THIRD PERSON’S POV
The new villa Damien bought for Tiffany and Tasha was quiet that night.
The house looked beautiful from the outside. Golden lights glowed softly through the windows while expensive flowers decorated the front garden neatly. Everything about the place looked luxurious, peaceful, and perfect.
But inside the villa... Ashley Stone cried nonstop.
The sound of her sobbing echoed through the large living room while Franca stood nearby looking exhausted and helpless. Ashley sat on the couch, clutching her small blanket desperately against her chest.
Her little face was completely red from crying. Tears soaked her cheeks while her small body kept shaking.
Franca sighed tiredly before kneeling carefully in front of her.
“Sweetheart, please calm down.”
“No!” Ashley cried louder immediately. “I want Mommy”
Franca’s heart hurt watching her like this.
Meanwhile, Tasha’s patience was disappearing.
She sat in one armchair, looking at Ashley with disgust. Ashley’s crying had continued for almost two straight hours now.
Two hours.
Even Tiffany looked emotionally drained already.
“Ashley,” Tiffany said softly “Come here.”
Ashley shook her head. “No.”
“Ashley,” Tiffany repeated more gently. “You’ll make yourself sick crying this much.”
“No” Ashley cried.
The words finally snapped something inside Tasha.
“Enough!” Tasha screamed.
Ashley flinched in fear and shock.
The entire villa became silent. Even Tiffany looked startled.
Tasha stood up while glaring at Ashley with anger.
“Do you think the whole world revolves around you?” she snapped harshly. “People are trying to take care of you and this is how you behave?”
Ashley’s crying stopped immediately, not because she calmed down, but because she was scared.
Ashley shrank deeper into the couch cushions while staring at Tasha with wide eyes
Franca frowned “Miss Tasha”
“No,” Tasha interrupted “I’m serious.”
She pointed toward Ashley angrily. “You’ve been crying all night like a spoiled child.”
Ashley’s lips shook. Tears still rolled silently down her cheeks, but now she no longer dared crying loudly anymore.
Tiffany stepped forward to her mom “Mom, calm down.”
Tasha inhaled deeply before forcing herself to sit back down again. The atmosphere inside the villa turned tense.
Ashley remained completely silent on the couch now, too silent.
Her small body still shook while tears continued slipping quietly down her cheeks, but she no longer made a single sound.
Franca’s chest went tight watching her. The child looked terrified.
After some minutes, Tasha finally realized she overreacted. Her expression a bit.
She stood again before walking toward Ashley. Ashley went stiff when she saw her.
Tasha crouched in front of her this time with a softer expression forced onto her face.
“Ashley,” she said gently.
Ashley said nothing.
Tasha reached forward to touch her hair.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” She said.
Ashley didn’t say anything, still. Tasha forced out a smile.
“You understand Auntie was just tired, right?”
Ashley nodded weakly. Franca hated that reaction. The little girl looked like she was trying desperately not upsetting Tasha again.
Tasha gently wiped Ashley’s tears “But don’t tell anyone about tonight, okay?”
Tasha’s smile remained soft.
“If you tell your daddy I shouted at you, they’ll think you were being naughty.”
Ashley looked confused.
“You don’t want them upset with you, right?” Tasha said
Ashley shook her head nervously. “No...”
“Good girl.”
Tasha softly patted her hair again before standing up.
From nearby, Franca watched with shock.
Something about it felt wrong, very wrong. But before she could speak, Tiffany quietly interrupted.
“I’ll take Ashley upstairs.”
Ashley immediately looked frightened again. But this time...she didn’t protest.
-
The next morning, the atmosphere inside the villa felt very strange.
Ashley sat quietly beside Franca while picking at her food without appetite. Dark circles remained under her small eyes from crying most of last night. She avoided Tasha completely.
Every time Tasha moved closer, Ashley shifted nearer toward Franca instead. Whenever Tasha spoke directly to her, Ashley answered nervously without looking up properly.
Tiffany began noticing too.
“Ashley,” she said gently after a while. “Why are you so quiet today?”
Ashley froze slightly. Her small fingers tightened around the spoon.
“Nothing” Ashley whispered.
Tiffany frowned. Normally Ashley spoke a lot during breakfast.
This silence felt unnatural.
Tiffany reached toward her forehead. “Are you feeling sick?”
Ashley quickly shook her head. “No.”
But her eyes kept moving nervously toward Tasha. Tiffany noticed that too.
Later that afternoon, Ashley hid quietly inside the upstairs playroom while coloring silently by herself.
Usually she loved being around Tiffany constantly lately. But today...she avoided both Tiffany and Tasha whenever possible. Especially Tasha.
Downstairs, Tiffany sat inside the kitchen drinking coffee tiredly while staring at her unfinished research notes. She looked frustrated.


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