Chapter 5: A New boyfriend and pregnancy.

Amelia was furious.As she stormed down the street, she couldn’t stop the seething anger building in her chest. How dare he? Who did he think she was? Some kind of harlot he could summon whenever he pleased?She’d excused herself from Noah with a forced smile, her stomach turning, not from guilt, but from her own pride that was being shattered.She kicked open her apartment door, dropped her bag, and paced the length of the living room. Her thoughts were a mess. The night replayed in her head like a haunting memory, the weight of Grayson’s body, the look in his eyes, the way she'd felt afterward. Vulnerable, onfused, sed.“Who the hell does he think he is?” she snapped, tossing a cushion across the room.Her phone was in her hand before she even realized it. She needed Leah. She needed someone who could talk her down, help her make sense of this.She dialed Leah's number.No service.She dialed again, and it was still unreachable."Come on, Leah, what on earth is wrong with your line?" she whispered.There was a moment of silence.Her head throbbed. It felt like a dull hammer beating behind her eyes. She clutched her forehead and slumped onto the couch. Her limbs ached, her eyes burned, and before she could think any further, she drifted off into a restless sleep.The next morning was no better.She awoke with a sharp pain in her lower back and the same throbbing headache. When she rose from the bed, the wave of nausea hit her like a truck.She sprinted to the bathroom and vomited. Twice.“Malaria?” she groaned, rinsing her mouth. “Perfect!”"You came just right in time!" She cursed under her breathe.By the time she got dressed for work, she was dizzy and sweating. Still, she pushed herself out of the house. She couldn’t afford to call in sick, not after the camera incident. She figured she’d go to the clinic after work.At the office, everything was in motion.She had barely settled at her desk when gasps and whispers from the office. “No way.”“Who’s that?”“Oh my God, he’s so fine.”Amelia looked up just in time to see Noah Caldwell stepping in with a tray of pastries and a box of drinks. His suit was crisp, his tie loose, and his smile disarmingly warm.“Hey,” he said, eyes landing on her. “Thought I’d stop by and feed you guys. Breakfast on me.”Her colleagues went wild.“Amelia, is this your boyfriend?”“Girl, you’ve been hiding this fine man?”“I’ll take one just for being close to him!”Amelia’s cheeks burned. “No, he’s not… I mean, we’re just… friends.”Noah leaned in and whispered, “Yet.”She nearly choked on air.They walked to the corner of the room for a brief moment of peace.“You didn’t have to do all that,” Amelia said, folding her arms.“I wanted to,” he replied simply. “I’m not really the type to beat around the bush. I like you, Amelia. I have since high school. And now that we’ve met again, I’d like to see where this could go.”She blinked. Once, then twice. There was no words.Her world went shut for a while.He was serious. He didn't seem like he was up to some games. No flirting wrapped in lies.“I just… I didn’t expect that,” she stammered. “Give me some time to think?”“Take all the time you need,” he smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “But I’m not going anywhere.”"Just so you know" He gave her a wink and headed out.The moment he was gone, the teasing resumed in full swing.“You better say yes, Amelia!”“He’s a dream!”Leah, who had just returned from her trip, leaned in with a grin. “He’s a sweet soul, that one. I approve.”Amelia smiled. For the first time in weeks, it felt good to smile.Grayson’s POVThe boardroom was silent, thick with tension.Grayson walked in. His charcoal suit clung to his form perfectly, every stride precise. Heads turned, whispers followed.Then came him, Damien.His stepbrother. His rival.“Well, well,” Damien smirked. “Look who still thinks he’s king. You're on the verge of losing the company Mr. CEO”Grayson didn’t stop walking, just responded coolly, “At least someone has to own before losing. You never had anything to begin with.”Damien’s jaw tightened. “Watch me take it from you.”“As if you have the capability,” Grayson shot back, offering a dark smirk before entering the boardroom. The meeting was brutal. Shareholders were furious. Profits had dipped, rankings had dropped. The once second-ranked conglomerate was now in fourth place.“This is unacceptable, Mr. Hayes,” a gray-haired investor barked. “You have one month. Raise us back to the top two, or consider yourself out.”Grayson said nothing. He nodded, stood, and left.His secretary jogged beside him, rattling off the names of departments, strategy heads, and backup plans.“I want the marketing department to double campaigns by tomorrow. Set meetings with every key investor. We’re going on a charm offensive,” he ordered.“Understood, sir.”He was trying to get some work done when something struck hima again; Her face, that girl.He didn’t even know her name. Just the feel of her lips, the heat of her skin. The way she’d clung to him that night. So shy. So delicate. Innocent.He pulled out his phone and dialed the woman who had arranged the night.“She declined,” the woman said curtly. “Said she wasn’t interested.”Grayson’s lips curled.“Find me someone else. I want another innocent.”*************Amelia’s day ended in a haze of fatigue and nausea.Leah had offered to walk her to the clinic, but Amelia insisted she was fine.“I probably just need malaria meds,” she said, waving her off.At the clinic, the nurse looked her over, frowned at the symptoms, and ran a series of tests.“Come back in two hours,” the nurse said.Amelia did as told. She got herself a bottle of water and sat at a nearby park bench, wondering what Noah was doing and whether she’d ever say yes to him."What if she lost him?" The thought crossed her mind.A message popped up on her phone, she check.As expected, it was from Noah."Hey, dear. I hope you got home all right. I'll be working late tonight, would call you later" She read the text over and over. She smiled." What use was waiting? It's three weeks since they met now. She likes him, he does to. Why wait around and let someone else steal a man that good looking?"She picked up her phone to reply, determined." I thought about what you said today, and I felt i should give "us" a trial." Noah called immediately, all excited." Thank you for saying yes to me" his excited voice rang over the phone.If felt to Amelia like she'd hit a jackpot. Her mom would definitely be so excited to know she now has a man. The last person she had ever dated was in college.Two hours later, the test results came in.The doctor placed the envelope in her hand, face unreadable.She opened it. It says;Blood test. Positive.Urine test. Positive.Pregnancy: Confirmed.Amelia eyes went over the results for a while, then she laughed.A dry, broken laugh.“This is a joke,” she whispered.Her mind flashed to that night. The hotel, and the e stranger.The man whose name she only got to know from his ID.The Billionaire that had paid her to be gone, and called her the night before for another of what he freely enjoyed weeks ago.“Pregnant?” she choked. Tears spilled down her cheeks."A whole three weeks pregnant? And I'm just aware?" The doctor offered her a tissue.“I need… I need a moment.”She stepped out of the clinic like a ghost. The world seemed to blur around her.A baby?What would she tell Leah?What about Noah? She barely just said "yes" to him.What about work?Her parents? She sank onto the nearest bench and cried.Alone, confused, and of course, pregnant.