Chapter 3

Annabelle’s pov

As usual, he had his Prussian suit on and a handful of burly-looking bodyguards were behind him, looking like they were about to tear me apart soon.

I managed a smile. "Uhm-- dad, I was just-----"

His eyes darkened. "Dad? I don't know this lady from anywhere. Guards!"

Five able bodied men surrounded me at once.

"Throw this lady out of the building!" He ordered in a clear voice.

I fell on my knees with a loud thud, tears already streaming down my eyes. “I know how much you hate me dad but please don't throw me away. I'm so sorry for not listening to you back then and I regret it now. But if you would just give me the chance to prove myself to you, I will do anything!"

"What are you still waiting for? Throw her out!" He yelled at the bodyguards, his eyes burning with rage.

A vague reminder of his face that same day he asked me never to show my face ever again, if I decide to marry the stranger I just met - Travis smith.

"Sir Robert, please be lenient." Henry’s voice filtered in.

A look of surprise registered on Dad's face as he trembled in his temper.

"Oh, Henry, you better know your place here or you’ll loose your position as the CEO, this minute! She wants leniency? She wasn't thinking about that when she went against me and married a stranger? I trained her better than to be a foolish woman and to top it all, a total weakling!"

He moved closer to Henry. "Listen, I have nothing to do with her! She's no daughter of mine! I made that clear before and she agreed to it. She's nothing but a useless child!"

"But here she is, sir." Henry pressed. "Here she is, begging for your mercy again. Please, give her a chance to prove her worth again."

"Oh?" He pursed his lips and faced me then. "Alright then, prove your worth by convincing Skyline Company, the biggest shipping conglomerate in American to partner with us! And you have one week!”

As I stood from the floor, sniffling and staring at him, his next words had my eyes widening and my entire being filling with a new found determination.

“Prove it to me that you're not a weakling of a daughter who falls at the feet of a man so easily over a flimsy excuse called love. No seed of Robert Spencer gets trampled upon so easily.”

********************

I rubbed my stiff neck as I arranged the paperwork into a file jacket. Dad had given me a small office in the company but it was only temporary. I hadn't slept well in three days, trying to get information about the Skyline company.

I had to prove my worth to my father, I was done being that naive little girl treated like a puppet at the mercy of a pauper.

I had to make Travis and his family pay for breaking my heart into a million shards. I had to show them what I was truly capable of. They had to know what hell would taste like.

I had made different calls to the company and tried to convince them and make them see reasons why they should partner with us, but all of my efforts seemed to be going down the drain.

Today was the last day of grace Dad gave me. There wasn't much time left.

The door suddenly jerked open and I knew it was Dad even before I saw his face. I stood up immediately and bowed curtly. Henry was behind him with some board of directors.

"Skyline company has sent their decision." Dad announced and my pulse quickened.

His face and that of Henry and the board of directors looked bland, it was hard knowing whether or not the decision was positive until I heard him say.

“I knew you could do it, as a matter of fact, I have been looking forward to this day!”

Before I could blink, he pulled me to himself and hugged me tightly. When he pulled back after a while, all the harshness I saw from the first day down to the previous days I had been working my ass out just to make sure the company got the contract was no where to be found.

“Da…d?” I managed to say.

“I was mad at you Annabelle but that was a long time ago. The heavens know that I waited everyday for you to come back to your senses. For you to realize just how much I love you and mean the best for you.”

“But a week ago you sa….” I started to protest but he cut in.

“Surely you weren't expecting me to accept you back with arms wide open, were you? You hurt me and I needed you to know how badly you did. And also I needed you to know your worth, how powerful you can become even in the worst of situations.”

My mouth hung open as I stared at him, I glanced at Henry and the board of directors and every one of them had a smile plastered on their faces, it felt like I was in a dream, like I was in some sort of a trance with me as a bride walking down the aisle.

As I opened my mouth to speak, a fluid bubbled from my throat all the way to my mouth, I clamped my hand over my mouth as I swallowed the fluid trying to escape from my throat. What was happening? Why was my head suddenly reeling?

"What's wrong with you, Anna?" I heard Henry’s voice faintly as he rushed towards me.

All their voices became jumbled up in my brain and my vision went blurry. I tried to speak but no words were coming out of my mouth. Then, everything went blank!

And when everything went back to normal, my eyes flustered open and that’s when I noticed that I was lying on a bed with a white sheet covering my body.

When I struggled to sit up, I realized just how strange the room I was in was. But what was more strange was the way I felt. I felt funny.

"You're awake.” I heard Henry’s voice, etched on his face was a worried expression that instantly quadrupled my fears. What was really happening?

"What happened?" I mumbled, staring at him.

"I don't know yet. The doctor has your report. I'll be waiting outside."

“What doc…?” My voice trailed off when a man clad in a white coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck, strutted into the room.

My brows furrowed as i threw a dozen question at the said doctor, "What's wrong with me, doctor? Why am I here? Why do i feel different and nauseous?”

"It's okay to feel different and nauseous, Mrs Annabelle,” he smiled at me, “Every expectant mother feels that way, so it's really nothing to get all worked up about. You're fine.”

Expectant mother?! As I made to protest, he stalked closer to me and placed my hands on my belly.

“It's because you're two weeks pregnant Mrs Annabelle Smith. Congratulations!”