Why now? This is the only statement that Eloise could think of as she stared at the positive pregnancy test sitting on the counter. She raked her hands through her hair and wondered what would happen now. Should she tell Vaughn about it right away? Or shall she wait a little bit? Before she could even think of an answer, her phone lit up with Vaughn as the caller. “Vaughn?” she said, her voice immediately turning hopeful. “Is Alina still there?” he asked. She felt disappointed that the first thing he asked about was Alina. “I think so,” she said, trying to sound as neutral as possible. “Good,” he said. “Tell her that I’ll pick her up later for dinner. She’s not picking up her phone.” She pursed her lips together. “Okay,” she softly said. “And I need you to get ready for tomorrow,” he said. Eloise frowned in confusion. “What for?” she asked. “My parents are asking for you. They want to hold a party with their close friends so they could introduce you.” A sm
“I think you should stop him soon,” Eloise heard from beside her, causing her to snap her gaze away from Vaughn. Vaughn was currently drinking with his father’s colleagues, and it looked like he was enjoying his time a bit too much. “Is he going through anything?” she asked Xavi, wondering why he was drinking so much. “Same old, same old,” Xavi said, sitting down next to her. “It’s always about Alina and the company.” “Is it alright if I ask about it?” Xavi shrugged his shoulders. “Vaughn probably wouldn’t tell you about it anyway, so I might as well do it.” Eloise faced him with excited eyes. Vaughn doesn’t tell much about his personal life, so this was a good opportunity to learn about him. “I’m sure you already have a gist of what’s happening—his parents disapprove of Alina or something like that, yeah?” “Yes,” she said. “Just the surface level, though. I don’t know much.” “Well, let’s just say that Vaughn never really had a great childhood. His parents are okay now, bu
Alina fumed as she watched the video sent by Amy on her phone. It was a combination of the sweet moments that Eloise and Vaughn had shared as well as Vaughn’s statement—that Eloise was the only woman for him. Her breaking point was the part when Rose told everyone that she wouldn’t be able to get close to their money even if she does marry Vaughn in the end. From the start, she thought that this was a good idea—that by following through with the surrogacy plan, Vaughn would finally inherit his parents’ company, and she could live a life filled with nothing but luxury. But watching the video made her think otherwise. Her fists clenched as she looked at the fond looks on Vaughn’s parents’ faces. She had been trying to get their approval for two years, but this bitch did it in two months! With how the situation is going, she doesn’t think that she could keep on with this. That’s right. She shouldn’t. If she can’t have Vaughn’s parents’ money, then she should at least settle
As soon as Vaughn went out of the door, Alina started packing her belongings. The tears streamed down her face as she zipped her bag, looking at the empty room that she lived in for the past three months. She sat down on the bed and allowed herself to cry. This was okay, right? For so long, she hasn’t cried because of her situation. Working day and night for her family never made her break down. Yet a guy—a stupid guy whom she had grown to love so much managed to make her cry. She looked around the room and the memories flashed in her mind. All of the sweet words, fake acting, and intimate acts they shared together stayed in her heart. And at that moment, she knew that she couldn’t stay here anymore. Not in this house. Not in this city. But she didn’t know how she’d manage to move without anybody else’s help. She saw a small piece of card on the bedside table and decided to call the number. Xavi did tell her to contact him whenever she needed help. It only rang a co
Vaughn hummed as Alina wrapped her arms around his bare body. They had just finished making love, but he couldn’t take his mind away from Eloise’s expression just a while ago. “You seem distracted,” Alina said, tracing the depths of his muscles. “Hmm,” he hummed. “Did you do it?” she asked. “Did you break up with her?” He nodded his head. “I’ll have my lawyer take care of the divorce papers as soon as possible.” “Good,” she muttered against his skin. Alina couldn’t help but smile as she imagined the look on Eloise’s face when Vaughn asked for a divorce. She wished she would have seen it in real life. It didn’t take a genius to find out that the poor girl had fallen in love with Vaughn. “I never really liked her anyway,” she honestly said. Vaughn frowned. “What do you mean?” “Well, she agreed to do this because of your money! And she looked to be in love with you, Vaughn.” “She was?” he softly asked. While it is true that the girl did treat her more warmly by the end of thei
Vaughn grasped the divorce papers in his hand and gazed at the beat-up apartment. He had tried calling her number numerous times, but she never answered. And even now that the divorce papers are ready, she still hasn’t answered his call. So, he opted to go to their house. He stood in front of their apartment and knocked on the door. There was a strange feeling in his heart. After not seeing Eloise in two weeks, he wonders if she’s still alright. After a while, the door finally opened, and an unfamiliar woman looked up at him with confused eyes. “Umm, hello?” the woman said. Vaughn frowned and looked behind the woman. “Hello? Excuse me?” she asked once more. “Are you looking for someone?” “Is Eloise not here?” he asked. “Eloise?” the woman frowned. “Nobody is named Eloise here. I think you got the wrong unit.” He glanced at the unit number and shook his head. “She lives here,” he insisted. The woman glared at him and scoffed. “Weirdo. You’re looking for a per
“Why don’t you stay at home, dear?” Eloise’s mom said with a concerned look on her face. “It’s only one month until your expected delivery date, right?”Eloise nodded her head. “It’s okay, mom,” she smiled. “I’m still as healthy as ever. Besides, the loan won’t be paying itself, hmm?”Jane looked down to the ground and sighed in disappointment. “I’m sorry, honey. I’ll try to ask our neighbors if they need someone to clean their house again.”“No, mom,” she smiled. “It’s okay. I’m still feeling good, so I don’t want to waste my time just sitting at home. I promise I’ll tell you when I feel something strange, okay?”Although her mom was still concerned, she eventually agreed with Eloise since she knows that she can never win over her daughter. “Just make sure to greet Cameron when he gets home,” Eloise added. Jane smiled and nodded her head. “I will, honey. I’ll cook your favorite dish, too.”“Thanks, mom,” she smiled, placing a kiss on her cheek. Eight months have passed since El
“Mommy, up!” the cute little boy smiled up at his mother. Eloise looked down at the cute child and carried him in her arms. She observed his face and wondered how he only got the color of her eyes. Any other feature came from someone else—someone she doesn’t want to talk about. “My baby Ollie,” she cooed, kissing his chubby cheeks. “I thought you were a big boy already?” He shook his head. “I’m mommy’s baby forever!” he exclaimed. “That you are,” she pinched his cheek. “Is the little rascal awake?” Cameron asked as he came out of his room fully dressed. Ollie smiled up at him with glee. “Good morning, Uncle Cammy!” “Morning, Ollie,” he smiled, walking over to his sister to show her his undone tie. Eloise shook her head and helped him put his tie on. “It’s been months since you started working at a corporate job, yet you still don’t know how to fix your tie.” “It’s because you always do it better,” he smiled. “Have you gotten the email, by the way?” he asked, sitting d