CHAPTER 7 - WEEK 1

The morning sun filtered through the silk curtains of Leah's new room catching her hazel eyes which were heavy with exhaustion. Despite the luxurious mattress underneath her she didn't have a good night's rest - How could she? 

Thoughts about her current situation filled her mind. A week ago, she was just a normal  girl juggling bills and resnponsiblities now she's tangled up in a web of contract, drama, and a possible unwanted pregnancy.

A soft knock on the door startled her, “Come in.” She called, sitting upright 

A maid walked in balancing a tray of assorted breakfast dishes and a tall glass of juice by the side. “Breakfast ma'am.” 

She accepted the tray with a polite nod. “Thank you.”

She stared at the array of dishes in front of her,pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, fresh fruit, cinnamon roll - more food than she usually had in a whole week but yet she couldn't find the appetite to eat them.

 She picked up a fork and slowly munched on three spoon fool of the scrambled eggs before her stomach turned.

 Her thoughts kept circling back to that fight - the one she had no business hearing but couldn't get out of her mind. Assistant fiancee, that was what Victoria called her. It was ridiculous but the sheer fury Victoria’s voice was laced with when she said that made her feel really uneasy.

Three knocks on the door disrupted her thoughts, they were sharper this time. Before she called welcome the person in,  they already barged in. 

Victoria stepped in, uninvited, looking like she walked out of a fashion magazine, her expression - stern, almost frightening.

“Enjoying your stay?” She asked, her tone laced with fake sweetness.

“Alex isn't here, you can drop the act.” 

Victoria walked around the room slowly, examining everything like she owned it, which she did. “I'm sure this place is a far cry from whatever rathole you used to live in.”

Leah rolled her eyes, she was expecting this, it was Victoria after all. “Did you come here to insult me or just take a tour?”

Victoria stopped near the bed and turned to face her. “I came to reiterate my previous warning since you didn't seem to take it seriously.”

Leah blinked. “What do you mean? I've barely been here a week and I've been minding my business.”

“Yeah right, explain this then.” Victoria dipped her hand into her pocket and got out a shiny silver bracelet.

Leah's eyes widened. “That's mine, I lost it in_.”

“My fiancee's office.” Victoria finished for her. “On his couch, precisely.”

Leah had a major flashback, her mind returned to the little makeout session she and Alex had. She felt something slip but she was too disoriented to figure out what it was and everything blurred the moment she had heard Victoria's voice.

“I don't know how it fell off my hand but I swear nothing out of the ordinary happened.”

“You better be telling the truth because if I found out for one second that something sneaky has been happening, I will ruin your life.”. She intensified her gaze then continued. “Trust me.”

She didn't wait for a response and walked out of the room as arrogantly as she came in.

Her little altercation with Victoria didn't do anything to ease her already troubled mind, it only worsened it.

Later that day, needing to clear her head, Leah decided to take a walk down the Zen garden. The serene environment coupled with the scent of lavender and dampstone calmed her nerves, it gave her peace - a sharp contrast to the storm of feelings swirling inside her.

She was still basking in her newfound peace when she heard a soft crunch of gravel behind her, she turned to see who it was  – and there he was.

Alex.

With his hands in his pockets, shirt sleeves rolled to the elbows, looking both tired and troubled.

Her mental state tumbled down to a zero upon sighting him. As much as she disliked  him, she couldn't deny the slight bit of physical pull she felt whenever he was near, especially after that night. He might be a jerk but boy.. was he a hot one.

“You okay?” He asked, his voice low and smooth.

“Why do you care?”

“You're right, I don't but you might be carrying my child as we speak so I guess I have to act like I do.”

“Don't bother.” She snapped. “It's just business and trust me when I say I'm better off without your fake sympathy.”

He chuckled. “Your feistiness gets me everytime.” Then he softened his gaze and looked at her, really looked this time. “Tell me Leah, I know I made the contract thing quite difficult, but the way you put up a fight wasn't like that of someone who never even considered taking the deal. Why is that?”

Leah sighed, she couldn't deny his allegations, she did consider it, deep down, she chose it. “Well when you have a sick mother and a teenage sibling looking up to you when you find it hard to even fend for yourself, you would consider anything.” 

Alex eyes turned somber, like he felt some kind of sympathy, Leah was surprised to know he felt anything at all. “Leah, I think you'd do great.”

She blinked. It was the first nice thing he'd ever said to her.

Just then, His phone rang. “Oh, it's Dr.John.” He went to a secluded area in the garden to take the call.

A few minutes later, he returned,his face, pale and his expression, stoic.

Leah noticed and asked. “What? Did it have anything to do with me?” 

“Yes,it did.”

“What did he say?”

“He said your medical records just came through and turns out, you were pregnant before the insemination.”

Leah turned white. “That can't be, I never had.….” 

Then it hit her.

That night, the one they both promised to never talk about.

Her face turned pale and her knees wobbled beneath her.

She wasn't carrying Victoria and Alex's child.

She was carrying her's and Alex's child.