Chapter 74 Dinning with the Jackson FamilyJACKSON’S HOME, NEW YORK.Johnson stared at his wife with evident exhaustion in his eyes. Venus can be too extreme when she puts her mind on something. He is still surprised by her announcement. Xander having a woman whose birthing date is near doesn’t sound much like his son. Even if they aren’t so close, he knows the boy like the back of his palm.At the same time, Xander can be unpredictable. He had started a company in the corner of his room without informing anyone until he got his first investor. The turnout had hurt Johnson as he had always hoped his sons would take over the company. To make things worse, Jace joined his brother's wagon, leaving their father to handle everything himself.“You might be disappointed at this point. Don’t you think you are doing too much?” He queried from the chair he was seated on, interrupting Venus's humming session.She cut him a glare. “You are why Xander must have kept something like that away from u
Chapter 75 Market ValueX&J EMPIRE, NEW YORK.“How is the market value that I asked you to check?” Xander asked Lisa while keeping his eyes on the tablet in his hand.Lisa made a sound before responding. “I just sent it to you now. Many are backing out due to the debts the company is owing. The market value is at its lowest, but the clause pays the other money without remaining a dime.”He hummed, nodding his head slowly. “Jace, what do you have on the probability of sales in the next six months?”Waiting for his turn, Jace sat up and passed a document to his brother and Lisa. “So, depending on what we have gathered, the merger would boost the sales tenfold. However, we chipped in the possibility of unforeseen circumstances. Which would bring us to five times the profit.”“Does that mean Nina’s proposal is top-notch?” Xander asked.“Yes, sir. We did market research and had the team conduct a proper analysis and survey. What we got enabled us to have a sketch of the incoming sales.” Ja
Chapter 76 Good MemoriesNINA’S HOME, NEW YORK.Nina turned to the side, letting out a soft yawn. It's been so long since she slept so soundly. Repositioning herself, she felt a protective arm around her. It took her a second for the positioning to register in her heart. She looked up to see Xander’s handsome, sleeping face.A small smile played on her lips. She had been having difficulty sleeping due to excess peeing last night. Her refusal to remain at home and resume office had prompted a bit of discomfort in her body. Even after taking her pills, she couldn’t stop moving around. Xander wouldn’t have known of the ordeal she was enduring if she hadn’t gone to the kitchen to get water to drink and found him in the living room, drinking by himself.He looked distraught when she explained her condition. She assured him it was nothing serious; they stayed quiet for some time and started talking and reminiscing about their time together when they were dating in college. It was always a s
Chapter 77 Dolled UpTHE MALL, NEW YORK.“Why are we shopping again?” As they walked into a clothing store, Nina asked Tania for the umpteenth time.Tania groaned, “Can you just trust me, please? I am trying to get you a nice dress and take you to dinner.”“Dinner? Why is that all of a sudden?”“Just because I want to spoil you! I want to treat my friend nicely. Especially since I want to be your child’s godmother.”Nina laughed. “Like anyone else would ever be the godmother. You know it will be you. Like there is anyone else.”Tania grinned eagerly. “Now that we have agreed on that. How about you try this on?” She pulled out a lovely white dress on the cloth rack, handing it to Nina.“This looks nice.”“Try it out then.”Nina walked into the dressing room a bit reluctant. She wasn’t a fan of changing, but Tania wasn’t a person she could refuse. She wore the dress, and a pleasant gasp escaped her lips. The dress clung to her nicely and didn’t make her uncomfortable. She already loved
Chapter 1 The DinnerTHE TAYLOR’S HOME, NEW YORKButterflies ran free in Nina’s belly, making her the happiest person on earth. It's been so long since she had desired the gift, and it finally came to her when everything seemed to be heading for the rocks. Her eyes lingered on the paper in her hand, and she squealed in extreme delight. It's been days since she kept the news to herself, hoping she wouldn’t let it all out in excitement before the right time. Now that the day had finally come, she couldn’t wait to tell the world. Humming a Beyonce tune to herself, she changed from her outing attire to something more comfortable and headed to the kitchen.“What would you like me to prepare for dinner, ma’am?” Tania, the kitchen help, asked Nina.Nina smiled sweetly at her. “There is no need to worry, T. I will cook myself.”She raised a brow in surprise. “Why, ma’am? There is a lot to cook today. Are you sure you can handle it? Is everything okay?”“Everything is fine. I am just willing
Chapter 2 He is SterileTHE TAYLOR’S HOME, NEW YORK.The silence that followed her announcement wasn’t what Nina expected from the people she considered her family. She looked from one person to the other, her smile fading. Her hands rubbed at her belly unconsciously.“Didn’t you all hear me? I get that, and it is the shock. But this is good news. I am six weeks pregnant. I am carrying the first grandchild of the family.” She said, staring at her parents-in-law.Asher blinked in shock and didn’t know what to say until he felt someone kick his foot under the table, like someone touched by a hot pan. He yanked his hand out of Nina’s hand, hissing loudly.“What did you just say?” He bellowed.Nina stared in evident confusion. “You heard me, baby. I am pregnant. We are having a baby.”Asher got up from the chair, ruffling his hair. He took his time to come up with the right things to say as he kept pacing the room back and forth. Pausing abruptly, he pointed a shaky finger at Nina. “Is t
Chapter 3 The Divorce PapersTHE TAYLOR’S HOME, NEW YORK.Nina's heartbeat raced as he dropped the bombshell on her. Immediately, she went down on her knees and tried to touch his legs, but he kicked her off. “Asher—““I am going to get a divorce from you!” Asher repeated himself, this time with more finality in his tone.Nina felt the ground spin under her. She hoped this was a nightmare and she would wake up from it. The tears kept pushing their way out of her eyes, burning her cheeks. She slapped herself to be sure she wasn’t having a bad dream, and it hurt badly.It seemed she had finally crossed the thin line between life and its unforeseen circumstances. She never thought something like this would tear her world to pieces today. Probably, if she knew, she would have remained in bed.Even though Asher had been acting strange for a while, they were refined and cordial with each other. He still makes love to her and kisses her goodbye whenever they arrive at the company. Even if sh
Chapter 4 Earning Her KeepTANIA’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK.“Ma’am, you should get up. Don’t forget you are on the early morning shift.” Tania said to Nina as she tapped her gently to wake her.Nina mumbled incoherent words and turned back to Tania before opening her eyes. She groaned inwardly. Nina had never had a hard time waking up before. But with her pregnancy, she wakes up grumpy or tired in the early hours. Sighing in exhaustion, she sat on the bed, scratching her eyes.“Good morning, Tania. Can you please stop calling me, ma’am? My name is Nina. And you are the reason I have a roof over my head. I don’t know what would have become of me.”“Just because you are in this state now doesn’t change that you are a woman of respect. This moment won’t go on forever, and I know you will return on your feet in no time. So, please, let me call you as I please.”Nina laughed softly. “You are such a sweet person.”“I owe it to you. You are the first person I worked with who didn’t treat me like