photographer?" she asked.

"Well, I'm here for a photo op," Edrick said, looking around. "Didn't you hire a photographer?"
I stepped in, placing my hand on Edrick's arm before he could say anything else that was offensive. "I have my cell phone."

Edrick scoffed. "You can't possibly expect cell phone pictures to make it on the front cover of any magazines."

Sophia frowned, glancing over at me with a disappointed look on her face before looking back up at Edrick. "Perhaps you're not here for the right reasons, Mr. Morgan," she said. "While we appreciate your donation, all of the funds have been allocated toward taking care of the children. We don't have the money to be hiring photographers."

Now, it was Edrick who looked over at me with a disappointed look on his face. He stepped away, waving me over to him, and I threw an apologetic glance at Sophia before following.

"You didn't hire a photographer?" he snarled.
I shook my head. "It's not about the quality of the photos," I responded, keeping my voice low.

"It's about the message behind them. And I didn't want to make the children uncomfortable by having another stranger here to take their pictures."