Must not be PREGNANT.

...

.

Katherine was back to staring at the computers screen, scrolling through for a job offer. 

It's been four days already since her job hunt and she hasn't gotten an offer since the last one.

As she operated the mouse with one palm, the other went to her nightgown, resting on the slight bulge in her stomach, she massaged it lovingly.

Just yesterday she had visited the hospital for antenatal and she felt more than relieved when the doctor told her her baby was doing just fine.

Due to the stress she has been going through of late and the constant lack of appetite and sleep, she had feared that the foetus might have been affected.

The doctor wiped her fears positively but advised that she never skips meal or sleep again. 

She is only in her third month and a week to start experiencing complications. She feared for herself and her baby, especially for her baby. He is too tender to be experiencing any difficulties, too innocent. The last thing she wants is having another issue toppling her Fathers' and most especially not her baby's life.

Katherine moved her palm to the plate of chips in front of her and she grabbed a handful of it, sending it into her mouth.

She frowned when the chips felt stale in her mouth, she had just fetched it fresh from the pack and minutes ago, she was eating it with so much relish.

The flavor had been what she needed at that moment and after eating all the chips, she fetched herself another from the same pack.

And now just the first handful feels very stale and unflavored, she felt nauseous just by the taste and she quickly grabbed a napkin and spit the soggy chips into it.

She took her glass of water and drank some, calming her nausea.

She stared at the plate of chips with discomfort, the sight alone erupted a funny feeling in her stomach so she pushed the plate far away from her. 

The feeling of wanting something one moment and then detesting it in another is something she experiences a lot after she got pregnant. She understood she was passing through pregnancy hormones, it isn't new to her so she relaxed.

"Katherine!" 

Her door burst open and Yvonne ran in, stopping beside her.

"Look what I found" Yvonne said, flashing a flyer at her face.

Katherine stoically took the flyer and perused into it.

"A vacancy?" Her eyes lit up at the first few words she read.

Yvonne nodded. "A friend gave it to me," she answered. "I went to the venue to check out the company and damn, it is huge! I'm positive they pay massively. And I confirmed the vacancy, it's one hundred percent legit" Yvonne said, beaming with smiles.

"Let me see..." Katherine drawled, adjusting the chair closer to her computer, she swiftly input the company's name in the box. It loaded, first revealing a big building that had the company's name designed boldly on it. She read the information under it and discovered that truly, there was vacancy.

"It's true," she informed Yvonne, who hovered behind her to look at the computer screen.

"I told you!" Yvonne giggled victoriously. "And you meet all the requirement, see?" Yvonne took the mouse from her and scrolled down to where the requirement was stated out.

"I do!" Katherine smiled. 

"Quickly, send them an email and let them know you're interested for the vacant position. They will definitely invite you for an interview after going through your résumé." Yvonne boasted.

Katherine smiled proudly and picked up the mouse, sending a message to the company on their email, she waited for it to load and then she submitted her résumé under the mail.

**Thank you for your interest to be a part of our team and work with us, we will go through your résumé immediately. Please, stay in touch for feedbacks.**  

Katherine read the reply as she waited for a feedback, she nervously massaged the right button of the mouse with her middle finger; scared and hopeful at the same time.

..

Katherine read the mail beady-eyed and a stretched smile curled up on her lips; true to Yvonne's words, she has just been invited for an interview with the company. 

She looked by her side, wondering if Yvonne also saw the message but Yvonne wasn't there anymore and then she recalled Yvonne leaving the room for the kitchen, to get her a cup of lemonade like she requested.

Out of excitement, Katherine reloaded the page to be certain the message wasn't sent by mistake.

Not that she didn't believe in herself or she wasn't up to the task; her fruitless search for a job just made her feel she needed a second check.

As the page reloaded, an advert came up. She was about clicking on the 'x' side with her mouse when her gaze caught the words on the advert;

"Bride for rent," she read the words, her brows narrowing.

What the hell.. she thought. 

She suspected it to be spam or one of the many internet prank from a bored and jobless individual until she saw the amount of money attached to the advert, her eyes pooped up widely.

"One million dollars!" She gasped, her shrilled voice filling the room.

She was beyond dazzled, she didn't hear the door to her room opening nor Yvonne walking in.

"Here's your lemonade," Yvonne dropped the cup on the table in front of her.

Katherine's gaze was still plastered on the advert, she only spared Yvonne a glance when she spoke.

"What? You look bemused," Yvonne noted.

"Check this out," she told her, referring to the advert.

Yvonne bent over to peer into the computer screen and she burst out laughing.

"Which maniac rents a bride in this century? Absolutely bananas!" She said, laughing.

"I know, right. But look at the amount of money attached to it," Katherine said, guiding Yvonne's gaze towards it with her finger.

Yvonne's eyes widen, she was speechless for a moment. "This is preposterously insane!" She cried out, piercingly.

"I know right," Katherine agreed.

"This will easily cover dad's surgery bill and hospital expenses and the balance will still be insanely huge!" Yvonne noted.

"Yeah," Katherine agreed, wishing a miracle would send such an amount to her.

She was moved that the first thing her sister thought of to spend the money on; if available, is her father's surgery. 

Katherine would as well, of course but her sister words just amazingly touched her. 

She felt even more determined to fulfil that wish for her.

"Do you think it's real?" Katherine asked, her gaze darting to her kid sister whose gaze was still focused on the computer's screen, eyeing the prize.

"We won't know until you click on it," Yvonne stated and Katherine, without another thought, operates her mouse to click on it.

*

Anderson climbed down from the chest press machine and grabbed a towel from the handle, dabbing his sweaty face with it, he hung it over his neck and picked up the bottle water.

Turning the cap until it was off, he brought the bottles' mouth to his and took in mouthful before returning the cap on it.

"Hey Pretty," he said to the dog as it ran to meet him, wagging its tail. "What are up to?" He asked, rubbing his back lovingly. 

"Aw, you miss daddy?" He asked when the dog gave a light bark. 

He ruffled the fur on its head and lifted it up.

"Let's go for a run, shall we?" He asked and the dog barked in response, lowering itself from Anderson's grip.

"Ah! Is this a challenge?" He smiled, the dog made a small noise and walked to stand beside him. "Okay, challenge accepted girl!" He said and Pretty took off immediately.

"Hey! That's cheating. You didn't say we were starting." Anderson grumbled as he ran after the dog, trying to catch up with her.

The run with Pretty lasted for an hour and after it, Anderson was on his bed, ready to retire for the night with Pretty on the floor beside him, curled up on her small sleeping bed.

He turned to the other side of the bed, his mind restless. Taking off the blanket draped over his head, he sat up and picked his laptop from the night stand.

Flipping it open, he activated it and the screen displayed the website on it. 

Ever since Jude created the website with that laptop, Anderson hadn't done anything else with it. He had left the laptop exclusively for his bride-seeking purpose until it is over.

He refreshed the site and saw that he had an application. 

Interestedly, he clicked on it and checked the bio.

Unsatisfied, he checked the picture and he didn't need a second glance before he declined her application.

There's no way he'll accept a thirty-five years old pregnant woman, who has a size twice his mother's and is 6 feet 7; as a stand-in.

Anderson was desperate, he knew it but there's just no way he's doing it with her. 

And pregnant? In the end, he might have to accept the pregnancy as his in front of his family and take responsibility for it and then it becomes a big deal.

It'll only be a matter of time before he gets busted.

To prevent another of such case in the future, Anderson edited the requirement in the web and added, *Must not be with pregnancy*

*Must be single and without a child* 

He refreshed it into the other list of requirements and saved it.

Seeing no other applicants, he powered the laptop off and returned it to the night stand.

If this doesn't work after another day, then he's quitting the web and renting a bride another way.

.

..