Ana
When I woke up the next morning, I had an uneasy feeling. Ben's last words over the phone kept echoing in my head. I didn't exactly like the man so the thought of being his pretend wife for 30 days annoyed me. 30 whole days! What would I do about Liam? How would I take care of him and at the same time pretend he doesn't exist when I'll always probably be around Ben? I could hire a long-term nanny with the money he gave me but Beth needed new kits or they would kick her out of the music program. My life was a whirlwind of challenges that never seemed to end. I took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from my brow and continued to serve customers. The shop was already filling up with customers who either joined the queue or took a seat and waited for a waiter to come to them. I got busy serving and chatting with customers. However, the thought of making a decision about Ben skirted around in my mind still. While I was mulling it over, the door to the coffee shop opened and a man walked in. I looked up to see him headed in my direction. I couldn't see his eyes but his face bore a serious demeanor. I studied him from the counter where I stood, ready to bolt if he turned out to be one of Tony's numerous goons. He was dressed in all black; a black coat, a black cap, and he wore dark shades too. He got to the counter and removed the shades. “Miss Ana?” he gestured at me, his face passive. From the corner of my eyes, I saw James, my co-worker, raise his brow in question. I looked at him and shrugged. I had no idea what was going on either. “Yes? What can I get you?” I asked, trying to sound normal. But I was scared, and wondered how he knew my name. “I was sent by Mr. Pierce. He would like to have a word with you. I'll be waiting in the car outside.” “Mr. Who?” “Who the hell is Mr. Pierce?” James leaned sideways and whispered in my ear. As if on cue, my phone beeped. It was a text from Ben: “We need to talk, right now. I have sent a car; my driver will pick you up.” The supposed driver turned and left. I watched as he exited the shop, got back into his car, and waited. I released a deep sigh of relief. It wasn't Tony. Fortunately, compared to him, Ben was the lesser of two evils. I looked at the text again and the tone irked me. Why was he always so entitled and arrogant? What if I decided I wanted to break the contract? Does he have the power to make me stay? My phone chimed again. It was another text from Ben: You have two options. It's either this or you return the money and face your sad life alone. I recoiled slightly. Was he watching me? How did he know what I was thinking? But then I looked outside and saw his driver staring at me through the glass door and speaking to someone on the phone. I relaxed a little. He was probably giving Ben live updates from watching me. But, ‘sad life?’ This presumptuous man was overstepping and I was going to give him a piece of my mind. “Would you cover for me please, James? I'll be back in a couple of hours.” “Sure thing,” he nodded and continued serving coffee to customers. I angrily grabbed my purse from under the counter and headed for the door. ~~~~~~ From a distance, I could already make out an outline of a mighty tall edifice before our car even entered what looked like a gated community. It finally came to a stop under a drop-off canopy and in an instant the driver was opening my door. He was quite courteous, different from the passive man that had walked into the shop earlier. I got down from the car, glanced around, and noticed the breathtaking scenery that was the compound. I felt dizzy just looking up at the skyscraper. It was a magnificent work of engineering. At the entrance, a sign was made in gold that said: NovaSpire Technologies “Come with me please.” The driver motioned towards me and I turned to follow him. A glass revolving door ushered us in where two security men stood on either side, each wielding a baton. The interior was filled with people hustling and bustling. They all milled around, trying to do one thing or the other. A few were getting on and off escalators situated on either side of the expansive hall. The escalators led upstairs to another level of the building. CCTV cameras were mounted at every corner where two or more walls had intersected. He probably has a security room where they monitor activities of people going and coming. It was a standard, well organized establishment. I was genuinely amazed at how big a company Ben had. He must be a hard worker. But that also explains his bloated ego and arrogance; it was clearly the behavior of a man who had everything. A man who controlled billions of dollars. As we walked along towards the escalators, I suddenly felt self conscious and soon knew the reason: people were staring at us. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed people subtly pointing at us and whispering to each other, especially the ladies. One lady almost stared her way into my soul as I walked past her. “Um... what is going on? Why are people staring at us?” I asked the driver, as I glanced around at the inquiring eyes. “I'm afraid they're staring only at you, Miss Ana.” Me? I wondered why they would be staring at me. I was a nobody and I'd never been in this building before either. I was clearly missing something here. “Why would they be staring at me?” I probed him as we got on the escalator. I needed to get a feel of what was happening. “Mr. Pierce will explain everything to you.” His answer was dismissive and direct but did nothing to quell my rising anxiety. If anything, it piqued my interest even more. Nevertheless, I steeled myself and continued to follow behind him. We took a few more turns and rode an elevator before arriving at Ben's office, located in a quiet corner of an expansive hall. The area seemed reserved for top executives and high-ranking officials, evident from the sparse presence of people around us at this hour. The driver nodded towards the door. “I'll leave you to it, Miss.” He left. I became nervous at the thought of seeing Ben again, my anxiety prompting me to smooth out my dress with unsteady hands and instinctively touch my hair. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door, and waited. “Come in,” an unfamiliar male voice answeredAna I entered the office to find two men seated and discussing. One was Ben, and the other was a man I'd never seen before. Ben gave me a strangely comforting smile and asked, “How was the ride over?” “You basically forced me to come here but sure, it was fine.” I glared at him. He ignored my retort and continued. “Ana, this is my lawyer, Remi Laurent. Remi, this is my wife, Ana.” Remi chuckled mischievously at the mention of ‘wife’ and Ben gave him a warning stare. I could tell that their relationship was more than that of lawyer and client. They were friends. Remi rose and came over to where I stood. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Please, call me Remi.” We shook hands. He was friendly, warm and courteous. He was so different from Ben's brooding personality and that was a welcome change. I liked him right away. Ben poured himself a drink from the bottle of whiskey standing on his desk. He got up, picked up the glass, and went over to stand at the window, his hands in
AnaLeaving Ben's office, I pondered over his demand to move in with him. I'd only known the man for 48 hours so he was basically still a stranger, but I took comfort in the fact that he was a well known figure in Los Angeles. A celebrity so to speak.Before leaving his office, I'd already resigned to fate. Ben has got me in a chokehold and there was nothing I could do but move in with him. I couldn't afford to go to jail, not when I had Liam and Beth to take care of.But I made a silent vow to myself: He would not get off lightly with deceiving me. I would pay him back in kind.Sooner or later.Riding down the escalator, I came across two women discussing with hushed tones. But they suddenly stopped and waved when they saw me. I was still agitated following my meeting with Ben so I ignored them and continued on my way.Getting to the revolving door, a voice called out near me, “Mrs. Pierce?”But I continued moving and was about to push the door when the security man stopped me wit
~Sunday, the day of Beth's Piano Recital~ “Hurry up, Ana! I can't be late to my own recital.” I heard Beth yell out from her room where she was probably struggling to wear her shoes. “What are you talking about? I'm literally out the door. You're the one who's gonna make us late.” I replied from the kitchen, chuckling lightly. I had a piece of bread dangling from my mouth, with Liam in my arms. I fed him and ate simultaneously, as I tried to hurry up for Beth's piano recital. Beth came out of her room and sighted me feeding Liam. “Oops,” I said. I gave her an amused look, with a raised eyebrow, a slight smile, and a hint of 'I've been caught and I know I'm in trouble, but I'm not going to try to talk my way out of it' written all over my face. She laughed and shook her head. “Where's my purse?” She asked, looking around for it. “Under the throw pillow. And come here for a minute. I want to look at you properly.” She found her purse and came to meet me where I sat. S
AnaTony stared at me with bloodshot eyes, his chest rose and fell as he took in heavy, angry breaths.“Did you really think you could run from me?” He approached me menacingly, the trudging sound of his boots echoing in the deserted restroom.I took a step back and soon my back was touching the wall and there was nowhere else to run to. I felt trapped and helpless.“What do you want from me Tony? Why are you doing this?”“You. I want you. And nothing is going to keep me from having you, not even you.” He cackled and wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.I couldn't understand Tony's obsession with me. Since when is it a crime to reject a man you weren't compatible with? And so what if it happens three years into the relationship?“Please, just leave me alone. Please.” I begged, as my voice quivered in fear and desperation.“Not until you give me what I want,” he snarled and approached me.“Okay okay. Fine, fine. I'll do whatever you want.” I was desperate and said a
AnaI went to bed that night thinking about the crazy events I went through that day.Being a single mother was no small feat and I greatly missed the feeling of having a present partner to protect me.My mind went back to Tony and a shiver ran through my spine at the possibility that he would've harmed us if Terrence hadn't gotten to us just in time.And who knows what he might be planning now that I outrightly rejected him and physically hurt him. He could turn out to be more dangerous and unpredictable.I had to think of a way to keep me and my family safe. Maybe I should accept Ben's offer and move in with him already.But how was I going to explain having a child and a sister? It could be detrimental to the whole arrangement and I didn't want to put Liam and Beth in the crossfire between me and Ben.I had to think of something, and fast.I heard a soft knock on my door and Beth peeped in.“Why are you still awake? Can't sleep?” I asked.“Yeah. I'm worried about you. I don't want
Ben I pressed my fingers to my temple, wincing in discomfort as I listened to the voicemail from Ana. The swivel chair swayed gently as I tapped my knee repeatedly. I was relieved she had finally come to her senses and agreed to move in. However, the mere thought of having her close at all times excited me and for the life of me, I couldn't tell why. My business deal with the investors was still hanging in the balance and the company was in dire need of some heavy cashflow so I needed to close the deal with them as soon as possible, otherwise, I could have a ton of angry unemployed workers on my hands. I left my seat and paced around my office, thinking of the best way to break the news of her coming to Mama Canda. I don't want her getting too excited or making a lot of fuss about it. The status quo must be respected and Ana is not to disrupt my daily life. But first things first. I brought out my phone and texted Ana: 'Be ready. Movers will be coming to pick you up tomorrow.’
AnaI woke up to the annoying sound of a vehicle beeping persistently just outside my window.I turned and peered at my alarm clock through heavy eyes, 6:30 am!I screamed into my pillow and threw off the covers in irritation. I went over to the window to see a moving truck backing up into my front porch.Isn't it a little too early for this? Or is it that the almighty Mr. Pierce cannot wait to tie me down as his fake wife and to continue his evil machinations.I hurried to my front door, yanking it open to tell them to either keep it down or come back later. I knew I was literally walking into trouble with my own two feet and I damn sure aren't in any hurry.A professional-looking mover, clipboard in hand, greeted me with a nod.“Morning, ma'am. We're here to move your belongings to Mr. Pierce's residence.”I glared at him. “Do you know what time it is? Can't this wait?”The mover shrugged. “Sorry, ma'am. Mr. Pierce's instructions were very clear. We need to get everything moved tod
Ben I pulled out of Ana's driveway, feeling a sense of satisfaction. Things were falling into place. Ana was finally on board with our arrangement, and I could focus on landing that business deal. As I drove, my mind turned to the tasks ahead. I needed to brief my security team on the new situation and make sure they were prepared for any potential threats. But why was Ana suddenly trying to avoid moving when she was the one that called me herself the previous night? It didn't make any sense. I pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the road ahead. I couldn't let personal feelings get in the way of our arrangement. This was business, after all. But as I pulled into my driveway, I couldn't shake off the feeling that my life was about to change in ways I couldn't control. Mama Canda greeted me at the door, her usual warm smile in place. “You left this morning in such a hurry. Is everything okay?” “Someone is moving into the house today,” I replied, handing her my keys. “She