Unexpected Bond

What was that for?

I stare at Aliana, who was busy typing on my phone, and honestly, I am not at peace with all this. I am scared and worried about the impact all this will cause in the future.

"You know we can still change plans, and maybe I could go to his company again," I said, trying to make Aliana change the plan at hand.

"Okay, assuming you go to Liam Texter's tech company, what will happen? They won't allow you in because you don't have any appointment with Liam," Aliana said, making a point, but I choose not to listen to her.

"What if we book an appointment with Liam? It's..."

"Oh please, Emma, booking an appointment with Liam Texter will take a lot of time and money," she said, making a small sigh as she put the phone down. "Emma, why are you having doubts?"

"I want to fix this. I'm not ready yet, but I can try, please Aliana!" I said, with tears forming in my eyes.

"The only way to fix this is to come out publicly and tell the whole world that you are carrying Liam Texter's unborn child, the famous tech tycoon's child," Aliana said, making sense.

"I'm not after his money," I defended.

"You are not after his money, but you are after his support. You can't take care of this child alone," Aliana said, picking up my phone and taking a picture of me.

"What was that for?" I asked, why she took a photo of me.

"I want to post it alongside the caption," she said.

"I have other photos on my devices. Don't you dare post that picture you just took, but instead post the beautiful ones on my phone," I said. "Even though I want to come out publicly, I need to look good and not like a beggar."

Aliana then handed the phone to me to go through what she wrote, captioning it with, "I am carrying Liam Texter's unborn child," she captioned it with a beautiful picture of me. My mind was racing, Aliana awaited my response, holding my hand and reassuring me.

I nodded in agreement, exhaling and inhaling before pressing the post button. The post popped up instantly on the social media site. It wasn't much, but it was enough to send shockwaves in the community. Aliana and I sighed when we saw the notification of the post on our phones.

****

I walked angrily to my office, ignoring all the greetings from my staff. I opened my office door and pulled on my suit, then sat on the stool, trying to adjust my tie as it felt like it was strangling me. I was feeling uncomfortable and angry at the same time.

The news was everywhere, everyone was talking about it. Even my workers were gossiping about the news of me impregnating a woman. I refused to check my phone; I had received numerous calls and messages, but I didn't respond to any of them. I knew my parents' calls and messages were among them. I didn't know what to do or what to say to anyone.

The door to my office abruptly opened as my secretary walked in, visibly frightened and shaking. She knew I wasn't in a good mood. She stammered, "I'm so sorry, sir, but your parents have called numerous times, and you are not picking up or returning any of their calls." Instantly, my anger flared.

"How dare you tell me what to do? Firstly, you didn't ask for permission before entering my office, and secondly, you came in telling me rubbish. You're fired!" I yelled at Tracy, who ran out crying.

I cursed under my breath and stared at my phone, which was still ringing and vibrating. I decided to attend to it; I couldn't keep ignoring it all day. There were thousands of notifications. I clicked on one of them, and the picture I saw left me dumbfounded.

"f**k!" I exclaimed, realizing who she was. She was a woman I had a one-night stand with—a mere s****l encounter. How could she be pregnant with my child after just one instance of intercourse?

The door of my office swung open abruptly, revealing Jared, my friend. "Not again!" I yelled out in frustration. I knew why Jared was here; he was definitely going to give me a hard time.

"Why aren't you answering or returning calls, dumbass? You've got everyone worried and confused. Who is that woman tarnishing your image with fake news?" Jared said, not giving me a chance to answer as he continued.

"You have to sue her for all this. Imagine all the turmoil she's put you in. She isn't even up to standard of women you slept with. So, are you going to sue her, or are you going to sit here all day and sulk?" Jared said angrily, unaware that I had actually slept with the girl he was suggesting I sue.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go to my law firm and file a lawsuit," Jared said.

"There's absolutely no need to do that because I actually slept with her," I said, leaving Jared shocked by my response.

"What?!" he yelled, unable to believe it. "Is she threatening you, Liam?" he asked, and I sighed.

"It was a one-night stand, Jared. It happened three weeks ago when I was in desperate need of some random hookup," I stated.

Jared was speechless when I said all this. He now understood everything that had transpired between me and Emma.

"Pay her off," Jared said.

"What?" I asked, not believing what he meant.

"Pay her off, and she will go away or maybe even consider aborting the pregnancy. Most of these women are looking for money," Jared said, sitting down.

"What if she keeps demanding? You know I hate people who make demands," I replied, annoyed at his simplistic solution.

"You're a tech mogul, a rich and famous one at that. You can settle her with billions of dollars, and it won't make a dent in your fortune," Jared said, not making much sense. I just hissed at his childish thoughts.

"I'm trying to figure this out, bro. What if the child isn't even yours?" he asked, and that question alone made me realize something—what if the child wasn't mine to begin with?