CHAPTER 5: THE SECRET

Long after Damian left her office, Ava couldn't get herself to relax. The marriage contract remained there on the table. Whenever she looked at it, it felt like it was casually mocking her and reminding her of how helpless she was in the situation.

How could he have done that? Damian casually wrecked her family business and offered himself as a solution. Who does that?

Ava couldn't get any sleep throughout the night. The next morning, she carried herself to the hospital to see her dad. When she got there, her mother was deeply asleep, curled in a plastic chair beside the bed. It appeared she had been awake through the night.

Charles Sinclair was awake. He looked very pale. But on seeing his daughter, his face brightened.

“Ava," he croaked out.

She forced the most convincing smile. "Good morning, daddy. How are you feeling?”

The man managed a smile. "Well, like I have been hit by big truck.”

Ava laughed for a moment. Then, the man's expression grew a bit serious. He reached out with his left hand and grabbed her fingers. Then, he said, "The company.”

Ava's blood got cold instantly. There was nothing about the company. At least, not at the moment..

"Dad, the doctor strictly demanded that you should not expose yourself to any sort of stress.” She grinned. "So, right now, I need you to focus on your recovery alone.”

“Ava,” he called her gently. His voice was lacked strength. "Tell me everything.”

Ava couldn't resist him. She looked at the monitor keeping him alive. Her heart sank.

"Talk to me,” he pressed on.

Ava quickly gave him a summary of everything that had happened regarding the company. Before she was done, he got completely flushed out. Thirty years of life seemed to be going down within a few hours.

“Don't worry, dad," she tried to give him hope. “There will be a solution soon."

Charles Sinclair looked at his daughter with pity. He felt bad that she had to bear the weight of everything.

“Damian Blackwood has approached you, right? Tell me.”

Ava was visibly stunned by the question. She was sure she took out that part of the story when she was giving a quick summary on everything.

“How did you know about this?” She asked him, shock etched in her throat.

The man smiled weakly. “I know because if I were him, that is exactly what I would have done."

Ava felt a knot tighten in her stomach. She heaved a tired sigh. There was nothing to hide anymore. "He made me an offer.”

Charles Sinclair winced in pain and made a sad expression for a second. Then, he said, "Marriage. He offered you marriage.”

Ava was stunned once again. "You knew.” She stared at him for a good while. "Dad, what are you not telling me? What is going on?"

Charles Sinclair sighed weakly. Ava could see regret and pain lingering in his eyes. But when he was about to speak, a nurse walked in to check on him and give him medications. The moment was lost. Ava never got to know what she needed to hear.

Later in the afternoon, the board of directors were gathered again. Ava was occupying the chair at the head of the table where her father would have sat.

One of the members cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ms Sinclair, there is another problem."

Ava looked up, exhausted. “What again?"

“Payroll," the man replied.

No. Not payroll. Many families depended on that. They would be done if the employees choose to protest too.

The CFO cut in, “At the current pace, we won't be able to pay our employees by next month."

After three long hours of discussion, nothing improved. They ended on the same spot they started. No solutions. Every path still led to a dead end. The only solution which she had and was not willing to tell the board of directors was the offer from Damian Blackwood, the one man who had the power to turn the tides. Marriage was the price to be paid.

When it ended, she found her way to her office. Her head was pounding so heavily like it would fall off. Without warning, her stomach rumbled and she felt nauseous suddenly. She shut her eyes and sat down to relax. It was strange. She felt sick many times in one week.

Her assistant walked in. “Ms Sinclair, you don't look well."

“I'm fine," she said. “It's just stress. Nothing more."

“There's a clinic down the block," her assistant said. “You should check it out."

She was going to refuse again, but another feeling of nausea hit her.

"Fine. I'll go,” she finally yielded.

She grabbed her pen and made the most difficult decision of her life. She signed the document.

A few moments later, she was in the clinics waiting room waiting for her test results. Her thoughts were still going wild. Her phone buzzed. A message from an unsaved contact.

It read, “Tick-tock, Ava. The clock is ticking."

She knew exactly who it had come from. Damian Blackwood. Her heart rate increased immediately.

Just at the same time, a nurse approached her.

“Ms Sinclair?"

She got up and entered the doctor's office. The man maintained a neutral expression.

"Is something wrong with me? She asked with a little trace of anxiety.

The doctor smiled. “Not at all. Actually, congratulations."

Ava got confused. “Congratulations?"

The doctor nodded his head and slid a paperwork across to her. "You are lix weeks pregnant, ma'am.”

The world came to stop for her. She didn't hear him correctly. Her head spun. This had to be some kind of joke. A mistake.

"What? This can't be. No.”

"No?”

She was lost. It was all making sense. The late monthly cycles. Constant exhaustion. She always thought it was just stress. The signs were there.

The doctor cheerfully blabbed about how she prenatal care. But she paid no attention. The appointment ended and she left the hospital clutching the report in her hand.

Her phone rang. Damian Blackwood was calling. Hesitantly, she took the call.

“Hello," she said weakly.

Damian's baritone came in. “Have you signed the document yet?"

She looked at the report and then up at the sky. Her life was quickly spiralling out of control.

"Yes,” she replied.

There was silence for a moment before he said, "Good.”

Then, the call went dead. She was in shock. How did it get to this point?

Damian believed he had just bought her as his ultimate possession….what he didn't know was that she was already carrying another man's child!