Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Ethan's POV 

Days began to run into weeks as the woman spent longer living with me. I got to know that her name was Emily Davis, which was a moment too late for me. She never got to know of mine and never deemed it fit to ask, and however much I tried to bridge the gap between us, any sort of friendship between us remained sadly out of reach.

I moved her to a room at the very back of the house, so I wouldn't get to see the wariness and hostility in her eyes, yet it burned at the back of my head and kept me awake at night. To all and sundry in the house, I hated her as much as she hated me and I tried to make it known that I only tolerated her presence, but that was a lie. She was an attractive woman: slim, petite, with that thick brown hair I craved to run my fingers through, those freckles that dusted her nose and her cheeks, and damn, was I attracted to her!

However, I knew my place as a mafia boss and the leader of an empire, and I knew that she wasn't worth my time. She was only here to birth my heir, and I would send her out of the house the moment she successfully did that.

I patiently watched and waited for any sign, any news that she was pregnant, but I never got one. She seemed well enough the few times a week that I saw her: no paleness or sluggishness that I attributed to pregnant women. She didn't look a day close to pregnancy, and I was beginning to worry that our experiment hadn't worked.

On the day that I did get news about her, I was in my office, preparing to receive some of my mafia associates for a short meeting. I'd gone through a whole bottle of whiskey out of sheer nerves, and I could feel the alcohol's work in my body already. When my guards burst into my office, I jerked my head up in annoyance, a retort on my lips.

"What the hell is this?" I demanded as the three men stood before me.

"We're sorry to disturb your personal time, boss," One of them said as they all took deep bows before me. "But the woman...your guest...she..."

I stood up so fast my chair skidded backwards. "She what? What is wrong with her?"

The men all straightened up and my second-in-command, who stood between them, raised his head to look into my eyes.

"She collapsed not long ago, somewhere at the back of the house." He said.

I didn't realise when I'd grabbed my jacket and moved, but suddenly I was at the door, my guards closely following. I reached the grand staircase that led downstairs and began to scurry down it. "Where is she?" I yelled. "Where the fuck is she?!"

"She's in one of the cars already, sir." They called after me as I raced out of the house and down the front stairs.

Damn that woman If anything should happen to her and my heir.

I halted as I watched her being carried into the backseat of one of my Audis, and I walked forward to join them.

"Sir..." The chauffeur who was holding the door open protested, but I pushed him aside and entered into the back with Emily.

She appeared to be in a lot of pain as she was groaning uncontrollably, one hand on her belly and another swung carelessly across the back seat. I scooched in beside her and lifted her head, placing it on my laps. To others this might be nothing but an act of pure concern and perhaps for the woman, but this was nothing but an effort to make sure my baby was okay. I only cared for her because she was carrying ny heir, and nothing more.

Or so I thought.

Emily's eyes were closed, and I breathed in relief as I saw that her eyeballs were moving rapidly beneath them. She wasn't dead, at least not yet. "Take us to Beth Israel hospital." I ordered the driver, and he maneuvered the car out of the compound with a loud screech.

We got to the hospital in record time and some nurses rushed to the car, helping her out of it. I followed them as they placed her on a stretcher and wheeled her inside. I tried to follow as they took her into the ER, but one of the nurses gently held me back.

All through the wait, I could feel eyes on me, scrutinizing me. I knew they probably all wondered why I was so agitated for a woman I barely knew, and I wondered the same thing too.

We waited for almost an hour before the doctor came out of the ER. Behind him, some nurses were wheeling Emily out of the room and towards a ward, and my eyes trailed them as they went. She looked pale, much paler than when we'd left the house mere hours ago.

By God, she looked half dead already.

"How is she?" I asked, turning to the doctor. "Is she okay?"

The doctor dipped his hands into his pockets, scrutinizing my agitated face. "First off, who is she to you?"

"Oh, damn the questions, doctor." I scoffed. "Will she be fine?"

The doctor stared at me for long minutes. Then he replied. "She'll be fine."

Relief coursed through my body and I took a step back, my eyes still on the doctor. He seemed to have more news to share.

"Anything else?" I asked tentatively.

"Well, there's news, Mr Brown." He said. He then looked around the corridor we stood in, before adding. "She's pregnant. Congratulations!"