Chapter 6 Full Circle

Seven years passed by like the wind. Exactly seven years after walking out on her father and leaving the country, Penelope returned with her six-year-old daughters, Daphne and Dahila and Grace, their trusted nanny since she had them.

Seven years ago, she had not only left her home but also the country-and now, she was back. Not because she had any desire to confront her past or face her father, but because she wanted to return to the country of her birth with her little girls.

Images of the past seven years flickered before her eyes, the deception of Geoffrey and Hillary's

betrayal, the abrupt departure, the loneliness of a foreign land, and the unexpected pregnancy.

A pang of anger shot through her as she thought of her father's ultimatum to her on that morning seven years ago, marriage to Geoffrey being cut off.

"He should have handled it better," she muttered under her breath as she always did whenever she replayed the incident in her head.

It still hurt and angered her each time she remembered how her father had reacted when he should have simply tried to make her open up about her reason for calling off the wedding.

All of that didn't matter now. All that mattered was her little girls. Daphne and Dahila were now the joy of her life, and the best part of her life was being their mom.

Looking down at Daphne and Dahila who was fast asleep and nestled beside her, a radiant smile lit up Penelope's face. "My bundles of joy," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she leaned down and kissed their forehead.

Feeling her mother's lips, Daphne sleepily opened her eyes and returned the smile before

drifting back off, Dahila still sleeping soundly.

Looking into Daphne's deep blue eyes which she believed she had inherited from her father, the memory of her carefree night with the stranger surfaced.

She pushed the memory aside, not wanting to think about it or about the stranger who had given her the best sex of her life, and the best

gift of her life-her babies.

She didn't want to think about how she had slept with a stranger whose name she did not know, and whose face she could not remember, in a desperate attempt to numb the pain of betrayal.

No matter how great the sex had been, or the fact that she sometimes thought about how a perfect stranger had managed to make her feel so good, she didn't want to dwell on that.

Especially not when she wasn't even sure she would be able to recognize the stranger if ever she crossed paths with him again.

As the cab drove them to their reserved hotel, Daphne chattered endlessly as she looked out

the window asking questions which Grace happily answered, while Penelope was preoccupied

with her thoughts.

The taxi driver's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "Here we are, ma'am," he announced, pulling up in front of The Luxe Banks Palace hotel. Penelope thanked him, fumbling slightly as she paid the fare while Grace carried Dahila the sleeping beauty, while Daphne happily jumped out of the car.

As soon as Pen turned to go into the hotel, she paused when it suddenly dawned on her that she was standing in front of the same Hotel where she had spent the night with that stranger seven years ago.

When The Luxe Banks Palace had been recommended to her as a child-friendly Hotel, she had not thought much of it before making

reservations here.

Was it a coincidence that this was the first place she was staying after seven years away? The very same place she had spent her last night, and where her daughters had been conceived?

A knot of nervous excitement tightened in Pen's stomach. It was a strange coincidence, a full-circle moment that both unsettled and

exhilarated her.

Memories, bittersweet flickered at the edges of her mind but she quickly pushed them away and took a deep breath to calm herself.

As Pen and her little crew stepped into the hotel lobby, a uniformed figure materialized, whisking away their luggage with practiced

ease.

"Welcome to The Luxe Banks Palace, ma'am. Let me help with your bags," he offered, already lifting the suitcases.

Penelope nodded, murmuring her thanks before turning to Grace, "You all can sit over there while I check us in," Penelope instructed Grace.

The lobby buzzed with activity.

Taking Daphne's hand whose eyes were wide with wonder, and carrying Dahila on her shoulder, who is still sleeping soundly, Grace led her to a velvet sofa where they sat down, while Penelope approached the reception desk.

"Good evening. I have a reservation under Penelope Will." The receptionist, a young woman with a warm smile, began typing on her computer.

"Welcome, Ms. Will. Just a moment while I pull up your reservation. Meanwhile, Grace, Dahila and Daphne settled into a

plush loveseat in the lobby. Grace sat with a serene expression, observing Daphe as she gazed around, her wide blue eyes taking in the beauty of the hotel.

Across from them, a figure hunched over a phone caught Daphne's eye. Curiosity tugged at her, and she scooted closer to the edge of the sofa, her gaze fixed on the man.

As if sensing her stare, he lifted his head, a smile, warm and genuine, crinkled the corners of his eyes when he saw the little girl staring directly at him, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"Hello, little one!" Carlton greeted with a friendly smile as he looked over at the pretty little girl in front of him.

"Mister, holding that phone so close to your face is bad for your eyes!" She declared, her voice clear and piping as she pointed at his phone.

"Daphne" Grace scolded, but Carlton chuckled, a genuine sound that rumbled pleasantly as he lowered his phone, and Daphne's face lit up in response.

"Is that right?" he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Who told you that, little one?" "My mommy," Daphne replied with the seriousness of a child imparting wisdom.

Carlton's gaze shifted to Grace, who was now watching the interaction with mild amusement.

He assumed she was the girls' mother and offered her a polite nod. Dahila was usually the calm one, content to sleep quietly, while Daphne could turn a place upside down within minutes. Then Carlton turned back to Daphne. "Well, your mummy is very wise.

Thank you for looking out for me, Daphne."

"How did you know my name?" Daphne asked, her eyes wide with wonder, and Carlton grinned.

"A little birdie told me," he said, even though he had just heard Grace refer to her as Daphne,

"Can I call you Daph?"

Daphne nodded enthusiastically. What's your name?"

"My name is Carl. Are you staying at the hotel, Daph?"

Daphne, ever eager to share, nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! We're going to have a really nice room," she said, her excitement bubbling over.

Carlton smiled. "That sounds wonderful. You and your sister should try out the hotel's playground. It's a lot of fun."

Daphne's eyes widened. "Playground?" Carlton chuckled. "Exactly! Slides, swings, a

whole jungle gym, it's a kid's paradise."

Daphne's excitement was tangible as she turned to look at Grace. "Can we go?" she pleaded, bouncing in her seat.

"If you're a good girl, we can go tomorrow," Grace promised while she patted Dahila's back.

"I promise to be good, I can't wait to tell Dahila when she wakes up, " and Carlton smiled.

Daphne turned back to him, "We have the same eye color, but my sister has my mommy's eyes" she told him, and Carlton nodded.

"That we do. Maybe it's a sign that we should be friends," he said, and she shook her head.

"I'm not supposed to be friends with strangers," she said, her expression innocent.

"I'm not exactly a stranger anymore since you know my name and we are going to be neighbors for some days since we both live here, " he explained.

"You live here too? Will your room be as nice as ours?" She asked, and Carlton laughed a deep, hearty sound.

"Yes, I do. I've been living here for years. And my room is the nicest in the Hotel," he said and her mouth formed a small 'o' of surprise,

"You don't have a mommy and a home?" "I do have a mommy and a home. This hotel is my home too because I own it."

Daphne's eyes grew even wider, and she was about to ask another question when Grace , who

had been listening to the exchange with a wary smile, exchanged a glance with Penelope, who

had just finished checking in and had signaled her to come along.

"It's time to leave, Daphne," Grace said as she rose, Dahila stirred awake and glanced around.

"Daphne, thank Mr Carl for his time," Grace said as she took Daphne's hand. "Thank you Mr. Carl," Daphne said and Carl smiled at her, and waved at Dahila who didn't return his gesture.

"Enjoy the playground before you leave," he said, and Grace gave him

a polite nod before walking away with

Daphne and Dahila.

Carlton leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful frown replacing his earlier smile. Although he was a lover of kids, the little girl, Daph, with

her bright eyes and bossy pronouncements, had

stirred something unexpected within him.

A warmth, a tenderness he couldn't explain, and for some reason, he wanted to see her again, but wasn't sure about Dahila's expression.

Carlton shook his head, dismissing the odd feeling as he returned his attention to his phone. This time, he made sure not to bring the phone too

close to his face.