All Chapters of Pregnant For My Best Friend's Rival : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Katherine's POV The glass doors of Richmond Industries were so polished I could see my own reflection, and I didn't like what I saw. I looked tired.No matter how much concealer I caked under my eyes, the ghost of last night, the sandalwood, the masked man, and the lack of sleep, clung to me. I straightened my blazer and walked up to the sleek, white marble reception desk."Hi, I’m Katherine Wayne. I’m here for an interview for the Personal Assistant position," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking.The receptionist didn't look up at first. She was busy typing away, her long red nails clicking like a rhythm. Finally, she glanced at her screen. "Katherine Wayne... Oh, yes. The CEO is expecting you. Take the executive elevator to the fiftieth floor. His secretary will meet you there.""Thank you," I muttered.The elevator ride felt like it took a lifetime. My stomach did a somersault with every floor the little digital screen ticked off. I kept thinking about the money in my b

Katherine's POV The room didn’t spin. I didn’t cry. I just sat there, understanding that my life had shifted in a way I couldn’t undo.“I'm two months late. This can't be happening; I can't be pregnant." I kept reciting the mantra in my head, like if I repeated it my reality would change. ***The walk from the subway station felt like dragging lead weights through deep mud.Every step sent a jolt of pain through my lower back, and that sharp, familiar nausea was rolling in my stomach again. I reached the third-floor landing of our apartment building and had to stop, leaning my forehead against the peeling, yellowish wallpaper.My vision suddenly blurred, the dim hallway light spinning in circles. My knees finally gave out. I waited for the impact of the cold, hard floor, but it never came."Katherine? Whoa, I’ve got you. Lean on me."A pair of strong, steady arms caught me before I could hit the ground. I looked up, blinking through the haze, and saw Mikel O’ Connor. My new neighb

Katherine’s POV“It was me,” Mikel whispered, reaching out to take my hand.“I followed you to that club because I knew you were in trouble. I saw them put something in your drink, and I couldn’t allow them hurt you. I’ve been in love with you since the day we sat together in that History class, Katherine. I’ve just been waiting for you to see me.”I was still trying to process all that Mikel had just said when he reached into the drawer that stood by the wall and pulled out a document.“I’m not a broke Athlete, Katherine. I’m an O’ Connor. My family owns O’ Connor Global. My father is trying to force me into a marriage I don’t want and the only way out is to bring home a wife. I need a wife Katherine, and you need a protector who loves you. This is a contract. Marry me for six months and I’ll pay for everything—your grandmother’s specialized care, a new home, and a better future.For a fleeting moment, words became too heavy for my lips as I looked from the tattoo to the contract, wo

Katherine's POVThe twenty-foot doors swung open before we could knock, revealing a butler so perfectly composed he looked like he'd been carved from marble. His silver hair was swept back, his posture immaculate, and his eyes assessed me in a single, practiced glance."Mr. O'Connor. Mrs. O'Connor." He bowed slightly. "Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor Senior are waiting in the east dining room."I felt Mikel's hand find the small of my back, a grounding pressure that kept me from fleeing. "Thank you, Gerald."We walked through an entryway that could have housed my entire apartment building. Crystal chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings. A grand staircase curved upward, its banister polished to a mirror shine. Oil paintings of stern-faced ancestors watched us pass, their eyes seeming to follow my every step."Don't look at the paintings," Mikel murmured, his lips barely moving. "They're all dead and they don't care who you are.""Is that supposed to be comforting?""It's honest."We entered the

Jason's POVI'd been staring at the same quarterly report for forty-five minutes, and I hadn't absorbed a single word. The numbers blurred together like meaningless symbols that couldn't hold my attention.And no matter how hard I tried to deny what the reason behind why I was feeling that way was, I just couldn't and that was because Katherine wasn't here.I looked at the empty chair across from my desk. She used to sit there, her posture perfect, her dark hair falling in waves around her face. It had been three weeks since she'd resigned. Three weeks since I'd last seen her face, heard her voice, felt the electricity that crackled between us whenever we were in the same room.I told myself I didn't care. She was just woman who had betrayed me by running off with my high school rival, and moreover she wasn't even in the same class with me.I was a Richmond for crying out loud, and one of the five wealthiest families in the country. Since I took over the Richmond's Empire, it had bee