#26 Sebastian's mother

Sophie closed the binder and threw it across the table. "He has definitely lost his mind!"
"That's what I've been telling myself since yesterday," I sighed.
My best friend had come to Sebastian's penthouse to bring me some clothes and personal belongings. I didn't dare to disobey his orders because nothing could stop him from taking my child away from me.
"What are you going to do, Evelyn?" Sophie asked, caressing my hand gently.
I looked at her dark brown eyes, trying to hold back my tears. "I don't know, Sophie, but I can't sign this…"
"He can't force you, darling. We'll figure something out," my best friend said with a reassuring smile.
"It's not that simple…" I trailed off.
"What do you mean? What else did he say?" Sophie asked, her anger rising.
"He threatened he'd take the baby away from me. Sebastian said he'd never let me see my child if I don't sing the contract…" I whispered, lowering my gaze.
"The bastard!" Sophie hissed, slamming her hand against the table.
"Can he do something like this, Sophie?" I asked, tears rolling down my cheeks.
"He can claim that you're incapable of raising the baby due to your medical history and ask for full custody," Sophie said after a few moments of silence.
I brought my hands to my mouth, pure shock running through my body. This was heartless and beyond horrible…
"What did you say to him, Evelyn?"
"That we can sign a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity, and then make a deal about the baby's custody. I want full custody, but he obviously wants a shared one."
"That's a smart move, darling. At least you don't have to marry him…" Sophie said, patting my back.
"He'll give me a revised version of the contract once it's ready," I told her, biting my lower lip.
"Don't sign anything before I see it, okay?" Sophie asked, eyeing me intensely.
"Of course, I won't. Thank you for helping me," I replied, giving her a small smile.
"Darling, that's why friends are for," my best friend chuckled.
"Since you're here, and you've got the day off from work, are you in for a tour? This place is huge!"
"Hell yeah, I'm in for a tour…" Sophie giggled, sipping her coffee.
Sebastian's penthouse was massive. Besides the large living room, the house had five bedrooms, two sitting rooms, a spacious kitchen, a library filled with numerous books, a gym, and a mini-theater. However, I wasn't allowed to go into his home office and his bedroom.
The rest of the house had the same minimalistic décor as the living room. Black, white, and grey were the dominant tones, while red, navy, and silver completed the decoration. The house was equipped with the latest technological gadgets. I could watch a movie on the huge plasma TV, use one of the tablets or laptops to surf the net, read an e-book or listen to some music.
The personnel that worked for him were the security guards, Mrs. Martha Sebastian's housekeeper, and her assistants. They were all willing to help me with everything I needed and excited since they now had another person to take care of. I felt a bit weird having another person cook breakfast or lunch for me, bring me snacks and be there to take care of my needs…
After the small tour, we headed back to my room. Surprisingly, my bedroom was closer to my tastes. The room was decorated in off-white and pink pastel tones, having a more vintage atmosphere. A boudoir filled with beauty products and jewelry was near the window. The walk-in closet also had many brand-new clothes of my size. However, I wasn't going to use any of these. That's why I'd asked Sophie to bring me, my staff.
We sat at the soft king-size bed, ignoring the ivory armchairs at the other end of the bedroom. Sophie took my hands in hers, a silly smile plastered on her lips.
"Well, I wouldn't mind staying here…" Sophie giggled.
I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm trapped in a golden cage. Thank heavens Sebastian is a workaholic, and I'm not forced to see him a lot."
"There are plenty of rooms in case you want to avoid him, though," Sophie chuckled.
"I'm sure he's not that fond of me either. Besides, I'll have to sign the contract eventually," I shrugged.
"Until you sing, what are you gonna do?" Sophie asked, tilting her head to the side.
"I don't know, but I need to find a job…"
"Why don't you start taking sculpture or designing classes? You always want it, and now you have the time, too," Sophie suggested.
"I'd need a real job if I'm going to raise my child alone, Sophie…"
"I know that you don't like him right now, and you have every right to hate him. However, Sebastian really seems to care about the baby and you. Let him help you, but on your own terms," Sophie said, caressing my blonde hair.
"I don't want his money nor his help, especially since he treated me like this. I'll send my resume to some companies and publishing houses. Hopefully, I can find a job, at least until I give birth."
"You're so stubborn!" Sophie sighed.
A knock on the door made us both jump, surprised. After I gave permission, Martha walked into the room.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Russell, but you have a visitor," the woman said, giving me a warm smile.
"I didn't expect anyone else besides Sophie…"
"Mrs. Leclair is here, and she's excited about meeting you," the woman informed me, her eyes darting to my tummy.
I looked at the woman with my mouth ajar. Sebastian's mother had come to see me! Did she know about the baby?
"Thank you, Martha. We're coming…" I managed to stutter when my brain started working again.
I stood up and turned to look at Sophie with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I'm not coming," my friend said stubbornly, shaking her head.
"Seriously? You're going to leave me alone to deal with Sebastian's mother?"
"She's Nick's mother, too! I'm not sure Nick and I are on this stage, yet…"
"Just come with me. She might not know who you're, and I'm not going to tell!" I said, giving her my best puppy eyes look.
"Ugh, I hate you," Sophie sighed as she stood up and followed me back into the main room.
We found a middle-aged woman, tall and slender, walking back and forth nervously, her high heels clicking on the marble floor. When she noticed us, a huge smile appeared on her heart-shaped face; her eyes were a mix of green and grey and were glistening with excitement. She was dressed in a teal blazer with a matching dress that reached her knees, as her brown hair was styled in a perfect low bun.
"Hello, Evelyn. I should apologize for coming uninvited; I didn't know you have company," the woman said when we got closer to her. Her voice was calm and soothing, and I couldn't stop the grin from forming on my lips.
"Hello, Mrs. Leclair. There's no need to apologize, I was just catching up with my best friend…" I replied politely, sending a side glance towards Sophie.
"Please, darling, just call me Clara. We're going to be a family any time soon," the woman chirped excitedly.
I smiled a bit awkwardly before turning towards Sophie and making the necessary introductions. The two women exchanged a handshake, but then Clara smirked.
"You're Sophie, the young lady Nickolas has been talking about lately, aren't you?" the woman questioned once again.
"Yes, madam," Sophie muttered, fidgeting with the hem of her blouse.
"Oh, what a coincidence; I met both of my son's girlfriends at the same time," Clara exclaimed, lacing her arm with mine as she walked towards the white sofas.
I was about to correct her but decided against it. I wasn't sure how much she knew about my relationship with Sebastian, and I didn't want to make a full of myself. Besides, she seemed so kind and excited about meeting us.
We sat side by side on the white couch while Sophie took a seat on the armchair near us.
"Nickolas told me about your pregnancy, and I'm overjoyed. I never thought Sebastian would open up to another woman ever again," Clara continued, looking at me with a beaming smile.
"Nick must learn to keep a secret from time to time…" Sophie sighed, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Sophie, this is the best thing that happened to our family in a long time," Clara said, her eyes darkening for a moment.
At least, this was something the whole family kept a secret. What had happened to Sebastian that turned him into this cold-hearted monster…
"Evelyn, darling, how are you today? Are you feeling any better?" the woman changed the subject again.
"I'm much better. I try to rest before going back to work," I replied with a small smile.
"Work? Darling, you don't need to work. I'm sure Sebastian already told you that," Clara said with a disapproving tone.
"Well, we're still trying to find a middle ground on this…"
"Yes, darling, but no need to overstress yourself. Anyway, you should both join us for dinner this weekend," Clara suggested, her eyes darting between Sophie and me.
"We will see," Sophie answered this time.
"I've already informed Nick. And I called Sebastian on my way here. He shouldn't have hidden from us your relationship. But don't worry, dear, I scolded him properly…" Clara said, smirking once again.
This would have been a very amusing sight; the ruthless billionaire being scolded by his mother…
I couldn't help but chuckle, "It wasn't entirely Sebastian's fault. He didn't know until recently."
"Oh, it doesn't matter since we all know now. I'm so happy that my son finally moved on and found a beautiful and sweet woman to start his family with," Clare complimented me, giving me a sweet smile.
I blushed, but before I had the chance to reply to anything, Nick's voice came from somewhere behind us.
"Seriously, mother, you couldn't help yourself…" Nickolas sighed, storming towards our way.
"Can you blame me, darling? I just found out that Sebastian is seeing someone for the first time after Liv died. How could I not want to? Not to mention about my grandchild," Clara said with a pout, as she stood up to greet her son.
Nickolas kissed his mother on the cheek, sending Sophie and me an apologetic look.
"Evelyn isn't the first woman Sebastian dates in the past few years, mother," Nickolas chuckled, referring to the mane women his brother fucked.
"These are nothing compared to Evelyn, Nickolas. How can you compare them with this fine, young lady?"
"I can't argue that, mother," Nick muttered, as he walked towards his girlfriend. "I didn't know you were here, sweetheart..."
"I came to see my best friend," Sophie replied, glaring at him.
"What did I do, now?" Nickolas asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.
"We can discuss this later, honey," Sophie retorted, in a fake sweet tone.
Nick sighed and turned to look at me, "You've been missing for three days, and the office is almost falling apart…"
"I'm sure the new assistant you found will learn how to handle Sebastian soon," I chuckled.
"Oh, he fired her…" Nick shrugged.
"That was quick!"
"Evelyn isn't going back to work. Her health condition is fragile; she just came out of the hospital," Clara interjected, giving her son a pointed look.
"I know, mother. You should be worried about your other son, not me, though…"
"What did he do? Does Sebastian not treat you well, Evelyn?" Mrs. Leclair asked, a small frown forming on her beautiful face.
"Of course, I am, mother. How could I mistreat the mother of my unborn child?" Sebastian's voice boomed, and we all turned to look at him in pure surprise...