Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Ethan's POV

It was afternoon already, and I was sitting in my office, trying to sort out the bills and files that had piled up during the week, feeling the stress press down behind my eyes. My eyes roamed the large figures on the pages of the files.

Sucks to be a Mafia Lord on a Saturday.

My hand found the glass decanter on my table and I poured myself a generous glass of tequila, then poured it down my throat in one swig. My thoughts wandered dangerously to the young woman I'd left on my bed several hours ago, and I felt guilt spread in my chest.

I couldn't get over the hateful look I'd seen in her eyes, and only several years of carefully mastering my emotions had saved me from it.

She'd dozed off shortly after our sex, and I'd had to leave her to rest in my room. I knew she'd had a long, stressful day, and I didn't want to be a monster by disrupting her rest. Besides, I was sure she was carrying my baby now. The least I could do was make her feel comfortable.

I slammed the empty glass down on my desk and picked up a file, staring at it and trying to decipher the words. The figures were beginning to blend into one another now, and my vision was beginning to swim. I couldn't do this.

Suddenly someone barged into my office and I jerked my head up, slightly rattled by the noise. It was Chloe my fiancee, and she looked as annoyed as ever. Was there any day she didn't look like she wanted to murder someone?

She flipped her head to where I sat, glaring at me. "Ethan, we need to talk."

"Of course." I muttered and leaned back on my chair, stroking my chin.

Chloe crossed the room to the desk and sat before it. I watched her as she tried to keep her emotions in check. She was a strikingly beautiful woman, with straight, jet-black hair that was cut in a bob around her head, and a sharp, almost angular point to her features. Her chin was pointed and tilted upwards, and her nose was regal, almost disapproving. She had beautiful brown eyes that I'd once fallen in love with. Now I wasn't so sure anymore.

"There is a woman on your bed." She said. Sharp, free of preambles, straight to the point. Chloe wasn't one to waste words on unnecessary preliminaries.

"And?" I asked, eyebrows raised. "You did say you wanted a surrogate mother. I got that for you, didn't I?"

"I said that, but I didn't mean this soon." She retorted, her brows creased in a frown. "You didn't tell me you were bringing a strange woman into our house. Who the hell is she?"

"She's no one." I snapped. "And her name is Emily too. You will address her with respect, as long as she is carrying the baby you want." I paused, staring into her rage-filled eyes. "And it's not your house until you get married to me. She will carry the baby the way we planned, and we'll pay her off. And trust me, she's sufficiently pregnant with your precious baby. I made sure of that twice today."

I could see the rage burning behind those brown eyes as she looked at me, but I wasn't fazed. "I don't like this, Ethan. You didn't carry me along. Hell, she's even sleeping in your bed! The bed we're both supposed to share."

"There's no need for all of this, Chloe." I said, rubbing my hand across my face tiredly. "You said you needed a surrogate mother, I got one, fucked her, let's pray she gets pregnant. Happy now?" I stood up to walk outside, but she blocked me.

"Oh, you're not leaving so easily." She snapped. "Not after what you've just done."

I threw my hands up in exasperation. "What the hell did I do? You're the one who doesn't want to carry a pregnancy because of your precious career, and I'm fixing the problem for you. What else do you want?"

Chloe opened her mouth to give a retort, but she was cut short by a creak as the door opened. We both turned towards the door to see the woman I'd slept with walking in.

She was putting on a white bathrobe and nothing more; her curly, chestnut-brown hair was wet and hanging down her shoulders in beautiful waves. Her eyes—large, green and beautiful—was darting between Chloe and I. She looked so innocent, I felt something melt inside of me as I watched her.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." She said quickly, then turned back to the door. "I'll see myself out."

"No you weren't." I replied, then glared at Chloe. "Chloe here was just leaving."

I turned to Chloe as a cue for her to leave, but all her attention was on the woman who had walked in. Her eyes roamed the woman's features with a look of disdain on her face, and I knew she was reacting negatively to the fact the woman was breathtakingly beautiful.

She walked closer to the woman and sniffed with disapproval, her pert nose up in the air. "You're the surrogate mother, no?" She asked.

The woman folded her arms in a defensive pose. "I suppose."

"You don't look like much." Chloe murmured. I knew that was a lie, but I also knew my fiancee was trying to convince herself that the woman wasn't beautiful. She was vain that way.

Instead I turned to Emily, my eyes searching her pale-looking face. "How are you?" I asked.

She forced a smile, then answered sarcastically. "Wonderful. I've never felt better."

There was tension between us three, as Chloe's eyes were on the woman, and the woman's eyes were on me, and mine on Chloe. Then Chloe turned to me, her voice cutting. "I don't think we need her." She said.

I scoffed. "That is not your decision to make, Chloe. Besides, the deed has been done. We've had sex, twice too."

I could see Chloe's eyes widen with rage. "This is preposterous!" She said, her voice raised. "You didn't let me in on any of this!"

I groaned and rubbed a hand across my face. "I don't have time for this, Chloe. I have a meeting with some investors in a few minutes." I said, then stormed out of the office, leaving both women in there alone.