Stolen Fate

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“Look, Nana! The baby is kicking!” Laura shouts in glee.

Her aunt, Adelaide, who has been taking care of her throughout her pregnancy, walks over to her and puts her hand on her belly.

“The baby is strong. Just like his mother,” she smiles.

Her aunt stands up and brings her a cup of hot milk.

“He? What if it’s a girl?”

“Then she’s going to be a tough one. Just like you,” Adelaide teases.

“Do you have news regarding my father?” Laura asks, looking away from her aunt to hide her worried expression.

After the news of her pregnancy came to light, Charles has proudly announced to the press that she is expecting their first child, keeping his promise to her father that he will take the baby as his own. He is playing the part of the perfect husband when he’s in front of the public, but Laura knows better. When they are alone together, he doesn’t fail to remind her that he is saving her from a public scandal that will be caused by being pregnant with another man’s child.

Laura has asked her father to send her away to a village where her mother's relatives live. She figures it will be better to stay away from the limelight and away from Charles. Charles’s constant insults and snide remarks are too taxing for a pregnant woman.

“Did you know that Charles has now become a member of the board of Chapman Corp.?” Adelaide asks.

Laura’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious!”

“Yes. It was announced in the news yesterday.”

“Father never mentioned this to me. Charles is really working his way up. When he married me, he was just Chapman Corp’s Business Development Manager,” Laura said sadly.

“Well, your father is grooming him to be his replacement, isn’t he? It’s only natural that his progression is fast-tracked. After all, that’s what your marriage is all about.”

Adelaide looks at Laura apologetically. She seems to be well aware that Laura has been forced into this marriage.

“I agreed to it, too, Nana,” Laura says. “It’s all I could do to help my father save his chairmanship in Chapman Corp.”

“I never did trust your husband. He was much younger when I first saw him. I never thought he is an honorable man. I still wonder what Cliff saw in him.”

“I cannot deny that Charles is brilliant when it comes to business matters.”

“He is brilliant in fooling the press and the public too,” Adelaide mutters. “He’s making the impression that he is a good and devoted husband, telling the press that he visits you every weekend to make sure that you and the baby are doing well. Ha! I have never seen his face here since the day you appeared in my doorstep.”

“It’s for the best, Nana. I assure you of that. Seeing Charles will only add up to my stress. As if pregnancy hormonal imbalance is not enough to make me feel nauseated!”

“It is the right thing to do, my child. Your mother would have never agreed to marry you off to that man.”

“Sadly, she’s not here to tell that to my father.”

“Whatever happened to that boy who saved your mother? Your former bodyguard? He’s a fine young man, and he was doing a good job of protecting you. I thought your father would bring him here to guard you.”

Laura feels her heart breaking once again. Since that night before her wedding, she has never seen or heard from Lance. She wanted to tell him about the baby. She wanted him to know what is happening to her. Unfortunately, it seems that he has moved away from the country. At least, that’s what her father said to her when he received Lance’s resignation letter.

‘He never even said goodbye to me,” Laura thought sadly. ‘Maybe he thought it was for the best. After all, we promised to part ways before I married Charles. But still, I would have wanted him to know about the baby.’

“Laura?”

It takes Laura a moment to realize that her aunt has been speaking to her.

“Yes, Nana. I’m sorry. I spaced out. What were you asking about?”

“I was just wondering what happened to Lance.”

Laura simply shrugs. “My father said that he resigned from being a part of Chapman Corp’s security team. He said that he’s moving to France. We haven’t heard from him since.”

“Too bad. He was a good lad.”

‘I know. He’s a good man! And if things were different, I know that he would be the best father.’

“Well, I will leave you for a while to finish my chores,” Adelaide says. “Go and rest for a while. You need all the sleep you can get before the baby comes. When he is born, you will have a lot of sleepless nights, trust me. I have been there. My boys were mini monsters from the first hour they were born.”

She kisses Laura on the head and gently pats her shoulder.

“Thank you, Nana. You have been very good to me.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. I will take care of you and the baby. Your mother had helped us a lot when she was still alive. And besides, we are family. We will always take care of each other.”

Alone in her bedroom, Laura caresses her belly, feeling her baby’s gentle kicks.

“Nana is right. You are going to be strong and tough. I can feel it. You have your father’s strength,” she whispers. “If only your father can see us now.”

Tears roll down her cheeks. A deep sense of longing suddenly overwhelms her as she remembers Lance and their happy times together.

‘Lance never laid a hand on me. He never said anything that he knew would hurt my feelings,’ she thought. ‘Unlike Charles, who had hurt me both physically and emotionally! He was a much bigger monster than I thought he was before I married him. Nana was right! Charles is a very dishonorable man! Marrying him was the biggest mistake I have ever made.’

Even in her state, she cannot help but worry about her father. She doesn’t trust Charles. He lies to everybody, including her father, making them believe that he is concerned about her and the baby. But not once had he called her or asked about her. He never visited her since she came to her aunt’s house. She is sure that he’s taken on a mistress already.

‘And now, he’s become a member of the board of Chapman Corp. Too fast. Too soon!’ Laura sighs wearily. ‘I hope my father sees him for what he really is! A lying scumbag, who could lie through his teeth, and would do anything to get what he wants!’

She looks at her belly and caresses it once again.

“When you are born, I will raise you to become a good and honorable person,” she promises. “I promise I will be strong for you, my child. It will be very hard with Charles in the way, but I will try my best to give you a happy life.”

With a renewed sense of purpose, Laura falls asleep, cradling her belly with her arms.

Later that night, just before dinner, she receives a call from her father.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” he asks.

“Doing good, Dad. The baby is kicking hard now. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night because of his tireless kicking!”

“That’s my boy! He is a Chapman, after all,” her father chuckles.

“I miss you so much, Dad.”

“I know. I miss you, too. When I finish all the deals I am working on here, I will come and visit you. But for sure, whatever happens, Charles and I are going to be there before you deliver the baby.”

“I heard you recently promoted Charles to board member.” Laura cannot help the bitter taste in her mouth, just mentioning Charles’s name.

“Yes. He deserved it. He brokered many deals that brought more investors to Chapman Corp. It’s about time he steps up the ladder. He’s proven his worth many times.”

“Dad… you know I don’t trust him.”

“Sweetheart, we’ve been over this before. I know that you don’t love your husband, but he is devoted to you, he’s loyal to me. He will do everything for Chapman Corp.”

“He’s not devoted to me. He doesn’t even call or see me.”

“He is busy with work, but he talks about you a lot, and he’s already making plans about the baby’s education, and how he will train him to become the future of Chapman Corp.”

“I’m sure it’s only for the show, Dad,” she mutters. “This baby isn’t his flesh and blood. I suspect that he’s only doing this because he wants to take over Chapman Corp! All of it!”

“Parenting is not limited to blood, Laura!” her father says, his tone slightly rising. “I understand how hard this is for Charles to accept, but I can see him trying. I hope you make it easier for him and for me, too.”

Laura heaves a deep sigh. She knows that it’s pointless to argue about this with her father. He is blindsided by Charles’s show of loyalty.

“Look, I didn’t call to stress you out,” her father says in a much gentler tone. “And even if you do not trust Charles, you have to trust me. I will not allow anybody to take away my family’s legacy. It belongs to our family. Charles may be your husband, but he is not a legal heir, as long as I have you and my grandchild. Chapman Corp. will always belong to you and your baby, my own flesh and blood.”

“Thank you, Dad,” she whispers.

“Okay, you need to rest. Sleep well, my child.”

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, Laura.”

Tears roll down Laura’s eyes when she put the phone down. Even with her father’s promises, she cannot help but worry that Charles is slowly taking over their company. And she grows even more hopeless that someday, she will be able to escape from Charles.

‘If he can be cruel to me, I have no doubt, he will show the same courtesy to my child!’ she thought desperately. ‘I fear that he will be a mean father. My baby deserves a happy home. Only Lance can give us that.’

Suddenly, she hears a tap on her door. She stands up and slowly walks to answer it. She finds Adelaide’s maid on her doorstep.

“What is it?”

She looks around uneasily, and then she steps forward and whispers, “A letter came for you.”

“What?”

“The messenger told me not to mention this to anybody. It’s very sensitive and confidential, he says.”

Laura stares back at the maid in confusion. The maid hands her an envelope. Then she quickly turns away to leave.

Laura closes to the door and stares at the letter in front of her. Her name is written on it in a handwriting that she thought looks familiar.

She opens the letter, and her heart drops to her toes.

The letter comes from Lance.