My Ex-Husband And My Sister

Chapter 6 Sophia's Pov

I ran.

It was not the kind of hurried stride people take when they’re late for a meeting. No—this was a full-on, heart-pounding, lungs-burning, desperate escape I was making from Alex right now.

My heels clacked against the sleek marble floors of Grayson Enterprises and echoed through the empty hallway as I pushed past the heavy glass doors that led me to the outside of the building. The cool Los Angeles air hit my face immediately but it did nothing to soothe the panic that was clawing at my chest.

I bent slightly and pressed a hand to my stomach as I sucked in deep breaths while I walked to the heavy gates in front of me.

My heart was still hammering and I swore I could hear Alex’s voice chasing after me.

Alex Grayson. Oh God…he was the Alex Grayson.

I still couldn’t believe that he was the CEO of the Grayson Enterprises I had been looking forward to meeting in the past one week

He was the man I had been preparing to pitch my biggest deal to. The man I had convinced myself I would never see again. The man who, in one reckless night, had unknowingly changed my life forever.

“Miss? Are you okay?”

I jolted at the sound of a voice and looked up to find a security guard who was watching me with concern on his face.

Forcing a tight smile on my face, I nodded and managed to say, “I’m fine. Just needed some air.”

Lies. What I needed right now was a whole new identity. Maybe a fake passport and a one-way ticket to somewhere far, far far away.

I flagged down a cab when I passed through the gates and climbed in then slammed the door behind me like I could physically shut out the mess I had just run from.

“Café Bella,” I muttered to the driver who only nodded in response. Then I slumped back against the seat and my hands automatically went to my stomach as a thought came to my mind:

No one can know. Especially not him.

***

The familiar scent of coffee and cinnamon wrapped around me the second I stepped into Café Bella. The bell above the door chimed softly and before I could even take a full step inside and looked around, I heard her voice.

“Sophia!”

Kelly’s bright smile appeared behind the counter as she looked at me and her wild curls bounced around her small face while she wiped her hands on her apron. “Where the hell have you been? You ditched me yesterday and I was starting to think you finally ran off with a prince.”

A laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it. Kelly had that effect—pulling me back to the surface even when I was drowning, that is. It was why she easily became my good friend even though I hadn't been in Los Angeles for so long.

“Not even close,” I muttered to her.

Her grin faded as she took a closer look at me. “Damn, girl. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I let out a shaky breath in response. “I feel like I have.”

Kelly’s eyes narrowed but thankfully, she didn’t push further at the moment. Instead, she glanced around the nearly empty café, noted the last few customers with a frown then turned to say to me. “Go sit. I’ll be there in a sec.”

I nodded and made my way to my usual booth in the back. Thirty minutes later, Kelly slid into the seat across from me and set down a cup of chamomile tea on the small coffee table. I wrapped my hands around it and the warmth grounded me as I sipped it.

“Okay,” she said and then leaned close to watch me. “Spill. Did the deal fall through? Oh God, please, tell me it didn't fall through.”

I let out a dry laugh and shook my head. “I wish.”

Her brows furrowed at that in surprise. “Then what? What is going on, Sophia?”

I hesitated as I stared at the tea while I willed the words to come out. “The CEO…the one interested in my growing company.” I looked up and met her curious eyes. “It’s Alex Grayson.”

Kelly’s eyes widened at that till they were almost reaching hey ears. “Wait. What? The Alex Grayson?”

I nodded stiffly.

She let out a low whistle and hit her hands on the table lightly. “Damn. That’s huge. He’s one of the most powerful billionaires in LA.” She paused and looked at me speculatively. “That should be a good thing, right?”

I clenched my jaw even as I said, “No, Kelly. It’s not a good thing.”

She blinked rapidly at me before she managed to say, “Okay, explain, Sophia, because it seems that I’m missing something here.”

I took a deep breath then let it all out to her.“Two months ago… I slept with him.”

Dead silence permeated the air.

Then Kelly’s mouth fell open almost to tht floor. “Excuse me?”

I winced at the blatant shock that had flooded her voice and said, “I was drunk, okay? It was the night of my divorce and the night Liam married my sister. It was crazy for me then and I didn’t really know what I was doing, Kelly.””

Her expression shifted from shock to anger at the mention of Liam. “That bastard.”

I ignored the familiar sting in my chest as I thought briefly about Liam and what he did to me and continued. “You know, I left everything behind, moved here and threw myself into my business. I swore I’d never let a man get close to me again. But that night where I lost control is now haunting me.” My fingers tightened around my cup. “That night where I met Alex at a bar and I—” I shook my head in self-disgust and continued. “I swear…I didn’t know who he was. He was just… there. And I was a mess.”

Kelly stared at me like I had grown a second head and then spluttered. “You had a one-night stand with Alex freaking Grayson and now you’re supposed to work with him?”

I nodded at that even as my stomach twisted inside of me.

“Well, that’s awkward,” She said then blew a heavy breath.

I groaned just then and pressed my forehead against the table. “Kelly, that’s not even the worst part.”

She put her hand on her mouth while she studied the distress on my face. “Oh, God. What could possibly be worse than this?”

I lifted my head and met her gaze then managed to drop the bomb: “I’m pregnant, Kelly.”

Another dead silence that rippled with shock filled the air.

Kelly didn’t move. She didn’t even blink. She just stared at me like I had just told her I was moving to Mars.

“What?!” she finally shrieked when she saw that I was not joking right now. Then she looked at my still flat belly as if it was an alien organ.

“I found out a few weeks ago,” I whispered to her in a drained voice. “And I’m not telling him.”

Kelly’s jaw dropped just then. “Wait…so he is the father? Alex Grayson is the father of your unborn baby?”

I swallowed hard as I nodded. “Of course. Who else could it belong to?” There was a pause before I exhaled and continued. “ Call me crazy but I don’t want him involved, Kelly. I don’t want to be tied to any man. Not after what happened with Liam. I refuse to let another man hold that kind of power over me.”

Kelly let out a slow breath as she rubbed a hand over her heavily flustered face. “Sophia…”

“I mean it,” I cut in firmly because I knew what she was about to say and I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want any doubts to waver my resolve. “This is my child, Kelly. My responsibility. I won’t go through what I did with Liam again. I won’t let a man decide my worth based on whether I can give him an heir. I don’t care if Alex is rich, powerful or whatever else. I am not letting him or any other man into my life again.”

Kelly studied me for a long moment before she then finally leaned back on her chair and shook her head as she said in a low voice, “ So, Sophia , you’re really gonna walk away from a deal this huge because of this?”

“Yes.”

She let out a dry laugh. “Well, damn. This just got complicated.”

I picked up my tea that had gone warm and took a slow sip as I said dryly, “You have no idea.”