34
ESTELLE
“I know it’s none of my business, but when will you tell Mr. Linden about it? You can’t hide it forever. Pregnancy will grow eventually.”
“He’s reckless when it comes to the people he cares about. He always wants to be the hero, maybe a part of his job, or it’s his personality, and I don’t want him to be reckless for his child.”
“But it’s unfair. As far as I can see, he is a good man and responsible. And a father will always do what’s good for his children.”
“You should tell that to my father, Micah.”
“Estelle, he’d love to be involved in raising his kid. I’m sorry, but as your assistant, I think I may have an idea of what’s going on.” Micah sat on the chair across my desk. “You’re going to marry the man you disgust while you are pregnant with a man you love—”
“Whoa.” My eyes widened, yet my heart agreed. “Who said about love?”
She shrugged. “Well, tell me, what you have been doing recently? Staying with him, sleeping over in a romantic place, and him sleeping over in your house while you were making a huge move with outdoor movies? What do you call that? Even every time you heard his name, your eyes lit up. You’re in love with Mr. Linden.”
“I don’t know. I just like him.”
“Isn’t he older than you?” She tried to hide her smile from me.
I rolled my eyes. Linden was older than me by five years, but age didn’t matter to me.
“Well, a Latin singer married a woman two decades younger than him, so if it’s true love, go for it,” she added.
“We’re not getting married.”
“Not now, but he’s the kind of man who was into hooks up, and when he grows old, he wants to settle down and live in a house with a picket fence. He’s hot, by the way.”
My eyes narrowed. Obviously, it wasn’t intentional. It was just my feelings over Linden got in the way. I knew it was harmless, but I felt territorial over him.
Micah smiled. “What’s your plan? I heard everything your father told you. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, but he was just loud, and I was afraid he would hurt you.”
“Just don’t tell anyone.”
“I’m good at keeping secrets.”
“I don’t know. I can’t lose this company. I gave up everything a long time ago, and I personally like to prioritize Star LLC. I can’t give up now. I have to choose eventually with my current situation, but my priority has shifted. I wanna raise my kid in a good and safe environment.”
“Now you talk like a good and responsible mother.”
I reached out to squeeze Micah’s hand. “Thank you for always listening to my bullshit.”
“I’m here if you need me, even just talking about bullshit. If I were you, I know you are in a tremendously difficult situation right now, but two heads are better than one. He can help you financially, and you need a lot of emotional support. Having a baby is a lifetime commitment, Estelle.”
“I know, Micah. Why do you think I’ve been struggling lately?”
“You said you want to raise your kid in a good and safe environment, right? How is getting married to someone like Klayton Weston safe for your kid? Sorry. I’m out of line, but as your assistant, I know most people around you and have good instincts.”
I didn’t know I was crying until I wiped my cheek.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be harsh.” She offered me a box of tissue.
“You’re not. Sometimes I need a hard push to do what’s right for me. I was raised in a broken family, bouncing between two homes. I learned the hard way of standing for my own. My mom was a good mother. My father sent me to a good school. When I learned to earn my own money, I promised myself to give something in return. At that time, Star LLC was literally my life. It’s my life’s work, and I forgot sometimes I was too selfless that I also needed time for myself. I still am. And here I am, still forgetting that I’m not alone anymore. And maybe if things go according to plan, this is the legacy I can give my baby.”
“Then be that selfless mother. Think about your child.”
I smiled sadly as I picked up my phone and dialed Linden’s number. Micah nodded before she left my office.
“Baby? You’re not drunk dialing, are you?”
“In the middle of the day?”
“Good to hear your voice. Do you wanna meet?”
“Yeah. How about you take me to some of your favorite burger houses.”
“I know just a place. Do you like tacos?”
“Yeah. Who doesn’t?”
“Okay. I’m calling Q so he can send you there. Not far from your office.”
“Thanks.”
“See you soon, Estelle.”
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the taco stand. From the parking lot, I noticed a long line in the queue. That must be good.
“He’s here,” Qamar said as he went out to help me. Someone already did.
“Hey.” The first word I said to him came out breathless.
Linden squeezed me into a hug. “You must be hungry that you choose me as your company.”
“I need to talk to you. Someone enlightened me on something this morning. I thought maybe you’re the best person— you are actually the only person who can understand my situation.”
“Come.” He assisted me to the last empty table at the end. “Q will take our order. I know the owner. This is Rome’s favorite tacos.”
He sat beside me, his hand on my own as he looked at me, reading my thoughts. It scared me sometimes if he looked at me that way that, he might find out something I was not ready for him to know.
I squeezed his hand before I began. “I don’t wanna get involved with Klayton. Hell, I couldn’t stand him. But if I do this, I will ultimately lose Star LLC. The boards will not stand on my side. I know that. They will appoint someone, surely not my father and definitely not Mom, but someone else, and I couldn’t let Klayton take over it from me.”
“Do you trust me?”
I looked at him in the eye and said, “Yes.”
“I’m working fast as I can. You will have the result in three days. That’s enough time before you walk into that miserable life that you can never be the same person anymore.”
I stared at him. “How do you know all of this? I feel like you know more than you let on, Gabriel.”
“Baby, Osmium is more than just a security, black ops agency. We don’t just provide security since we have acquired a partnership with Hover Defense and Security. We also have become a private intelligence agency.”
I blinked. I didn’t know what to say. I was surprised and worried at the same time that he might discover my secret. “That sounds—”
“Broad.”
“Awesome.”
“I know what you signed up for.”
“That’s creepy.” I swallowed hard and suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was only a matter of time before he found out about my secret.
“I’m sorry that you have to find out this way. I can’t just stand there and do nothing. It’s your life we’re talking about.”
“Why do you do this? Why do you have to help me when I did it for myself?”
“You were still young when you signed that contract. You wanted to prove something to yourself. You were ambitious, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You just approached the wrong people, and I could say Weston was kind of charming back then.”
“You didn’t just say that.” I rolled my eyes.
Our food arrived. Qamar took his own taco and soda and went to eat on his own.
“Well, he’s the only son of Tyrion Weston, and he was groomed to take over Weston Yachts, but I don’t see that happening soon. Klayton will be the downfall of Weston Yachts. I also found some nasty shit about that guy. So either I will do something or take the regrets of not doing anything for the rest of my life.”
“What’s your plan?” I took a bite of the tacos and moaned at the first bite because it was amazing. Linden smiled in amusement. “It’s really good.”
“They blackmailed you, and I will blackmail them.”
“How?”
“Leave it to me, baby. Just don’t listen and take anything seriously, whatever you hear online or on the news.” He ate his tacos. Everything about Linden was sexy, even his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“What do you mean?” I took another big bite.
“I will give you an update. And please, don’t show and offer your hand for his engagement ring, or I swear to God, I will take it off myself and throw it into the Pacific Ocean.”
“Like Rose of the Titanic.” I chuckled. He did too. “Why? What are you going to do?”
“I will kidnap you and take you somewhere he can’t find you even if he hired the worse killer in the world.”
“Really?” I giggled as I took the bottled water he gave me. When his expression didn’t change, that’s when I realized he wasn’t joking. My smile faded. My heart hammered. “You’re not seriously considering that.”
“Try me.”
