Chapter 32

Niko took a seat in one of the leather chairs near Baylee and noticed as her eyes lit up in excitement while watching the screen. He loved that she was happy and smiling but didn’t want her high hopes to be plunged so suddenly that it stressed her out. “You asked for my help...and this is the only thing I can think of... but it’s not likely to work.”

She narrows her eyes to him. “You never know…Love prevails.”

One of his brows arched in surprise. That didn’t sound like something she would say at all. “Think Baylee, if Lola came onto your fiancé and he didn’t tell you about it, and you found out later… Could you let it go?”

Her brows join. She refused to accept the fact. “This is different… he loves her, and he was loyal to her.”

“Love isn’t the most important thing in a relationship, it’s trust, and he didn’t tell her. That’s not loyalty.”

She swallows and rests a hand on her stomach while leaning back on the seat. She hadn’t thought of it this way at all. He was right, and suddenly she felt ridiculous. She felt that all of this was in vain, and a really bad idea. She didn’t respond, she couldn’t even look at him. Her eyes reverted to the monitor hesitantly as if she was about to watch the murder scene of her favourite character.
Lola’s hands were flaring up and she was pointing to Conner who stood quietly with his arms folded.

“Maybe you should just let them go.” She officially was doubting everything. Maybe the better idea was for her to stay far away and out of everything.

“We’re already here.” He leans back and pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Chinese right?” He changes the topic. “What do you want?”

“Anything.” She wasn’t that hungry. “Can you put the volume up?”

Just as he reached for the button, the red phone on the desk rang. He glanced at the elevator screen and saw it was his sister calling. “Hello.” He picks up.

“Let me out right now!” She yells. “How dare you? How could you? You of all people…”

“I’ll let you out once you calm down and have a civilized conversation. I’m not asking for you to forgive him, just talk.”

“Are you out of your mind? Let me out right now!”

He hangs up and shifts his gaze to a worried Baylee. “Whatever happens here, if nothing else, it will give everyone some sort of closure.”

She released a breath as nausea seemed to overcome her for a moment.

“Hey…” He touches her shoulder. “You’re okay.”

“This could make things worse… she might stay mad at you forever.”

He turns her chair to face him. “That’s not going to happen. Calm down.” He gently caresses her arms to soothe her worry. “You know Lola, she can’t stay mad for long.”

She bites her lips. “Yeah, but I’ve never seen her like this.”

“That’s because she is in love, and nothing can hurt you the way love can.” He swallows. His eyes divert away and he clears his throat. “And... Conner is the only person that can help ease the pain, so ultimately even though this plan may not go perfectly, I don’t think it's a bad idea.”

She smiles gently. That was exactly what she needed to hear.

He puts up the volume and they focus their attention back on the little screen. Lola was being stubborn, she sat in the corner with her arms hugging her knees and her head down. Conner too sat with his eyes closed and his head leaned back on the cool silver wall. It was going nowhere.

An hour passed, and within that time Niko ordered the food and had some sent to his sister to be slid in the small crease of the elevator he opened.

“Why didn’t you send anything for Conner?” Baylee asked as she shoved noodles in her mouth.

“Let’s see if she lets him starve.” He responds.

Her brows shoot up. “Ohh that’s good... I didn’t know you had it in you, Mr. Nikolai Asher.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why? That’s your name.”

“I don’t like it.” He keeps eye contact with the screen.

“But…”

“But nothing… you’ve never called me that, so don’t start now.”

She shrugs. “Fine.” He only told her to call him Niko and she felt butterflies. A nickname was much more intimate than his full name and he wanted to keep that intimacy with her. She could feel herself turning into a puddle so she quickly looked back at the elevator.


After the food was given, Lola opened up the box and ate her rice. It seemed like she wasn’t going to share and happily at that. Did her heart grow so cold? But then she began eating slower and eventually stopped. She closed the box, put down the fork on top of it, and pushed it toward Conner across the claustrophobic room.
“I’m full.” She announced. “You can have the rest.”

“I know you’re not.” Conner declares.

“Why don’t you just eat it?” She asks and thus a conversation was born.

Baylee grew excited and grabbed onto Nikos's forearm as they watched. “Sending only one container was genius.”

He shifts his gaze to her small fingers wrapped around him. It felt nice, too nice. He looked at her lit-up eyes and became transfixed. She was beautiful and even more so now glowing from her pregnancy.


“Look.” She points and he snaps out of it.


Hesitantly Conner takes the food and gladly eats from the same fork she had. He swallowed two bites before. “Is Baylee’s child yours?” Lola unexpectedly inquires

He nearly chokes and coughs to clear his passageway. “What? No…”

“Are you sure?” She challenges him. “Her due date coincides with around the time you two were together.” She has done the calculation over and over like an obsessed stalker.

“I’m sure.” He clears his throat again. “It isn’t even close to a possibility that her child could be mine. I did not sleep with her.”

She rolls her eyes. “Since you’re so innocent, why didn’t you tell me she was after you?”

He sets the Chinese container down and faces her. “She was your best friend, Lola, I didn’t want you to be hurt.”

She shakes her head and retorts sarcastically. “Sure that’s great logic…Just look at how happy I am now…”

“I wish I could change my actions. I wish the first thing I did was call you. Trust me I would do anything to go back.”

She lets out a breath. “Well it’s too late for that now isn’t it.”

“Yeah…” He leans back and closes his eyes. “I’ll be honest… I thought she was gorgeous when I first saw her. I thought at the time I had never seen such beauty but…” he opens his eyes and shifts them to her. “She is ugly on the inside, and when you see through the makeup and clothes you realize that she doesn’t seem so pretty anymore. The ugliness excrements from her pores.”

Niko’s hands turn into fists. He looks over at Baylee’s pain-ridden features as he switches the volume off. “That’s enough of this. He's full of it.” He gritted out angrily.

“No Niko, I need to hear this.”

“No, you don’t. Not with my child in your womb.”

“His words don’t hurt me. It’s guilt from my actions that hurts me. So let me watch please.” She puts the volume back up.

“Conner continued. “Those beautiful eyes of yours snagged me in, but I was hesitant... Then, within a few minutes of talking to you, I knew you were different, kind, sweet, gentle, caring, everything I didn’t know I wanted.”

Tears well up in Lola’s eyes. “Stop.” Her lips trembled and she hugged her knees. She was feeling herself getting weak. “I don’t want to hear anymore.”

“I love you.” He blurts out. “I will always love you… more than anything in this world. No other woman can compare to you. If I can’t have you, I would rather be alone forever.”

She wipes away her falling tears. “Okay, let's say for love's sake we get back together, what then? I will never be able to trust you again...

“I’ll put on a collar and wear a leash for the rest of my life.” He pleads. He hasn’t gotten anywhere close to this with her and he was lifted high with hope. “GPS tracking, passwords, bank accounts… you name it, you got it.”

She shakes her head. “You can’t do that. You will be miserable.”

“I am miserable now, I would happily wear a tag that says Property of Lola.”

She shakes her head. “Stop.”

“I’m serious. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and only you and nothing would make me happier.”

“I don’t know.” She looks away.

His heart skipped a beat. Her answer wasn’t a No. “I’m desperate to spend my life making up for my mistake. Let me, please… I will never hurt you again.”

“I…I need time… to think.” She wasn’t sure if she was being stupid but this is what her heart wanted.”

He nods. “Take all the time you need.”

Suddenly Niko slams his hands on the button to send them down to the lobby.

Baylee was grinning ear to ear. “This went better than I thought.”

“Yeah.” He stands abruptly over the desk clenching his fist and grinding his teeth. He was still annoyed by the things said about Baylee. He felt like finding Conner and breaking his jaw.

Baylee rises from her seat and touches his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

He turns and seriously looks into her eyes. “Those things he said about you, it’s not true okay…”

She smiles and instead of saying anything steps closer and kisses him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

He freezes. It was unexpected. His heart began pumping so hard he could hear it, his lungs filled to capacity with deep breaths, and his eyes diverted to her lips. Such a small gesture had him reeling. His hand rose to her cheek and he thought of how good it would feel to lose himself in her. He contemplates whether to satisfy his desire and he was within a split second away from doing just that when his daughter kicked.

“Oh…” Baylee looks down at her belly. “Looks like she is as happy as I am. Aunty Lola might get her happy ending after all.” She chewed so big it became contagious and made him smile as well.

He lowers his hand to her stomach and he gently rubs it for a moment. “Hey, sweet girl.” Then suddenly he remembers something and pulls out his phone to check the time. “We have to go.” He grabs her hand and escorts her back to his car.

He drove ten minutes away to a five-star restaurant. She was laughing and joking the whole way obviously thrilled, and he was thinking about what almost happened. What he was about to do, what he still wanted to do.

Once they arrived, he opened the car door for her and walked to the restaurant. He swings it open and… “Surprise!!!” Was shouted by her friends and family who were waiting there for her. It was a baby shower hosted by Clarissa and Sabrina who were smiling brightly in front of the crowd. The decorations were amazing; it was a heaven theme with white clouds and baby angels everywhere. The entrance was a golden gate and there was a podium with a list written in script and the first name on the list was hers.

Immediately, she cried. Today couldn’t have been a better day. She gave hugs to her sisters and then to others. She was given a halo and escorted to sit down on her angel-winged throne. “I can’t believe you guys did all of this for me.” She continued to cry.

“You’re loved,” Sabrina states as she adjusts the crown on Baylee’s head.


Later… the party progressed nicely with some games, presents, and music. She was having an absolute blast, but then as she ate her buttercream cake topped with cotton candy she glanced around for Niko. She was flabbergasted to see him talking to Melissa near a window looking out to the street. “What the…” What was she doing here? After all, they weren’t friends.

She felt a twang in her stomach and it wasn’t the good kind. Her stress level was rising. Then at that moment, Melissa turns in her direction and starts walking towards her with a pink gift bag.
“Hi.” She smiles when she reaches.

Baylee could only smile back. She felt weak and words couldn’t take shape.

“Sorry I’m late… here’s a little something for the baby.” She handed the bag over. “It’s from Niko and.”

A sharp pain thrashed through her back suddenly. Her and Niko?

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