The Meeting

Chapter 6: The Meeting

Samantha POV……

“Smile. You wouldn’t want them to think I am maltreating you, will you?” Adrian pulled my cheek, a forced smile on his face. I nodded my head, swallowing my pain and fear. I still haven’t been able to forget what he did to me yesterday.

“You are one pretty lady.” He tugged my hair behind my ears and held his hand out. “Hold my hand. I will lead you down the stairs.” I gulped hard and wrapped my hand around his.

“Keep that smile.” He spread my lips wider, that devilish sly smile still perfectly tugged at the corner of his lips.

Slowly, he led me down the stairs. Halfway through, he wrapped his hand around my waist. My heart sang in panic as his hand crossed my waist, and I felt a sensation I have never felt in my entire existence. Why would you do this? I wanted to scream, but that could wipe my existence from the world.

“You look gorgeous in this red gown and the bright makeup. Sorry, I forgot to compliment you earlier.” I looked down at the red floral gown that highlighted my perfect curves, showcasing them to the world, and the fake pregnancy bump sitting calmly on my stomach.

“And be careful with the heels. Don’t trip yourself.” I looked down at my shaky legs that were new to wearing heels. They were frantically exhausted from having to try something new. “You won’t want to show my family that I picked you from the trash, will you?” he yanked slowly. I nodded, avoiding eye contact with him. I wouldn’t dare look into those deadly eyes.

“You will get used to it, dear wifey,” he said calmly, like he hadn’t been rude to me minutes ago. “We are close. Keep the smile brighter.” I forced it again.

“No! That sucks. Even a fool would know that your smile is fake, so you better brighten up for real.” His face went sour immediately. I gulped, trying to force a genuine smile now. “Now that is what we call a smile.” We were standing at the end of the stairs now.

From our standing point, I could hear the sound of plates clicking and water roaring out of jugs. “Let’s go. They are waiting for us at the dining,” he said. I nodded and followed swiftly.

My heartbeat tripled as I stood in front of his family. Maintaining eye contact was almost impossible, but I could feel their eyes swimming around me. I felt Adrian’s firm grip around my arm, and I felt a bit of reassurance.

Deep silent sat for a while before Adrian finally broke it, “This is my wife I told you all about,” he said swiftly and led me to a seat.

He pulled out a chair for me and watched me sit before locating one next to me. Devil. The word echoed within me, but my face said otherwise.

“She’s beautiful,” an elderly feminine voice caught me off guard, and for the first time, I was able to look up, a peck of confidence dancing in me.

“Good day, ma,” I greeted, realizing it was Adrian’s mom. My eyes were glued to her, and I couldn’t admire her less. Her expensive golden jewelry decorated her neck, hands, ears, wrists, and fingers. The grace with which she carried herself radiated effortlessly, even without her doing much.

“So you are the lady that locked my son’s heart?” she smiled sweetly.

“I never knew Adrian would get married in his life, and I strongly doubted it when he told me he had a wife, and a pregnant one at that,” his dad chirped with a bright smile. I turned to him and smiled calmly.

“So tell me, Samantha,” his mom drew my attention back to herself. Samantha? She knows my name. This big mouth has spilled everything regarding me to them already.

“How long have you been pregnant, dear? We need to make preparations for the baby’s arrival and—”

“She has been pregnant for four months,” Adrian snatched the words from her lips. I gave a quiet sigh, glad he came to my aid. I would have shattered so badly and exposed myself.

“Four months already?” she clapped her hands excitedly. “Then it’s time to start shopping. Tell me, Samantha, what do I get for my grandchild?” She turned to me with a bright smile.

“Uhmmm—”

Adrian sliced a soft pinch across my laps and passed warnings to me with his eyes.

“Mom, these questions are not necessary now. The good thing is that I have a wife and a pregnant one, so can we just eat?” Adrian’s tone was filled with irritation as he spoke.

“But I would love to get something for the baby too. Is it a boy or a girl?” a soft-spoken voice sang, and I was forced to look.

It was a young lady, probably in her early twenties. She had this soft aura all around her. She was beautiful to the core, and her ocean-blue eyes spoke more volume to her beauty. Everything about her spoke wealth and luxury, and I couldn’t admire her less.

“Yes, Adrian. We need to know, is the child a boy or a girl?” a voice intruded, not from the table but from a distance. I followed the voice, and my eyes landed on a young man walking towards us. He was wiping his face with a handkerchief, so I couldn’t get a clear view of his face.

His figure was huge and intimidating at the same time. He was well-built and muscular, just like Adrian. Even without having a clear view of his face, I could tell he was handsome too. Beauty runs in the family for sure.

I picked up the glass of water in front of me and took a long gulp from it. I swirled the cup as I waited for more spontaneous questions to lash at me.

“Tell us, Adrian. Is it a boy or a girl?” he continued, putting a stop to his endless cleaning of his face.

I could finally get to see his face, but my excitement lived shortly as my eyes fell on the most unexpected being.

“Steven!” The word escaped my lips slowly, and my cup shattered on the floor without warning.