Chapter 9 Chapter Nine
1305 Words
From the couch to the bedroom, then to the shower—again and again until it finally ended.
Lying flat on the bed, Amelia unconsciously reached for her lower belly.
Thankfully, nothing felt off.
Simon leaned over and gently kissed the corner of her lips.
"What do you want for dinner?"
Amelia didn't say anything. She really wasn't in the mood to eat—just wanted to sleep, honestly.
When she woke up, his voice drifted in faintly from outside.
Took her a second to process what was going on.
It was completely dark out now.
She glanced at the clock—past ten already.
Pulling on some clothes, she got up and walked out.
Simon was on a phone call. When he saw her, he muttered a few words and ended it.
"Eat something," he said, nodding toward the table.
She followed his gaze and saw a takeout bag sitting there.
Inside was a small container of chicken noodle soup and half a grilled cheese sandwich, still warm in its foil wrap.
She hadn't eaten all day, and even though she didn't feel hungry earlier, just seeing this made her stomach grumble a little.
She picked up the soup and began sipping slowly, one spoonful at a time.
Simon shot her a quick glance, then headed into the study.
Amelia kept eating, but her mind was a mess.
It was like her thoughts were all tangled up and going nowhere.
The bowl of soup was gone before she even realized it.
She hadn't noticed anything odd while eating, but right after finishing, a wave of nausea hit her out of nowhere.
Setting the bowl aside, she covered her mouth and rushed into the bathroom.
Barely a second later, everything she'd just eaten came back up.
Only after emptying her stomach did she feel a bit better.
She rinsed her mouth, washed her face, then turned around—only to see Simon standing behind her, his face unreadable.
"What's going on?"
His voice was low and cold, eyes zeroing in on her stomach.
Simon had always been the suspicious, overly observant type.
Amelia knew exactly what he was thinking—he was already having doubts.
Keeping her head down, she murmured, "Didn't eat all day, stomach's just acting up."
Simon's expression didn't change. He raised his hand and gripped the back of her neck, making her look at him. "You sure that's all it is?"
Amelia met his gaze, not daring to look away. "Yeah. Richard was yelling at me all day, totally lost my appetite, and my stomach already wasn't feeling right. I drank the soup too fast just now, that's probably what triggered it."
He stared at her for a long moment before giving a slight nod, as if half-convinced. "Go get a check-up tomorrow."
Her fingers clenched tightly. "Okay."
She bit her lip, then hesitated for a split second before finally asking, careful and uncertain."
You think I might be pregnant?"
Simon walked over to the window, lit a cigarette without responding right away.
He took a slow drag before speaking.
"Better to be cautious. You wouldn't want something like that happening either, right, Miss Clarke?"
Amelia's lips tightened. She stayed quiet for a moment before forcing a nod.
"You're right, Mr. Johnson."
She chuckled lightly, like it was nothing, then asked casually,
"Do you... not like kids?"
Simon gave her a long look, eyes unreadable.
"Don't you think that's a bit too personal of a question?"
Her expression stiffened—yep, she'd stepped on another landmine.
Simon never liked her asking about anything private.
He always made it very clear that his personal matters were off-limits.
And when it came to things like kids, or feelings—he drew the line hard.
To him, she was an outsider. Always had been.
Her chest tightened, bitterness swelling in her throat.
She closed her eyes, breathing in slow, then out. Repeated the motion a few times to keep it together.
Simon turned toward the bedroom.
Not long after, he came back out, dressed and ready to go.
"Heading out?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"You coming back?"
"No."
Simon didn't bother explaining—he just walked out.
Back in bed, Amelia's phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen. A new transfer notification had just popped up.
One million—already in her account.
She let out a dry, mocking laugh.
Figures. A relationship built on money—what right did she have to talk about feelings, let alone a baby?
Staring blankly at the message for a bit, she ended up forwarding the money straight to Richard.
Then she called Olivia, saying she was fine now. But of course, Olivia's gossip antennae went off instantly.
"Amelia, who the hell is that guy? Do I know him?"
"You probably do."
"No way—don't tell me I actually know that kind of jerk?" Olivia gasped.
Amelia chuckled. "Haven't you already met enough jerks? Guys dragging their girlfriends or wives to get abortions... not exactly rare, right?"
"Ugh, true," Olivia sighed. "This is exactly why I say—stay away from men, they'll ruin your whole life."
After a bit of joking around, Amelia finally got to the point.
"Olivia, I need a favor."
"What is it?"
"He suspects I might be pregnant. He's sending his assistant with me to get checked tomorrow. Can you help me fake a test report?"
Olivia suddenly went quiet.
"Olivia?" Amelia frowned and called her name.
"It's Simon, isn't it?" Olivia suddenly blurted out.
Amelia froze for a second—she hadn't expected Olivia to guess that.
But there was nothing to hide from her, so she simply admitted, "Yeah, it's him."
"Are you freaking kidding me?! So it really is him? Did he sleep his way into your life? That bastard—looks all classy on the outside but plays dirty behind the scenes? That's messed up."
Amelia was completely thrown off by Olivia's string of angry curses.
It took her a moment before she gave a bitter little laugh. "No, it wasn't like that."
Olivia screeched to a halt. "Wait—so... you climbed into his bed yourself?"
Amelia took a deep breath. "He's been supporting me. It started three years ago."
Silence fell again.
"Kind of flipped your whole view of me, huh?"
In everyone's eyes, Amelia was always the smart, proper girl.
So Olivia's first reaction had been that Simon had taken advantage of her.
She never imagined it was the other way around.
"Pfft, come on, it's just... give and take, right? If I had your looks, I'd totally find some rich guy too—sleep with him, take his money, live the dream!"
After a pause, she added, "The only thing that shouldn't exist is the baby."
The smile slowly faded from Amelia's face.
Yeah. A baby really had no place in whatever was going on between her and Simon.
Without it, things between them could've ended quietly, or kept going—it wouldn't matter as much.
But now, the kid just came out of nowhere.
No heads-up, no warning. Just hit her like a wave.
Olivia frowned, troubled.
If the guy were just some regular dude, with Amelia's looks and charm, locking things down with a ring would be a piece of cake.
But he wasn't just any man—he was Simon.
A man sitting on top of the goddamn world.
Not someone people like them could dream about holding on to.
"So, what's your plan? Gonna just keep this under wraps for now? Worst case, hide out somewhere and have the baby quietly. It's not like he can shove it back in once it's out, right?"
Amelia gave a wry smile. "Yeah. But he sure as hell won't let me or the baby live in peace either.
"I'll make a decision soon."
- Writer
