Chapter 6

As soon as Charles came out of the room, Elizabeth suddenly sat down on the catch that was just next to her. She felt like all her strength was gone.

She couldn't quite imagine how she was able to handle herself to act strong in front of Charles. She showed that she was not affected by his presence but deep inside her, she wanted to run away from him but at the same time she felt like her feet were buried in the floor and she couldn't take even just a single step.

She could hear her heart pounding so fast just because she was breathing the same air that her husband was breathing and she couldn't also deny that at the same time, she felt excited to see him again after a couple of days that they had been away.

And, Elizabeth knew that if not Albert wasn't there, she might have already gone and just left the company as soon as she recovered.

She felt when Albert sat next to her and then his hand was on her shoulders. She was startled because of what the man did.

Albert seemed to be so comfortable when with her and sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder.

"Stay strong. We are not even starting. This is just a warm up of what we are about to do, Elizabeth. You have to do this for the sake of your child," Albert said in a low voice but he uttered every word in a firm manner.

She was just looking straight while thinking if what she was doing was really the right thing to do just like what Albert kept on reminding her.

"Thank you and yes, I hope I really can do it," she replied without looking at the man. She was doubting herself because everything that was about to happen was very new to her. Since she got married and became Charle's wife, she was just staying at the four corners of their house. She couldn't help but doubt herself if she would be able to do whatever Albert wanted her to do.

She was not stupid but she never had been expose in this kind of work before.

"Of course, you can do it. Just trust me and trust yourself," Albert said and then she patted her shoulders. "I know that you can do it, Ellie because you are a mother and just think about your kid and say to yourself that everything that you are doing is for the little life that was starting to grow inside you," he added.

She timidly smiled at the man. She noticed that the man was very formal and it seemed that she was so mature when he was talking.

He's the kind of someone that would make you purchase something even if you didn't need it because of his charming voice.

After a while, they suddenly heard a knock from the door.

"Come in," Albert shouted and then he stood up from sitting next to her.

She didn't expect that their request would be arriving this soon. She expected that they may grant it within a week but she was wrong because just a couple of minutes after Charles left, they received the equipment and other items that they had requested.

It was one of the employee's of the company. He brought her desk and chair just like what Albert requested from Charles. He wanted her to have her own desk in his office.

Actually, she had no knowledge about office work since she graduated as a botanist. And, just right after she graduated, her grandmother asked her to marry Charles who was five years older than her.

After marrying Charles, she became a full time housewife. She tried to give him a heir but unfortunately, her first pregnancies were unsuccessful and she almost lost hope when the day came and then she checked the test again. It turned out it was positive. She will be a mother soon once this pregnancy becomes successful.

Anyhow, this was all she wished before. She just wanted to be a plain housewife for Charles. She was just twelve when she met Charles. That's when her grandmother brought her to Charles' grandmother's house.

It was the very first time that she met Charles and she knew that she wouldn't forget that day.

He was so kind to her or maybe, because there was no other child there whom he could play with. He was just noticing her because no one could entertain him.

They were just the young in the group and since they like to play, Charles played with her with his computer in the living room.

They played for almost the whole day and then after they got tired from playing, they watched some movies until it was already time for them to go home. In her entire life, she felt strange when she was with Charles, she felt like he was a blessing to her and she promised that she would be a good wife to him if he would be her husband.

Elizabeth promised herself that she wouldn't love anyone but only Charles. She knew that her heart only belonged to the man. She couldn't deny the fact that Charles already caught her attention from the day that she had met him.

And, the moment that she reached eighteen, she turned to a fine lady which made her grandmother decide for her. She informed her that she was already engaged to Charles and she should only love Charles.

She was surprised. It was an arranged marriage but it was something that she was dreaming off. It was like a dream come true for her.

And, her grandmother's wish was granted that moment because she knew to herself that she would not love anyone in her life but only Charles.

Then, after four years, Charles and his grandmother along with his mother came to their house so they could formally ask her family for Charles to marry her and it didn't take a year for their wedding to happen.

They became husband and wife. A dream came true for Elizabeth.

She was so happy that day because finally, she would share the rest of her life with the man that she had loved since she was young. Her happiness that day was priceless. It never entered her wildest imagination that she would be married to the man of her dreams.

But, it didn't cross her mind that their wedding day would be the start of her heartaches especially, their wedding night. Elizabeth had no idea what she was going to suffer. The dream that she thought gave happiness in her heart turned into her worst nightmare.

"What do you think of this?" Albert's voice dragged her out from reality

"Do you think this is really a good idea?" She couldn't help but ask the man. "Honestly, I really don't have any idea or experience doing paperworks. I have been in the garden for almost my whole life and studying the life of plants," she added while looking intently at him.

Elizabeth knew that Albert just wanted to help her because of her child but she felt like it would be a bad idea if she would be his front desk. She knew nothing about the things that she was expected to do and she didn't want to put herself into an embarrassing situation.

Albert met her eyes. "You don't have to worry. You just have to stay beside me and I promise that you will be safe. Arnold is coming soon so just relax," the man said to her.

Her eyebrows furrowed while still looking at the man after she heard that name that he said.

"And, who's this Arnold?" She asked. She couldn't restrain herself from asking because if he said he was coming then it means that the man would be with them.

"Yeah, Arnold is my personal assistant and he is coming here as well. He will take over everything and just relax. I know what you are thinking but just let your ex-husband think whatever he wants to think. I know what was running inside his mind the way he was looking at us. He was thinking that we are doing malicious things inside my office, especially since there's just the two of us inside this room," Albert explained to her.

One of her eyebrows raised when she heard Albert's answer. She didn't know that Charles had a brother like Albert who was shrewd. It seemed that he knew what he was doing/

A smile drew on her lips because of the idea that Albert shared with her. It was just two weeks since she knew the man and yet, she couldn't understand to herself why she was very comfortable with him. He was like a big brother to her. A big brother that she never had.

"So, that's why I am telling you that you don't have to worry. You just have to sit and relax. Don't stress yourself too much or else your child will be ugly. Do you like that? But, please, I don't want to have a ugly niece or nephew so just relax," Albert said in a teasing tone. And, they both giggled inside the room.

They had a conversation as if they had known each other for a long time already.

****

Charles was sitting in his swivel chair and he had been there for almost half an hour. He couldn't understand but he couldn't concentrate on his work. His mind was thinking about his ex-wife and his half-brother who were both inside one room.

It was as if his ass was getting burnt from sitting because he felt so uneasy. He had been in his office for almost an hour but he couldn't get himself to focus on his work. For some reason that he couldn't explain, he couldn't turn away his thoughts about his ex-wife and his half-brother spending time together inside his sibling's office. There were just the two of them inside and he couldn't help the thoughts that were inside his mind.

Elizabeth was Albert's secretary as per his half-brother but still, he couldn't help but wonder. How long have they known each other?

An idea suddenly flashed in his mind. He immediately picked the landline phone on his desk and then he called his assistant. He would never be at peace if he couldn't get the answers to his question. Charles knew himself very well and he couldn't prolong this kind of uneasiness because he had a lot of paperwork to do.

Though, he couldn't understand why he was feeling that way.

"Daniel, I need you to investigate Elizabeth's whereabouts when she left our house and I want to know how she met Albert," he said to his personal assistant in a firm tone.

He needed to find it out as soon as possible or else he would be stuck while he couldn't figure out if the two were working or they were enjoying themselves inside his half-brother's office.

Charles put down the phone after he heard Daniel's response. He must admit that before, he didn't care about the woman. He didn't pay attention to Elizabeth. He didn't care about what she did the whole day or even wherever she went.

She was just nothing to him but like a decoration wife. He never introduced her to anyone or even brought Elizabeth to one of the gatherings that he was attending. For him, what they have was just a marriage for convenience and on top of that, Elizabeth never complained to him the way that he was treating him.

But, today was strange. He admitted that he got affected to see her with his brother. He felt annoyed and distressed which he never felt before.

Charles took a deep breath and afterwards, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he shouted and as soon as he said those words, the door opened.