AMELIA "Perfect," I sighed when I stepped back to survey the dinner table. I stepped forward, made a few tiny adjustments to the place mats and then it was truly perfect. I had invited Queenie over to the house for dinner and she was due at any moment. Just then, the doorbell rang. I hurried away to the front door to show Queenie into the house. “I hope you’re not mad I’m a bit late,” she said the moment I opened the door. “Of course not. Come in. I just made dinner.” I said. She began sniffing the air the moment she stepped over the threshold. "Something smells really good in here," she smiled. “I can see you’re still the chef I know.” "No, it doesn't," I said with a laugh. "I cooked in the kitchen, not here." "Fine then. Where's dinner? Let's start eating already." I shook my head, and glanced at my watch. "Not yet. We will have to wait a bit. Damian is not home yet." Queenie and I sat, chatting to pass the time while I waited for
AMELIA It felt like my eyes and ears were working overtime. My eyes kept roving all over the waiting room of the hospital. My ears were perked up to catch the slightest sounds. They waited to hear the footsteps of anyone who would give me the information I so desperately needed. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. It felt impossible to. I took several deep breaths, thrust my hands between my knees and tried to put my racing heart under control. It felt like I was on the verge of having a full scale panic attack. Thoughts kept flitting through my head. Worrying thoughts. I couldn’t stop them no matter how hard I tried. Last night, I couldn’t bring myself to take the test again. I didn’t know if I could handle the result and I wanted to put my mind at ease. People throw up once in a while, don’t they? But not me. Something strange was happening to me and I had my suspicions. Suspicions that my doctor would confirm. When I strolled in here in the morning, I was bare
DAMIAN I knew Anton was watching me. I turned a little in my seat to see him actually doing that. I sighed. I supposed I was being very obvious. Something was bothering me and try as I might, I couldn't shake it off. "Ah. I knew you would finally get to it," Anton said lightly the moment I opened my mouth. In no mood for any form of levity, I waved off his words. "Something is wrong with Amelia," I said. "But I can't just figure out what it is. It's not for lack of trying." "Ah." Anton said again as he took one leg off the top of the table in my office. "This... problem of yours must have a root, does it not?" "Yeah. Well..." I thought back to the dinner we had with Anton and Queenie days ago. That day had changed everything. "The other day she threw up and the first thing that came to mind was pregnancy. I thought she was pregnant-" "And is she?" Anton asked quickly. "No. She isn't. She told me that herself. I then I apologized for my mouth running away with me." A
AMELIA It was ironic really how one could get everything other people wanted and yet not be happy. It was currently my situation now. I looked around my plush new office. My business expansion had been successful. Business was good. It was thriving and yet I was not happy. Not one bit. My hands wandered over to my still flat stomach. I found myself doing this so often these days. I still found it hard to believe that a tiny version of me was growing in there, a version Damian was not yet aware of. And for the umpteenth time, I found myself thinking about my decision to keep my pregnancy hidden from Damian. Actually it was the last thing I wanted to do- to keep it from him. I wanted to tell him I was carrying his baby but I had no idea of how to break the news to him. There were several ways he could react. What if he got mad at me for hiding it? What if he denied being the father of the baby? It would break my heart. It really would. Wouldn't it be better if I didn't tell
AMELIA With my fingers steepled under my chin, I sat in my office, thinking about all Noah had said on TV during the interview, an interview which I was sure had been watched by the practically the whole city. Or maybe the entire world. The man certainly could sink to the lowest depths I myself would not even have considered for a moment. Even right now, I still couldn't fathom how he could continue being so petty and stupid. Petty enough to continue throwing shades and making wild accusations against Damian and I. Mostly, I felt that Noah was stupid. Very stupid indeed to have crossed me. I would have thought that by now, he would have realised the fact that it would be against his interests to keep antagonising me but he kept on doing it over and over and over again. It was obvious the interview was a way to salvage his dying reputation and financial status. But he could have simply tried to save his ass without dragging me down with him. The most aggravating part of it all this
DAMIAN I desperately fought the urge to fidget. I was not some erring four year old brought into the principal's office for goodness sake! Mrya who was smiling down at the card I was holding out to her was certainly no principal. Besides, I had already read what Amelia had written so it came as no surprise. That meant I wasn't supposed to be this tense. Myra took the feelings card from between my tight fingers. It was a struggle for me to finally let it go because it felt like I was giving her a piece of my essence. If she noticed how tightly I was holding on to it, she did not comment. She merely waited patiently until I had relinquished my hold on it before taking it and reading it. I leaned back immediately against the comfortable couch and waited for her verdict. For what seemed like several endless minutes, I watched her eyes dart left and right as she read. When she was done, she closed the card and smiled at me. "It's just I had thought. It is now q
NOAH I stopped typing on my computer long enough to adjust the shirt I was wearing. I felt uncomfortable as I tugged the fabric, feeling unusually small in my shirt. I sighed, a deep, weary sigh. That was what came of a reduced appetite, worry, many late nights of staying awake thinking of how best to get a lasting solution to all the problems I had been having. I made a mental note to myself to eat more and hit the gym before my enemies noticed my weight loss- if they hadn't already. I hoped they hadn't. There was nothing as aggravating as a well timed news headline to set the sharks at my door. Sitting here, I could just picture the sort of headlines those news vultures would print. BUSINESS MOGUL NOAH CARTER GOES TO PIECES FOLLOWING RUMOURS OF BANKRUPTCY. I clenched my fists, and found myself already getting worked up over the imaginary headline. Recently, a lot of news had been circulating around me. I would be damned before they printed something like that about me
AMELIA "We'll see soon then, Mrs Donovan." I blinked and once more, turned to focus on Engineer Sam who I had quite a lengthy meeting with. His team was hanging back a little, deeply engrossed in some conversation about the amusement park project. "Yes of course," I replied, with a glance at my watch. “I have somewhere to be. Good bye.” I was barely focused during the meeting, my mind drifting to all the things in my schedule. There were several other things I needed to do. As I left the project site, I waved absently at Sam who walked off with his team as I dug out my phone to call Rose. "Ma'am," she said when she picked up. "Are you stopping over by the bakery today?" "No. I'm afraid not. Do you have your notepad with you?" "Always." "Good. I got a call some hours ago from the office of the CEO of Sharecare. He's celebrating the 10th year anniversary of his company soon. He wants us to handle the cakes and the event in general. So what do you think?" Rose reele