Clara's POV Minutes later, Derek donned an apron, the two cooking and laughing together. I never knew suggesting experimenting with spices and recipes could be this funny.I felt like a third wheel around them. Neither of them noticed when I slipped out of the kitchen to watch some TV in the living room.That's when I saw Katy peeking from upstairs. She walked downstairs, her footsteps barely audible."Is anyone dead yet?" she asked.I pointed to the kitchen, where my mom and Derek laughed.Katy looked disappointed. "I was hoping that I'd upgrade to a bigger room." She joked.Katy cozied up right next to me. Of all the space on the couch, she couldn't leave me alone. "He seems like Mom; Mom just doesn't warm up to everyone. You should start working on having that baby." Katy whispered.And have to explain why the child was born a whole month late. Lying was not going to get me out of this one. I sighed, leaning my head back.The TV didn't seem that interesting. Not when I was on edge
Clara's POV"What?" Mom repeated.Derek finally registered as he formed a blank expression.Katy had already vanished as I heard the sound of soft footsteps in the background.Mom stared at us, her face confused and demanding answers."We are having a baby," Derek repeated, this time more softly, his voice filled with uncertainty.Maybe this was the time that I jumped in. I could say that it was a plant baby that we were getting together with or even a puppy. She would be less opposed to that idea. But Derek beat me to it."This was not how I intended for you to find out. I probably should have done things a lot better. The pregnancy came as a surprise to us as well." He continued.There it was. He had done it.There was no saving me from this situation now.I stood my ground, ready to face whatever Mom said next.I expected her to start shouting or do something that was completely crazy. But instead, she remained frozen as the words slowly sank in.She had only just met Derek, and sh
Clara's POV "After everything I've said to you, you did this. Do you have any idea what it takes to raise a child?" She yelled.I tried to make my way out of the kitchen, hoping I'd still make it on time for my bus."I made breakfast," she breathed more calmly."I can't, I'm-m getting late for work." I stuttered. I pointed at the door, ready to make my way out."Sit down," Mom demanded. "If your boss had the time to get you pregnant, he can also give you time to eat." She snapped.Without another word, I sat down.She placed a plate of toast and scrambled eggs in front of me."Maybe if I had fed you, those brain cells of yours would have been working, and you wouldn't be walking around doing stupid things." She said next.Ouch!"You are already starving the poor thing. How are you supposed to be a parent?" She said as she poured a glass of orange juice for me.She slammed the glass before me, giving me a stern look.Mom returned to chopping her carrots. That was probably the only thi
Clara POV"I was on my lunch break. I was in a quiet corner outside the hotel, right at the back. Some security guards were doing their rounds a few feet from me."It's my fault. I was the one who insisted that he drop me off at the corner," I answered.Layla continued to laugh. "I'm just mad that I wasn't the one to beat him up instead. I wish someone had captured it on camera." She continued. "How is your mother handling everything?" she asked."I think it's best if Derek joins the witness protection program," I answered. "She might not have said something last night, but this morning, she was ready to murder him," I explained."I would be mad too if I found out that some guy was dropping off my daughter on some corner in the middle of the night, then I find out that she is pregnant. If she wanted to kill him, I could provide a shovel and a shallow grave. " She joked.Hearing it from Layla, I could understand how bad this seemed."Good thing I don't have any daughters. Now I'm just
Clara's POV Everything makes sense now. I should have known. Now I understand why he mentioned the security cameras to Derek and why he suddenly kept quiet."You know Derek could have easily seen that footage. Who knows what he would have thought about the whole thing? He'd hate to find out you've been up to something." He continued.Now, I was a bit unsettled by his words. Was this a threat to uncover everything I was hiding?"Don't take it as a threat, love. I'm just warning you to be more careful." He added.His gaze remained fixed on me as he studied me. I didn't dare flinch, and I didn't want to look more suspicious."I won't keep you here any longer. As you said, you might be needed." He smiled.I forced a smile, gathering my things so I could leave.With a smile, he waved me goodbye.Was that supposed to be sincere, or was that a threat? I couldn't quite figure out which side he was on.Everything was spiralling out of control. This had to end soon.I walked down the corridor
Clara's POV "There are only two suites to take care of. You don't have to do most of the work, and you need to make the rooms look presentable. I'll send someone else tomorrow as well." he said.I nodded.I took note of the two-room numbers that needed to be cleaned.I gathered the cleaning supplies I needed for the job, grabbing an apron as well since I no longer had my uniform. It would have to do.The first room was located on the third floor. Most people who rented the rooms on the top floors were millionaires, while those on the bottom floors often came here for the experience, blowing off their whole year's savings.The one-bedroom suite was empty. It had an open house plan with the living space and the bedroom combined, the kitchen at the far right end. Despite this poor planning for a hotel room, it still looked chic with all the decorations.It was good that it was empty. It meant I could move faster.The suite was in a disastrous state, with towers and bathrobes hovering o
Clara's POV She paused, staring at the perfume label a bit more closely. I would have assumed that she had spotted it was a fake, but what she said was a lot worse."It says here it's a sample," she pointed at the label on the side of the perfume as she shot daggers at him.I nearly laughed, walking to the kitchen to clean up the counter. Even from there, it was still very easy to listen in on their conversation."Of all your money, you must be so cheap." She yelled.He sighed. "Babe, my wife keeps track of every cent in my bank account. Besides, the samples are always much better than anything you can buy." He tried to justify himself."So, when are you finally planning to leave your wife? You've been making excuses for months." She yelled next.He was a lot more shameless than I could have thought. He was the type that if his wife walked in, he would cower and pretend it had all been a setup.I rushed through the rest of my work. I wanted to be out of here before knives started bei
Clara's POV I chose that option, running out of the suite and not looking back despite his calls.Luckily, the elevator arrived just in time. I pressed the button for the ground floor and stood at the far end of the elevator. I was just too confused about everything. Nothing made sense to me right now. I would have stayed to find out, but the thought of possibly getting murdered outweighed my curiosity.The elevator stopped two floors down. I tried to mask my emotions. I didn't want anyone who walked in to think I was some psychopath.Much to my surprise, it was Ivy who walked in.At first, she hadn't seen me. She looked tired, her eyes fixed on the floor as she dragged her feet.“Clara," Ivy exclaimed, looking up.I didn't answer, and I didn't know how not with the many thoughts running through my mind. Ivy quickly picked up on this as she stepped closer to me.The elevator doors closed again."Are you okay?" she asked."Can you please tell Marcus I'm sick and must go home urgently?