"Anna, stop kidding around.This is no fun," Brian chastised her.
He looked intently at the woman beside him, wondering how it all came to be.
But there were certain things in life that one couldn't back out from once it happened.
He couldn't change the fact that he had a sexual relationship with Anna in the past, nor could he
change the fact that he fell in love with Ayla.
Brian's silent thoughts were interrupted by Anna's outright admission, "I'm not kidding.I want us to have
a child.I'm begging you."
No sign of shame could be seen from her demeanor.
Setting her dignity and pride aside, her love for this incredible man made her braver and more vocal
than she ever was.
Brian looked at her incredulously and exclaimed, "You will regret it!"
Before he could say anything more, she pulled him in for a deep slow kiss.
‘'I wouldn't regret carrying the child of the man I love the most, ‘' her heart spoke over her mind.
Brian just let her kiss his lips with much intensity.
Straddling his waist, her slender arms circled around his neck to deepen the kiss.
She had to admit that her past job as a bartender made her knowledgeable when it came to pleasing a
man.She had always been the one who took the initiative in her relationship with Brian.
He stopped in the middle of the kiss to caress her cheeks.
"What a silly woman you are, Anna," he whispered.
"I may be silly but I love you," she replied with a radiant smile on her face.
At that moment, nothing could stop her from surrendering herself to the man who captured her heart.
After their passionate lovemaking, Anna leaned against his broad chest as she evened out her
breathing.
"Brian, no matter what happens in the future, I will always love you," she said to him with utmost
sincerity.
If Brian knew that she had already seen Ayla and she chose not to tell him, he would certainly hate her.
Having a child with him was the key.
With a child binding the two of them together as one family, she was hopeful that he would still be with
her in the future.
This plan might sound like she was taking advantage of the baby to make him stay, but she didn't want
to take any chances at losing Brian.
He remained quiet despite Anna's heartfelt words.
Instead, he held her tightly in his arms.
This woman had done so much for him and he already owed her countless things for that reason.
It was already dawn when Ayla woke up.
Slowly, she walked towards the window and watched as the first light of day illuminated the sky.
Down the road, there was already a steady stream of cars coming and going.
After two long years, she finally came back.
As she took in her surroundings, it occurred to her that everything changed as much as she did.
'My love, my heart, my unborn child"
She couldn't help but think of how these things from her past almost drove her to the brink of hell.
It took her a while to realize that everything was real.
She would have to live here for a period of time until she finished the project.
Ayla's work wouldn't start until tomorrow so she had the rest of the day for herself.
Across her apartment was an impressive skyscraper that housed her would- be office. Her musings
were interrupted when the doorbell rang, signaling the presence of a visitor.
As she peered into the peephole, she saw Lucas standing outside the door carrying a bag in his hands.
"Lucas, what brought you here so early?" she asked curiously, as she opened the door to let him in.
"I want to make sure you wouldn't starve yourself.That's why I brought you something to eat," he
informed her pointedly.
"You'd have stomachache if you won't eat breakfast.If you'd start your new life here in poor health, what
would become of you in the future?" Lucas continued on his tirade.
As he set the food onto the table in front of her, Ayla stared at him and she could see the concern
etched on his face.
He'd always looked after her and she would be thankful for that forever.
"I know and thanks for reminding me.I will take good care of myself," Ayla replied gently, an easy smile
apparent on her face.
She would cook for herself more if she wanted to stay healthy.
"Lala, will you help me prepare the food? I really enjoy your cooking," Lucas grinned.
He was excited to share breakfast with her.
"Of course!" Ayla agreed happily.
She was touched that Lucas liked her food well enough to ask for it, although it was just simple home
cooking.She remembered how Brian picked on everything she cooked, as if she couldn't do anything
right.
'Or maybe he just hated my presence so much he couldn't stand it" she thought negatively.
Shaking her head, she reminded herself not to dwell on such ugly thoughts.
"Lala, I have some errands that I need to deal with today.Would you be fine with staying here alone?"
Lucas asked her.
She wouldn't want to get in his way so she replied, "Sure, no problem."
Ayla stuffed her mouth with the delicious fried dumplings that Lucas brought.She nodded vigorously
with her eyes closed as she relished every tasty bite.
Once done, she gulped the refreshing soybean milk and exclaimed, "I haven't eaten such a delicious
breakfast in a long time!"
"I'll buy it for you every day," he assured her.
It was a joy watching her eat heartily.
"You know I'm not a picky eater.I'll eat whatever you buy," Ayla said as she wiped her mouth.
She didn't have much appetite that morning that was why she only ate a few dumplings.Despite that,
she felt as if her stomach would burst already.
"I will go to the supermarket to buy groceries today.I like the idea that we'd always have meals at
home," Ayla informed him as she took more sips of her soybean milk.
Lucas stilled upon hearing the word "home" from her.
That touched him immensely and he took it as a sign that she was beginning to accept his love.
Not wanting to spoil the moment, he cleared his throat and offered, "I'll drive you there."
"No, that's okay.The supermarket isn't far from here.Don't you have things to deal with?"
Ayla's apartment was situated at the best location in the city. She'd have to thank Yareli for
that.Ms.Evans had always treated her well and made sure she would be at ease.
Ayla tidied up the breakfast table after Lucas left for his errands.
Once everything was spotless in the room, she grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.
Much to her surprise, she came across Anna at the lobby.
She was utterly speechless for a few seconds as she never imagined this would happen.
"Miss Anna, what brings you here?"
Ayla managed to ask despite the shock she felt.
Her keen eyes didn't fail to notice how the woman looked at that moment.
Knowing Ayla would be sorely affected, Anna continued to pretend that she was pulling on her clothes
and trying to put them back in place.
"Brian always acts like this.It's embarrassing," she even stated for added effect.
Hearing those words and understanding what they implied hurt her to the core.
"Is that why you are here?" Ayla asked to divert the topic.
She decided to turn a blind eye to what she was seeing, although she was still heartbroken over Brian's
devotion to Anna.
"I'm here because I wanted to check if you're free today.I can take you to your office and give you a
little tour," Anna informed her.
Ayla considered it for a moment.
Since her office was far away from the Clark Group's building, there would be no chance for her to run
into Brian unexpectedly.
"Sure, I'm free today.We can go now," she agreed.
"Alright, then. Let's go!"
Anna eagerly walked ahead while Ayla trailed closely behind.
"I'll call you Wenny from now on.You're no longer Ayla, right?" Anna asked.
She cocked her head and raised her left brow, as if daring Ayla to disagree.
Frankly, Ayla didn't care whether she was Wenny or Ayla.She had been Wenny to others for two years,
but Lucas still called her Lala.
However, it would be wise to remain as Wenny from now on if she didn't want Brian to discover her
identity.
"Yes, I'm just Wenny now,"
Ayla simply said, not wanting to prolong the conversation.
When they reached the building, the two women entered the elevator at the same time.
The office was located at the eighth floor.
Upon entering the room, Ayla instantly liked her office.
Despite being smali, it had all of the equipment and materials she needed.
'I couldn't ask for more ‘' she sighed contentedly.
"What do you think? Does it suit your liking? If there's more I can help you with, don't hesitate to call
me," Anna assured her, while handing her a business card.
It wasn't necessary but she wanted to show off to Ayla that she was the executive assistant to the CEO
of the Clark Group, the one who was closest to Brian.
Not wanting to come off as rude, Ayla accepted the card and tucked it away.
"I think this space is good enough for me," she said lightly.
Anna nodded.
"That's good.You will work here starting tomorrow.Here's the key card.I won't come here often so just
send your design draft to my e-mail."
As much as possible, she wanted to cut off all the chances for Ayla and Brian to meet.
"Don't worry about me.You're already his fiancee.What we had was in the past and I have no plans of
getting in between you two,"
Ayla finally addressed the elephant in the room.
Still, Anna couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling because she could already guess what would happen
if they crossed paths.
Sensing the rising tension between them, Anna decided to get up and leave the room.
Meanwhile, Ayla stayed behind, still relishing the good feeling she had in this office.She didn't leave
until later that day.She took in the surroundings while walking down the pavement of this bustling
metropolis.
It was incredible to think of how the city developed rapidly.
There were towering buildings left and right and the roads were packed with countless cars.
As Ayla headed towards the direction of the supermarket, a speeding car appeared out of nowhere and
almost hit her by a hair.
Shocked and terrified, her knees gave out and she fell to the ground.
The shiny black limousine stopped almost immediately.
The driver rushed over to her, his face full of worry.
"Miss, are you okay? Did you get hurt?" he asked frantically, while looking over to her for any possible
injury.
"What's going on here?" a deep baritone voice reverberated in the background.
At that moment, the city noise became muted and Ayla could only focus on that familiar voice.
She angled her head towards its direction and raised her eyes to see the man from the back seat.
When their eyes met, an immediate shock registered on both of their faces.
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