Santiago unlocked his car door, and Ophelia entered swiftly. She was wearing a white V-neck see-through gown. It was a long, armless gown with a bare back. She also wore a big black sunshade. Santiago laughed when he saw her in disguise.
"Why are you laughing? What's happening is really serious, Santiago!" Ophelia cried out.
"Chill, baby," Santiago leaned in to wear her seatbelt. "I can't chill, Santiago. Leo's mom found out about us. She found out that I cheated on Leonardo," Ophelia heaved a sigh and placed her palm on her forehead.
"Mrs. Grey found out about us? Why? You told her?" Santiago began to laugh.
Ophelia looked annoyed and glanced at the man who seemed unserious.
"How did Leo find out?" Ophelia asked.
"Simple. I sent him a video of us," Santiago replied in an unfazed manner.
"You did what?" Ophelia removed the seatbelt immediately and looked at him in anger.
"He knew about us before I even sent him a video. I sped things up. We can be together now," Santiago held her hand.
Ophelia flung his hand away and hissed, "Who told you that I want to be in a relationship with you, Santiago?"
"You don't want to be in a relationship with me?" Santiago asked with a frown.
"I don't like you, Santiago. I love Ronny," Ophelia confessed.
"You love that useless son of a bitch?" Santiago began to laugh like a madman.
"Then what are you doing with me all this while?" he asked.
"Ronny doesn't have the means to take care of me yet. He's unstable now," Ophelia replied.
"So, you're here to use me?" Santiago hissed.
"It's not like that, Santiago. You know we can't work. Yes, we can, but my heart belongs to Ronny. Do you even love me?" Ophelia asked.
"Yes," Santiago answered.
"If I don't love you, why would I bother to spend millions of dollars on you when I can use that for my business and other things?"
"Baby," Ophelia was on his lap soon and began to kiss him.
"The glass isn't tinted," Santiago warned her between their kisses.
"I don't care," Ophelia replied and began to unbuckle his belt.
**
Jessica blushed as she stared at Junho's face. They were on the same bed, having slept together the previous night. She kept blushing as she admired him. When she noticed his lashes shaking, she quickly turned around and shut her eyes tightly.
"He wants to open his eyes," she thought.
She felt his hands on her waist and bit her lips. She shut her eyes and breathed heavily.
"Open your eyes. I know you're awake," he said with a deep voice and kissed her back.
Jessica felt hot and turned around to look at his face. Both were naked under the sheets. He tucked her baby tendrils behind her ears and watched her giggle like a high school girl.
"Why are you so cute?" he asked, and she blushed.
She suddenly held the sheets tighter when he wanted to move closer to her.
"C'mon! I saw everything last night. You're so sexy," he whispered into her ears, and she blushed.
"I'm shy, Junho. It's so bright. It was dark last night," Jessica muttered.
"I understand," Junho traced her spine with his index finger and placed his lips on hers.
He traced her face and kissed her jaw. He began to kiss her neck and asked, "Can we do it once more?"
"No! No!!" Jessica laughed and pushed him away.
"Please, my love," Junho was helpless and started looking for the condom.
"I hid it already because I know you," Jessica replied and jumped up from the bed suddenly.
"I have a shoot this evening," she cried and stopped when she saw Junho's reaction.
He was gawking at her naked body.
"You pervert," she quickly grabbed the sheets and ran into the bathroom.
"Man!" Junho groaned and began to stroke himself slowly.
"You'll pay for this, Jessica," he swore and continued stroking his dick.
**
"Here's your iced americano and—" The words got stuck in Riley's throat when she saw the customer she was serving.
"And?" Silas raised his brow.
"What the fuck is he doing in Rhyte Taste again?" Riley thought with a frown.
"And jam doughnut," Riley completed her sentence.
"You're a weirdo. Who orders iced americano and jam doughnut?" she asked.
"Me," Silas replied with a smile.
"So, this is where you really work. Interesting," he added, but she ignored him.
"What are you doing here?" Riley asked him.
"What? You should be pleased to see me. I adjusted my busy schedule to see you. I missed you, Riley," Silas confessed and looked at her.
"You should be missing your business, Mr. Silas," Riley hissed and turned around.
"But is this allowed?" Silas asked with a frown.
"What?" Riley asked. She wanted to know what he wanted to complain about before he made a report.
"Your gown. You're wearing such a body-hugging gown at your place of work. Don't you know that some guys will stare at your ass all day instead of eating their food," Silas said bluntly.
"What?!" Riley was going crazy.
"Has anyone told you that you're a womanizer? A big pervert?"
"Trust me, I can turn into one for your sake," Silas replied and sipped his americano.
"Nothing's wrong with my beautiful gown," Riley replied and turned around. Her brows were furrowed, and she frowned deeply.
"Don't frown. You look ugly," Silas told her and took out his wallet.
"The pin is 2347," he told her.
"Why would you tell me your pin?" Riley rolled her eyes. She thinks he's trying to boast.
"What if someone wants to blackmail you?"
"Don't worry, baby. That card is only used for my food," Silas told her.
"Only used for your food?" Riley scoffed.
"Yes," Silas replied.
"So, you won't mind if I stole this?" Riley wanted to know how rich he was.
"Why would you steal that? Let me know if you need money. I would gladly give you," Silas replied.
"You kissed me without my permission, Mr. Silas. Don't let that repeat itself. I just decided to go easy on you because it was our first meeting," Riley told him as she put his card into the machine.
"And this is our third meeting. We're going on a date tomorrow. I noticed that you've blocked me, so I had to come here personally to let you know," Silas said to her.
"It's really 2347," Riley shrieked after punching in his pin.
"You should be believing me from now on," Silas smiled and took his card back.
"Didn't my parents tell you that I'm not interested in you?" Riley asked.
"They did, but I didn't listen," Silas responded and collected his card back from her. He gave her a shopping bag with a smile.
Riley took it and looked into it immediately.
"What's the occasion?" she asked him.
"What's with your pretty ears today?" he asked her and ate a large chunk of his doughnut.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Riley told him straightforwardly.
"Oh, you're going with me to my grandmother's eightieth birthday tomorrow," Silas told her and sipped his americano.
"Oh! I thought you said we were going on a date?" Riley said with a low voice.
"Oh! I didn't know you were looking forward to that. We'll go to the birthday party first, then we'll have a late date at a park. See you tomorrow. I'll pick you up by four," Silas drank the remaining contents in the cup and stood up from his seat.
Riley held the bag tightly and smiled when she peeped into the bag again.
"What's that?" Zoe was already behind Riley. Riley was caught unaware by her presence and held the bag tightly.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Zoe asked further.
"No," Riley replied quickly and walked away.
"He's handsome," Zoe commented and looked at Riley.
"Hey! Why are you blushing? What's with that bag? Riley, I know you are hiding something from me for some…," Zoe's voice trailed off.
**
Abi sat across from her mother-in-law and began to fidget with her fingers. She kept glancing at her every second, but the woman kept sipping her Coca-Cola without saying a word.
"Aren't you cold?" Pen questioned Abi with a frown.
Abi wore an indigo gown that was very soft and long, with spaghetti straps. The gown had layers and was smoky.
"No, ma'am," Abi replied.
"That's good," Pen responded.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to look around nicB for my project," Abi answered.
"Are you working? Where do you work? How dare Leo ask you to work when you're pregnant?" Pen asked one after the other, leaving no space for Abi to answer.
"I don't go to a physical office, ma'am. I create content online and work online too," Abi told her.
"Does my son know that you work?" Pen asked.
"No, ma'am. It's my decision to work," Abi told her.
"Okay," Pen said and glanced at her Chapman that was untouched.
"Don't you like your drink? You told me that's what you love," Pen complained.
"Oh, yes!" Abi responded.
"I just want the ice to dissolve a little before I drink it. I'll make sure I drink it, ma'am."
"Who's the man that hugged you earlier?" Pen asked.
Abi looked at her gown and shut her eyes tightly for a second when she heard the question that her mother-in-law asked.
"He's just my old friend, ma'am. He just returned to the country and is very excited to see me. He now works in my husband's company," Abi told her in detail so she wouldn't suspect her.
"It seems like you two are very close from the way he was hugging you," Pen commented.
"Ah, yes. He is the closest male friend that I have," Abi replied with a smile.
"Don't let Leo know about you two then. My son is usually jealous of minor things like this," Pen told her.
"You shouldn't worry about that, ma'am. My husband had a fiancée, and I'm just married to him for the sake of the scandal and baby," Abi retorted.
"Is that what you think?" Pen asked with annoyance.
"Yes, ma'am. She seems like a nice girl. It seems like they are also in a serious relationship, so I shouldn't interfere," Abi declared.
"Then you should know that they are not together anymore," Pen told her and sipped her Coca-Cola.
"Really?" Abi didn't know why she was happy to hear that. She quickly replaced the smile on her face with a poker face.
"Didn't your husband tell you?" Pen was surprised to hear that Leo didn't discuss the latest status with his wife first.
"No, ma'am," Abi replied.
"Leo called the engagement off and has made it official to the public. Don't you have a phone?!" Pen exclaimed.
Abi realized why her phone had been pinging since afternoon. She hadn't even bothered to check her phone because she had been busy all day.
"I haven't checked my phone, ma'am," Abi replied.
"Okay. You should know that you have your husband to yourself now. It seems like he and Ophelia weren't in a serious relationship from the beginning. You should also know that Ophelia cheated on Leo with his enemy. You should be wise not to make the same mistake, especially when you're pregnant with his child," Pen spoke seriously.
"My husband is the only one I've slept with, ma'am. I was a virgin before I became pregnant with his child, ma'am," Abi addressed her.
Pen was proud to hear that but kept a poker face. She was happy that her son was the first man.
"Doesn't it sound uncomfortable?" Pen asked after some moments of silence.
"What?" Abi queried.
"You call me ma'am all the time. I'm your mother-in-law," Pen verified.
"No, ma'am," Abi laughed awkwardly.
"Call me mother from now on," Pen told her.
"I was so glad to hear that from my son's mouth today. My son doesn't call me for any reason, but I was more than happy to see that he called me today. I was overjoyed that I was with my phone when he called me because I would go mad to see that I missed his call," Pen smiled.
Abi knew she was indeed happy as she narrated.
"My son really fancies you," Pen told Abi with a small smile.
"He may look wicked and cold to an outsider, but if he really cares, then he does. I don't have the right to say that my son likes you, but I don't like things to go wrong," Abi said nothing to that and took Chapman to drink.
"I've gone over your report from the doctors at Grey Hospital. I'll be getting more reports with your visitation. Make sure you visit me when you're less busy. I have to go now. Enjoy your juice while you want to," Pen got up and patted her shoulder gently.
Abi smiled at her and watched her leave. She sipped her juice and dropped it on the table. Then, she took out her phone to look at the news. It was really trending.
"Leonardo Grey Calls Off Engagement With Fiancée Without Warning Beforehand!"
She smiled widely and began to read the article slowly.
***
"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Julian placed his right palm on Abi's forehead as they approached the hospital.
"Of course not," Abi smiled.
"Then, what is it? Is everything alright?" Julian asked with worry.
"Yes," Abi said and took a deep breath. "I just need to have a checkup."
"A regular checkup?" Julian questioned.
"No," Abi answered honestly.
Julian became alarmed and cupped her face with a sigh.
"Tell me everything you're not telling me apart from being married to my temporary boss," he told her.
"I'm here for antenatal care," Abi confessed and took her bottom lip in.
Julian's grip tightened on the steering wheel. He was silent for a few minutes. The atmosphere became heavy immediately.
"How did it happen, Abigail?" he asked.
"The scandal was serious, Julian. It was all my fault that I got pregnant," Abi said with a low voice.
"What happened?" he questioned her.
Abi knew he was not happy, even though he was looking at her with a calm expression.
"I was drunk, Julian," Abi began.
Julian stared at her as she spoke. He knew that she was not proud of what happened between them.
"I walked into his room and demanded that he should sleep with me, and we slept together. I discovered that I was pregnant after some weeks. I'm just happy that he's responsible for the pregnancy," Abi smiled softly.
"I would have raised the baby with you if he wasn't responsible, Abi," Julian smiled and held her hands.
"Julian-"
"What happened is all in the past, Abi. Tell me if he's not treating you well. I know that you live with him. Ava told me when I ran into her some time ago," Julian gazed at her.
"I'm pregnant with another man's child, Julian!" Abi yelled.
"And I said I'll keep loving you, Abi. It's all my fault too. If I had not left from the very beginning, this wouldn't have happened," Julian gave an excuse.
"Sometimes I don't understand you, Julian," Abi screeched.
"What?" Julian raised his brow.
"Other men would break up with any woman that says such to them after learning that she's pregnant with another man's child, but here you are, confessing your love to me like we're newlyweds," Abi frowned.
"It's because it's me, Abi. It's Julian that was in love and disappointed you years ago, so how could I blame you because of a mistake? Where did you meet him?" Julian queried.
"In the club," Abi answered.
"In the club? Why the hell were you there initially, and why were you drunk?" Julian asked her.
Abi heaved a sigh and decided not to answer the question because she was embarrassed to say it.
"Answer me, Abigail," Julian rubbed his nose.
"I heard that you were engaged to another girl over there, and I was so angry that I went to the club with Jessica to get drunk," Abi muttered.
"What? Jessica told you to go to the club to get drunk over a rumor you heard?!" Julian became angry after hearing that Jessica was involved in it.
"It wasn't her fault. I told her that I wanted to go there," Abi widened her eyes.
"Why are you widening your eyes so much?" Julian laughed because he found it cute.
"It took me a week to know that it was indeed a rumor, like you had said, but the deed has been done," Abi let out a small smile.
"Do you regret what happened that night?" Julian asked her.
"Of course not. There was a time that the thought of going to an abortion passed through my mind, but what sort of human would I be if I decided to kill my first child? I decided to give birth to this child because I'm already fond of my growing bulge," Abi rubbed her tummy and let out a smile.
"Then, are you saying that you're going to keep this baby?" Julian cross-checked.
"Yeah," Abi answered.
"I don't think I'm going to divorce my husband anytime soon, so I think we should stop seeing each other, Julian. Don't worry, we can still be friends," Abi said.
"I don't want to be friends with you, Abi," Julian replied quickly.
"Why not?" Abi asked.
"Because I won't be able to ignore my feelings for you anytime I set my eyes on you. You're too beautiful for me to not think of doing anything I'm not supposed to do with you because we're friends. I'd like to be kept out of the friend's zone, Abi. I love you," Julian responded seriously.