Anne’s POV
"Positive."My entire body jolted in disbelief as the word glared back at me from the little screen of the pregnancy test. Pregnant? I was pregnant?“No way,” I said in a shaky voice.How did this happen? My legs began weak and I slowly fell to the floor. My mind was filled with a lot of thoughts. I began to blame myself for being careless and stupid for letting something like this happen to me. Suddenly I heard a knock on the door in the bathroom.“Ann-Ann, are you in there? I heard noises,” I could hear Kiama’s voice from outside the door.I didn’t say a word but soon again I heard a voice, different from Kiama’s.“What’s up girl? Are you good there?” Gemma’s voice resounded.My heart was still racing as I returned the pregnancy test into the box and opened the bathroom door."No, I'm great," I replied. I just came to use the restroom."Kiama's eyes widened as she glanced at me, definitely detecting a problem. "Are you certain? You appear to have encountered a ghost."I attempted a grin, hoping to dismiss her anxiety. I'm simply exhausted, that's all."The day was extremely long."Although she didn't appear completely convinced, she set the matter aside for a while.“If you say so, OK. But don't you realize that you can communicate with me? With us?”With a constricted throat, I nodded. I am aware, Kiama. Thanks."Making my way back to the living area, my heart began to pound faster than normal. Dread and confusion washed through me as I tried to keep a straight face so my friends wouldn't find out what was wrong.Kiama and the girls joined me on the sofa, casting me questioning glances."Anne, what the heck is going on? You're acting quite oddly," Daisy asked.I took a long breath and twitched my fingers tensely in my lap."There is something I must confess to you, ladies. Something I just learned myself," I said.They leaned in closer, their looks becoming more anxious."What exactly is it?" "You're beginning to worry us."I paused for a time, wondering how to express myself."Ladies, I...I'm pregnant."Their eyes widened, and there was stillness for a time as the weight of my words fell between us. Kiama's expression relaxed and she reached out to squeeze my hand softly.“Anne, that's a lot to take in," Kiama replied, her voice surprised and concerned.Gemma and Daisy exchanged glances before returning their gaze to me, their emotions a mixture of surprise and interest."Pregnant?" Gemma yelled. "You can't be serious?"I nodded slowly, a knot in my throat developing."Yeah, I took a pregnancy test... and... it's positive."Daisy released a low whistle."Wait a minute. That's... unusual."Kiama leaned forward, her face showing signs of worry.“How do you feel, Anne, about all of this? Do you feel okay?”I forced a firm swallow since my feelings were still in disarray.“Sincerely, I'm not sure. I'm in an emotional state of unbelief and it feels as if I'm in a state of intoxication,” I replied.“Hey babe, you should know one thing, which is, we are your girls, your sisters and we’ll be here for you and with you all step of the way. You are never alone; you’ve got us,” Gemma said, her eyes softening.I held my girls by the hands as tears began to gather in my eyes.“I’m so grateful I have you as my friends,” I said.My friends wrapped me in a cozy hug as their encouragement covered me like a calming balm. In their hug, I experienced safety and reassurance. Kiama held me at arm's length while anxiously examining my face.“Will you inform the father, then?” Her eyes were on mine as she kindly questioned.Her question carried weighty meanings and hovered in the air. How would I deal with the stranger; the person who had permanently altered my life? I inhaled deeply, brushed away a stray tear, and then looked down at my hands, which were anxiously interweaving.“That's the challenging part,” I acknowledged, my voice quivering a little.“I must inform him, but I'm unsure about his response. I don’t even know who he is. I don’t know the kind of person he is,” I said, breaking down into tears.“Don’t worry; we’ll help,” Daisy said and I smiled at her.Days passed and Daisy and the girls returned with information about who the stranger responsible for my pregnancy was. I was dumbfounded when I found out. It was none other than Lucian Hawthorne, the city’s most famous young billionaire CEO. I can’t believe a billionaire was the father of my child.Daisy and the girls were stunned as well.“Damn girl, you hit the jackpot. Now, you’ve got to tell him,” Gemma said.I knew I had to let the father know. I was a working woman but my salary was definitely not enough to cater for myself or the unborn child when it’s born. The day finally came for me to go to his house to tell him. Kiama drove me and the girls there but I walked towards the mansion on my own. I knocked on the door and the butler asked me who I was looking for. I let him know I was looking for Lucian and he excused himself. He closed the door and returned, asking me in.I walked in and saw Lucian at the dining table. Without looking at me, he asked,“Why are you looking for me?”“I have something to discuss with you,” I said, my voice trembling.He looked up at me, raising his brow, urging me to speak.I spoke the words, "I'm carrying your child," with the feeling that they were a weighty secret.His countenance briefly flashed with astonishment before being instantly replaced by an expression of indifference. My heart sunk as his lips curved into a contemptuous smirkAnne’s POV“Well young lady, I’ve had my fair share of One-night stands in this lifetime and you won’t be the first to approach me with this silly tactic. You all are gold diggers, looking for whom to extort money from. But young lady, you came to the wrong house today. Now if you could excuse me, I have to round up my meal and get on with things more important,” Lucian said to me.I felt so angry and embarrassed. How could he say that to me? Me? A Gold-digger? How did I end up sleeping with a heartless man like Lucian? “Excuse me, Mr. Lucian, I’m not here to extort money from you. Hell, I didn’t even know who you were until I got to know that I was pregnant. I’m only here to tell you about your child that I’m carrying so you can perform your fatherly duties towards him or her. I could have taken care of this child on my own but my pay isn’t enough,” I said.“See, a Gold-digger; you couldn’t take care of yourself alone but then you went ahead to get pregnant for just any man and you
Anne’s POV“Fine; I’ll agree to it. I’ll agree to the 1 year or rather 9 months contract marriage so that in return Lucian can accept the fatherly duties,” I said.Mr. Macaulay and Lucian looked at me like they couldn’t believe my reply. Wasn’t that what they expected? I asked myself. “That’s if the child ends up being mine,” Lucian added.I rolled my eyes at him. “That’s a good decision, Miss Anne. Now you’ll have to sign a few papers to effect the contract,” the lawyer said.“No problem,” I said.I just wanted to be done with that and get out of here. The lawyer brought out the contract which I later found out was the document Lucian had typed while waiting for the lawyer. He gave it to me and I read the necessary parts to be read before signing the contract. I handed it back to them when I was done and asked the question that had been in my mind since I agreed to this contract thing.“When will the fake wedding be held?” I asked.“This weekend,” said Lucian.“What? That early?” I
Anne’s POVThe pain suddenly stopped and I felt better again. I looked at my best friends with a smile and said,“Sorry; I guess it’s just a fake alarm. The baby kicked; it has been doing that for some time now. I’m in my 4th month so it’s normal.”Kiama and the girls sighed in relief. They were worried that something else gone wrong. The fun vibe returned as we conversed and laughed throughout the remainder of dinner. We eventually finished our meal, said our kind goodbyes, and they left, leaving me with a heart full of thankfulness for the beloved connections that had gotten me this far in my trip.One day, I was in the living room surround with different snacks. Don’t blame me, it’s the baby’s cravings. I was watching TV while eating the snacks when Lucian walked in. “What’s going on here?” He asked, a disgusted looked on his face.“What does it look like?” I retorted back.“Why have you turned my living room into a garbage house? You could have done that in your bedroom,” he said
Author’s POVKiama, Daisy, and Gemma, Anne's friends, couldn't help but look at each other nervously as Lucian appeared out of nowhere. Unaware of the tense atmosphere in the space, Anne questioned their apprehensive looks."Why do you three appear to have witnessed a ghost?" Anne asked with worry rushing through her body.Her friends responded by motioning for her to turn around while trying to discreetly communicate their point. The fact that Anne was still unable to understand their signs just made her uneasiness worse.As her frustration grew, Anne said,"What's happening? I'm scared of you."Look behind you," Daisy muttered as she leaned closer.Slowly, Anne moved her head to see what her friends were looking at. Lucian was there, in the space, his presence throwing an unexpected shadow over the group. His unexpected return caused Anne's eyes to widen as she processed it.She asked, her voice tinged with a range of emotions, "You're back?"Lucian returned her stare with a myster
Author's POV"Can you tell me more about your friends?" Lucian asked Anne as he moved closer to her and took a seat beside her.Anne told Lucian how she met her friends starting with Kiama whom she met at high school then to Daisy and Gemma whom she befriended in college. She told him all they've been through as friends and how they've got her back. She told him of their professions and Anne noticed the change in Lucian's demeanor."Don't be a scared; they only hit anyone who hurts me like my ex?" Anne said."You were in a relationship?" Lucian asked curiously."Yes I was; the night we met, I caught my fiancé as of that time with another woman on our bed in my apartment. It was so heartbreaking," Anne said."I'm...I'm so sorry about that," Lucian replied, showing signs of true concern."I went to the clubhouse that day to drink away my sorrow and that was the day you saw me and brought me to your home. Now here we are and I'm carrying your child. I could still remember how you humilia
Author’s POV“Anne, it’s not just about having common experiences,” Kiama started with a sigh. “You never know when love will creep up on you. Perhaps it began as sympathy, but it’s obvious that your feelings for Lucian have grown,” she continued.“And it’s not a negative thing, Anne,” added Gemma. “Love is a lovely and common feeling. Furthermore, we have observed the closeness between you two. There is definitely a special connection between the two of you,” she concluded.When Anne realized that her friends’ statements were accurate, she was forced to consider her developing feelings for Lucian. She had witnessed his frailty, held him during nightmares, and had private moments with him. It was becoming more and more obvious that her heart was opening up to him in unexpected ways.“I… I suppose you could be possibly right,” Anne said, her cheeks beginning to flush.“So, when are you going to tell him how you feel?” Daisy asked with a cheeky grin.In fear, Anne’s eyes widened.“Tel
Author’s POVWith his lips lightly touching Anne’s temple, Lucian mumbled,“I don’t want to hide our feelings any longer.”The eagerness in Anne’s heart caused her to nod in accord. She was aware that their shared adventure had taken an unexpected turn, but she wholeheartedly welcomed it.The storm raged outside as they clutched one other in the dimly lighted chamber. However, Anne and Lucian had discovered something more potent than any storm in the security of Lucian’s embrace—they had discovered love.In the midst of the thunder and lightning, their love story started, a tribute to how unpredictable and lovely love is in and of itself. They slept together that night, in each others warm embrace. The next morning, Anne woke up to see Lucian staring at her with so much love written on his face. The tenderness in Lucian’s eyes as he saw Anne awaken was palpable. As his lips softly smiled, his fingers delicately touched her cheek.He sighed, “Good morning, beautiful.”When Anne looke
Author's POVAnne and Lucian turned around to see the person that he dreaded the most, his ex-girlfriend, Amelia Maslow. The same one who broke his heart by cheating on him with a job contractor.Amelia was a beautiful young woman great curves; she was also heavily endowed in front and even behind. She was a model and was an ambassador for almost 12 companies. She was Lucian's girlfriend until she was caught cheating."It's you. I'm so happy to see you," she said in her annoying high-pitched voice as she tried to approach Lucian with a hug.But Lucian stretch out his hand, indirectly asking her not to come any closer and Amelia got the message."Who's this?" Anne asked, looking at the dolled up lady. Amelia gave Anne a critical glance as she shifted her attention to her. "She must be the wife. I heard that you finally got married. Before that, I heard you randomly graced your bed with several women. I couldn't believe it when I heard about your wedding. I thought it was a lie but I