Elijah's POV
My grandfather had to be kidding me, this man was nowhere near death but he wanted to have his will read. He was the healthiest seventynineyearold I knew but I would just humor him.
I parked my Audi Q8 in the garage and then headed up to his office.
"Hey Mrs. Smith, how are you today?" I bumped into his housekeeper, the stout grey-haired lady with more wrinkles than I could count, and smiled as she saw me. She was retired now but she never got married or had kids so she practically lived with my grandfather, I suspected something was going on between them but I wasn't going to say a damn thing.
"Elijah, my boy, it's been a while, you never come to visit anymore." I hugged her and bent so she could pinch my cheek. It was our normal tradition.
"I'm sorry, Mrs Smith, work has been hectic. I'll just talk to Grandfather quickly and I'll stay for lunch. I miss eating your famous spaghetti Alfredo."
" I'll make that for you then. Make sure you stay for dinner, my boy." She pinched my cheek again and waddled away. I might be thirty-one but in her eyes, I was still the raggedy seventeen-year-old with a chip on his shoulder and hatred for the world.
I knocked on the door to grandfather's study, " It's Elijah, can I come in?"
"Yes." I opened the door, entered, and shut it. My grandfather, Simon Warren, was a proud and smart man who had grown his father's small newspaper company into a multimillion-dollar empire. To most people, he was stoic and imposing, I had felt the same way about him when I initially met him but after years of knowing him, I realized underneath that stern facade was a huge prankster and manchild.
Right now as his lawyer blotted his forehead with his napkin, trying to keep up with Simon's dictation, the culprit was twirling around in his swivel chair, playing a game on his iPhone.
Grandfather's eyes lit when they fell on me, he placed his phone on the desk, "Elijah, welcome, take a seat, let's get this meeting started." I gave him a small bow and then sat in front of him.
"Scotch?" He gestured to the bottle of liquor on the desk.
"None for me, I'm driving. Grandfather, why did you call for this will reading? Aren't wills supposed to be read when the person is dead?" I rested my back on the chair and crossed my arms and legs.
"Typically, but I'm a nonconventional man, what's the fun in having a will if you can't see people's faces when the will is read? This is much better.'. As I earlier said, a huge manchild.
"Gideon, go ahead with the will reading." Gideon, the lawyer, gulped and pushed his glasses up then began to read, he went through a lot of things that didn't concern me and I blocked him out until I heard my name.
"What! Tell me this is a joke, it's a fucking prank right, haha so funny. Now read the actual thing." I jumped to my feet. As I also mentioned before, my grandfather was a prankster. This was one of them.
Gideon cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles. "I bequeath my company to my grandson, Elijah Warren. However, he can only inherit it along with my fortune if he marries and has a child within the year that the will is read. Failure to do so will result in the sale of my company and donation of my fortune to Beating Hearts Foundation."
My heart pounded, blurring my vision as though I had hypoglycemia.
"Grandfather, what on earth? Don't you dare! You know very well that I have no interest whatsoever in marriage or children!"
Grandfather smiled; I wanted nothing more than to wipe off his smug expression.
"Elijah, I don't want you to be alone after I'm gone. You deserve the kind of love your grandmother and I shared: someone to come home to and children who brighten up your days."
"Yeah right! Just like Mom brightened up your life when she was high ninety percent of the time?"
Grandfather sighed and scratched his head. "I understand all too well that your parents' toxic relationship was your only experience with family love. Not everyone is like them; for twenty-six years, yours truly enjoyed happiness with Grandma."
"I don't care about any of this! You cannot just cut me out because of personal choices! Do you have any idea how hard I've worked at taking Warren Media where it is today? And now you're kicking me out!"
"Son, "Grandfather spoke calmly, "that's precisely why we are reading this will now—so that it catches you by surprise giving you enough time before next year comes around—to find someone whom you would want as a wife so that together both of you could produce some great-grandbabies for me."
Marriage wasn't something I ever saw myself doing; yet somehow, some way—I needed leverage against him.
"Okay then Simon Warren let's work something out here: while getting married isn’t exactly what appeals most to me right now but having a child might just be feasible...I'll hire a surrogate mother who can give birth on our behalf thus providing us both—that great-grandbaby which means so much for us all!"
Silence fell upon us whilst Gideon gestured towards grandfather signaling they should discuss further behind closed doors.
Eventually turning back around grandad swiveled in his chair extending an arm forward.
"You got yourself a deal young man but remember one thing: make sure that baby arrives before next year ends."
Clasping grandfather's hand firmly into mine shaking it assuredly saying: "It’s settled then!"
"That’s terrible news Mei", Tyler said, pulling me from deep thought and realizing they were staring at me expectantly waiting for a response.
"I’m sorry what did ya say again?" I scratched my head nonchalantly wondering why she appeared distressed.
Mei rolled her eyes"Cora…her sister-in-law Blossom showed up causing a ruckus threatening eviction tossing Cora and Becca’s belongings outside."
Tyler chimed in lawyer mode stating “If the house is not owned by Vince then legally speaking Blossom has every right.”
" She can sue her since she can’t evict without prior notice however won’t change anything or get house back” adding little value given situation bleakness felt throughout the room
Mei frowned and drew her eyebrows together, "I can't believe Cora lost her home. I offered to let her stay with us but she declined. I don't understand why she won't accept my help."
"Well, because Cora is proud. She doesn't like owing anyone and doesn't want any assistance. Let her be; she'll figure things out, "I said while playing with my food, feeling weighed down by my conversation with my grandfather.
Mei gasped, "Elijah, you're so cruel! How could you say that about Cora?"I raised an eyebrow but didn't deny it. "You're right though; we need to support our friend."
I dropped my fork and pushed away my plate while gesturing for the waiter to bring the check. "Coraline is your friend, not mine - good luck."The waiter arrived; I paid for our meal and stood up to leave. "Where is Coraline staying now?"
Mei brightened up at this question: "Oh yes! She's staying at your hotel - The Deluxe! Can you call someone and make sure she has everything she needs?"
Hearing Coraline was supposedly staying at my hotel made me suspicious: there was no way on earth that Coraline could afford a room there! But instead of expressing doubt outrightly, I grinned as a genius idea came into mind: "Really? Okay then...see you guys tomorrow!"And just like that, I left the restaurant and immediately drove straight towards my hotel whereupon entering into reception met Carrie-the concierge.
"Oh wow. Good evening Mr. Warren, welcome back again. The presidential suite should be ready if needed tonight. How may I assist?"She exclaimed.
"No thank you. Carrie, a friend of mine booked a room earlier today. I would love to send in a complimentary dinner for them. Her name is Coraline Warren, she should have come along with a little girl."
"I will check" She replied whilst typing through their computer screen. Afterward, she frowned: "Sir, I am sorry. There seems to be nobody here under such a name"
This confirmed what I had suspected all along: "Are You certain? Perhaps another name was used. If I show you her picture, maybe you can recognize her?"Carrie nodded affirmatively-and thus, I showed Her a clip from Mei's wedding where both Mei and Coraline were present.
"I remember Her. She came around asking questions concerning our rooms and prices, but never actually checked in."
"Okay.Thank You very much, Carrie. You've been helpful. Enjoy Your night!"
Carrie smiled, "Thank You too, Sir".
Leaving the premises, I felt ecstatic. Coraline thought She had deceived Mei-but guess what?-she couldn’t deceive Me! I always stayed one step ahead of Her. I couldn’t wait to rub this fact in Her face tomorrow morning!
**********
Coraline's POV
I barely slept last night, with every small movement I made, the bed creaked, and I was aching in places I never expected to ache. It felt like I had aged ten years. I dropped Becca off at daycare and drove to work.
The first thing I did when I got behind the counter was to make myself a cup of coffee extra strong, I needed all the caffeine I could have to get through the day. After prepping the cafe opened for the day and our first customer walked in.
"Hello people, how's today? It's such a splendid day, isn't it?" Elijah strolled into the cafe, he moved like he owned the place.
My junior barista sighed dreamily as he walked up to the counter, I jabbed her softly. " Don't waste your air on this demon."
"Now, Coraline, I heard that and it wasn't very nice. Did you enjoy your night at The Deluxe?" My shoulders stiffened. Why the hell was he bringing that up?
I curved my lips, " I did, I enjoyed it a lot. I can't wait to go back there tonight."
" Wow, that's a surprise, you see I was at The Deluxe last night, I happen to be acquainted with the owner and I asked for your room number. Surprisingly they couldn't find anyone with your name registered in the system." Elijah ran his finger over the counter.
My whole body reacted to his words, I froze in my spot.
"I wonder what happened? How did you get to spend the night in The Deluxe if your name isn't in the system? I wonder how Mei will feel about this when I tell her." He grinned and retracted his finger.
Holy fucking shit.
Coraline's POV"I should go speak with Mei, is she in the kitchen? I have a premonition that she will be interested in hearing this tale."Elijah adjusted his coat and began to depart, but I reached across the counter and grasped his hand."Don't you fucking dare?"I snarled. Mei would be devastated if she found out that I had lied. Elijah observed my grip on his hand, smirked, then flicked it away."Louise," I beckoned to my junior barista, "can you cover for me for just five minutes? There's some trash that needs taking care of.""Of course, only five minutes though," She replied. It pained me to leave her as we were currently experiencing our busiest period. With my cup of coffee in hand, I escorted Elijah over to a table facing the entrance of the kitchen; in case Mei emerged unexpectedly, I wanted to be able to spot her before she saw us. We seated ourselves and leaned forward on the table.I took a swig of my drink before talking, "So what do you want from me now Eli? Do you want
Coraline's POVShit! Elijah sat opposite me, drenched in a mixture of my saliva and lukewarm coffee. He gritted his teeth, brought out his handkerchief, and wiped his face."That was not how I saw this going. Why the hell did you do that?!" He asked, scrubbing the coffee stain out of his white shirt."What the hell did you expect from me? You just dropped a huge bomb on me. What the fuck is ' I want to make a baby with you '? Who the hell talks like that?" " Look, I'll set you up nicely with a lot of cushion money if you agree to do this with me. I need a baby and you're the only woman who I know wouldn't try to use a baby to lock me down." I couldn't believe the words this Asshole was spewing out."Why the fuck will I want to have a child with you? Why would I hurt an innocent child by doing that?" " Because I'm richer than you can possibly imagine and you need my money. I know you're fertile since you already have a child, I need a baby and you need money." He knows I'm fertile,
Coraline's POV The stench of antiseptics and blood was the first thing that hit me when I regained consciousness. I could hear the beeping of different machines and there was a slight sting on my arm, I opened my eyes and I could see was white, I tried to twist my body so I could look around but my stiff body retaliated."Fuck!" A sharp pain went through my right arm to my brain, I shut my eyes as the pain registered in my brain."Cora! Oh my God, Cora, you're awake?" Mei's face flooded my field of vision. "Mei, what the hell happened? Why are you here?" Mei's forehead creased with worry, " I got a call that you had fainted, I'm your emergency contact, you know. I got here as soon as I got the call. The doctor had already checked you, and he said you fainted because of stress and hypoglycemia, your sugar was fricking below 54mg/dl. Have you even eaten anything in the last 24 hours?"So not only was Becca in the hospital racking up the bill, I had joined her. God, I'll be glad if I
Elijah's POVWhen I saw the unknown number on the caller ID, I had not expected Coraline to be the person on the line and I had most definitely not expected her to say she wanted to be the mother of my child. I mean, I expected her to call me sometime in the future to ask for my help, but I hadn't known it would be so soon."Eli, are you there, or did a flesh-eating monster come out through a vortex and eat your raggedy behind." A smile crept on my face, " I'm here, I was trying to figure out if an alien had taken over your body but it seems like you're still your old deluded self." I could see Coraline rolling her cinnamon-colored eyes while her lips were twisted at the same time, it always amazes me to see her do it."Whatever, did you even hear what I said? I said I'll be your baby machine."" I heard you clearly, you don't have to repeat it, aren't you a little bit excited? And also stop using crass words, I already apologized for how I came off. Now tell me the reason you hurrie
Coraline's POVBecca's surgery had been successful and she was recuperating nicely, She was the easiest convalescent ever according to the nurses. Mei and Tyler had come to visit us for the first time after her surgery. Tyler sat on the chair next to the bed and played a game with Becca on his iPad while Mei sat next to me pulling out the different things she had brought for us.She was quiet and for Mei, that was never good. A quiet Mei was a dangerous Mei. I had a feeling she had a lot she wanted to say but she was still piecing them together."Hey, babe, can you watch Becca for a while, Cora and I are going to get some snacks from the vending machine down in the cafeteria." Mei flipped her hair to look at Tyler as she spoke.He gave her a thumbs up, " Sure, take your time. Becs and I need to beat this high score." " Thanks, let's go, Cora." Mei stood and stuck her fingers in the pockets of her jeans.I stared at the bag of snacks that was on the ground. We had enough snacks to las
Coraline's POVThe duffel bag dropped from my hold and hit the floor with a full thud. It felt like time had slowed and I couldn't understand what the hell was going on."Eli, what crack are you on? What are you talking about?" " Coraline, you told me this place was shabby but that's an underhype, this is a dump. You can't stay here with Becca, I can already count fifteen health hazards in this room."Rolling my eyes, " Eli, I understand your concerns and they are very valid but I didn't plan on staying here more than a week and Becca and I have been in the hospital for over three days. We haven't been here. I was going to use the money from our agreement to rent a nice apartment." He shook his head, " I can't allow that, you're going to be carrying my baby soon, and I don't want you to go through the stress of living in a small space. You'll need all the help you can get when you're pregnant and I can't be halfway across town if you have a weird craving or just want to rant."I rub
Coraline's POVI patted my chest and coughed loudly, my throat burned causing my eyes to well up with tears. "Shit, Coraline, are you okay?" He stood and touched my arm. I shook my head and shot him a glare, did I look like I was okay?"Fuck, you're choking. Water, water, you need water." He hurriedly picked up a cup of water and handed it to me. I enclosed my lips around the cool glass and gulped down the liquid. My airways cleared up and my throat freed up as the water pushed down the bolus.I slammed the glass on the table, anger running through my veins, and twisted my neck to glower at him."Are you insane? How could you tell me that while I was eating? Were you planning to kill me?!" I forgot that Becca was at the table with us until we squealed."Sorry baby, don't mind Mommy, I'm just a little bit tired." I reached over and squeezed her hand then twisted my neck in a creepy manner and glared at Elijah again.He took a sip of his wine before talking, " That wasn't my intention.
Elijah's POV"You're in a good mood, what's up?" Tyler asked as my new investors exited the conference room."What? Why do you think so?" I narrowed my eyes. " Well, you've had a small smile and you didn't snap at your PA when she brought the file two minutes later. You even said thank you to her. I swear I saw her eyes roll to the back of her head, she almost fainted." Wow, was I really that easy to read? Why the hell was I even happy, it wasn't like Coraline was pregnant yet. "It's nothing, I just woke up on the right side of the bed today. Don't give it too much thought, tomorrow I'm going to be my normal grouchy self."Tyler gave me a skeptical look but luckily he didn't press on the matter."Elijah, I didn't want to say this since we've been busy these past few days but now that everything has been taken care of, I can speak freely. What the loving psychotic fuck is going on between you and Cora? Mei told me that you took care of Becca's surgery fees and paid all their hospita