Chapter 8

Chelsea always walked through the living room like she owned the place, giving orders to the maids and correcting the servants as if she were the owner of the house.

Everyone obeyed and tolerated her because they had no choice but in reality they knew the truth. Dominic did not really love her and he was not married to her.

Till now, they did not understand why Sephora had to leave and when they learnt she had died in a plane crash most of the staff blamed it on Chelsea. If she had not appeared with that pregnancy of hers maybe non of this would happen.

Mrs Winslow stood near the staircase watching quietly as Chelsea complained about the flowers in the vase.

“These roses look terrible. Do you people even know how to arrange flowers properly?” Chelsea snapped.

The young maid lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Miss Chelsea.”

Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Sorry doesn’t fix ugly work. Change them.”

The maid hurried away.

Mrs Winslow said nothing, but her lips tightened slightly.

Madam Sephora never used to speak to the staff like that.

The memory of Sephora still lived quietly in the house.

Some nights it almost felt like her presence had never fully left.

Chelsea turned around and noticed Mrs Winslow staring.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing, Miss Chelsea,” Mrs Winslow replied calmly.

Chelsea scoffed and walked away.

As she climbed the stairs, her lips slowly curved into a smile.

Three years ago she had almost lost everything.

But she had been smarter than everyone else.

Even Dominic.

The fake pregnancy had been her greatest move.

At first Dominic had believed her completely when she said she was pregnant.

He had not been totally happy about it, but because of the pressure from board members and his mother he had to come to terms with it.

But after some months passed Chelsea realized something dangerous.

Dominic still did not love her enough to marry her.

And if the truth came out, he might throw her out of the house.

So when the so called pregnancy reached six months, she decided it was time to end the act.

That night she deliberately provoked him.

Dominic had just returned from work and was exhausted.

Chelsea followed him into the bedroom.

“Dominic, you’ve been ignoring me all day,” she said softly.

“I’m tired,” Dominic said quietly without looking at her.

Chelsea watched him for a moment.

Then she walked over and slipped her arms around his waist from behind.

“Just a little attention is all I want,” she murmured.

Dominic stiffened. He gently removed her hands and stepped away.

“Chelsea… not tonight.”

But she moved closer again, pressing against him.

“You always say that,” she said bitterly. “Do you know how lonely I feel in this house?”

Dominic rubbed his forehead.

“I had a long day. I don’t want to argue.”

Chelsea suddenly tried to kiss him.

Dominic turned his face away.

“Chelsea, stop.”

But she grabbed his shirt and tried again.

That was when Dominic lost his patience.

He shoved her away.

“Enough!”

Chelsea staggered backward.

For a brief second, her face was calm.

Then she screamed.

“Ah! Dominic!”

She clutched her stomach and cried loudly.

Chelsea was careful to choose a day that Mrs Ainsworth was around.

Mrs Ainsworth came running into the room.

“What happened?”

“The baby,” Chelsea cried. “It hurts!” Red substance soon started dripping down her legs.

Dominic froze seeing what he was convinced was blood.

Within minutes the house was in chaos.

Later Chelsea’s doctor announced the news.

The baby was gone.

Chelsea cried weakly in bed while Mrs Ainsworth stood beside her with anger in her eyes.

“This is your fault,” she told Dominic coldly.

“You pushed her.”

Dominic rubbed his forehead.

“I didn’t push her that hard.”

“But you did push her,” Mrs Ainsworth replied sharply. “And now the child is gone.”

Chelsea sobbed quietly under the blanket.

“If you don’t want to marry her, fine,” Mrs Ainsworth continued. “But you cannot throw her out of this house after causing her to lose your child.”

Dominic said nothing.

He felt guilty and that guilt kept Chelsea in the house.

Even now she still tried to bring up marriage sometimes.

But Dominic always shut it down.

Back in the present, Chelsea checked her reflection in the mirror and smiled.

Dominic might not have married her yet.

But she still had power.

Later that afternoon Chelsea left the mansion to meet her friend Alina for lunch.

The restaurant was busy when she arrived.

A waitress greeted her politely.

“Good afternoon, miss. Do you have a reservation?”

Chelsea frowned.

“Do I look like someone who needs a reservation?”

The waitress looked confused.

“Hmmm, miss. I just need to check the table availability.”

Chelsea slammed her purse on the table.

“Do you know who I am?”

The people around them began to look over.

“My man is Dominic Ainsworth,” Chelsea continued loudly.

“I am practically part of the Ainsworth family.”

The waitress apologized quickly.

“I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

Chelsea pointed at her.

“You people should learn how to treat important customers.”

The manager came over to calm the situation.

But Chelsea kept shouting.

“Fire her. I want her fired immediately.”

Some customers nearby quietly took out their phones and began recording.

Chelsea was too busy enjoying the attention to notice.

A few minutes later Alina arrived and rushed toward her.

“Chelsea, what happened?”

“This useless waitress tried to disrespect me,” Chelsea said angrily.

Alina lowered her voice. “Let’s just leave and eat somewhere else.”

Chelsea shook her head.

“No. I’m eating here.”

Alina sighed

The manager quickly offered them a seat on hearing that Chelsea had affiliations with Dominic Ainsworth.

Chelsea huffed and walked to have a seat at the table prepared for them. She spent most of the time talking about her luxurious life.

“The mansion is huge. Sometimes I get tired just walking from one room to another.”

Alina nodded quietly.

Then she asked something that made Chelsea pause.

“If Dominic treats you so well, why hasn’t he married you yet?”

Chelsea’s smile disappeared instantly.

“He will,” she said quickly.

“He just has some things to handle first.”

Alina frowned slightly.

“Chelsea, it’s been years.”

Chelsea leaned back in her chair.

“Why are you so concerned about my relationship?”

“I’m just asking.”

“Well don’t.”

Chelsea’s tone turned cold.

“You should worry about your own life.”

She looked Alina up and down.

“Last time I checked, you don’t even have a man.”

Alina stared at her in shock.

“How could you say that to me after everything?”

Chelsea smirked.

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” Alina replied angrily. “You only got Dominic through lies.”

Chelsea froze.

The air between them became tense.

Then her expression slowly darkened.

She leaned closer to Alina.

“Be careful with your words.”

Alina crossed her arms.

“I’m just telling the truth.”

Chelsea’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“If that truth ever comes out, I promise you something.”

Alina felt a chill run down her spine.

“I will personally make you and everyone you love disappear.”

Alina’s eyes widened.

“You know the kind of resources I have now,” Chelsea continued calmly.

“So don’t overstep your boundaries.”

She stood up, grabbed her purse and walked out of the restaurant.

Alina remained seated, shaken.

Later that evening Chelsea returned to the mansion.

As soon as she stepped into the living room she saw Dominic sitting on the sofa.

His expression was cold.

“Dominic?” she said nervously.

He held up his phone.

“Care to explain this?”

Chelsea’s heart skipped.

A video began playing on the screen.

It was the restaurant incident.

The title on the news article read loudly.

“Strange woman linked to widower CEO Dominic Ainsworth causes restaurant scandal amid the decline of Ainsworth Industries.”

Dominic’s jaw tightened.

“Are you trying to destroy my reputation?” he demanded.

Chelsea rushed toward him.

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“Really?” Dominic snapped.

“You humiliated my family in public.”

“My company is already struggling and now this is the news people see.”

Chelsea began crying.

“I’m sorry.”

Dominic stood up.

“You act so innocent at home but look at how you behave outside.”

Chelsea wiped her tears.

“I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

Dominic shook his head.

“This…this is why I would never marry someone like you.”

Chelsea’s crying became louder.

“If the baby had survived,” she whispered through tears, “we would have been a family.”

Dominic’s expression faltered slightly.

“Everything I do is because I lost my child,” she continued.

“The pain is still there.”

Dominic looked away, guilt creeping into his chest again.

But his voice remained firm.

“I told you before.”

“I’m not marrying you.”

“And you had better stop causing problems.”

Dominic turned and walked out of the room.

The moment the door closed, Chelsea’s crying stopped.

Her tears vanished instantly. Slowly, she lifted her head. And her expression turned dark.