Anne’s POV
“Well young lady, I’ve had my fair share of One-night stands in this lifetime and you won’t be the first to approach me with this silly tactic. You all are gold diggers, looking for whom to extort money from. But young lady, you came to the wrong house today. Now if you could excuse me, I have to round up my meal and get on with things more important,” Lucian said to me.I felt so angry and embarrassed. How could he say that to me? Me? A Gold-digger? How did I end up sleeping with a heartless man like Lucian?“Excuse me, Mr. Lucian, I’m not here to extort money from you. Hell, I didn’t even know who you were until I got to know that I was pregnant. I’m only here to tell you about your child that I’m carrying so you can perform your fatherly duties towards him or her. I could have taken care of this child on my own but my pay isn’t enough,” I said.“See, a Gold-digger; you couldn’t take care of yourself alone but then you went ahead to get pregnant for just any man and you come here to accuse me of getting you pregnant because you probably cannot find the father and you need someone rich to take care of you and your unborn child. Security, take her away from here,” said Lucian, issuing the last command to his security men.The security men approached me and began to drag me out of the area. I struggled to be free but their grips were too tight. I tried to remind them that I was a pregnant woman but they turned deaf ears to me. When I saw that Lucian wasn’t ready to take responsibility for the baby, I knew exactly what to do.“I’ll go to the news channel,” I said, hoping that would work.Lucian looked up at once.“Gotcha,” I muttered to myself as a smirk appeared on my face.Lucian gave a signal to his men and they let me go.“What did you say?” he asked.“If you don’t accept this baby, then I’ll go to the media and let them know what you’ve done. I’m sure they’ll believe a poor pregnant woman’s rape story over the story of a playboy Billionaire. I could make a lot of money that way,” I said, the smirk in my face broadened.Lucian’s demeanor changed from cocky to apprehensive as he considered the repercussions. He obviously hadn’t anticipated that my threat would have such an effect. The stillness hung heavily between us, and the atmosphere in the room had now become tense.Finally, he muttered, his voice a deep, deliberate growl,“You wouldn’t dare.”I stared at his eyes directly, my resolve firm. I responded,“Try me,” with a renewed tenacity pulsing through me.Sighing in frustration, Lucian ran a hand through his neatly styled hair. His poker face crumbled, displaying a glimmer of weakness. It was a unique opportunity to see behind the wealthy billionaire’s imposing persona.“Okay, young lady…“Anne, my name is Anna,” I corrected.“Ok Anne. We’ll discuss this. However not here. Come with me,” he replied, softening but maintaining a slight edge.He asked me to follow him but I hesitated. He noticed that I wasn’t coming with him.“Why aren’t you coming?” he asked me.“Well, I don’t trust you. You could kill me and hide my body where no one would find me. I don’t think I want that to happen and if it does, I have a car outside with my friends waiting in it. I told them that if I don’t come out in an hour, they should call the cops with the information that the great Lucian has murdered me,” I said, a sly smile on my face.“You’re delusional, Miss Anne. I’m not killing you. I want us to discuss this whole situation,” Lucian said.“Now come with me,” he ordered.I looked at him for a while before eventually following behind. He led me into a big spacious office like area. The while furniture looked expensive and probably imported. The office looked nice and there were artworks and sculptures that beautified the whole place. Who would have thought that the cold-hearted Billionaire was an art lover? Not me though, I thought.He took a seat in the executive chair behind a gigantic glass table. He asked me to sit and I did as I was told. He turned on his computer and began to type something in it. When he was done, he brought out his phone and made a call.“Get me the lawyer,” he said and hung up.I sat still wondering what the hell was going on? A lawyer? What does he need a lawyer for? I wondered. Ten minutes later, a man walked in suited up in an expensive suit and trousers.“Mr. Macaulay, thanks for coming. I’m sorry for sending for you out of the blue. A matter of urgency just arose,” Lucian said to the man that had just walked in, whom I assumed to be the lawyer he sent for.“It’s nothing, Mr. Hawthorne. I’m at your disposal any time and any day. What seems to be the problem though?” Mr. Macaulay asked.Lucian looked over to me and Mr. Macaulay followed his eyes. Oh so I’m the problem, I thought to myself angrily.“Who is she?” Mr. Macaulay said, referring to me.“She’s another one of those women who thinks she can extort money from me using a fake pregnancy. She’s Anne,” Lucian said glaring at me.“I’ve told you Mr. Hawthorne that I’m not here for your money; I only need you to own up to your fatherly duties towards your child that I’m carrying in my womb,” I said.“Hello Mrs. Anne,” the lawyer said to me.“Hello,” I said uninterested.I knew he was going to support his client so I wasn’t fully interested in what he wanted to say.“Are you really sure that Mr. Hawthorne here is the father of your child?” he asked calmly.“I’m 100 percent sure that the child I’m carrying belongs to Lucian. I didn’t sleep with any other man after our encounter and I’m not the virgin Mary,” I answered.“Ok, so here’s what we’ll do. Mr. Hawthorne here has had a lot of women come up to him in this way claiming they were pregnant for him when they were not and we eventually found out they wanted to extort money from him. So in order to avoid that from happening again, we’ll draw up a contract that states that Mr. Hawthorne will take care of you and your child while pretending to be in a marriage agreement for the period of your pregnancy. If the child ends up being his, he’ll take responsibility hence you’ll get arrested for trying to frame him for something that isn’t true,” the lawyer said.“What? Could you like break it down for me? Seems I’m not hearing you properly?” I said, not believing what I had just heard.“You’ll enter a contractual marriage with Mr. Hawthorne for the period of your pregnancy…”“I thought I didn’t hear you clearly the first time. Why would I want to do that? Why would I want to marry this cold-hearted man? I don’t think I want to do that,” I said.“Miss Anne, Mr. Hawthorne is a very reputable man in the country apart from being famous as a playboy. News about him having a child out of wedlock would ruin his reputation. We just need you to stay married to him for a year and until your child is born. If the child ends up being his, he’ll take care of the child and we’ll announce that you died during child birth but in reality, Mr. Hawthorne would ensure your safe passage out of New York to a country far away from here,” the lawyer said.“First of all Mr. Lawyer, my child is not going to be born out of wedlock and secondly, I’m not going to agree to playing dead and secretly moving to another country. What about my friends and my job over here?” I asked.“It’s either that or nothing,” Mr. Macaulay said.I sat still wondering what to do. Should I take this chance or not? But this man is so heartless; how can I love with him for the next 9 to 12 months? I can’t bear to stand beside me as he makes my blood boil. He treated me like I was nothing but a trash he could just do away with.I was conflicted between two choices: either to accept the proposal or to reject it. While I was still contemplating on what to do, Lucian spoke,“We don’t have all the time in the world, young lady. Some of use have work to do unlike you.”“GIVE ME SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT. IT’S NOT AN EASY DECISION,” I yelled at Billionaire.While I was thinking about how I couldn’t stand Lucian, I made my choice.Anne’s POV“Fine; I’ll agree to it. I’ll agree to the 1 year or rather 9 months contract marriage so that in return Lucian can accept the fatherly duties,” I said.Mr. Macaulay and Lucian looked at me like they couldn’t believe my reply. Wasn’t that what they expected? I asked myself. “That’s if the child ends up being mine,” Lucian added.I rolled my eyes at him. “That’s a good decision, Miss Anne. Now you’ll have to sign a few papers to effect the contract,” the lawyer said.“No problem,” I said.I just wanted to be done with that and get out of here. The lawyer brought out the contract which I later found out was the document Lucian had typed while waiting for the lawyer. He gave it to me and I read the necessary parts to be read before signing the contract. I handed it back to them when I was done and asked the question that had been in my mind since I agreed to this contract thing.“When will the fake wedding be held?” I asked.“This weekend,” said Lucian.“What? That early?” I
Anne’s POVThe pain suddenly stopped and I felt better again. I looked at my best friends with a smile and said,“Sorry; I guess it’s just a fake alarm. The baby kicked; it has been doing that for some time now. I’m in my 4th month so it’s normal.”Kiama and the girls sighed in relief. They were worried that something else gone wrong. The fun vibe returned as we conversed and laughed throughout the remainder of dinner. We eventually finished our meal, said our kind goodbyes, and they left, leaving me with a heart full of thankfulness for the beloved connections that had gotten me this far in my trip.One day, I was in the living room surround with different snacks. Don’t blame me, it’s the baby’s cravings. I was watching TV while eating the snacks when Lucian walked in. “What’s going on here?” He asked, a disgusted looked on his face.“What does it look like?” I retorted back.“Why have you turned my living room into a garbage house? You could have done that in your bedroom,” he said
Author’s POVKiama, Daisy, and Gemma, Anne's friends, couldn't help but look at each other nervously as Lucian appeared out of nowhere. Unaware of the tense atmosphere in the space, Anne questioned their apprehensive looks."Why do you three appear to have witnessed a ghost?" Anne asked with worry rushing through her body.Her friends responded by motioning for her to turn around while trying to discreetly communicate their point. The fact that Anne was still unable to understand their signs just made her uneasiness worse.As her frustration grew, Anne said,"What's happening? I'm scared of you."Look behind you," Daisy muttered as she leaned closer.Slowly, Anne moved her head to see what her friends were looking at. Lucian was there, in the space, his presence throwing an unexpected shadow over the group. His unexpected return caused Anne's eyes to widen as she processed it.She asked, her voice tinged with a range of emotions, "You're back?"Lucian returned her stare with a myster
Author's POV"Can you tell me more about your friends?" Lucian asked Anne as he moved closer to her and took a seat beside her.Anne told Lucian how she met her friends starting with Kiama whom she met at high school then to Daisy and Gemma whom she befriended in college. She told him all they've been through as friends and how they've got her back. She told him of their professions and Anne noticed the change in Lucian's demeanor."Don't be a scared; they only hit anyone who hurts me like my ex?" Anne said."You were in a relationship?" Lucian asked curiously."Yes I was; the night we met, I caught my fiancé as of that time with another woman on our bed in my apartment. It was so heartbreaking," Anne said."I'm...I'm so sorry about that," Lucian replied, showing signs of true concern."I went to the clubhouse that day to drink away my sorrow and that was the day you saw me and brought me to your home. Now here we are and I'm carrying your child. I could still remember how you humilia
Author’s POV“Anne, it’s not just about having common experiences,” Kiama started with a sigh. “You never know when love will creep up on you. Perhaps it began as sympathy, but it’s obvious that your feelings for Lucian have grown,” she continued.“And it’s not a negative thing, Anne,” added Gemma. “Love is a lovely and common feeling. Furthermore, we have observed the closeness between you two. There is definitely a special connection between the two of you,” she concluded.When Anne realized that her friends’ statements were accurate, she was forced to consider her developing feelings for Lucian. She had witnessed his frailty, held him during nightmares, and had private moments with him. It was becoming more and more obvious that her heart was opening up to him in unexpected ways.“I… I suppose you could be possibly right,” Anne said, her cheeks beginning to flush.“So, when are you going to tell him how you feel?” Daisy asked with a cheeky grin.In fear, Anne’s eyes widened.“Tel
Author’s POVWith his lips lightly touching Anne’s temple, Lucian mumbled,“I don’t want to hide our feelings any longer.”The eagerness in Anne’s heart caused her to nod in accord. She was aware that their shared adventure had taken an unexpected turn, but she wholeheartedly welcomed it.The storm raged outside as they clutched one other in the dimly lighted chamber. However, Anne and Lucian had discovered something more potent than any storm in the security of Lucian’s embrace—they had discovered love.In the midst of the thunder and lightning, their love story started, a tribute to how unpredictable and lovely love is in and of itself. They slept together that night, in each others warm embrace. The next morning, Anne woke up to see Lucian staring at her with so much love written on his face. The tenderness in Lucian’s eyes as he saw Anne awaken was palpable. As his lips softly smiled, his fingers delicately touched her cheek.He sighed, “Good morning, beautiful.”When Anne looke
Author's POVAnne and Lucian turned around to see the person that he dreaded the most, his ex-girlfriend, Amelia Maslow. The same one who broke his heart by cheating on him with a job contractor.Amelia was a beautiful young woman great curves; she was also heavily endowed in front and even behind. She was a model and was an ambassador for almost 12 companies. She was Lucian's girlfriend until she was caught cheating."It's you. I'm so happy to see you," she said in her annoying high-pitched voice as she tried to approach Lucian with a hug.But Lucian stretch out his hand, indirectly asking her not to come any closer and Amelia got the message."Who's this?" Anne asked, looking at the dolled up lady. Amelia gave Anne a critical glance as she shifted her attention to her. "She must be the wife. I heard that you finally got married. Before that, I heard you randomly graced your bed with several women. I couldn't believe it when I heard about your wedding. I thought it was a lie but I
Author's POV Lucian looked up with a smile but was shocked to see who had just walked in."Amelia?""Yes baby," Amelia said as she walked seductively towards Lucian.She was wearing a short, tight fitted gown that hugged all her curves. In that dress, no sane man would want to ignore her advances but Lucian wasn't moved."Why are you here? Did you lie to my secretary about being my wife?" Lucian asked."It was the only way you'd let me see you since you've been ignoring my calls and messages," Amelia answered."Look I wore your favorite gown. I remember how much you used to ask me to wear it. Aren't you turned on seeing me in it?" Amelia said, biting her lower lip seductively."Amelia, get out of my office before I call security on you," Lucian said, fighting the urge to look at her.It was true; this was the gown he loved seeing in her when they were together. Amelia for sure knew what she was doing.Lucian's office was tense as Amelia persisted in advancing her agenda despite his o