WARMING UP THE BILLIONAIRE'S COLD HEART

MOTHERLESS CHILDREN

Richy had come to check up on Connor and get bread for dinner at the bakery when he saw him kissing Amelia just as he was about to enter, he was shocked to see him and her in that kind of relationship and for some reasons he was annoyed at his son so he just turned back and left for home instead of coming in to get the bread he wanted to buy initially. He stood by the window side with many thoughts running through his mind but he saw both of them coming home together again while giggling and holding hands without them aware that he was looking at them as they played and did their own thing.

Before he entered the house, he had already sat down on the sofa and picked up a newspaper so he wouldn’t suspect anything about him seeing them. The door beeped as Connor input the password and came in with a smile lurking around his lips, he was still thinking about everything that happened between him and his love, Amelia earlier at the bakery.

“I’m home” he announced but Richy refused to answer him, he fixed his gaze on the newspaper in his hands instead but Connor was not bothered since he had tendered his greetings

Connor walked by to his room and before he entered the room, he dropped the bomb he had been keeping in mind

“Stop wasting your time with bread making and take your school serious! I don’t want to see you at that bakery tomorrow so quit going there” he instructed and Connor turned around in surprise, he could not understand why his father would suddenly be against him baking like that and his tone was showing so much hatred towards him baking because of how stern and firm it was.

What do you mean by that dad?” Connor asked with his mouth hung open in surprise

“I want you to face your studies squarely, I don’t want you to learning baking anymore. You are the point where you should be serious with your studies and choose a promising career not playing with some flour in the name of baking or do you think you will live here forever?” he answered firmly

“but dad you gave me permission, why are you going back on your words? this is what I enjoy and want to do, why are you suddenly against it?” he questioned trying why his father had a sudden change of mind

“I only gave you permission to satisfy your curiosity about baking not to date! How old are you that are you wasting your life away? Do you even know her that much? When did you get here that you are already dating a stranger?” he yelled at him and Connor realized that dating Amelia was the issue

“I love her not because I have seen all her sides but for who she is exactly, we both decided to try our best although we don’t know what lies ahead so we knew we are both imperfect before we agreed to do this. I won’t stop liking Amelia no matter what you do or say, I never interfered in your life so please don’t interfere in mine but I’ll be sure not to cause you to worry” he responded firmly and Richy couldn’t believe Connor could talk that much at a go, he never talk for more than two minutes ever since his mother died and here is he talking straight with him because of a girl, perhaps does he really love her that much?

“still I don’t want…” Richy tried to oppose

“I’m tired and sleepy, see you tomorrow dad and don't let us discuss this again, it won't change the fact that I love Amelia” Connor cuts him off and entered the room

“That brat, he's so stubborn” Richy whispered with his hands in akimbo, he knew his son was bent on doing what he wants but his fear was that he doesn’t know anyone enough in the town and doesn’t want a lousy life for both him and his son, he just want to live there till he can pay back the loan and move back to his own house or possibly somewhere more comfortable.

***

Connor continued to take the baking lessons and he was catching up so fast which made Rollins like him more, the only issue he had was he couldn’t bake the baguette breads well and it was the most requested bread by sailors who come in to the bakery.

His relationship with Amelia was going on fine and well and by now almost everyone at school and in town knows that they were dating because they were always together most of the time. Richy tried his best to break them apart but after an incident one afternoon, he decided to leave them be.

Richy was coming back to town after his work that afternoon and boarded the public transport since he didn’t go in his truck and as soon as he got into the bus, the talk was all about his son and Amelia.

“Did you hear about that new boy and the baker’s daughter dating?” one of the ladies at the front asked her friend sitting beside her

“Of course, who wouldn’t know? They are always everywhere holding hands and laughing as if they don’t have parents to caution them, they are so manner less and uncultured” the friend replied mockingly

“They are a perfect fit for each other, they both don’t have a mom so they should just get married, who would want to marry a lady who grew up with a single father after all? they are a big fit for each other” the lady said and they both laughed hard at her statement

“That’s true, I wouldn’t accept her for a daughter-in-law because she had no one to teach her basic manners and how a lady should live, that’s what mothers do you know and they have none” the friend added and that was the last line Richy could take.

“Are you both serious right now? How can you slander kids who are around the age of your own kids? Did they commit a crime by being motherless? Why are you both so nosy? Are you that jobless? what has their dating life got to do with you all?” he yelled from the back and they froze in shock because they didn’t expect him to be in the bus with them

“Did we say something wrong? There is always a trace of emptiness in kids who didn’t grow with a mother, if she had one, she wouldn’t be flaunting her boyfriend all around the town, she’s still a high scholar and should be studying not laughing around and holding hands with some boy all around the town” the lady yelled and Richy hit the seat head in front of him so loud and hard making them shudder, he was so much worked up

“I gave them the permission to date and so what? Can’t they date if they like each other? The girl although grew up without a mother has manners and is kind hearted, she offered us bread and milk the day we moved in as a welcome gift and she’s excellent at both her studies and skills, she helps her father out at the bakery and knows almost what your dullard children doesn’t know, who do you both think you are to judge them?” he lashed out

“Did you just call my child a dullard? My child is not a dullard!” the friend countered standing up

“I did! What do you want to do? You are free to slander someone else’s child but they can’t do that to yours? Make it make sense you gossiping snake, I'm sure your child is at the bottom of the class so maybe you can channel this energy to tutoring him so he can get good grades since kids without mothers even get better grades than him” he whipped her hard with word and she went speechless

“I see! You are also training your child with this type of stupid mentality, this is the reason why mothers are so important” the lady repeated and he chuckled

“Do you want to be my wife then? since you want my child to grow with a mother so bad” he dropped out of the blue

“Never! I can never be a wife to someone like you” the lady yelled

“I would never accept you for a wife even as a free gift either so keep your opinion to yourself instead of poking your nose into something not your business, stop slandering kids who did nothing to you just because you are bitter” he replied getting off the bus and left the woman puffing out the heat in her chest as the bus went on, the word must have got to her inner bone.

He went straight to the bakery and saw Richy bringing out the breads from the oven, Connor removing them on the tray and Amelia cleaning the pans with the towels, they all looked up to see him as he barged him while fuming hard with anger

“Did something happened dad? You look so angry” he asked pausing what he was doing for a moment

“I’m just here to confirm something from your boss” he replied turning to face Rollins who paused at the mention of his name

“Are you in for our kids’ relationship? are you in support of whatever is going on between them?” he asked and that caught everyone off guard

“I have never been against it, I trust my girl and any decisions she make so I don't have any reason to be worried about her” Rollins replied coolly

“Good! I trust my son too and your response is the only reason why I’m approving this relationship, let’s show them that kids without mothers are kids who can make one proud too, they don't deserve all these slandering” He remarked and Rollins dropped his pan holder in anger

“Did someone say something about that to the kids not having mothers? Who are they? where? who the hell are they?” he yelled hitting the table and the kids shuddered at the sudden hit

The fathers were ready to fight but the kids quickly held them back and told them to calm down, they sat them down at a table and prepared chilled coffee for them so they could calm down and talk coolly instead of going out to fight people, because of this incident Richy and Rollins became good friends since then and support their children all the ways they could.

***

A certain Friday night, Rollins was out of town to get ingredients while the kids waited for him to come back, a ship arrived at the deck and sailors trooped in into the bakery to have some bread as usual. Thankfully, they still had enough ingredients on ground to serve them all so they got to work and served them till around past eleven in the night when Rollins came back from town.

The sailors moved to the usual inn at the back of the bakery where they sleep over whenever they come around after having their fill at the bakery while they cleaned up the place and went home.

The following morning, Connor and Amelia went early to the bakery so they could make breakfast ready for the sailors, they made tea and nut breads for them as per their requests and Amelia went to deliver it to them at the inn as usual.

She knocked on the door as soon as she got there and the door was opened after she confirmed her identity, she wanted to come in with the basket of foods but one of them blocked the door and offered to take it instead which was odd because she had always delivered it herself inside the inn. she noticed that as the guy turned back with the basket, there were blood stains at the edge of his clothes but she didn’t read much into it since it might have been from his own injury and that was none of her business.

“Could please help us deliver our lunch too? We are so busy with some map reading and other things, we will pay for the delivery” the guy said to her as he returned the basket and flashed a smile showing his rotten teeth, he must have lived on tobacco and alcohols all his life.

“sure! I will bring it over when it's lunch time” she replied grabbing the basket and turned to go back to the bakery.

She brought them Eggy bread with ham and cheese as requested for lunch and just as she stepped into the compound, she saw one of them dragging a dead body to the seaside through the window by the corner and she gasped in shock, although her full body was not seen and she had the intention to run back, she noticed that her basket was already peeking out of the corner where she stood, it was hanging out of her hand and that already gave her out so she just came out of the corner as if she was just coming and didn’t see anything that might have happened

“Lunch is here” she announced and one of the men opened the door immediately to receive it from her

“Thank you for the lunch” he said giving her the money and basket in few minutes after emptying the content

As she walked back to the bakery, her feet was shaking and body were trembling, she tried to hold it in but the fear was too much for her and she managed to get out of the inn before running towards the bakery as fast as her legs could carry her.

“Connor! Connor!! Connor!!!” she yelled as she ran towards the bakery but a gunshot from nowhere sent her flying before she landed on the ground, blood seeping out of her chest through the wound.