A few weeks had passed since Abeni started working, and she enjoyed working there. Abeni was at work, when an old, port-bellied man entered the shop.
"Hello, sir. How may I help you?" she asked, giving him her brightest smile. He nodded toward the back of the store. "I'd like a few of those tarts and some of those fancy muffins. And could you please deliver them to my table?"She glanced over her shoulder. The dining area was filled with customers enjoying their meals. "I'm sorry, sir, but that's not part of my job description. I can certainly ring you up, though."He winked at her. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm sure we can work something out." There was a twinkle in his eye that made her feel a little uneasy.Trying to be a good staff member, Abeni glanced at the old man again. With a deep breath, she shrugged and nodded. "Alright, sir. I'll be happy to deliver your order to your table."She put the requested items on a tray, making sure to double-check that they were all there before heading towards the dining area.She made her way towards his table, carefully balancing the tray of cakes in her hands. As she drew closer, he smiled at her in a way that sent shivers down her spine. "There you are, dear. Just what I wanted." He reached out, his meaty hand brushing against her arm as he took one of the tarts.Abeni felt a surge of anger and fear well up inside her. This was not how it was supposed to go. She took a step back, her heart racing."Sir, you need to stop that," she said firmly, her voice shaking only slightly. "I don't appreciate being touched like that."He laughed, a low, sinister sound. "Oh, come now, sweetheart. We're just having a little fun here." He reached out again, his hand moving closer to her breast.Abeni's temper snapped. She took a deep breath and then, without hesitation, slapped him hard across the face.The sound of her palm connecting with his skin echoed through the bakery. The old man's cheek instantly reddened, and he stared at her in shock. For a moment, they were both frozen in place.Then, as if coming to his senses, he stood up, his face twisted in rage. "You little bitch! How dare you?" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.Before Abeni could react further, the bakery's owner, Mark, rushed out from the back room. "What's going on here?" he demanded, his expression furious. The old man pointed an accusatory finger at Abeni."This girl just slapped me for no reason!" he shouted. Mark looked at her, his expression softening. "I'm sorry, Abeni. I'll handle this." He turned to the old man and firmly escorted him out of the bakery.Abeni stood there, shaking with anger and fear. Mark returned a few moments later, his expression grave. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But I think we need to talk about what happened." She nodded, still unable to meet his eyes.He continued, his voice gentle but firm. "I understand that you were defending yourself, but we can't have our employees slapping customers, no matter what the provocation. It reflects poorly on the bakery." Abeni winced as his words sank in. She hadn't thought about it that way. Mark sighed, removing his hand from her shoulder."I'm not trying to blame you, Abeni. I'm just saying we need to be careful how we handle these situations." She nodded, feeling chastised but also grateful for his support."I'll talk to the manager at that table, just to make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble for us. In the meantime, why don't you go back to your station and finish up your shift? You've had enough excitement for one day." She forced a weak smile, grateful for his understanding. As she turned to leave, he called after her, "And Abeni?" She turned back, expectantly. "I apologize for his inappropriate behavior as well. You're a valued member of this team, and we appreciate your hard work."Abeni's heart swelled with a mixture of gratitude and relief. She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat, and hurried back to her station. The rest of the day passed in a blur of customers and cakes. Each time she looked up to see Mark watching her from across the bakery, she felt grateful for his protection and understanding.Abeni was in her kitchen, when her water broke. She knew it was time."Dmitry!" she screamed, her voice shaking with fear and excitement. "Dmitry, I'm having the baby!"Then a bunch of Dmitry's men rushed into the kitchen."Go and get Dmitry! Now!" Abeni ordered, as they all hurried off. She knew Dmitry would want to be there for the birth of their child. As she waited for Dmitry, her contractions growing stronger with each passing moment. The pain was intense, but she felt a sense of power and determination coursing through her. She was going to give birth to their child, and she was going to do it with Dmitry by her side. Then Dmitry ran into the kitchen, his face a mask of concern and love. He quickly took Abeni into his arms, his strong hands tenderly caressing her swollen belly. "Lets go to the hospital now," Dmitry said urgently, his gaze locked on Abeni's face. He scooped her up in his arms, cradling her like a precious treasure. A
The next morning, Abeni awoke to the warmth of the sun streaming through the window and the sound of birds chirping outside. Beside her, Dmitry lay sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling with each breath. She smiled, running her fingers through his dark hair, feeling a renewed sense of contentment and love. After gently rousing him from his slumber, they spent the morning preparing for their small, intimate baby shower. They had decided to keep it simple, with just their closest friends and family members in attendance. As they decorated the living room with balloons and streamers, they couldn't help but reminisce about their own childhoods and what they hoped for their baby's future. "I have a gift for you," Abeni said, handing Dmitry a small box wrapped in silver paper. He looked at her with curiosity, wondering what she could have gotten him. As he carefully unwrapped the present, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw a beautiful silver necklace with
A week had passed and Abeni was enjoying her newlywed life as Mrs. Abeni Kuznetsov. Dmitry was the most attentive and caring man she had ever known, but there was also an underlying edge to him, a dominance that made her heart race and her body ache for him.One evening, as they were sharing dinner there was a knock on the front door. The staff quickly went to open the door and in rushed Elena, Naledi, Camillie, Abeni's mother and sister and Dmitry's mother and sister. "Hello guys!" said Abeni, her voice full of surprise and joy. "I wasn't expecting you all here so soon!" But they all looked at Abeni and Dmitry, like they had seen a ghost."Is anything the matter?" asked Dmitry, sensing the tension in the air. "Your pregnant!" shouted Abeni's mother and sister in unison.Everyone stood there looking at Dmitry and Abeni expecting an answer."Surprise" said Abeni awkwardly. Dmitry on the other hand looked pleased and proud.
Over the next few days, Dmitry called everyone to explain that the wedding would be moved to a closer date. He used the excuse of wanting to be united with his new Abeni quicker. The news spread like wildfire throughout the criminal underworld, and everyone was buzzing with anticipation. Even those who didn't particularly care for Abeni found themselves interested in the union between her and Dmitry. As the wedding date drew near, Dmitry became more possessive and protective of Abeni now that he found out she was carrying his child. He showered her with gifts and made sure that she was constantly surrounded by his bodyguards, even when they were at home. Abeni, despite her initial reluctance, found herself enjoying the attention that Dmitry was giving to her. The night before the wedding, Dmitry couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation and pride. He had never been more certain of anything in his life than he was of his love for Abeni and the future they would s
Abeni left the bathroom, she needed a way to leave the house before Dmitry arrived, she didn't want to tell him just in case it really wasn't pregnancy. She made her way downstairs, and just as she was about to leave the house, there stood Dmitry. "Abeni?" Dmitry's voice was deep and commanding, causing her to stop in her tracks. She turned slowly, her heart racing as she met his gaze. His dark eyes seemed to consume her, making it impossible to look away. "Are you going somewhere? I thought we were going to have dinner together." He took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "I need to go to buy tampons..." she lied, knowing it was a terrible excuse. "You could have asked one of my men to go buy it for you, you know." He explained. "But I wanted to go myself." She looked down, feeling guilty for lying to him. "It's just that I'm having a little... crisis of confidence right now, and I thought some fresh air would help." Her voice tra
A few days had passed and Abeni had called everyone in her life to announce her engagement. Abeni was in the bedroom reading a wedding magazine, when she felt sick to her stomach.She ran to the bathroom, barely making it in time, and vomited violently.After she finished, she felt weak and dizzy, like she had been drugged."It must be a stomach bug," she thought to herself, crawling back into bed.But as the days went by, she started to notice other symptoms: intense headaches, chills, and fatigue. She tried to ignore them at first, but they only got worse. Finally, she decided to go see a doctor. When she arrived at the doctor's office, she was greeted by Grace her friend and the nurse."Hey Abeni!" she said, "I heard about your engagement. Congratulations!""Yeah, thanks," Abeni replied, still feeling a little queasy.Grace led her back to an examination room where they took her vitals.After a few moments, t