CHAPTER 3 - CLAUSE 18

She slammed the file on his desk angrily, “What the hell is this?”

“I don't know, what does it seem like?”

She shot to her feet.“Oh, I'll tell you what it seems like.  It seems like you're out of your mind, Mr.Carter, to think that I will agree to whatever nonsense you have written there”.

“Oh, you will.”

Her breath hitched, this had to be a joke, a wicked one and she wasn't having any of it.

“You know what? I'm not doing this with you, to hell with your job, contract, whatever, I'm out of here.”

She headed for the door and was about to reach for the door knob before he interrupted.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.”

Leah paused and turned to face him. The smug look on his face made her cheeks red from frustration.

“Why?”

“Miss Leah,I suggest you also revisit clause 18 from your contract before storming off.”

She twitched her eyes as dread consumed her. What other conniving plan did he cook up to trap her?

With trembling hands, she opened the file to clause 18.

The words written on the page slammed into her like a sledgehammer.

“In the event of a breach of contract, the employee will be required to compensate the employer with an amount equivalent to triple the total annual salary agreed upon.”

The amount she was required to pay was an impossible figure – one she couldn't come up with in ten lifetimes.

She quivered. “What?”

“Business, darling.” He shrugged casually.

“You can't do this, I could take you to court.”

“You could try but I assure you, my lawyers are the best in the country plus you were never coerced into signing the contract, remember?”

She sucked her teeth in frustration. She despised this man, she couldn't even stand being in the same room with him and now she had to bear his child?

Pointing her fingers at him, she hissed. “You tricked me.” 

“No.” He folded his arm. “You're just very bad at doing your research.”

Leah froze as realization hit her. There was really no getting out of this. She couldn't afford a decent lawyer, and going against a man as powerful as Alex was just a sure trip to doom. It was either she went through this or faced financial destruction. 

Leah swallowed the lump in her throat and lowered her head in defeat.

Victory gleamed in his eyes. “Smart girl.” Standing up, he buttoned his suit jacket, “ I'll have my doctors send in the paperwork. We begin the process tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” She choked out.

 He couldn't be serious.

“Yes, the sooner the better.” He checked his watch. “Oh before I forget, you'd have to move in with him to ensure the whole process goes smoothly. I mean if you're carrying my child it's only logical that I ensure you're taken care of.”

Her eyes widened in shock. He was really going through with this. This was her life now.

 She held onto a table nearby to stop herself from tumbling as a wave of horror crashed down on her.

“I cant… I can't do this.” 

“Then I suggest you start thinking of a way to pay what you owe.”

“No!”. She screeched. “You've taken too much from me, I'm risking my body, my sanity and now you want me to let go of my freedom? No way.”

“To be fair, I understand and that's why your actual pay would be double of what's written in the contract.”

Leah paused to think. For all the rage simmering inside her, she couldn't ignore the sheer weight of that offer.

For someone who had never tasted luxury and was in a deep financial crisis having to go through just a year of discomfort for a sum of money huge enough to last 2 generations didn't seem so bad.

She thought about her  sick mother and her little sister at home, the piling bills she was yet to pay and the struggle to put food on the table.

They needed her. She was their last hope.

“But why? Why me?” She asked, on the verge of tears.

As he was about to respond, a tall stunning woman barged in. Her glass skin glowed with a subtle radiance as if lit from within.

She was the epitome of elegance. From her clothing which were all designer wears to her dashingly styled golden blonde hair that she flipped with pride. 

Her presence filled the room with an air of entitlement that suggested that she was used to this place.

Leah suspected that she wasn't just anybody to Mr Carter and the woman proved her right when she walked up to him and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

“Morning darling.” The woman purred in Alex's ears, sliding her hands down his chest.

He held her by the waist and returned the kiss. “Welcome baby, you're just in time.” 

He motioned for her to look at Leah and she did. “Victoria, meet Leah, the lady I told you about.”

Victoria's sparkling eyes ran through Leah and her puckered lips spread into a warm smile as she extended her left hand for a shake.“Nice to meet you, Leah.”

Leah was taken aback by her niceness. It was such a contrast to Alex's arrogance.

Leah hesitantly accepted the shake and that's when she took note of the bright stone on the fourth finger of Victoria’s left hand.

 “Same here.” She murmured.

Facing Alex, Victoria said. “I assume she knows her role.”

“Oh yeah, she does, We were just going over it before you walked in.”

She turned to Leah. Her expression softened. 

“I just want you to know how grateful I am that you're doing this for us. We've wanted a kid for the longest time but haven't been able to because of my condition.” 

She clasped Leah's hands into hers then continued. “But now because of you. We'll be finally able to live out that dream. People like you deserve the world. Thank you, truly.”

Leah felt something shift inside her.

The woman's kind words were like honey in Leah's ears. They sent a wave of calmness to ease her already raging soul and she began to think the whole thing wasn't such a bad idea after all. 

She had always loved helping people and here was a woman – A genuinely kind woman who truly needed her.

Leah smiled genuinely for the first time that day since she walked in the office. “My pleasure.” 

“Hope my fiancee here hasn't been giving you a hard time before my arrival. He's not a uh… people person.”

“Yeah, he's made that really clear.”

Victoria placed her palm on her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh. “Ugh babe, See this is why I wanted to handle this myself.”

“Well I handled it my way and it still worked out.” Alex defended.

Just then Alex's ringing phone echoed through the office. 

“Excuse me, I have to take this.” With that, he stepped out.

The second the door clicked shut, the warmth in Victoria's eyes suddenly vanished.

She faced Leah, Her gaze cold and calculated. “Well, bitch, let me get straight to the point.”

“Excuse me?”

Victoria stepped closer, her voice lowering just enough for Leah to hear. “Now you listen. You might think you're important in all this but let's make one thing clear – you're nothing more than a means to an end. Don't get too comfortable.”