Surprise!

Emily’s POV

My pulse quickened, trapping the air in my chest. “W…what did you say?”

His eyes lingered. “You heard me. Don't think about lying. I hate lies.”

“I…I…”

“I saw the test results at the hospital. Tell me what I want to know. Is it mine?”

The room started to spin and my sight turned blurry for a moment.

He raised an eyebrow, waiting. “We don't have all day.”

I was rooted to the ground and I knew there was no escape. I felt like I was being watched and slowly turned to see men dressed in black suits, watching…me.

“Don't worry about them. They are mine,” he said.

Was that supposed to make me feel better?

“I'm waiting,” he announced.

“Y…yes, it's yours,” I said.

He smiled then drank his coffee. Then spoke. “You're coming with me. Today.”

“Excuse me?” I stuttered.

He set the cup down and leaned back in his chair to give me a look that made me freeze in place.

“I don't want my child growing up in a separate home. You're moving in with me.”

I opened my mouth to protest but the second I saw two of his men on their feet, waiting for his signal.

His eyes softened, but it wasn’t for long. “Don’t make me repeat my words,” he said.

My heart was racing in my chest as he got up from the booth. In that one moment, though, I realized that whatever life I’d been living ended that night that I met him.

“Did you hear me?” His voice lowered, shaking me to my core. I gulped, shaking as I stared into his eyes.

~

My hands wouldn't stop shaking as the black SUV rolled through the entrance iron gates.

The guards were stationed outside with guns hidden in their waist and sharp-suited uniforms; they kept a blank expressionless face. The SUV moved past them as if I were entering another realm.

“Where are we going?” I finally managed to croak out loud.

“Home,” he replied again, calm as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

“I… I don’t even know your name,” I stuttered.

He met my eyes steadily, almost with amusement. “I’m Lucious Alejandro Dexter, your baby's father,” he said.

How I wanted to disappear at the spot. I banged a psychopath.

“I….I can't just—go with you. I have a life. I have a job and my own apartment.”

“You don’t anymore,” he said to me with that blank look. “You quit.”

My mouth opened, then closed again. “How do you know that? I didn't even quit yet.”

“You just did.”

He gazed out the window as the car pulled up in front of an enormous mansion. “And I'm not giving you a choice.”

The driver opened my door. I held my breath staring at the huge mansion in front of me. Every inch of it screamed luxury.

Inside was a castle structure with statues, gold frames, chandeliers, and artworks.

“You live here alone?" I muttered.

“For now,” he said, unbuttoning his suit jacket. “You’ll stay in the east wing. Everything you need is there. Clothes, food, and staff. You won’t be bothered unless I say so.”

“This is insane. You can’t just—”

“I can,” he said quietly, moving closer to me. “You’re carrying my child, Emily,” he said. “That means you’re mine. That means you’re my responsibility.”

His tone was not angry. It was final.

I crossed my arms, refusing to be forced into this, and gave him a hostile look. “You think money and bodyguards make you in charge of everything?”

“No,” he whispered softly. “I believe power does. And I have it.”

Who was this man?

The air between us turned heavy. His eyes dropped for a fraction of a second to scan my face before pulling back to mine. “You need rest. You’ve been through too much.”

I swallowed hard. “Why do you care?”

He paused, his hands slipping into his pockets. “Because I protect what’s mine.”

I detested the racing pulse that responded to his words.

A maid appeared, an older woman with a warm smile. “Mr. Dexter, the east wing is ready.”

He nodded. “Take her.”

“Come,” she said.

I moved reluctantly through the hallway. The heels of my shoes created little noises on the floor.

“Here's your room, Ma’am,” she said, opening the door. It was much more spacious than my cramped apartment.

Beige curtains lined the walls. Silken bedsheets on the large bed and a view from the window that revealed the estate garden.

When the maid left, I fell on the bed and sat there staring at the ceiling.

A knock came minutes later. Lucious appeared with a tray full of food. “You didn’t eat,” he said.

I blinked. “You brought it with you?”

He shrugged slightly. “I don’t trust anyone else to do it right.”

The aroma of grilled salmon and roasted potatoes wafted through my nose. The hunger biting at me and my mouth watered. “You think this’ll make me stay?”

He sat across from me. “No. You’ll stay because you realize that you’ll be safer here than you’ll be anywhere else,” he said.

I gazed at him —truly gazed. His tan skin shone brightly. The tattoo got my attention, spreading to his neck.

He caught me gazing at him. “Do you have trouble with something?”

“How old are you?”

He smirked slightly. “Forty-five.”

I blinked. He didn't look a day over twenty-five.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“Nope. I thought you were younger.”

“I get that a lot,” he said smiling.

His eyes did not move from me. “I like surprises.”

I turned away to conceal my blush. “You seem to be in business. What sort?”

He didn't respond immediately, almost like he was picking his words carefully. “Security,” he said finally. “The kind that keeps people alive. If they wish.”

I should be scared but I wasn't. I felt he was holding something on purpose.

His eyes met mine and he muttered. “You'll find out eventually.”