Chapter 06

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Seconds ticked by and her guest was still awaiting a response to his greeting but Emery seemed to have lost her voice because she just stared, and stared some more at the man who sat in her living room. 

This was one of the most embarrassing moments she had had to deal with. Why does he always put her in such awkward situations?

“Aunt Em look whah I draw!” little Alexis's voice snapped the two out of their staring battle. 

Emery smiled broadly and picked her little buddy up. Wrong idea. Her wrist throbbed from where Nicholas had forcefully grabbed her earlier but she quickly bit on her lips to stop herself from wincing when Alexis shifted in her arms. 

Putting on a smile, Emery scanned the latest art to get the great picture since everything was just strokes, patterns and whatever Alexis's chubby little fingers could scribe. 

“This is beautiful, Angel,” she said to the four-year-old. 

She was good with Kids. Miles reasoned as he observed the scene before him. 

She is a good liar as well. His fatherly senses countered. 

At the back of Emery's mind, she knew she was stalling their pending conversation but was glad to have the little distraction to organize herself. Even if little Alexis was practically sitting on her aching wrist.

However, her delaying tactic was brought to an end when Natalia announced that she had to take Alexis home. 

Don't leave me alone to deal with him. Emery pleaded in the eye language only she and her best friend understood. 

In a silent response, Natalia offered her friend a closed-lip smile as if telling her to get her feminine pants on. Reluctant, Emery handed the girl over to her aunt. 

“Just got a text from her dad, I need to get her home,” Natalia said once again. “Say goodbye Lexy” the only response they received from the girl was a flash of missing teeth before she hid her face in the crook of her aunt's neck. 

Natalia turned to the man whose gaze was fixed on her oblivious friend and said, “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Dekker.”

“Its Miles. Nice meeting you too, Natalia.” Miles waved back at little Alexis.

“I'll call you,” Natalia told Emery before walking out of the Delado's household. 

Emery went stiff when the door closed behind her companions. Great. Now she was alone with him. It was not as if she was scared of the man. But for some reason, she didn't trust herself to be in the same space as him. Without embarrassing herself that is.

Miles who had witnessed enough of the girl's stand-off show broke the silence. “Can we talk now?”

Ashamed to even look him in the eye, Emery gave an audible sigh and joined him in the sitting area. She was highly tempted to sit on the couch at the corner of the living room. Putting some space between them would have helped her nerves but that would have also read as immature so she chin up and sat in the chair opposite the man.

“Nice friends you've got there.” Miles wanted to lighten the mood but only got a wavering smile from Emery. It was obvious she was embarrassed. Anyone in her situation would so he decided to cut her some slack.

“Look, I'm not going to judge but don't make it a habit to lie to me,” he said.

Emery muttered an apology. She met his gaze briefly and asked, “Coffee?”

“Not a fan.” A deep frown took over Miles's face as he regarded the girl. Her hand to be precise. 

Earlier, she had winced when she lifted the little girl. It was a subtle act so he had thought little Alexis was just heavy for her. But from how she kept rubbing her wrist when she thought no one was watching, he knew that was not the case. 

“He laid his hands on you, didn't he?” Miles got his answer when her entire body went taut at the question. 

The bastard. Whoever this Nicholas guy was, he would find him and have a real man to man talk with him one of these days.

Emery was thrown off guard by the question and it was only when she traced the man's gaze to her wrist did the origin of his words made sense to her. 

She quickly stopped her little massage. “It's not what you think...”

Miles was not buying it. “A piece of advice?” when she met his gaze, he added, “Don't allow yourself to be mistreated by anyone. You deserve better than that.”

His words hit home but the truth was a bitter pill. Emery looked away. The fact that the man could easily read through her facade bothered her. And it sure made her want to guard her emotions.

“So what happened with lover boy?” She did not mind him but Miles went on. Something would surely get her to speak.

“Let me guess, you asked for a breakup and the boy got upset but you bribed him with makeup sex and while you were at it, I called and that fueled his anger and he hit you.”

“We just had a talk.” She cut him off. “a civil way to end things. Nothing happened.”

There it was. “For obvious reasons, I find that hard to believe.”

“Believe it or not, nothing happened. Excuse me. I need a glass of water.” she rose from her seat and made her way to the kitchen. “Would you like anything?”

“I would like you to carry out your part of the deal?” Miles called after her. 

He heard her mutter something but the sound of the television made it hard to pick up her exact words. She was probably telling him to shove his beliefs where the sun never shines. 

“So I take it that you'll not be seeing him again...” Miles asked and though she did not reply, he knew she had heard him. 

Being out of his sight seemed to give her more grit but he needed her one hundred percent on board so he followed her. As predicted, she was cooling off but not with a glass of water. She had gone for wine.

“A party for one huh?” he said lightly as he leaned against the isle. 

Emery took a sip of wine and lowered the glass on the counter.  “You had something to discuss with me?”

The sooner she dealt with him, the earlier he'd leave her be. Honestly, he seemed like a nice dude behind all those blank expressions, and not to forget that he was quite a catch, but the man was too inquisitive for her liking. 

“If you truly ended things with him then I believe he asked for a reason why you dumped his ass... what was your story?”

Miles stepped closer, taking note of how the girl shifted on her feet. He knew what that was and it was not out of discomfort. She could pretend all she wants, but she was very much aware of him. 

It was not as if he was doing any better. The need that courses through him whenever he was near the girl should have raised his no-strings flag by now. He was treading a dangerous path, chasing after things he couldn't have. But he couldn't bring himself to turn back. 

Shaking himself out of his wayward thoughts, Miles said, “What did you tell him, Emery?” 

If anything, Emery's heart pounded harder. Dammit. What was it with this guy and probing into her business? It was now their business but he could back off with the interrogation a little. 

“Nothing...” the lie tumbled out of her lips before she could stop herself. He couldn't possibly know. It was not as if he was there. 

But he knew. She really had to sharpen her lying skills if she wanted to go down that lane with him. Grabbing her by the arm, Miles turned her to face him. His hold might have been gentle but his eyes were anything but. He would love to see her lie straight to his face. 

“You see, Emery, this is what we are not going to do... lie.” she looked up at him. Finally. “did you tell him about the contract?”

Certainly, she had not meant to spill but when Nicholas had demanded for the thousand times, her reason for breaking up with him, she had no other choice but to blurt it out. The necessary parts of course. 

“A modified version of the truth,” Emery mumbled.

Miles stared hard at her. A modified version of the truth? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“I do hope that this modified version of the truth will not ruin my plans because believe me... I don't like to be double-crossed.”

Emery gave a stiff nod. Her breath turned shallow from the unease that crawled up her spine. The man may wear his anger under a blank look but she knew he was not to be trifled with. And right now he was upset. Very upset. 

And she did not want to double-cross him. Whatever he had meant by that. 

“I advise you to take a good look at the papers again before you go running your mouth without knowing the penalties, Mrs. Dek... Miss Delado.” 

Miles cussed inwardly for the slip up though it was undetected by the fidgeting girl. He pulled away from her and went back to the living room to retrieve the folder in his briefcase. 

He came back with the file and slid it towards her and. She picked it up. “Go on. I'll be here to answer any questions.” 

Easing into the stool opposite her, Miles pulled his phone from his pants pocket and tried to distract himself. Being online right now would really help settle his nerves. 

Emery cast a dismissive glance at the man and went ahead to read yet another dissertation on moral degradation. 

Damn her emotions for messing with her the day she put her signature on this abominable file. It was not like her to jump into things blindly. 

She read the first part of the contract, which basically talked of their roles in this game of deceits. 

They were to make their relationship as realistic as possible, especially on social media and at public events. She was not supposed to hold any interviews with anyone from the media or reveal any personal information about him or herself. This and a whole bunch of stuff she had no time to get into. 

Placing the file on the table, she said, “I will like to have a look at them in my spare time.” The man raised a brow at her. “I didn't know you were coming over. I have dinner plans with my Aunt,” she explained.

Miles nodded. “I won't bore you then. I stopped by to let you know that we are leaving for the Bahamas tomorrow. It's better we set things in motion before anyone has a change of heart.”

Emery's eyes widened. “Tomorrow? But I can't leave my brother on his sickbed and-”

Miles turned his gaze from his phone and stared back at her. “Christopher has the best Doctors and nurses tending to him around the clock so he will be fine without you for a few days. Besides, you could use the rest.”

Emery had a lot to say to the man but at the moment, nothing reasonable seemed to be coming forth. Then again, he was right and it would be unreasonable to not go on this trip with him. 

“Fine. But the cooked up story about me carrying your child, the main reason behind this marriage, is low.” There, she finally found something to hold against him.

Miles only scoffed. “The cooked up story together with the money you'll be receiving every month for the next twelve months plus...” Miles stopped himself before he could say anything that would get him and his lawyer into trouble. “This is what this contract entails so I suggest you give it a thorough read in your spare time,” he added offhandedly. 

Inwardly, Emery hit herself in the face with a hot frying pan for putting her signature on something she did not fully comprehend. Considering his unwanted advice, she made it a plan to go over the file, jot down anything suspicious or irrational and negotiate on it. 

“It's a believable lie. The pregnancy sham that is... but not a very wise plot.” She intoned. 

That got Miles's attention. It wasn't easy to accept his lawyer's pregnancy theory or even put himself in the position of a would-be dad, but the media was already hot on his tail where his secret family was concerned. This was one of the solid explanations that would not only throw his family off his back but would also earn him some needed points from the board.

“And why's that?” he deadpanned.

“Because pregnancy is not something you can hide... and I don't think I look anywhere near pregnant.” 

We can arrange that. Miles thought. 

Being given the chance, he took his precious time to go on a visual tour. His gaze traveled from the girl's toned legs to her wide hips and all the way to her well-filled boobs. Miles did not even go to her face. Not when he had been seeing it in his dreams for days now. Emery Delado was a perfected temptation and he was more than ready to be a certified sinner. If he wasn't already.

“Eyes up here.” Emery called but when the man met her gaze with a look that sent an unwanted yet needy shiver down her spine, she forgot what she was about to say.

Words were at the tip of Miles's tongue too but he held himself back. He was not going to indulge in this sexual tease and chase game with her. The girl already had a huge influence on him without even knowing it, and the last thing he wanted was to form any special bond with her. 

“Have you ever heard of miscarriage?” Miles's tone was void of emotion when he spoke. 

Out of womanly instinct, Emery's hands went over her flat tummy immediately. 

What the hell is wrong with this man? 

“Excuse me?” 

Miles leaned forward in his seat and said, “I don't care what you tell them about the non-existing baby, Miss Delado.” She only stared hard at him. “But if anyone asks about us, you tell them we've been dating for the past year now...”

Oh hell no. 

“Excuse me but I was in a relationship for the past year and that guy wasn't you-”

Miles held up a finger. “Hear me out... I know it was a distance relationship that most people don't even know about.” She scoffed and sagged into her seat so he took it as a sign to go on. 

“This is the story we are holding onto, Emery so let it sink in. We met a year ago at a charity retreat where I was a donor and you, a volunteer. We kept our relationship private because why the hell not? That was what we wanted. And about my extra sexual life, well let's just say, we had an open relationship but now, we've decided to take our relationship to the next level.” 

Open relationship her ass. Way to drag the little dignity she had left through the mud. Emery's stare only intensified. Good gracious. The man was conniving than she gave him credit for. And it made her wonder what else he was willing to do to achieve whatever goal he was aiming for. 

“You seem to have it all figured out.” Was all Emery could say.

Miles's phone dinged with a text notification. He took a quick glance at it and rose to his feet. “I have to go. Let's continue this later?” Emery shrugged. 

Straightening his suit coat, Miles added, “Ms. Delado, this means a lot to me so I'd appreciate it if you treat it with a little bit of dedication.”

Yeah right. “Of course, Mr. Dekker.”

Miles brushed her sarcastic remark aside and said, “Trust me I have a backup plan for everything, you only need to show up and act your part and everything will go as planned.”

“Why are you doing this, Miles?” Emery asked but regretted doing so when he put on his blank expression again.

This time, he did not even hide his annoyance, if Emery could call it that. His whole demeanor had changed once she called him out on his pregnancy idea, and it made her wonder if his behavior even had anything to do with her calling his ideas irrational.

“Miss Delado, I do this for HOPE. Pack a bag. We leave in the morning.” Miles was out of the house before the girl could even blink.

Left with her thoughts, Emery stared conflicted at the file as she pondered over his response.

“Who's Hope?” 


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net