Elizabeth was led into one of the most beautiful house she had ever seen in her entire life.
It was furnished with taste and exuded class and affluence. The person who had ushered her in had taken one look at her shabby dressing and decided she must be one of the homeless on the streets always begging for some change or food.
It wasn’t until she had stated her business and mentioned the name of the secretary that she had been escorted in to wait. Elizabeth gazed around the house, she was awed by how many antique furnitures were present and effectively clashing against the modern equipments, it was almost like they were involved in a game of tug of war.
“The mister shall see you now.” The lady whom Elizabeth guessed to be the housekeeper said to her and led her into a small, also classy office.He was already seated and flipping through some papers in front of him.Elizabeth thought for a moment if those were her replacement, should she fail to either give him an heir or agree to the ludicrous demands in the contract she was holding.
“Sit. My secretary told me you are here to hand the papers over to me and discuss some things you found uncomfortable in the contract?”“Yes, I am. I haven’t signed it yet because I have series of questions as to how this is supposed to go.” Elizabeth answered, taking a seat in front of him“Good, I would have been startled if you did not have questions. So what part of all the clauses in that contract is hard to comprehend.”“The part that says once I move in with you, I won’t ever go back or anywhere without your permission and I am to be escorted even if I want to get some fresh air in the gardens.”“What was not clear?” He asked.Elizabeth stared at him like he had just sprouted a second head.Was he joking, was this his idea of a joke? She thought to herself as she stared, waiting for him to get the memo.Was this some kind of test directed at her to know her abilities at calming her anger?“Is this some sort of test or trick question whatever.” Elizabeth asked“No, it isn’t. What pray tell is not clear to you, I am a very busy man and as at right now, I have an ongoing meeting in the second room. I hardly have time for such shenanigan.”“Shenanigan? You are literally confining me for months if not years because I am going to be having your child. That clause of this agreement is nuts, I should have the right to move around without being shadowed by security.”“You are unbelievably outspoken today, aren’t you miss…”“Elizabeth… my name is Elizabeth”“Of course. It seems you still do not grasp the situation on ground, which is quite understandable seeing your type of person. You are becoming a surrogate to the top man of the country after the president, I have enemies who would love to see me in total shambles and I would not allow your stupidity cost me that. Like I told you yesterday, if you are having problems with the way things are going to be done, you are totally free to leave so I can move on to other interested parties.”“You are an absolute condescending jerk, do you know that?” Elizabeth said, glaring at the asshole in front of her.“Excuse me” Jason wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly.“You heard me quite alright, how dare you think you can speak to me in any manner you please because I am in this situation with you. Were you taught no manners? How dare you sit on your high horse and decide who you call stupid, you asshole.”Elizabeth knew she was kissing this surrogacy thing and the only hope for her mother’s treatment goodbye but she wasn’t about to allow this man speak to her like she was an irritating fly buzzing around his ear.Jason sat deathly still as he watched the girl in front of him rant, he could see that she was way past caring about who he was which he found absolutely commendable.Very few people could talk to him in such a manner; men and women alike.
“I have most certainly endured your condescending attitude but I have had it up to my neck with your choice of words to me. You will speak to me with respect and I do not give two fucks who you are. I am never signing this contract and you can kiss Satan’s ass on your way to hell.”Elizabeth did not wait to see the look on his face before she slammed the papers she was holding down on his table and practically fled.What the fuck have I just done? Elizabeth thought to herself as she made her way out, hailing a cab immediately.…“Did something happen?” Agatha, his housekeeper asked. She had seen the girl walk out in a rush and had wondered if something bad had happened. She has been working for the family of the Rodrigues' ever since Jason was a child and it was only right that when he had gotten his own apartment, she decided to become his housekeeper.He had that look on his face, the one he always had whenever he was shocked about something but a happy kind of shocked. Agatha wondered what the girl must have said to put him in such a mood.…Jason threw back his head for the second time that day and laughed… it felt absolutely good to laugh. She had cursed at him but he was feeling good… how crazy was that?.He had thought her weak and pathetic while she had been anything but that. Jason wondered what exactly it was that had made her try for the job of being his surrogate. True enough, there was no way he was going to employ her for that after the antics she had displayed in front of him but for the first time in a while, a woman had caught his attention.CAMILLAAfter the previous day encounter and the kiss… I wasn’t sure I wanted to be on the same team with Nathan.In all honesty, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted.My lips still tingled from the memory of Nathan’s kiss, and yet, the feeling did NOT settle in the way I expected. It wasn’t the passionate rush of desire or the warmth of something more. No, it was an unsettled ache, a reminder that whatever this was between us was anything but simple.I stared at the ceiling, my mind spinning in a hundred different directions. My thoughts kept circling back to that kiss.Why had he gone and kissed me?The last thing I needed was to get caught up in Nathan’s mess, in whatever internal struggle he was going through. I could not afford to lose myself in him. Not again. He had kissed me, and now I had to decide whether to let it go or pull back before things went any further.I dragged myself out of bed, staring at the clock—7:00 AM. My meeting with Nathan was at 9:00, but I had a hundred t
NATHANI was stalling.Her apartment had grown quiet except for the rhythmic ticking of a clock on the wall, but I stayed seated at her table, watching her stack dishes in the sink. My car was fixed. My excuse to linger here was gone. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to leave.She moved with a confidence that was uniquely Camilla. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone…least of all me…but damn, she did. I traced the curve of her spine with my eyes as she walked back into the living room, her bare feet soft against the floorboards.I should have been thinking about Eleanor. About Trish. About Alicent. About the cold-blooded satisfaction I would feel when the truth about Eleanor’s death finally saw the light of day. But all I could think about was how Camilla and how I should be apologizing to her.“You’re awfully quiet,” she said, sitting across from me, tilting her head to study me.“I have been accused of worse.”She rolled her eyes. “You are always like this. Mysterious and brooding. You wou
CAMILLA “Good morning.” I started at him, unsure of exactly what I was looking at. Then it hit me: the smell. Warm and savory, the scent of something cooking drifted through the air…eggs, maybe toast. It was so out of place… he was out of place here. I moved, the motion sending a fresh wave of pain through my skull and a queasiness to my stomach. I groaned again, slower this time, trying to steady myself. “Morning,” I mumbled hoarsely, my voice barely more than a croak. He was standing by the stove, his back to me, a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. His shirt was untucked, the fabric clinging to his broad shoulders in a way that made him seem even larger than usual. In my tiny kitchen, he looked impossibly big, like he didn’t belong there, yet somehow…he fit. “What are you doing?” I asked, my voice weak but laced with confusion. Nathan glanced over his shoulder, his profile catching the morning light. His hair was a little messy, like he hadn’t bothered t
CAMILLAIt was useless feeling sorry for myself, I thought.The lighting in the club was low as I stepped in with my friend, Bella.“Not bad” I murmured.“Told you” She responded triumphantly. “This is what you need to get over him. Nathan Clark is an asshole and should dump him in the dust where he belongs”I wanted to correct her that he wasn’t an asshole, he was merely disturbed but I did not.I was not here to sympathize with him or even think about him. I was here to have fun and that is what I am going to do.I was putting on a red dress and it complimented my eyes way more than I thought it would.“Come on, we should get a drink” Bella pulled me to the bar.The bartender winked at both of us and then asked what we would likeIt was at the tip of my tongue to say nothing but I was at a club, wasn’t I?“Sex on the beach” I announced.Bella turned to me, surprise in her eyes. I was pretty sure she thought she would have to force me to drink.“I would have the same” She told the ma
NATHANThere was nothing to say as I dropped Camilla off at her home.I waited until I was sure she had gotten in before I headed in the direction of my mother in law’s house.I pushed in Christian’s number, my teeth gritting as it rang.I was furious.I did not want to admit I was more furious at myself than anything.“How did your date go?” Christian’s asked as soon as the phone line clicked.“Send me the name of the witness” I grunted.“What is wrong?”“Send the name, dammit”“You need to calm down, Nathan. Where are you going?”“To settle this once and for all” I told him. “Now send the damned number to me”I hung up before he had the chance to say anything or convince me to back away because I would not.I drove way above the speed limit, stopping only when I had gotten to the mansion’s gate.It brought back memories of family dinners where I had to defend Eleanor over and over again. Where snide remarks about the reason I was with her reached my ears and she said nothing about
CAMILLA“I did not think I was ever going to see you again, Camilla” Sarah smiled as soon as I entered the restaurant.She wagged a finger in Nathan’s direction, shaking her head at him.“With the kind of food you sell? I will be coming in here for a very long time” I smiled back.Nathan and I took our seats and waited.She had a queue as usual and I could not help the smile as I glanced around.“You would have watched your father kill me” Nathan commented.“I admit that would have made me feel better for a bit” I told him.He appeared shocked but I could tell from the way his eyes twinkled with delight that he thought it hilarious.I had not expected he would go over to my parent’s house especially seeing as I wasn’t there in the first place.My father however had called me when he arrived with a gun to his head and asked if I wanted to see him. I had hesitated just for the fun of it“I deserved that”“Yes you did” I agreed.“Thank you for coming here with me”I nodded once.Sarah dr