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23| Isaac's Gift
I sat there, frozen still on the bathroom floor just staring at the two red lines in front of me. I can’t believe this. I can’t fucking believe this. What do I do? Who do I tell?
There was a soft knock on the bathroom door. Shit. How long have I been in here?
“Stephanie? You okay?”
It was my assistant Louisa.
Louisa! She knows about the companies financial struggles, so I know she can keep a secret!
I stood up and opened the door, quickly grabbing her by the arm and pulling her in before closing the door behind her.
“Oof,” she said as she rammed into the counter, her dark hair spilling over her face.
“I’m sorry, Louisa, but no one can know what I’m about to tell you.”
“You’re pregnant.” Her voice was almost dreamy and
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Claudette Reed 24| Are You Alright?
Two days passed after my birthday and I was now sitting at my desk in the Claudette Reed studio, staring off into space.Yesterday I had an appointment with my gynecologist, and she confirmed that I was nine weeks pregnant. She asked if I had a support system since I went to the appointment alone, and I told her that I had an incredibly supportive family, whom I haven’t told the news to yet.How do I tell them? Do I try to form a relationship with Dominic? How do I tell him that I’m carrying his child? The man is a pain in the ass, and not in a pleasurable way. He’s so selfish, I feel like he would refuse to accept the pregnancy and own up to his actions, and it would ruin our current relationship as business partners.I’ll tell him once the collection is finished. No, wait, that would take over a year, and I’m sure he will notice a baby bump, probably telling me to lay off the carbs o
Claudette Reed 25| Moments
“I was…” he sighed deeply and ran a hand through his thick, dark hair as he seemed to search for the right words. “I was thinking about leaving her.”His eyes slowly moved up to meet mine shyly. I gaped at him as my entire world froze for a moment. He was going to leave Whitney?“I mean…” He adjusted in his chair and cleared his throat to put an end to the silence. “I was thinking about leaving her before everything happened between us.” Isaac used his hand to gesture between the two of us as he spoke.“Oh,” was all I could say.“But then she shared the news with me about being pregnant and…” He motioned with his hand and whistled as it descended and made an explosion sound.I chuckled at him and fiddled with a pencil between my index fingers. “Yeah, I get tha
Claudette Reed 26| Interview
It’s the day of dad’s fundraiser now, and I’ve spent the last two weeks coming up with scenarios that may arise with Dominic as my date and how to handle any of them professionally.I decided that should he try to put his hand on my ass at any point, I won't snap at him. Instead, I will reach back with one hand casually and instead entwine our fingers between us.Should he make a comment on something that I don’t approve of, I will hold back the look of disgust on my face and instead force a laugh. Should we be I'm anyone’s company when he does such a thing, I can playfully smack his chest and say with a smile “Isn’t he such a jokester?”I’ve never attended an event with Dominic Knight before, so I am unsure of how he behaves at events or any form of social gathering. I want to prepare for the worst, though, just in case.I&
Claudette Reed 27| Dad's Fundraiser
Once we finished our interviews and made our way inside the venue, I was able to breathe a little easier. Dominic has been nothing but professional and courteous this whole time. Sure, it’s been less than an hour, but I’m still pleasantly surprised by him. “You two look so beautiful together!” Some of the photographers hollered at us as we posed for them. The burgundy and mauve really did make a good pair. It was unexpected and untraditional, but that seemed to be extremely appropriate for Dominic and me. “Steph!” Dominic and I both looked to the owner of the feminine voice and found my parents walking toward us with big smiles on their faces. I smiled back and opened my arms to hug them both. “Oh, you look so beautiful!” “Thank you. You two look as young as ever,” I complimented them during our hug. Dad wore a tux and bowtie, and mom was in a deep red halte
Claudette Reed 28| Dance
“You’re so fortunate to not have many symptoms. I hope it stays that way for you.”“Thank you.” Whitney smiled at me gratefully.There was a considerable amount of awkward silence between the four of us as Dominic finished his drink, Whitney adored Isaac, and Isaac and I looked at each other.“Care for a dance?” Dominic asked me with his hand out after placing down his cup.I looked at Whitney and Isaac and smiled at them as I took Dominic’s hand and we walked to the dancefloor. Isaac and Whitney followed shortly behind us and began dancing as well on the other side of it.“Something's troubling you. What is it?” Dominic looked sincerely worried about me. I wonder if he took some sort of ‘I care' pill today or something to turn him human?“Nothing is wrong, I’m fine.”Dominic narrowed his eyes at me. “Is it the redhead with the man yo
Claudette Reed 29| Dominic Reacts
“And you’re certain that it’s mine?”“Yes. You’re the only one I’ve been with these last few months.” I glanced around to be sure that no one was looking or possibly eavesdropping on our hushed conversation.Dominic grabbed hold of my hand tightly. “Come,” he demanded as we walked off of the dancefloor. His face was unreadable, but his eyes held pure anger.I had thought that he was taking me to a separate room to have a conversation about this, but he dragged me to a side door that entirely left the venue and went out to a parking lot.Dominic pulled out his phone and texted a number.“What are you doing?” I asked.Dominic didn’t respond, and just a minute later, a black, sporty car with butterfly doors arrived to pick us up. The driver stepped out after the door lifted upward toward the sky, and Dominic walked around the car to get in the
Claudette Reed 30| Steph Is In Trouble
Isaac POV“Baby, is something wrong?” Whitney asked as we danced together on the dancefloor. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”“Hm? Oh, yeah. I’ve just… Been thinking.”“Yeah? About what?”She had a sparkle in her eye and a hint of a smile at the corner of her painted lips as she tilted her head an inch.I frowned. “Just…things.”“Things like?”She kept pushing me and my mind was in overload after everything that Steph had said to me. I knew that something was off about Whitney's pregnancy, but I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and believe her when she said that she was pregnant.I had never seen any proof of her pregnancy, and a part of me was suspicious, but the part of me that knew that it was still possible for her to be pregnant with my child stopped me from ever saying anything.
Claudette Reed 31| Hospital
I woke up feeling sore and groggy. The last thing that I remember is the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles approaching the car and Dominic getting out. Did he run? What happened after I passed out?I felt a hand on mine and gently squeezed it out of reflex.“She’s awake,” I heard a familiar voice say.“Isaac?”“It’s me, Steph. I’m here.” His voice got closer and I heard him stand up from a chair next to the bed I was laying on. He kissed my forehead and I heard some more steps approaching me.“Steph? Baby?” My mom called out to me. I felt her soft hand grab hold of mine and give it a squeeze.“I’m okay, mama.”“I’ll go tell the doctor that she's awake.” I recognized that voice as Isabella's.A hand brushed my forehead gently and pushed some hair back on my head. “You&rsquo
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