Chapter 3: Moving Into His Mansion
1668 Words
The car that picked me up was black. Tinted windows. Bigger than my entire apartment.
“Mrs. Cross.” The driver opened the door for me. “I’m James. Mr. Cross sent me.”
Mrs. Cross. I still wasn’t used to it.
I only had one duffel bag. All my clothes, Leo’s toys, and the sonogram photo I still hadn’t told Aiden about.
“Where’s Leo?” I asked as we pulled away from my building.
“He’s already at the house, ma’am. With Nanny Rose.”
My heart dropped. “You took my son without me?”
“Mr. Cross wanted him to get settled before you arrived.” James said carefully. “He thought it would be less stressful for the boy.”
I gripped my bag tighter. This was already starting wrong.
The Cross Mansion was 40 minutes outside the city. Gates. Security. A driveway that took 2 minutes to drive down.
And then it was there.
White stone. 3 floors. Fountains. It looked like it belonged in a magazine, not real life.
My stomach twisted. This was going to be my home for 2 years.
The front doors opened before we stopped.
And there was Aiden.The morning was chaos.
My phone had 200 missed calls.
News alerts: `AIDEN CROSS EXPECTING TWINS`
`CONTRACT MARRIAGE TURNS REAL`
`CROSS GLOBAL STOCK JUMPS 8%`
I stared at the ceiling. Was this real?
A knock. "Zuri? It's me." Aiden's voice.
I opened the door. He looked wrecked. No suit. Hair messy.
Holding two cups of coffee.
"Morning, Mrs. Cross." He said softly.
"Morning, Mr. Cross." I took the coffee.
We sat on my bed. Not touching. But close.
"The board is furious." He said. "Claire leaked the contract."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"They have photos. Of us signing it. 2 days ago." He sighed. "I’m sorry. I should’ve burned it."
I nodded. "What happens now?"
"Now we tell the truth." He turned to me. "That it started as business. And turned into this." He gestured between us. "And twins."
My hand went to my stomach. Still so small. But 2 lives.
"What if they don't believe us?" I whispered.
"Then we make them believe." He took my hand. "Press conference in 1 hour. You with me?"
I was terrified. But I nodded. "With you."
---
The press room was full. Cameras. Microphones. Shouting.
Aiden walked in first. Tux from last night, but no tie.
Then me. In jeans and a sweater. I refused the dress.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
"Mr. Cross! Is the marriage real?"
"Mrs. Cross! Were you paid?"
"What about the twins?"
Aiden stepped to the mic. Pulled me with him.
"Good morning." His voice was calm. "Yes, Zuri and I signed a contract 2 days ago."
Gasps.
"But contracts can change." He looked at me. "What started as business became family. And now we’re expecting twins."
More flashes.
A reporter stood up. "Ms. Nalongo, did you do this for money?"
I grabbed the mic. My hands shook.
"No. I did this because my mom needed surgery. And because..." I looked at Aiden. "Because 5 years ago I met a man at a club and I’ve never forgotten him."
Aiden squeezed my hand.
"And I’ve never forgotten her either." He said. "The contract is void as of this morning. We’re doing this for real. For Leo. For the twins. For us."
Silence.
Then clapping.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was ours.
---
Back at the mansion, Leo ran to us. "You’re on TV!"
Aiden picked him up. "How do you feel about being a big brother?"
Leo grinned. "Twice!"
We laughed. For the first time in days, it felt real.
That night, Aiden came to my room again.
No contract on the desk anymore. I’d ripped it up.
He lay next to me. "Scared?"
"Terrified." I admitted.
"Me too." He kissed my forehead. "But not of you."
I rolled over and faced him. "Aiden?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For choosing us."
He pulled me close. "Always."
Outside, the news was still playing.
`THE CROSS FAMILY`
For the first time, I didn’t hate that title.
The morning was chaos.
My phone had 200 missed calls.
News alerts: `AIDEN CROSS EXPECTING TWINS`
`CONTRACT MARRIAGE TURNS REAL`
`CROSS GLOBAL STOCK JUMPS 8%`
I stared at the ceiling. Was this real?
A knock. "Zuri? It's me." Aiden's voice.
I opened the door. He looked wrecked. No suit. Hair messy.
Holding two cups of coffee.
"Morning, Mrs. Cross." He said softly.
"Morning, Mr. Cross." I took the coffee.
We sat on my bed. Not touching. But close.
"The board is furious." He said. "Claire leaked the contract."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"They have photos. Of us signing it. 2 days ago." He sighed. "I’m sorry. I should’ve burned it."
I nodded. "What happens now?"
"Now we tell the truth." He turned to me. "That it started as business. And turned into this." He gestured between us. "And twins."
My hand went to my stomach. Still so small. But 2 lives.
"What if they don't believe us?" I whispered.
"Then we make them believe." He took my hand. "Press conference in 1 hour. You with me?"
I was terrified. But I nodded. "With you."
---
The press room was full. Cameras. Microphones. Shouting.
Aiden walked in first. Tux from last night, but no tie.
Then me. In jeans and a sweater. I refused the dress.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
"Mr. Cross! Is the marriage real?"
"Mrs. Cross! Were you paid?"
"What about the twins?"
Aiden stepped to the mic. Pulled me with him.
"Good morning." His voice was calm. "Yes, Zuri and I signed a contract 2 days ago."
Gasps.
"But contracts can change." He looked at me. "What started as business became family. And now we’re expecting twins."
More flashes.
A reporter stood up. "Ms. Nalongo, did you do this for money?"
I grabbed the mic. My hands shook.
"No. I did this because my mom needed surgery. And because..." I looked at Aiden. "Because 5 years ago I met a man at a club and I’ve never forgotten him."
Aiden squeezed my hand.
"And I’ve never forgotten her either." He said. "The contract is void as of this morning. We’re doing this for real. For Leo. For the twins. For us."
Silence.
Then clapping.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was ours.
---
Back at the mansion, Leo ran to us. "You’re on TV!"
Aiden picked him up. "How do you feel about being a big brother?"
Leo grinned. "Twice!"
We laughed. For the first time in days, it felt real.
That night, Aiden came to my room again.
No contract on the desk anymore. I’d ripped it up.
He lay next to me. "Scared?"
"Terrified." I admitted.
"Me too." He kissed my forehead. "But not of you."
I rolled over and faced him. "Aiden?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For choosing us."
He pulled me close. "Always."
Outside, the news was still playing.
`THE CROSS FAMILY`
For the first time, I didn’t hate that title.
Because this time... it was true.The morning was chaos.
My phone had 200 missed calls.
News alerts: `AIDEN CROSS EXPECTING TWINS`
`CONTRACT MARRIAGE TURNS REAL`
`CROSS GLOBAL STOCK JUMPS 8%`
I stared at the ceiling. Was this real?
A knock. "Zuri? It's me." Aiden's voice.
I opened the door. He looked wrecked. No suit. Hair messy.
Holding two cups of coffee.
"Morning, Mrs. Cross." He said softly.
"Morning, Mr. Cross." I took the coffee.
We sat on my bed. Not touching. But close.
"The board is furious." He said. "Claire leaked the contract."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"They have photos. Of us signing it. 2 days ago." He sighed. "I’m sorry. I should’ve burned it."
I nodded. "What happens now?"
"Now we tell the truth." He turned to me. "That it started as business. And turned into this." He gestured between us. "And twins."
My hand went to my stomach. Still so small. But 2 lives.
"What if they don't believe us?" I whispered.
"Then we make them believe." He took my hand. "Press conference in 1 hour. You with me?"
I was terrified. But I nodded. "With you."
---
The press room was full. Cameras. Microphones. Shouting.
Aiden walked in first. Tux from last night, but no tie.
Then me. In jeans and a sweater. I refused the dress.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
"Mr. Cross! Is the marriage real?"
"Mrs. Cross! Were you paid?"
"What about the twins?"
Aiden stepped to the mic. Pulled me with him.
"Good morning." His voice was calm. "Yes, Zuri and I signed a contract 2 days ago."
Gasps.
"But contracts can change." He looked at me. "What started as business became family. And now we’re expecting twins."
More flashes.
A reporter stood up. "Ms. Nalongo, did you do this for money?"
I grabbed the mic. My hands shook.
"No. I did this because my mom needed surgery. And because..." I looked at Aiden. "Because 5 years ago I met a man at a club and I’ve never forgotten him."
Aiden squeezed my hand.
"And I’ve never forgotten her either." He said. "The contract is void as of this morning. We’re doing this for real. For Leo. For the twins. For us."
Silence.
Then clapping.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was ours.
---
Back at the mansion, Leo ran to us. "You’re on TV!"
Aiden picked him up. "How do you feel about being a big brother?"
Leo grinned. "Twice!"
We laughed. For the first time in days, it felt real.
That night, Aiden came to my room again.
No contract on the desk anymore. I’d ripped it up.
He lay next to me. "Scared?"
"Terrified." I admitted.
"Me too." He kissed my forehead. "But not of you."
I rolled over and faced him. "Aiden?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For choosing us."
He pulled me close. "Always."
Outside, the news was still playing.
`THE CROSS FAMILY`
For the first time, I didn’t hate that title.
Because this time... it was true.
Because this time... it was true.
- Writer
