Chapter 24 - "Surprise, surprise."

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KATHARINA'S POV

          "Leave us alone." I say to the maids who helped me get Nicole on the bed. I still can't believe that Jackson dared to do such things to her. She's so innocent looking right now, and I can't shake the feeling to protect her with my own life.

Hah! Says the person who needs medication just to get by. That's funny. I sigh before I take a seat in an arm chair that faces the bed. I watch her sleep before I hear my phone ringing. I want to ignore it, but after looking at the person calling me, I just have to take it. "I hope it's good news." I say through the phone.

          "Of course, my friend. It's about the investigation you asked me to look into. I did look up into Maestropolitan's official police cameras all over the city. I found two figures tinkering around her car while she was inside the premises."

          I raise both eyebrows. "Can you trace the faces?"

          "Unfortunately, no. They're smart to wear a mask but not smart enough. One of the figure's tattoos was visible. Right now, I'm waiting for the results of it."

          I smile. At least, I received some good news after what happened tonight. "Good. Send me the results as soon as possible." I hang up and continue to watched Nicole sleep on the bed. What's taking the doctor so long to get here? I look up at the wall clock and sigh.

          I am surprised when Ava's iPod suddenly plays one of our favourite songs together.

          "The atmosphere here is different than the one outside." I hear a voice coming from the door.

          Well, she took her sweet time coming here.

          "Please, just check my wife over there. She was spiked."

          She raises her eyebrows and begins her routine checkup. I watch as she does what needs to be done, and I wait patiently as she goes to the refreshment that Jackson had prepared for her.

"I can't believe you called me for a house call while I'm with my fiancée. She just came back from Spain. I need my alone time with her." She seems like she's waiting for something.

          "I pay huge amounts of money each session. So?"

          She shakes her head. When she's done, she walks towards me as I am pouring a shot of vodka for myself.

          "Vodka?"

          She shakes her head no. "I'm working right now. Anyway, don't worry, she's fine. It's not a strong drug. She's going to be fine."

          I feel so relieved. "That's good news. Anything else?"

          She nods and gives me a letter. "This was sent to me by parcel. It says here that whoever this person is, will expose my secrets. The only secrets I could think of are that I was your mistress. Better watch your back, Rina. Someone out there is going to get you."

          I look at the letter and sigh. Another problem to think of. "Did you tell the others?"

          She nods. "I did. Even Kelly. But, none received any letters like I did. Rina, watch your back, promise?"

          I nod. "Thanks Alice. I will be careful. I'll tell Ava about this. But, do tell the others to be careful as well."

          She smiles. "Of course. I'll be going now." She hands me a bottle of medicine. "Give this medicine to her when she's awake. I'm sure she will feel like shit when she wakes up." Alice winks before walking out of the room.

          I place the medicine on a table and go to sit on the bed. I remove the strands of hair from her face and watch her chest go up and down as she breathes.

          "How is She? I saw Alice walking down the stairs earlier." Jesus Christ her shirt is stained with blood.

          "You walked around the house like that? Did you remove the bullet yourself?"

          She nods. I am shaking my head when she stands beside me.

          "She's fine. Don't worry. Alice said she's going to be okay. The drug wasn't that strong to begin with. She's lucky. What happened to Jackson?" I ask.

          "I called Althea, Irina's wife, and she handle him. I sent him to Volin prison."

          Nice choice. She didn't end his life, but she sent him to one of the strictest prison in the world.

          She sighs before walking into the bathroom to clean herself off. I wait for her to be done. I'm just ... I don't know what to think of all of this. Why does everyone want to do harm to us even after we decided to leave our dark past behind us?

                   "Rina, you look tense. You shouldn't think about it too much. You're not that healthy to begin with. Please take care of yourself." I hear Ava's voice.

          "I know, I'm sorry. Ava, come here, we need to talk."

          Ava does as told.

          "Honey, sooner or later we will have this talk with Nicole. You know, about our past mistresses. Honey, I think we should tell her before she hears about it from somebody else. These kind of things, she should know from us, not from others."

          Ava sighs. "I know. It's just we just got the hang of being in this kind of relationship, like official, with strings attached. I don't want to make her feel insecure and think that we will do things like that again."

          She has a point.

          "Ava dear, we should start telling her about it, the real us before this. We should tell her about Kelly, Alice, Fran, Lizzie and Amber."

          It is at that moment I think I hear someone gasp. When I turn to Nicole, she is asleep though. I turn back to Ava.

          "Fran, Lizzie and Amber are married. I think they shouldn't be mentioned. We did have a history with them, but I don't think she should know about them at all."

          Why does she have to be this stubborn!

          "Ava, she should know."

          We both turn our attention to the door. Someone knocks before opening the door and reveals themselves to us.

          "Lady Ava, you have a guest. I told her it's late, but she won't listen to reason."

          A guest? At this hour?

          Ava excuses herself and goes to see this guest. I follow her because I, too, am curious about this so call guest.

          To our surprise, it is Mary, Nicole's best friend.

***

          "Mary?" Ava and I greet her as she's waiting for us in the living room.

          The maids come with some refreshments for us all, and I just have to take a bite to eat since I started to feel hungry.

          "Scones?" I offer, but Mary shakes her head no.

          "Are you here to visit Nicole?"

          Visit? At this hour?

          Please Ava, I doubt she came here to visit her at 12 in the morning.

          To my surprise, Mary starts to cry her heart out. We both look at each other before I go to comfort her. "I'm pregnant..." Mary says as low as possible, but we both hear her clearly.

          In fact, Ava literally drops her scone on her thigh. "I'm sorry what?" Ava just needs to hear it one more time.

          "I'm pregnant." Mary abruptly shows 3 different tests, and they're all positive. "I'm pregnant."

          She came here at this hour rather than go to the baby daddy for comfort?

          "I just need my best friend right now."

          Well if she knew what happened today, she would be even more stressed. I turn to Ava and place a finger on my lips. Ava nods. "I'm sorry if I sound this rude but. Who's the father?" I ask.

          "Daniel." She says without a second thought.

          My eyes widen. Oh my God, she's ... she's actually with Daniel, the crown prince of Astor?! Jesus Christ!

          "Daniel?! As in prince Daniel? The future king  of Astor?! Mary! You're carrying the future crowned prince or princess of Astor in you! Why didn't you tell him?" Ava explodes.

          "I did try to tell him, but every time I did, someone or something always got in the way. I don't want to be a burden for my own mistake."

          I shake my head. "It's not your mistake. He's the one who penetrated your roses. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be pregnant." I smile. "Don't worry. Ava will make sure he gets the memo. Right Ava?"

Ava is on her phone already calling Daniel like a maniac. I smile at Mary and lead her somewhere far from Ava because I know she will be yelling a lot.

          "My future is ruined. I'm not even graduated. I know it's my fault for doing something out of place like this. Am I going to be executed? Oh God I'm going to die! Please tell my parents I love them."

          I chuckle at her reaction. "Relax, my dear. I don't think the king and queen would be that evil to kill someone who's carrying their grandchild. I've known them since I was little. They're all about the peace rather than the chaos. So, don't worry about a thing. Ava will know what to do for you." Poor Mary. "And, Mary, never say that your future is ruined just because you're pregnant. Being pregnant is just something that you have to face in the future. Think of it that way. Besides, I'm sure Daniel will be happy." I smile to assure her. "I've known Daniel since he was little as well. You can call us childhood friends. I think he's going to be so ecstatic to know that he's going to be a father. He's the type of person who's not a fuck boy." Mary finally smiles. "When did you two even get together?" I ask.

          "After that party, he asked for my number. I was a bit tipsy, so I did tell him my number. The next day, he called me, and ... we went to an island because he said ... well, he said he wanted to get to know me more."

          I raise both my eyebrows. Why an island though?

          "He was sweet, kind ... I was the one who kissed him first, and it leads to this and that."

          I laugh. "This was a  few months ago correct?"

          She nods.

          Suddenly, Ava barges in. "He's coming here. Do you want me to pound him because I can." Ava cracks her knuckles.

          Mary shakes her head no. "Geez! Don't pound him. He's too weak for that." She looks around. "Where's Nicole? I don't see her anywhere. She's asleep already?"

          I nod. I don't know if I should even tell her about what had happened.

          "Mary, a gift of a child is precious to a person. I'm sure Daniel will be happy to know about you and that child. I was happy when I heard about it and I am even happier that you didn't get rid of it. Do you love him?"

          Mary blushes at Ava's question. "I do. But, I don't know if he loves me. He told me about this woman his parents want him to marry, and that's why I am reluctant to tell him about this." She goes to touched her belly.

          It's probably Aqua.

          "Mary?" We both are surprised to see Nicole walking like a drunk woman towards us. Ava is quick enough to catch her from falling.

          "Had too many to drink? She can't handle her alcohol much." Mary tells us.

          Ava helps Nicole to sit.

          "What are you doing here?" She asks her friend.

          I go to ring the maids to bring us some hot refreshments because I know it will help Nicole's drowsiness.

          "Your pregnant?!" That wakes Nicole up. Her eyes go to Mary's belly, and she touches it. She is all smiles while Mary blushes at her action.

          "Rina." I look up to Ava. She asks me to followed her to another room, leaving them both in here alone.

          "What is it Ava?" I ask.

          She finally keeps her phone from sight. "Nothing really. I just think we should leave them both alone. Besides, I need a favour."

          A favour?

          "I'm going to Japan in the next few days. I was wondering if you could be with Veronica until I come back? By the time I get back, I'm sure Nicole will be in Bali for her trip."

          Japan?

          "You're going to Japan at a time like this?"

          Ava sighs. "I'm sorry. It's compulsory for me to be there. There's something I need to deal with."

          Well, no harm in babysitting I guess. I remember something. "Ava, did you and Nicole ever revoke the marriage contract?" I ask.

          "We did, Why?"

          "Oh it's nothing because I was just curious about it. Anyway, Daniel really is coming here? What did you say to him?"

          She shrugs. "I told him to get his ass over here or I'll inform his parents about his little getaway to an island while he should be busy with the coronation process."

          She blackmailed him huh. That's neat.

***

          "Rina, Ava, will it be okay for Mary to stay here for a couple of days? I finally convinced her to go to class with me. Maybe, somehow, you two, could maybe ... make it happen?"

          Ava and I look at each other before looking at her again.

          "You mean you want to go to your classes from home instead of staying in the dorm?" I ask.

          Nicole nods her head.

          "I think Rina can make some calls. Right?" Ava suggests.

          I nod while putting some omelette into my mouth. "Sure." I place my fork down and offer my palm to the maids who have my phone. I start looking through my contacts and call the person who can help me with this request. After talking to the dean about some stuff, he finally agrees with it, and I smile at Nicole. "All done. You don't have to worry about anything. It's all been taken care of."

          She finally smiles at us both.

          "Lady Nicole, I've sent your friend some breakfast." Informs one of the younger maids.

          Nicole thanks her and seems like she's enjoying her breakfast.

          "Mary's not well? Why didn't she join us for breakfast?" Ava asks.

          "Isn't it obvious, my dear? Morning sickness, duh."

          Ava seems confused.

          I look up to Nicole with my 'for real' look on my face.

          "She's pregnant, morning sickness... you know ... vomiting and stuff."

          She finally understands it.

          "Honestly, Ava, your mother is pregnant. You should know about this."

          Ava chuckles at my remark.

          "Do you have any classes today?" I ask.

          Nicole shakes her head no. "I was thinking that today I would like to visit Veronica. May I?"

          We both nod.

          Ava quickly finishes her breakfast before giving me a peck on my cheek and then goes to Nicole and does the same.  "I have to go. I have some work to do before my trip to Japan. There's a lot of stuff I need to recheck and all. By noon, maybe I'll have some time to visit my sister. Take care." She is about to walk away when she remembers something. "Daniel's coming today. Whatever happens between them, tell me." She says her goodbyes, and now, it's only Nicole and me enjoying our breakfast.

          "Are you working today as well?"

          Let me think for a minute. "I don't have anything in my schedule today except for a video call with some of the board of directors from Astor at 2P.M.. Why?" I'm done with my breakfast, and I reach for a cup of coffee.

          "I thought maybe after the visit to the hospital we could do some shopping for my trip? Nothing much though. Some clothes, assignment materials and probably a new charger for my laptop."

          I raise both eyebrows. "Sure. We can do that." I smile as I drink up my coffee.

          She seems happy after I say that. She seems like she's trying to say something. "Umm, who are Fran, Amber and Lizzie?"

          I freeze when I hear her question. I look up at her with such a surprised expression.  "Where did you hear those names from?" I ask while keeping a normal posture.

          "I heard you and Ava talking about them."

          That means she heard everything, did she? I sigh. Why does she have to asked me about them now? Why not when Ava's here with us?

          "There's no point in hiding the truth about them anymore, is there?" I sigh. Maybe it's time she knows about our ... stupidity years ago. "Those girls were our mistresses. Including Kelly, Ava's personal assistant, and Alice, the doctor who treated you last night. Fran is married to a viscount of Astor.  That made her a viscountess a noble. Lizzie is a senator also a business woman. She's married also, and last but not least, Amber isa politician."

          I can see Nicole gulp down her food.

"Is it just me, or do all of them seem .... Influential."

          I laugh. "They are. Don't worry though. We're not like that anymore. We were bored living apart from each other and decided to have them accompany us. Ava had hers, and I had mine. We shared."

          Nicole seems uncomfortable knowing the fact we shared those woman together. "Like a prostitute?"

          I chuckle as I shake my head no. "They don't consider themselves as that. They had the freewill to choose if they wanted to stay with us or leave us. They enjoyed spending our money and treating themselves like a queen. But, that type of lifestyle is not something their parents and family approved of, so it ended just like that." I Explained.

          Nicole nods her head before smiling at her plate.

          Why would she smile like that?

          "You thought we were cheating on you?" I ask with amusement.

          She nods as she blushes a deep red.

          "There's no way we would cheat on you. It was hard enough for us to ask you to marry us. I know, living with us might make you feel all sort of feelings. But, trust me. Ava and I, we both love you with all we have." I smile as I lean in to kiss her lips. It is short and simple, but the message is there. My love is there, and she likes it.

          "Do you have any secrets left to tell? Let's get it over with today. No more secrets between us okay?"

          I sigh again. I don't know if I should tell her about our dark past though.

"For that honestly, we have some things that are probably too hard for me to tell you alone. We need Ava for that. If you wish to know, Ava should be here."

          She smiles. "I feel it's something that you shouldn't even tell anyone if she has to be here with us."

          If only she knew how many times I had to get my hands dirty because of my father's decision before he died. Ava was kind enough to deal with it together. If it were somebody else, they would leave me on the spot. But, should I let Nicole carry the same burden as we are?

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