Billionaire's Secret Baby

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

As Amelia left, Stephan collapsed onto the couch, his mind swirling with conflicting emotions. He knew that agreeing to the dinner was the right thing to do, a chance to spend time together and perhaps find some clarity in their relationship. But a fragment of his being could not shake the feeling of discomfort; he knew that this dinner was just a strategy devised by both families to strengthen their relationship. He felt as if he was being tugged into a conflicting path—his family's expectations, his desires, and the gravity of responsibility that came with it all. The news about his son had shocked him to the core, and he could not bear the thought of entering into a loveless marriage when his heart yearned for something more. After much consideration, Stephan decided to hold back the wedding for as long as he could so he could buy time to get his messy life on track.

A call interrupted his thoughts, he reached for his phone in his pocket and looked at the screen, he recognised the number and he already knew the purpose of the call. He contemplated taking the call but later decided on it

“Hello Mom, Good evening” he sounded hesitant

“Hello son, how are you? Haven’t seen you in days, where are you? Truly he just hadn’t been to his parent’s house in a few days and he understood his mother’s worry

“I’m fine mom, I have just been busy at the hotel” he lied. Although he had been at the hotel for a while, he couldn’t bring himself to tell his mother that he had been deliberately avoiding her because she was always bringing up the wedding plans

“Don’t stress yourself too much Stephan, learn to delegate duties to other competent hands so you can have time to spend with your family” she advised

“I always spend time with you and Dad”

“Well I can’t remember” Mrs Rodriguez lied

“We had dinner at Carbet restaurant two weeks ago” Stephan argued. He knew his mother was just pretending not to remember. She loved having him around but he was no longer a child, now he was saddled with lots of responsibilities.

“Speaking of dinner, the O’Neils invited us for dinner at their home”

“Now that’s the main reason for the call” Stephan teased

“No, it is not” Mrs Rodriguez denied

“When is the dinner?”

“You will attend? No objection?” surprise was visible in her voice. She knew her son too well, recently he had been avoiding such gatherings, she knew he was stalling the wedding plans but she didn’t know why. She thought her son loved Amelia, he didn’t even object to the proposal but now that it was time to tie the knot he became uninterested. Or did he have cold feet?

“Mom, would you rather have me turn down the invitation” he asked jokingly. He knew why his mother was surprised but he loved teasing her

“No, no I’m happy you are willing to attend it is just that you have been avoiding the O’Neils for a while now” She said calmly

“Well I promised Amelia that I would attend the dinner” he hoped deeply that he wouldn’t regret making such a promise

“Oh okay it’s on Friday by 7 pm don’t be late”

“I won’t” he assured her

“It was nice talking to you son, see you on Friday” She ended the call with a smile on her face. She was happy to hear that Stephan was attending the dinner because of Amelia. She felt hopeful about the wedding.

Immediately after the call ended, Stephan let out a sigh, he felt a mix of relief and anxiety. He knew that attending the dinner meant facing the reality of his situation head-on, but he couldn’t keep running away forever. The O’Neils might not be as powerful as the Rodriguezs but they are equally strong and pose a threat to anyone who contends with them, their support was crucial for his own family’s business endeavours. Despite his desire to be free from the expectations and responsibilities that had been cast upon him, he is also aware of how significant these alliances were and yet there was no way he could engage in a “marriage of convenience.”

In the upcoming days, Stephan engaged himself with work, trying to distract himself from his inner conflict. However, thoughts of Ruby and their son constantly crept into his mind, he couldn’t wait to confirm the paternity of Ethan. A part of him wishes dearly to be the father of the boy even though the child’s existence could ruin his perfectly planned life. He kept visiting and buying things for the child. He began loving the idea of fatherhood.

Friday evening arrived, and Stephan found himself standing outside the grand entrance of the O’Neil residence. As he stepped inside, he was led into the dining room where he was greeted by joyful chatter and laughter.

“Good evening everyone” Stephan greeted with a smile

“Oh you are finally here, I thought you weren’t coming,” Mr O’Neil said

“I’m sorry for coming late I had a lot to do at the office” Stephan apologised

“Well I’m happy you are here, please sit,” Mrs O’Neil said sweetly

His parents as well as their hosts were already seated, he scanned the room taking note of the sitting positions. Amelia was seated next to her mother, while her father sat at the head of the table with Stephan’s father at the other end of the table. Stephan sat at the only vacant seat beside his mother. He noticed Amelia grinning beside her mother, he just flashed her a smile and then turned to his mother to say hi.

The two families ate and chatted, after dinner, they retired to the family lounge where the butler poured them a nice bottle of wine.

“Stephan why the delay to get married” Mr O’Neil asked as he sipped his wine. Stephan knew this was the main reason for the dinner and he had already prepared his political answers

“Grand Corp just took up a huge project, as soon as we are done with that we will proceed with the wedding plans

“And when will that be” Amelia was feeling uncomfortable with her father’s questions, she knew he had her interest at heart but he was going about it the wrong way

“Dad, Stephan and I have discussed this, we will let you know when we are ready” She replied sensing Stephan’s uneasiness. While the conversation was going on, Stephan kept glancing at his father. He knew his father had a lot to say but for some reason, he quietly sipped his wine with an expressionless look on his face.

“Honey, let the love birds be, it seems they’ve come to an understanding” Mrs O’Neil added.

The room became silent, except for the mellow tunes playing in the background. The silence of Stephan’s father was palpable, and it made him even more uneasy. He was aware that his father had always been a quiet man, but this particular time it seemed more than usual. The tension hung in the air as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Stephan’s father to break the ice.

At last, after what felt like forever, Mr Rodriguez cleared his throat, he spoke

“Mr O’Neil, do you play golf?” Mr Rodriguez was trying to break the ice

“Very well” he replied with excitement

“How come we’ve never played together”

“Well I don’t know”

“If you are not busy tomorrow we could go over a few golf courses” Mr Rodriguez offered

“Sure I would like that”

When it was time to leave, the O’Neil bade them goodbye as they drove off. Stephan was heading home, he hadn’t slept in his house for days. As he was pulling into his parking space, his phone beeped. He picked it up and stared at the screen, it was a text from Amelia; “Thanks for keeping your promise, I enjoyed dinner”. As he contemplated his reply, another text came in but this time from his father; “ I want to see you come home for breakfast tomorrow”.

Stephan’s heart skipped a beat, his father inviting him for breakfast wasn’t unusual but for him to do so immediately after their dinner with the O’Neil which he suspected didn’t go too well, made him worried.