We Want Mommy Not You Daddy (Cedar) novel Chapter 175

Chapter 175

Ridley’s POV

I stared into the dark depths of my empty glass, my mind a storm of

emotions no one could decipher.

I drained another glass of whiskey in one swift motion.

“Irene was a wonderful woman, but she’s gone,” Ethan continued,

shaking his head. “You can’t keep clinging to a ghost. What about the

living? It’s fortunate your mother is so understanding, or the Sterling

line might have ended with you.”

I remained silent, gripping the empty glass until my knuckles turned

white.

The truth was, before Emma mentioned Irene, she hadn’t crossed my

mind once tonight. Not once.

The reason I was sitting here, brooding over drinks, was entirely

because of what Cedar had said this morning:

“There’s absolutely no romantic relationship between us… I’ve never even thought about marrying him…”

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Those casual, dismissive words had left me unsettled all day. That’s

why I’d called everyone here–to distract myself.

And now they’d brought up Irene.

For years, whenever I felt troubled, it was because of memories of

Irene. But this time was different. This time, my thoughts were

consumed by Cedar–her voice, her face, her presence.

I felt like I was under some strange spell. Somehow, I had forgotten

Irene, and my mind was filled with thoughts of another woman

entirely.

What was happening to me?

Cedar’s POV

”

I dragged myself back to my apartment, mentally cataloging the

takeout options within delivery range. After the chaos at work today,

all I wanted was a quiet evening alone with some pad thai and my

sketchbook.

But as I approached my door, the muffled sounds of childish giggles

made me freeze mid–step.

When I pushed open my apartment door, my jaw dropped. ‘Oliver?

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Aria? What on earth are you two doing in my apartment?”

The Sterling children had somehow invaded my small apartment.

Toys were scattered across my faded area rug, and what looked

suspiciously like designer children’s luggage sat by my secondhand

couch.

“Mommy, this is my home too!” Oliver, the youngest Sterling child,

fixed me with a surprisingly stern expression for a six–year–old. “You

can’t disown me just because I’m a Sterling. That’s discrimination!”

I bit back a laugh despite my shock. This kid might have been

watching too many dramas.

Aria, her dark hair pulled into a perfect bun, took my hand gently.

‘Aiden said he’ll be here for dinner soon.”

“Of course he did,” I muttered, fighting the urge to bang my head

against the wall.

Just last night, I’d spent hours at the Sterling mansion putting these

children to bed–reading stories, checking for monsters, and

negotiating how many stuffed animals constituted a reasonable sleeping arrangement. I’m a 26–year–old single woman who somehow

became an impromptu nanny to three exceptionally demanding

children. And now they were determined to stick around in my shabby

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little place.

I had a sinking suspicion Ridley had orchestrated this whole thing to

drive me insane.

Taking a deep breath, I set my portfolio down and tried to sound firm.

“I’ll call Charles and have him send someone to take you home. This

isn’t appropriate.”

“No!” Oliver latched onto my leg with surprising strength. “Mommy,

you can’t send me away! Don’t you love me anymore?”

His lower lip trembled in a masterful display of emotional

manipulation.

Aria’s eyes–so like her father’s–gazed up at me. “I just wanted to be with you, Mommy. We miss you when you’re not at home.”

I felt my resolve crumbling. “Look, you two are Sterling children, You

can’t stay in my tiny apartment with its leaky faucets and temperamental heating. I promise I’ll visit you often!”

Oliver’s expression turned calculating. “But didn’t Daddy give you a

new apartment? Aiden said so. That’s why we came to help you

move!”

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“Absolutely not!” I said too quickly. I wasn’t mentally prepared to

accept that particular gift from Ridley yet.

“Too late, Mommy!” Oliver announced with a triumphant smile. “I already talked to your landlord! He said there’s a new tenant coming

tomorrow, so you have to be out by noon.”

I stared at him, momentarily speechless. Had a kindergartener just…

evicted me?

“Fine,” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’ll move tomorrow.

But you two are not skipping school to help. If I see either of you

anywhere near here during school hours, I’ll check into a different

hotel every night for a month where not even your father’s

investigators can find me.”

I might have been bluffing, but the shocked expressions on their little

faces suggested they believed me.

True to my threat, the kids stayed away the next day. I’d half- expected Ridley to send a professional moving crew, but thankfully, it was just me and the movers I’d hired from a local company.

My life fit into embarrassingly few boxes. Five years in Chicago, and

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all I had to show for it were design materials, modest furnishings, and

clothes that mostly came from sample sales and vintage shops.

The new apartment was in a gleaming building not far from Nest

Design’s offices–convenient for work, but a daily reminder of my

complicated relationship with the Sterling empire. Located on the

ninth floor of a twenty–story building, it had the best natural light

and city views without the noise issues of higher floors.

After the movers stacked the last of my boxes in the entryway and

left with their tip, I stood alone in the center of the open–concept living room. The hardwood floors gleamed under recessed lighting. The kitchen featured marble countertops and professional–grade

appliances I wasn’t sure I knew how to operate.

It was beautiful, perfect, and completely intimidating.

I sank down onto one of my moving boxes, wondering how exactly I’d gone from ordinary office worker to whatever this new life was in the span of just a few days. The Sterling children had claimed me as their mother, and their father had given me an apartment that probably

cost more than a million.

What exactly had I gotten myself into?

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