Jane took a deep breath as she sank further into the plush cream coloured sofa and swallowed hard, going through the contract again. Her head was spinning, how could she agree to this? Clauses three to six were utterly ridiculous. This practically set women back by centuries! Cleaning the house? Be at his beck and call? Close an eye if and when he brought a woman back home to hump?Pffft! What is this? Medieval times?But she couldn’t argue with him, the man was her benefactor. She moistened her lips, placed the paper down and forced a smile.“How can I pay you back if I’m expected to wait on you hand and foot every single day?” she asked, hoping to be allowed to land a part-time job somewhere. The truth was, Jane did not mind having to clean the house, she felt that she should, given the fact that she would be staying at his residence for one year. But how on earth was she going to prepare herself for the eventual divorce if she

By noon, half the country’s female population was heartbroken by the news that Daniel Winters had married the love of his life and even secretly fathered a baby boy. And Jane McKay was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Never had she ever faced so many journalists, all clamouring to get a piece of her. They wanted to know EVERYTHING about her - from her date of birth to the brand of dress she wore to the weight of baby Timmy. She wondered if Pa had seen the news and how he was feeling. Would he be shocked? Would he be even more ashamed? She hoped the prying neighbours would not go rapping at his door and bombarding him with questions like how they did when her pregnancy was made known nine months ago. “Go get food, and an Earl Grey, two lumps of sugar,” Daniel ordered Jane through gritted teeth as he flashed an award winning smile from the conference table and gave the journalists a regal wave. The press conference had just ended and Daniel was taking the opportuni

Little Timmy was crying. It was a sound that broke every mother’s heart, but it was also a sound that made Daniel Winters want to break every china in his penthouse. The moment both he and Jane stepped through the elevator door to his penthouse, Pepper Potts came stumbling, her mousy hair looking even more unruly than usual. Her cat eyeglasses was also lopsided and spits of milk graced her usually polished attire. Granted, his secretary wasn’t the neatest of all his employees, but this was the first time he saw her looking like someone who had just clawed her way out of a crocodile-infested jungle.“Mrs Winters! Help! Little Timmy won’t sleep anymore..” she shouted in anguish and running up to Jane with flailing arms. “He’s just…just crying!”She grabbed both of Jane’s hands, oblivious that one of Jane’s hands had been scalded. From the corner of his eye, Daniel saw Jane wince slightly before she put on

They ended up at a retro diner not far from Daniel’s penthouse. Word had it that the chef had resigned from a five star Michelin restaurant in New York to realize his childhood dream. The place was tiny though, big enough for only eight patrons at a time and patrons usually had to book a month in advance to secure a reservation. But the owner of Mike’s Diner was an old friend of Daniel’s and the cheerful man welcomed the trio and baby Timmy with open arms. “Come! Come! Take a seat!” the bald chef in a black tank top ushered them in through the neon green swing doors and into a brightly lit eatery where a jukebox played to the groovy sound of music. “Leanne! Three double patties and chocolate milkshakes! Let’s fatten these kids up!” Baby Timmy started to cry and Daniel shot the chef a murderous look before storming over to the jukebox and yanking off the wires. The thing was too bloody loud! From the corner of his eyes, he saw Jane quickly fish

A FEW HOURS EARLIER. “Mr Winters, I simply cannot accept your terms. The price is too low!” a wrinkled hand slammed onto the large mahogany table in the meeting room of fifteen people. All around the table, everyone had their heads down. Save for one man at the head of the table.  Daniel Winters raised an eyebrow as he twirled his shiny metallic laser pen, calmly staring at the enraged man who was coughing slightly. Behind his black leather chair, sunlight streamed in through the glass walled meeting room, casting a warm sunny glow to the otherwise cold and tension filled meeting. “Mr Winters, do you take me for a fool? Your company is going to reap millions, if not billions from this project and yet you’re only offering me peanuts for the sale of MY land?!” the man slammed at the table again and Pepper Potts jumped in her seat. Daniel smirked, ignoring the look of terror on his PA’s face. “It’s because I’m NOT taking you for a fool that Winters