Desperate

Chapter 16

Vlad's POV:

Vlad couldn't believe it; four years had already passed.

They went by so quickly and so much had happened during that time period. Elizabeth learned to talk, was now eating food he ate, completed tasks without his assistance, dressed herself, walked with ease, was sleeping in a toddler bed, and, most importantly, was potty-trained. Hallelujah.

Although she was much more older and more independent, she still wanted his attention, especially on days when he was just too busy with his day job and training. Plus, he had more phone conversations with Maddie ever since both Elizabeth and Daniel turned five, and he didn't want to give up that time he had with her just to play a silly game Elizabeth wouldn't even remember when she grew older. He didn't understand why she needed his attention when she had her toys, dolls, her nanny, and Molly, who checked on her frequently, to play with.

Yes, he understood he was her father but didn't she ever want a break from him, like he did with her sometimes? Couldn't she see he was busy most of the time and couldn't play with her? Couldn't she understand he needed some space from her?

No, unfortunately, she couldn't understand that. Her tiny toddler mind wasn't developed enough to understand such adult topics.

But, even though she did annoy him at times, she was still his daughter, and he adored her. He loved the way she would talk about a specific topic with such enthusiasm to him, the way she would crinkle her adorable button nose when she laughed, the way she mismatched her pajamas because she couldn't decide what to wear to bed, and the way she tried to have a serious demeanor to impress him but fail as soon as something funny distracted her. She was absolutely adorable.

Soft padded footsteps echoed across the marble floors outside his bedroom, becoming louder as they came much more closer to his door. He propped himself up on his elbow from where he lay then glanced at the clock, noting it was the seven in the morning; the time Elizabeth came in to wake him up. He sighed tiredly and laid back down, believing if he pretended to not notice her presence, she would leave and eat her breakfast with Mr. Martinez.

A soft frustrated grunt reached his ears, making him lift his head up to see the shadow of two tiny padded feet standing outside his door. He raised a curious brow and waited as he listened to her constant grunts, knowing she was trying to reach the handle and wondering if she could actually succeed in grabbing it for once. The handle moved slightly but then quickly went back to it's original place, making Elizabeth let out a frustrated whine.

He figured she would have given up by then and started pounding on the door to wake him, but he watched in surprise as the handle turned again, this time turning all the way and clicking out of lock to let her push open the door. He had to hand it to her; he didn't think she could do it, yet she let her persistence encourage her to try again. He laid back down once more then turned on his side, away from the door, and closed his eyes as he waited for his little girl to walk over to his bed. He listened as her soft padded feet hurried over, not trying to be silent for his sake, then he felt as the edge of his blanket was pulled. "Daddy?" a soft hushed whisper called to him, her voice a little squeaky.

He didn't respond; he didn't want her to wake him up so early again, especially after how late he was up last night training.

"Daddy?" the more urgent voice of his daughter called to him, it a little more louder than the last. "Daddy, are you awake?"

He stayed silent, hoping she would give up soon and leave the room.

Yet, that hope started to diminish when he felt the mattress start descending, meaning his daughter was climbing the side of it; well, attempting to anyway. Another soft grunt reached his ears, and he widened his eyes when he felt her grab onto the back of his pant leg. As soon as he felt the mattress descend more, he shut his eyes, astonished that she managed to climb onto the mattress without his assistance; she truly was growing stronger with each passing day.