***** The Next Day ******
******* CR Company ********
Everyone worked hard to launch the product. The weekly meetings, updating Danica and Alfred with the improvement. Everything was running satisfactorily and peacefully.
The half-day passed in a prosaic way.
After having a short break in the afternoon, Danica was heading towards her office. As she was passing by, she noticed Alfred standing and staring at the view through long glass windows.
She approaches him and stands beside him.
Her hands at the back.
"Sorry" she says and looks at the view.
Alfred who was lost in his thoughts, gets interrupted. He realized that his love was standing next to him.
He smiled upon seeing her.
"What are you sorry for ?" he asked, still glancing at the view.
"Yesterday, I kissed you without your permission. You were not even prepared" she explains
"I dragged you into this game of pretence, without considering your thoughts and approval" she adds
[I am always ready to give you love, my dear. You don't need to be sorry for that ] Alfred thought
At the moment, looking at the circumstance, he cannot speak his mind and express his feelings directly.
"It's alright" He said with a smile and looked at her.
[Why your smile is so infectious? ] she was thinking.
She wanted to smile back, but, she didn't. As always her reason was the same, it would hurt her pride. She had feelings for him, but, she wanted Alfred to initiate the things.
She looks at the view and tells "Count yourself lucky, Alfred. You got to kiss me, whereas other men can't even enter my life, I always get rid of them. Secondly, I said "sorry" to you. I never apologize to anybody because they are not even worthy of my apology"
[I am very lucky to find you ] he thinks.
"So, that means I am worthy enough to be with you?" He asked being witty.
She looks at him and then looks away abruptly.
"Think whatever you want" she replied
He smiled inwardly.
"By the way, what you are doing here, all alone?" She inquired.
"I was thinking --" he said
"About what ?"
"A child" he replied with a smile.
Her eyes widened as she heard that and she immediately distanced herself a little bit from him.
[What...w..what he is saying! Does he want a child? I just permitted him to pretend to be my boyfriend and now this guy is trying to take advantage of this situation. What the heck !! ] she was thinking fast.
"Yesterday, when I was heading towards home. I was lost in thoughts --" He explains
"Whose thoughts ?" she asked with a skeptical face.
[Your thoughts ] he mumbles in his mind.
"You don't need to know" He replied to Danica.
Danica's heart breaks down
[Does he have another woman in his life?] she presumed.
She tried her best to not show her envy and jealousy, but, her face betrayed her.
Alfred was loving that she was feeling jealous. It was a sign that she liked him too.
"I was so lost in my thoughts and because of that I was just about to hit a homeless child" He explains.
Danica sighed as she heard "homeless child"
"Then ?" she asked curiously.
"I brought him with me and made him eat some sandwiches. I took him to an orphanage later and told them to keep this child" he said.
[ He is a nice person ] she thought.
Meanwhile, Paul's friend was passing by and he overheard Alfred's words "KEEP THE CHILD"
He misinterprets Alfred's words.
[ WHAT THE HECK !! Danica ...I mean Boss is pregnant with Alfred's child ] Paul's friend was thinking fast now.
He was shocked. He briskly moves downstairs, towards the office area.
[ I need to tell this news to Paul. RIP to his emotions and heart. I told him to give up, but this guy didn't hear me ] Paul's friend mumbles.
He was feeling sad for Paul.
Paul was sitting at his desk, he puts on his headphones and starts a piece of music.
He boosted the volume of the music to silent his weird thoughts.
Now, his friend arrives, he was gasping badly.
Paul saw his friend gasping heavily and inquired him what happened. However, he was still wearing his headphones.
"Hey Paul, I have an advice for you. Take your emotions and feelings, and just throw them in the trash" His friend said.
Paul was unable to hear him properly, he still had his headphones around his head.
He didn't care about giving attention to his friend properly, because his friend always said stupid and weird things to him.
"Danica is pregnant" his friend said loudly to make sure he understands
Paul misunderstood his friend's words and heard "Nina is pregnant"
He removes his headphones and becomes restless.
"Where did you get this news from?" Paul inquired, he was surprised.
"I saw her talking to ---"
"What the fuck !!" Paul cut him short and mumbled.
Paul leaves instantly
"Aye, Paul....." his friend shrieks as he left the office
"Gosh! This weirdo" his friend muttered inwardly.
After some time, Paul's friend realized that he spoke so loud that everyone knew by now that Danica is pregnant !!
[ Oh no, what did I just do! I spoke so loudly just to make that jerk understand and now everyone knows] he thinks.
Sean heard that too, now felt as if, he was dead already. He was about to lose his consciousness.
[ What am I still doing here? Now, what else is left? first, working under ex. Second, seeing that kiss and now, pregnancy! Oh god !! ] he thought.
******************
Danica was sitting in her cabin, working on her project.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Yes come in!" she says
A lady employee enters her cabin.
"Boss, here is the progress report" she said and gave her the file.
Danica takes a look at the progress report and finds that it was too low. She gets furious.
"Why our progress is so low?" she raises her voice.
"We are working hard, boss" Lady said in low voice and lowered her head.
"Huh...hard work, my foot !" she throws that file on the ground and proceeds "Your hard work should be seen in the progress report! I can't see that. "
"Do overtime, but our progress report should never have such low rates" She raises her voice.
"Okay Boss" the lady replies.
"LEAVE" Danica said, lifting one eyebrow.
"Boss, I would like to say something" Lady says modestly
"What is it?"
"You should not be so angry in such critical condition. It affects the child. You should always stay happy. Child to - be - born will be happy too" the lady said
Lady gave a brief smile and left.
[ Eh...a Child? critical condition? What she was trying to say? ] Danica thinks.
*************
Paul arrives at Nina's s house.
[Did yesterday's act got her pregnant ?? ] he was still shocked.
[No way...that can't be the case. I took every precaution ] he was trembling a little bit. He didn't expect such a twist in his fate.
Nina opens the door. As Paul sees her, he hugs her.
Nina hugs back.
[ Is he okay? why he is being so nice to me? ] Nina speculates.
[Maybe, this is my fate, I am going to be a dad now. I should accept this lady and child. I never thought, my story of becoming a dad would be so weird ] Paul was getting emotional and skeptical at the same time.
Nina takes him inside.
"What are you doing here ?" she asked
"You should take a rest in such a situation" he pats her belly as he spoke.
She removes his hand briskly from her belly.
"What are you saying?" She inquired.
[Why she is behaving like that? will she keep this child away from his dad, just because I was rude to her in past? No, I won't let that happen ] He thinks.
He holds her head gently and gives her a soft kiss.
"I am sorry for being rough yesterday" he says
"Please don't keep me away from 'This' " he points at her belly as he cites.
[What does he mean by " THIS " ?] she had no idea what he was talking about.
"Wait for a second !" She said and removed his hand from her face.
"What's going on ..huh?" she asked sternly.
[She won't understand my hints. I need to be direct. It's my first time. I see, how overwhelming it is to say "My Child". I need to be direct, come on Paul! you can say it ] He thought.
"Okay, sorry I got you pregnant," he said finally
"Don't keep me away from my child" he adds
"Whaaaaat ....I ..I am p..pregnant?" She was shocked
******************
"Where is this jerk, Paul ?" Danica was getting restless and furious.
"Conference is about to start" she says.
She sees Alfred approaching. He sits beside her.
She was now getting angrier. She takes the glass that was beside her and throws it on the ground.
"It's been two hours, where is this jerk Paul?" she raised her voice as she spoke.
A female employee said that she saw Paul leaving the company two hours ago.
Another employee advised her that she should take care of herself, else the child might be affected if she takes on too much stress.
Paul's friend hides his face as everyone started giving her advice on child and health.
"What the heck is this ?" she inquired "What's going on ? will anyone tell me ?"
Her anger now was at its peak.
Alfred grabs her hand under the table and looks at her, trying to say "Calm down"
There was now silence.
"Meeting is over" Danica says.
As she was leaving the Conference room, she stops and looks at Paul's friend. He was looking down.
She snaps at him and says "Hey you --"
Paul's friend looks up and replies "Yes, Boss"
"Send Paul to my cabin as he arrives. I want you both in my Office " she speaks sternly And departs.
*************
Meanwhile
*************
"Who said that to you?" she asked Paul
"My friend told me --" He answered.
"Oh, God! He might be joking. I am not pregnant, okay?" She cited.
"What!"
"Please say that once again" he said and grinned.
" I AM NOT PREGNANT !" she repeats
He was happy, he didn't make her pregnant.
He wasn't going to be the dad of any child.
"Then why did he say that you are pregnant?" he thought and mumbled.
"He might be joking with you" she sighs and replies.
"Aish ...this guy" Paul gritted his teeth as he spoke "How can he joke on such a sensitive topic? I need to teach him a lesson"
He leaves her house instantly.
**************
Paul arrives at the CR Company.
He was very angry at his friend. He was heading towards the office area. As he reached the office area, everybody gave him a serious stare.
[ Why everyone is looking at me like that?]
He thinks and gives a nervous smile.
"Eh...Hello, I am Paul" he said nervously
[ W..what am I doing ? they already know I am PAUL. How can I be so stupid? Oh, God! This nervousness] he thought
"Can someone tell me where is my friend, Mr. Lee ?" he inquired with a nervous smile.
A man taller than him came forward. Paul gets stunned.
[ Is this the last day of my life?] he thought.
That man puts his both hands on Paul's shoulder and tells him "RIP "
"Eh...what.!"
"Your Friend is in Danica's office " said another employee.
Paul fastens towards Danica's office.
He immediately enters her cabin.