Chapter 1: The Agreement

Averill woke up with an unfamiliar ceiling. She groaned in pain when she tried to sit. 

Sam entered the room and was surprised to see her awake. "Avi! My god," she helped her sit and gave her a glass of warm water.

"I'll call a doctor. Wait here," but Averill grabbed her hand. "W-What happened?" her hoarse voice sounded so weak to Sam's ears. She caressed her cheek and smiled. Sam doesn't know what to tell her. Averill looks like a frail figure in Sam's eyes at the moment.

A young girl, eighteen years younger than her, had to experience this. She got a bright future ahead, and she couldn't imagine what her reaction would be once she heard the news of her pregnancy.

What happened? Averill is the type of woman who refuses to date anyone despite it adding a boost to her image. She simply refuses to enter into any relationship.

Was this connected to what happened to her last time? When Sam saw her walking lifelessly three weeks ago? That was her sister's engagement party if Sam recalled correctly.

What happened that day? Avi never talks about her family. Despite being her manager for five years, Sam had never even met them.

"Sam, regarding the-- Avi!" Ken rushed to his side worriedly, "How are you feeling, darling? Does it hurt anywhere?"

"Uncle, I'm fine. Thank you for taking care of me,"

"Sam did all the physical stuff. I only managed the hospital things and the uproar because of your sudden collapse. One of your fans caught it in a camera and posted it online. They are demanding answers right now," Ken sighed. It has been three days, and Avi only woke up today.

He held her hand and smiled gently, "I need you to brace yourself, Avi,"

"Why? Am I dying or something?" she kidded. But the two adults in front of her took the joke seriously.

"You, hahhh,"

"Avi, don't joke about those kinds of things," Sam scolded her. Avi smiled at her. She's really a mother figure. They were both holding her hands tightly, and she was starting to get confused. What the hell is wrong with these two?

Ken cleared his throat, "Ahem, ahem, you, Averill, my child," he stared at Avi. With that same sympathetic smile, Avi felt something bitter in her mouth. "You are pr--"

"Pregnant," Sam cut him off. He glared at her, "You're making her more nervous with all the delays," Sam refuted.

They argued before her, but Averill couldn't hear a single thing after what Sam revealed. What? She's what right now? Pregnant?

But she never had sex with someone-- right. She remembered now that night. She knew something had happened, but how the hell could she get pregnant after one f*cking night? Averill pulled her hair, "No, no, no, NO!"

"There's no way I'm carrying his child. No f*cking way!" She started pulling her hair even more, punching her stomach. Sam and Ken panicked. They never saw this kid acting this way. She's not in her right mind.

They both grabbed her hands and tried to calm her down. Ken called for Luis and continued calming his daughter down.

"No way! I can't get pregnant with his child! No! He'll hate me! He'll loathe me, Uncle... Sam... no, no, no, no!!"

"What happened here?" Luis rushed to them and injected a sleeping drug into her. It took seconds for the medicine to take effect.

Ken sat on the floor, breathing heavily. "I knew this would happen,"

"Then why did we tell her? We could've let her rest more,"

"Says the woman who interrupted me and outright told Avi that she's pregnant," Ken argues.

"But she'll eventually know it anyway!" Sam says back.

"Alright, alright, love birds, stop arguing in front of my patient right now," said Luis. He cannot fathom the flushing face of his two good friends, especially Ken, his best friend.

"What happened with your talk with Avi's family?"

Ken went mute. He doesn't even want to talk about it. Now he knows why Avi never talks about her family. He was utterly disgusted with them.

"So... Who got her preggy?" Luis asked.

"Noah Dalton,"

"Ohh, Noah Dalton-- WHAT?! Noah? As in, Noah Darius Dalton? My nephew?!" annoyed, Ken glared at him for shouting. He told them to calm down in front of the patient then there was him, suddenly raising his voice.

"What the fucking hell! He's engaged with the Hursens."

"Avi's sister?"

"Yep, Avi's---WHAT?? Averill is a Hursen?!! That Hursen?!!" again, Ken glared at him. Luis pursed his lips and motioned a zip.

He sat beside Sam, "Why didn't you tell me?" he felt betrayed. They have been friends for years now, and they left him out with that kind of important information.

***

A man was walking at a fast pace towards the massive door of the old mansion. A bunch of servants welcomed him as he entered the vast hall.

'Bang!' He loudly opened the door of the study where his father's office resides.

"Father," if it were a servant that heard his voice, they would undoubtedly shiver in fear. It was cold and threatening. His pitch-black eyes are digging holes in his father's body. 

"Did I not teach you how to knock?" his father replied without removing his eyes from the documents he was reading.

Noah walked near his desk and placed both his hands on it. He's shaking in anger. He wants to shout in his father's face, but he needs to pay his respect. 

Noah was doing well in suppressing his emotions until his father gave him a smirk.

"I've let you run wild these past years," he suddenly said to his son. His only child still gives him the mystery. 'Where the heck did this punk inherit his temper? My wife has the best personality, and I'm also a cool father. Tsk tsk tsk,'

"I am not marrying that wench," he pushed his hair back in annoyance and placed his hands on his hips. His tongue is playing inside his mouth as he tries to calm himself. Noah had never felt this annoyed before, or maybe he had never felt annoyed by anyone but her.

The girl who had been chasing him in college finally stopped when she graduated. And what now? She's back.

'I knew she lay low for the past years. She caught me off guard. And now what? My child? Hah! As if something really happened to us that night,'

Nicolas didn't even listen to his rants. He knows his kid, Noah, is the type to play around, but he really loves Yanna. Something that is also a mystery to him. Nicolas doesn't like the elder daughter of his good friend William. There's nothing much to dislike. It's just that his wife, Lea, disfavors the child. And Nicolas is a fool for his wife.

'I know William is crazy about that daughter of his,' he remembers how his friend boasts about his daughters, but mostly Yanna, the weak child.

"This is a mistake, Father. There is no way I'll put my dick inside that disgusting woman!!" Noah's voice rang inside the study. Nicolas stared at his child. 

'What a hopeless kid,'

"You remember now?" he asked Noah. That night was a mess. It was supposed to be Noah's engagement party with only a few relatives and business figures. Noah went to his penthouse earlier than usual because his head was ringing, and the next thing they knew, Noah was with Avi.

Nicolas couldn't understand that situation too well. He remembers Averill drinking inside the hall that night and excusing herself to the bathroom, maybe to sober or something. 

Nicolas can clearly remember that Yanna accompanied her because she almost passed out.

"No," Noah replied. He's trying to remember what happened to them that day, but only the soft and good feeling of kisses and touches is surfacing in his memory. He doesn't want to think of it. Noah wants to deny that night.

"Then there is no way you can argue that nothing happened between you two!" Nicolas stood up. The past week has been a mess. He has been trying to stop the rumors from spreading. Avi is a famous actress. She made a name in the industry even in a short period.

He was amazed by the young woman's milestone, but this is a different matter. His son was to get engaged with Yanna, but now, Director Ken is pestering him about Averill. 

Ken is a scary person in Nicolas's memory.

"Look, son, I know that you love Yanna, but--"

"But what, father? Should I take responsibility for Avi? You know how I hate that person! Yanna even collapsed because of her!!" Nicolas could not believe that this person acting like a whining kid in front of him was a successful businessman with billions of dollars as a net worth.

"Yes. It would be best to consider your image and Avi's reputation. Everyone knows her face; surely, people are already talking about her pregnancy. What do you even love about Yanna? Your mother still disapproves of your relationship,"

"But father--"

"You should've controlled yourself, you punk," a loud voice came from the door. "Dear," Nicolas's eyes softened at the sight of Lea. On the other hand, Lea's brows knit together as she stares at her son in disbelief.

"Mother,"

"Call me Mama!"

"Mother, I am not marrying Averill,"

"Yes, you are. I have already prepared everything. All you need to do is go to the hospital and drive Avi to her house. She regained consciousness and was discharged today. Go and get her, and we'll have dinner with the Hursens. You must marry her next week, or I'll do everything to put you in your place. You know what I can do, Noah,"

Noah couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knows how his mother dislikes Yanna, but is this not too much? To threaten him of everything he worked hard for.

"You are an unbelievable mother,"

Noah walked out of the room without looking back at his parents. His secretary opened the car's door for him. Noah fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. 

"Book a flight for me. I'm going to the States tomorrow,"

'Marry her? I'll rather die than make that happen.'

He answered his phone accidentally when it suddenly rang, "Hello?" he just said. No one was talking. He could only hear the heavy breathing behind the call. He looked at the number, and it was unregistered in his contacts.

'Tsk, is this another scam or advertisement?'

The person behind the call suddenly spoke when he was about to end the call, [We need to talk,] he immediately recognized the voice. He told his driver to drive to the Dalton University Hospital.

***

"Let's get married," he was astounded. He almost drops the water he's holding while looking at the girl sitting on the bed with her casual sweater.

"Are you nuts? Why the hell should I marry you? To think I came running just to hear this nonsense. Tsk, you're a waste of time. I'm leaving," he turned his back to her.

"Reporters from famous stations are waiting outside my room right now. Leave. That is if you want to get questioned about our situation," Avi sarcastically told him, crossing her arms over her chest.

Noah glared at her and called his secretary. What she said might be a bluff. 

'Shit, that cunning woman,' he ended the call and sat on the couch.

"Five minutes."

Avi smiled, showing her perfectly lined teeth. "Let's get married."

"And if I don't want to?"

"I'll die."

"Hah! What are you talking about?" Noah is feeling a slight panic at what he hears.

"I'll kill myself," Avi smiled. 

Noah zoomed into her angrily. "Are you crazy?! What about the child?"

"So you do care for your child,"

"My child? How are you even sure that baby is mine?" Noah just cannot wrap his head around how confident this woman sounds.

"You are the only man that touched me, Noah,"

"You--"

"One year. Give me one year to prove it to you."

"Just why the hell are you so obsessed with me? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I am your sister's boyfriend, for Pete's sake!" Noah shouted. He did not want to get mad at a pregnant woman, but he could not stop himself from getting agitated.

Averill smiled instead of answering him right away, "I have my reasons, Noah."

"Then tell me. Tell me why, Averill," Noah stared at her eyes, those eyes that always seem welcoming.

"You won't believe me even if I tell you," the bitter smile on her face gave Noah a puzzled heart.

They kept silent for minutes. Noah sits on the couch while Averill stares at the city lights. There was nothing but silence between them.

"Deal," Noah stood up and walked behind her. Averill smiled. 

"I'll deal with the reporters. Stay here for a while,"'

Noah stared at her vanishing figure. There was an uneasiness in his heart, and he knew he was going to hurt Yanna, but he could not let Averill do what she wanted.

'One year. Just one year,'