Clara's POV'Who is the business tycoon's new flame?''Trouble in paradise between hotelier Derek Montenegro and Madison Riley?'I ignored the headlines in the rest of the tabloids and skipped through them.I sighed in relief. At least none of them captured my face."This calls for a moment to celebrate," Layla clapped her hands together. "Lucy!" she yelled.Her expression changed as she was hit with a realisation."Oh wait, she is not here today," she whispered. "Margaret!" she yelled again.A woman came running toward us. "Yes, ma'am," she answered."Please bring us two mimosas," Layla ordered.Margaret nodded before returning to the house."I want to know everything that happened," Layla said. She shifted her body to face me, her eyes filled with excitement.I told her every detail of the story, starting when I bumped into Derek. She seemed more excited as the story progressed.Margaret returned with our drinks while we lay under the umbrellas.I took a moment to think. "Have you e
Clara's POVShe could get any information, and she'd find a way to turn it into an evil plot.My phone rang, stopping Layla from finishing her plan."It's Derek," I answered, staring at my screen.I couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement."Answer it," Layla spoke.I paused for a moment before answering the call. "Hello," I replied with a cough."Hi," Derek answered, mirroring my excitement. "I asked around, and Marcus said you weren't coming in today because you are sick. Are you feeling alright?" He asked."I'm okay, it's just morning sickness. I was vomiting constantly this morning, and I felt a bit lightheaded, but I'm much better now," I lied."Okay," Derek answered, letting out a sigh. I could tell he was relieved. "I hope it wasn't because of what you ate last night." He spoke."No, not at all." I cut him off. "The food was delicious," I answered.Layla sent me a signal to hang up the phone. She was very persistent in her request, and she shot me a glare."I was just...""Li
Clara's POVI started with way too many lies. Sooner or later, he was bound to catch on.He sighed. "Okay, why don't I just pick you up?" He offered."No, there is no need for that. As I said, I'm perfectly fine. You can go home. Besides, I'm just about to catch a cab now." I answered."Are you sure?" He asked."Yes, I'll see you tomorrow at work," I said.He sighed. After that, we both said our goodbyes.I got out of this a lot easier than I thought.*****NEXT DAY*I rubbed my forehead, hoping it would make my hangover a little bit better. I ended up having many more drinks with Layla than I should have. To make things more difficult, Mother Nature decided that today was my day. Not only did I have a hangover, but I was also having cramps. My back and feet hurt. If not for yesterday, today would have been the best day to stay home.I slammed my locker shut."Morning!" Ivy yelled. I nearly jumped out of my skin at her surprise."Could you be any louder?" I snapped, rubbing my forehea
Clara's POVFocus, Clara, I reminded myself."How are you feeling today?" He asked.I wanted to smile at him, to assure him that my day at home yesterday had not gone to waste. I had fully recovered, but my body betrayed me as I was reminded by the cramping in my stomach and how incredibly uncomfortable it was just standing right now. I couldn't even handle my period. How would I handle being pregnant? Good thing I wasn't.I sighed. "No, I'm not okay," I answered, throwing my hands in the air. "You have no idea what my body is going through. I feel lightheaded and nauseous."My back is sore, and so are my feet. My whole body feels cold, and I do not know what I want." I rambled. My voice sounded like I was on the brink of tears.I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It was all going to be alright. I had been doing this for more than fifteen years of my life.Derek took it as some hormonal tantrum caused by my pregnancy.He was now trying to calm me as he sat me on the couch. He
Clara's POVThe last time that happened, something bad happenI took a moment to examine myself. All my clothes were still on. That was a good sign"I see you are awake," Derek said. His voice startled meI saw him leaning on the door frame as he smiled back at meAll the drapes were closed, making the room a bit dim. I couldn't tell what time it was"What time is it?" I asked in a panic"It's nearly five p.m." He answeredI looked at him, horrifiedI had slept my entire workday away. Surely, it had helped, and all my cramps were gone, but I had missed work"I'm supposed to be working." I panic again"Don't worry. and I told Marcus there was something urgent I needed your help with." He answeredThat was a relief. I wasn't the only liar around"Maybe you really shouldn't be working. Besides, the rest of the employees will find out sooner or later that you and I are having a baby. I imagine it's not going to be pretty." He saidI removed the duvet over meI didn't need to worry about s
Clara's POVDerek's mood changed as he clenched his fist."Bye now," I waved goodbye to Jeremy. I didn't want to give Derek the chance to say anything to Jeremy.I held Derek's hand as we walked out of the hotel. I didn't want to draw attention to us.The incident took Derek aback. That was probably the first time someone said anything like that to his face."Can you believe that guy?" Derek asked. "I'm going to ensure he never gets a job again." He threatened."It's over now," I whispered, trying to calm him down.We finally left the hotel.We walked southwards.For a while, neither spoke as we waited to get to a safe distance where no one would recognize either of us."So, how is work?" I asked, breaking the silence.He sighed. "Are we so boring that we must start talking about work?" He asked."I'm just trying to have a conversation," I answered.He sighed again. "Well, it hasn't been running that smoothly, honestly. I have this project planned. We have invested so much of our tim
Clara's POVHe pressed his lips against mine. At first, I was shocked, but I found myself responding.Initially, it started as passionate and slow, but things quickly escalated as we became possessive and demanding as we fought for dominance.My arms instinctively moved to his neck as I held him for support. I felt his hand travel across my lower back.The world could have been on fire, but I didn't care.It was a while until I finally pulled away as we both breathed heavily.I felt his eyes on me, which lowered again to my lips. I noticed how he playfully bit his lower lip. I thought he would kiss me again, but he pulled away."You should be ashamed of yourself. You didn't even wait to take me out on a proper date first before you jumped in and kissed me. You could have at least tried to wine and dine me first. You couldn't wait to get your hands on me, could you?" He joked."Hey, you kissed me first." I protested. I slapped his chest playfully, taking a step back. "Besides, maybe if
Clara's POVI knew where this was going."I'm not going to get pregnant," I said. "Besides, I never lied about where I was going," I replied."You know, I said the same thing too. Here I am with two daughters. It would help if you didn't end up pregnant and alone like I had to go through it," she continued.I was about to be late for work because of this."Is mom giving you the talk?" Katy laughed, coming downstairs."You should sit for this too." Mom pointed."The only place I ever go is to school. Those kids are too rich to even sit with me. How am I supposed to get pregnant?" Katy laughed. "You know what we should be talking about? That guy you talked to on the phone last night," Katy said. She folded her arms, facing Mom in a challenging manner."Don't be silly," Mom said, throwing her hand over her shoulder."I heard you last night. We laughed and told each other that it had been many years since they last saw each other. That you miss each other, all the lovey-dovey stuff. I kno