Chapter 2: Snowball Effect
Author's Note!
Helllloooooo. Yes, so the story will be continued from this link. It's much easier that way, isn't it? Thank you all for your never-ending support. After all, we aim to please. Please enjoy this one! And, I just wanted to say that I'm not giving up on the Ethan/Ana story. It's just a little harder to come up with a story line than this one. But yes, a third chapter is in the works.
"Ana, baby." Christian cooed. I turned to watch him stretch out across the bed, naked. "I've got a party to attend tonight..." He pouted in his maddeningly sexy way. "Will you come?"
My fingers traced across his pout, unable to resist the magnetic pull. "Whose birthday is it?"
He laughed a sardonic laugh. "Birthday? Sweetheart, it's an elite mixer."
"Elite mixer?" My eyebrows rose, as I questioned, not sure what I was expecting from my trillionaire husbandaire. I thought I had seen it all. From major events to anniversaries, from engagement parties to weddings, from business events to formal dances. The list was endless.
"Wine and cheese. Just be yourself, they'll love you." He said, nipping my waist with his teeth.
Wine and cheese. My heart fell. I had already taken the risk with that Marsala two nights ago. I cannot possibly put my little blip's life on the line once more. What if my little blip...
Dies? Isn't that the point? My inner goddess snapped.
Did I want that? The mere thought horrified me. I could poison my growing child bit by bit until he... I could pretend I never knew I was pregnant. I could just... Miscarry.
My inner goddess nodded at me from her yoga pose. She was lying flat on her stomach, as if boasting that she was not with child like I was.
My conscience shook her head at me. No. I could not do that. This child growing within me sought me as his protector, his nurturer, his... Mother. Even if he was fatherless. "I don't know..." I started, reaching for Christian's hand. "I don't feel up for wine or cheese."
It was his turn to raise his eyebrows. "I was under the impression that you were quite the alcoholic."
"Excuse me?" I smacked him and he chortled, raising his hands in surrender as he pulled the sheet over his naked groin area.
Christian gave me a shrug and he blew me a kiss, "It's alright, Mrs Grey. I've got your drinking habits under lock and key." I narrowed my eyes at him and smacked my lips. He lost the smile and looked sincerely concerned, "Are you sick?"
Was I sick? "No... I don't think so."
He looked widely unconvinced, his hand reaching around my waist to draw me into his chest. "Should I call Dr. Greene?"
A little too quickly, I shook my head and pulled away. The doctor was already expecting Christian and I to go down for our very first sonogram. There was no way I could let them communicate. None at all.
"Ana? Is everything okay?"
Now's your chance to tell him! My inner goddess practically jabbed me in the ribs.
And risk losing everything? "Of course it is. I just need to pee and get to work."
Christian groaned, falling back into the pillows as I directed myself to the toilet. "Forget work!"
"We're not all trillionaires, Grey." We had been over this practically a million times already. Maybe we should go over it a trillion times to match with his current financial status.
"Because we can be trillionaire's wives!" Christian hollered back.
I looked at myself in the mirror and shook my head. I had to work for myself in case of emergencies... Times like these especially. I could not rely on Christian financially. The moment he found out about this child... Subconsciously, my hand came to cradle my flat belly. Very soon, my child would show.
I could not hide this child from Christian forever.
Thank goodness no Prenup was signed. Christian would have forced his money upon me otherwise. Now, I could slip through the cracks without his cash if we were divorced.
When you get divorced, my inner goddess corrected me with a snarky smirk.
There was no way I could see Christian accepting this child with open arms. He would not. I was so sure of it. But... A stubborn hope in me refused to die. "Christian?" I chanted, caressing my belly.
"Yeah, Ana?" He replied lazily, still lounging in bed no doubt.
"One of my friends at work is pregnant." I lied.
"Well, it's not Claire is it?" Christian clarified. "Because Claire isn't married so that would be a little unethical."
So marriage seemed to be a factor in accepting a child. The last time Christian and I had discussed this, we were not married... Maybe..."Nope. Someone you don't know."
"Well! Let's send her a congratulations hamper full of pregnancy books and food, shall we?" Always kind-hearted, Christian suggested heartily. A congratulations. Did that mean a child would be worth a celebration?
I stepped back out of the toilet and leaned against the wooden door arch. He watched me with his hands behind his head, a sexy smolder radiating off his eyes. "She can't wait to have a child."
"Well of course. Children are bundles of joy!" Christian sang, feeding the hope within me. "But not for us..." My heart fell. "I don't think children are a good idea for us."
"Why?" I asked softly, weak with defeat.
"Imagine how your body would change... The sex will change, Ana." Christian nodded at my current figure with satisfaction. "I'm a sexual man." He winked at me but I could not bring myself to smile in response.
I stayed there stunned in my position, shocked on so many different levels. "You don't want children at all?"
Christian sat up slowly, "Not until five or ten years later. Why? Did you want children?" I swallowed. I used my palms to cover both my elbows and gave him a shrug. "We don't need children, Ana. We have each other."
Oh hell. What did he expect me to do? Hold the foetus within me for another five or ten years? "I'm going to work." I announced, grabbing the clothes I lay out the day before. Not wanting to risk him seeing my baby bump, if any, I changed in the toilet.
"So... I'll pick you up at 6?" Christian questioned.
For wine and cheese. I supposed I could go without drinking anything. There was still cheese, right? "That'll be perfect." I told Christian as I immersed from the toilet.
The sexy burn in his face was back as he winked at me, "There's my gorgeous CEO of Grey Publishing."
"I can't believe I'm CEO..." After so long, I still felt like I was under Jack Hyde. Even though I had not seen Jack since before my honeymoon and in addition, I was in the main office of Grey's Publishing, I did not feel like a CEO. I simply was not CEO material.
"Don't start this." The epitome of CEO clenched his jaw. Everything about him oozed CEO and in comparison to him, I paled. How could someone like me be the same as Christian? Anyone who heard I was CEO would definitely suspect Christian had a hand in it. Which he did.
But I had enough on my plate as it is already. "Goodbye." I told Christian, "See you later." I reached for my Chanel office bag and swung it over my shoulder, still unaccustomed to the strong leather smell.
Before Christian could protest, I slipped out of the bedroom. Luke, Taylor and Gail were buzzing about the kitchen. "Good morning, everyone." I greeted rather monotonously.
"Morning, Ana." They said in unison.
"I've packed you some salmon wraps along yoghurt." Gail beamed at me, handing over my lunch box.
"Thank you." I gave her a smile.
"Ready to go?" Luke stretched as he rose from the seat, straightening his shirt and grabbing the car keys. I nodded.
Taylor gave me a flutter of his fingers in farewell. "Take care of Christian." I shook my finger at him and followed Luke out to the lifts.
"Ana?" Christian's voice echoed through the lift lobby.
My lift 'pinged' just as he made it to view. He was shirtless but had managed to pull on a pair of pants that hung in that maddeningly sexy way. I wished nothing more than to get out of Christian's grasp at the moment. "I'll see you later, Mr. Grey."
"Is everything okay?" He asked, stepping closer to us.
I entered the lift with Luke at my side. "I'm just late, bye." I waved at my disheveled and confused husband as the doors closed. There was a brief moment of silence.
"Ana, is there anything I should know?" Luke raised his eyebrows and folded his arms.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Unfortunately, my nibbling of my bottom lip drew suspicion and Luke narrowed his eyes, unimpressed. "I just can't tell anyone right now."
That seemed to tick Luke off majorly; he let out an irritated sigh. "You're kidding. Haven't you learnt what keeping secrets and thoughts to yourself can damage?"
Of course, he was referring to my pre-marriage days. One of the more major ones would be avoiding Christian when I had seen the whole office scene and the second would be ignoring Luke when I thought he had betrayed me. But this was different. The fact was that I had a child, there was nothing to be discussed. Christian had even pointed out that children were not on his to-do list until five or ten years later.
Five or ten years later? Was I even okay with that? Ever since I was in university, my motherly instincts had somewhat kicked in. Children were everywhere and they were adorable. I had thought of having children, thought of having five even. But I had married a man who may not even want to have children at all.
Should've thought about that before you married him, my inner goddess said sourly. She had once dreamt and longed for kids as well.
"It's different, I assure you." I tried for convincing when Luke held the elevator doors open for me.
Upon stepping out, my phone jumped like a fish out of water. Claire. "Morning, Claire."
"Good morning, Ana!" She chimed, happy as always.
"How can I help you?" Luke opened the door for me and I climbed in.
"A Dr. Greene called for you last night. But since it was past your hours, I thought I'd tell you this morning instead."
Good call, I thought to myself. Christian would have found out otherwise. "Yup, thank you. So, what did she want?"
"Dr. Greene flagged your appointment today as a red, she called to remind you not to miss it." Right. Of course, missing too many appointments had brought me to where I was today.
"Definitely." I said. "Tell her I'll be there."
"Perfect." Claire tapped at her laptop. "But you have a client's appointment that clashes, Ana."
"Push it back or re-schedule. The appointment's a red." I instructed carelessly, Luke's interest was peaked and he stared at me questioningly.
"Alright, your doctor's appointment will be at 5PM." Shit. Was that cutting it too close? Christian was due around 6PM. He definitely could not see me coming in just when he arrived.
"Can we try for 4.30PM? Or maybe earlier. Any open slots." I sounded desperate, which reflected my physical state of freaking out and cold sweat.
There was a pause. "I'll call Dr. Greene and get back to you."
"Thank you, Claire. I'll see you in ten minutes." With that, I ended the call and buried my phone in my handbag.
Luke cleared his throat expectantly, waiting for me to explain.
"I can't." I told him. "I really can't."
"You can trust me, Ana." Luke stopped at the red light, his gaze searching me. "I thought I've proven that."
I closed my eyes to prevent his glare of accusation from breaking me. "You'll tell someone and anyone would tell Christian."
"Christian may be my employer, but my loyalty lies with you." Luke said reassuringly. "You're the one I'm taking care of, Ana, and I can't take care of you if I don't know what's wrong."
Luke was right in more ways than one. I was now faced with a brick wall with nowhere else to go. "Come with me later," I whispered. "To Dr. Greene's." I opened my eyes in time to see him nod. Christian most definitely would not be coming for any Dr. Greene appointments, so I would need all the support I could get.
"Thank you, Ana." Luke gave me a tight smile as he pulled up outside my office building.
"No, thank you." I returned the smile, knowing that his support was something I would need to pull through this.
The office building Christian had bought for Grey Publishing's new headquarters was a tall skyscraper. He rented out all the other floors to various companies, but kept the highest six stories for Grey Publishing. In a matter of weeks, the rest of Grey Publishing would be moving into the same building. My office was on the highest floor of all, overlooking Seattle's gorgeous skyline every time I peered out. As location was precise with Christian, this building was just a mere five-minute drive and ten-minute walk from his own office.
"Good morning, Mrs. Grey." The security men gave me a good nod.
"Good morning, Paul and Andrew. Hope you had a good night." These two men worked in the same company as Luke, hence, they were rather close.
"We sure did, thank you." They said in unison. Luke came to stand by them as I reached the lobby.
"Good morning, Mrs. Grey." The two receptionist ladies rose to their feet. One of them walked me to the elevator lobby.
"Good morning, Giselle and Charlotte." I greeted them back. "Thank you, Giselle." I told the sweet lady as she held the elevator door open for me. "Have a nice day."
Ever since Christian and I had gotten married, everybody's response to me changed. I was no longer someone to be ignored. Everybody greeted me as I passed and went out of their way to make me comfortable. This was the advantage that came with wealth and power, this was Christian's lifestyle.
It saddened me to think of it all being wiped away. Divorce papers clouded my vision as I sunk back into the classy elevator mirrors. I placed my hand on my stomach, feeling for a nonexistent bulge. I would lose my husband. Was keeping this baby worth it at all?
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