Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 202

Grace, meet your new mother

Grace

Flashback

“Grace, come here.”

One of the nuns called out to me, and I immediately turned around and ran toward her, my small feet moving as fast as they could across the cold floor. I was only seven, my legs short and clumsy, but I didn’t dare slow down. When I reached her, she placed a small tray into my hands, the porcelain warm against my palms.

“Take this to the director’s office,” she said firmly. “And don’t spill any of the coffee. Don’t take too long either. You know she likes her coffee hot.”

I nodded quickly, gripping the tray tighter.

“Yes,” I whispered.

The nun nodded back, already turning away. “Alright. Go. Don’t waste time.”

I didn’t linger for even a second. I started walking toward the director’s office, my steps careful but hurried, my eyes fixed on the trembling surface of the coffee. If I spilled even a single drop, the director would get angry. She always did. She would hit me on the head and call me a cursed child, blame me for things I didn’t understand. I didn’t want to annoy her again.

As I walked down the hallway, I passed other children laughing and playing together, their voices carefree. I watched them quietly, feeling like I didn’t belong in that world at all. Whenever the director saw me, her face twisted with irritation, as if my mere existence made her life harder. I didn’t know why. I just knew I had to be careful.

When I finally reached the director’s office, I slowed down. I adjusted the tray in my hands and raised my arm to knock. But just as my knuckles were about to touch the door, I heard an angry voice from inside.

“Mom, how many years are you going to keep that girl in the orphanage?” the voice snapped. “Didn’t I tell you to make someone adopt her already?”

My hand froze in midair. My breath caught in my throat.

The director’s voice answered, just as angry. “You’re the one to talk! Do you think it’s easy making someone adopt her? Especially someone from a faraway country. That girl is difficult to send away.”

I blinked, confused. They were talking about someone. I didn’t know why, but my feet refused to move. Instead of knocking or leaving, I leaned closer, my heart pounding as I slowly peeked through the slightly open door.

Inside the office stood the director and another woman.

The woman was beautiful, with features that looked strangely familiar. As I stared at her, it hit me, she looked so much like the director. They could have been mother and daughter.

The woman scoffed angrily. “Then try harder! Do you want them to find out that I exchanged the kids?” Her voice shook with panic. “The Jones are getting suspicious. If they do a DNA test and find out, that’s bad enough, But if they find out I switched my child with the real daughter of the Jones family, they will kill me. I’m just their

Grace, meet your new mother

maid, Mom. They won’t spare me.”

My heart started pounding so loudly I was afraid they would hear it.

The director frowned deeply and dragged a hand through her hair, her expression twisted with fury and fear as she snapped, “You stupid girl. If you weren’t my daughter, I would have thrown you out already. Why would you put me through something like this?” She slammed her hand on the desk. “You didn’t just switch the kids, you brought the real Jones heiress into my orphanage. Do you have any idea what that means? The Jones won’t just ruin you. They’ll destroy our entire family.”

She pointed toward the door. “Leave. Take that girl with you. I want nothing to do with you anymore. Deal with this mess yourself.”

The woman flinched as if she had been struck. Her face drained of color, and suddenly she dropped to her knees. She shook her head desperately and clutched the director’s leg, her fingers trembling.

“No, please,” she cried. “Don’t abandon me, Mom. Please. You know I did everything so my daughter could live a better life. She’s your granddaughter.” Her voice broke as tears streamed down her face. “Even if the Jones find out, that woman won’t abandon my daughter. She’s a good mother. She’ll still raise her. Let my daughter live a good life for once. She deserves it.”

She bowed her head, sobbing. “I’ll do anything. Anything at all. Just… please make this work.”

I stood there outside the door, the tray shaking violently in my hands, the coffee sloshing dangerously close to the edge. My chest hurt in a way I didn’t understand, a tight, crushing feeling that made it hard to breathe.

The woman stiffened immediately, lifting her head as hope flashed across her face. “A way?” she asked quickly, her voice trembling. “What way? Tell me. I’ll do anything.”

“Who’s there?” the director snapped.

Footsteps rushed toward the door, and within seconds it swung open. The director and the woman stepped out together. I looked up at them, my throat tight, my mouth dry as I swallowed hard.

“I–I…” I stammered, unable to form proper words.

The woman’s eyes widened in panic. She leaned toward the director and muttered, “Did she hear us?”

The director shrugged casually. “Who cares?” she said dismissively. “She’s young. She probably didn’t understand anything. Even if she did, she’ll forget.”

She turned her sharp gaze toward me and spoke calmly, as if nothing had happened. “Grace, meet your new mother.”

I flinched.

“M–my new mother?” I whispered, my eyes drifting to the woman beside her.

The woman forced a smile onto her face, though it didn’t reach her eyes. She bent slightly and said, “Hi, Grace. I’m your new mother. Do you want to come home with me?”

I stared at her, my heart racing wildly. All my life, everyone had told me that no one would ever adopt me, that I was too old, strange, and unwanted. And yet now, this woman was saying she wanted to be my mother.

My chest tightened, hope blooming painfully inside me.

I smiled, and nodded eagerly.

“Yes,” I said quickly, afraid she might change her mind. “Yes. I want you to become my mother.”