Chapter 5 - Nemesis

GENERAL

“Mr. Daniel… I… I don’t think this is for me,” Phoebe stretched a white envelope forward with a smile. Her eyes flickered with fear and anxiety.

The man didn’t raise his head from the keyboard and monitor. “I’m sorry, Miss Phoebe. It’s for you. The management is surprised that you could make such silly mistakes. You almost cost the hospital everything they’d ever worked for,” Mr. Daniel responded.

Phoebe’s hands shook, her lashes quivered, and she scoffed in disbelief. Her eyes glistened with tears—the ones she wouldn’t let out in front of others. “But… it’s just a mistake. I can apologize to the client. We… we can always try the insemination one more time,” she stuttered, her smile growing thin.

Mr. Daniel raised his head for the first time. When Phoebe saw his expression, she knew at that moment that everything had slipped from her. She had lost her job, and it wouldn’t be restored no matter what. “Miss Phoebe, do you know who you messed with?”

Hesitantly, she bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “No.”

“The owner of the sperm you mistakenly inseminated into somebody else is Mr. Rivera…” He sighed. “Travis Rivera. The founder and CEO of TR Group of Companies.”

Her legs weakened, and she staggered backward as soon as she heard that name. Who wouldn’t know who Travis was? Who didn’t? Even the baby in the womb could hear things about him. He was filthy wealthy, handsome, and had the qualities every woman wanted in a man. He was the perfect man in the country. However, he hated to be messed with. He didn’t fight, but he terminated his opposition without lifting a finger. That was how powerful and connected he was.

She gasped, beads of sweat shrouding her forehead. She had made a mistake—the one she might not live to correct or turn into a story.

Daniel darted an indifferent gaze over her and returned to what he was typing. “You know what that means, Miss Phoebe. You’ve been sacked and blacklisted.”

“What!” Her voice shook. “It’s just one mistake. It wasn’t intentional.” She held her head. “Okay.” She let out a deep breath, dropping her hands. “Maybe the mistake is unforgivable, and I am sacked because I needed to be taught a lesson. That’s acceptable. But why am I blacklisted? Why? I’m human, for God’s sake. Mistakes are inevitable.” Her timbre broke.

With an expressionless face, Daniel responded. “If you think you’ve been treated unfairly, you can write to the board. There’s nothing I can do about it,” he said.

Phoebe opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, he stood up. “Oh! I have a VVIP patient to check on. I don’t think I want to make a mistake and lose my job like someone I know.” He darted a mocking gaze over her and strolled away.

She didn’t shake. Her heavy lids trembled as she watched him disappear through the stairs. Leaning her head backward, she stifled a sob.

Hopping into her car, Phoebe skimmed her eyes through the sack letter one more time, and tears rolled off her face. She had been holding everything in, but she couldn’t anymore.

“What can I call this?” she muttered and released a few bubbles of laughter. Beneath the laughter were pain and defeat she couldn’t accept because of her pride. “Is this karma? I thought it wouldn’t come so soon.” She laughed again, wiping the snot sliding out of her nostrils. Her head rested on the steering wheel, and she burst into full-blown laughter. “Rhea, you bastard!” she cursed.

Since things had played out poorly for her, she didn’t know if she should be sad about losing her job or about Rhea’s breakthrough. Being the surrogate mother of Travis Rivera was more than a lottery win. She couldn’t believe she had foolishly pushed the girl into a better place.

“No.” She shook her head, lifted it, and brought out her phone. “I need to stop them from meeting. Rhea cannot have anything better than me. No.” Her hands and voice trembled. She dialed Rhea’s contact. It beeped thrice and never connected. She tried again, and again.

Frustrated and exasperated, she flung the phone to the back seat and ran her fingers through her hair. “Rhea hasn’t found out, right?” She chuckled. “No way. She doesn’t even know him.”

With a clenched jaw, she hit her steering wheel countless times. “I have to conceal Travis’s identity from her before she finds him.”

She turned the key in the ignition, stepped on the accelerator, and zoomed off, murmuring and gritting her teeth.

•

Rhea glanced at the contract again and again, uncertain of what to do. She had read everything for the fifth time. It was good, but a part of her was scared. She didn’t even know who she was with. What if he was lying about being the father of the baby? His voice and demeanor scared her so much. What if he wasn’t a good man? Different what-ifs sprouted in her head.

The reality was staring straight at her. She knew she would dine with hardship and suffering if she didn’t take the risk of staying with him while she figured out what to do with her life during her pregnancy journey. Even if she said no to him, she had no family or friend to run to for shelter. The contract said he would provide everything she needed and even pay her two million dollars after the baby was born.

She shut her eyes and let out a deep breath.

At the same time, the door opened, and Travis walked in, his hands tucked in his pockets.

“What’s your decision? Signing peacefully, or do you want us to do it the hard way?”