Hooked

6

Cassidy’s POV

Cassidy rose to her feet at the rubbish that went through her ear and out the other. She eyed the man sitting across from her then eyed Eric who was rubbing his face. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Hideto before laughing.

“Is this some type of joke? Like, was the marriage your doing, intentionally and you two are in on it and the real purpose was this s**t you just said?” She desperately wanted to believe it was.

She had already gotten used to the fact that she was going to live in a house fit for royalty only to have them say she was going to be used to bring the heir of her husband into the world. She was furious and wanted to scream out her frustration.

“I’m sorry, Cassidy but this is only what we thought about. Look, Eric doesn’t have anything to do with this idea. It’s just… He is stubborn and even to himself. I have lost count of how many times he has ended up in a critical condition at the hospital because he overworks himself. Vivian and I are worried he may die without an—”

“Heir,” Cassidy cut him off then scoffed. “So, I should be the one to bring the heir into this world? I don’t know this man and may not even bother to know him in the next two years. I accepted this marriage because I was ready to ignore him for two years but now, you’re saying this?”

Cassidy glanced at the man who had not said a word. His silence angered her even more. As she glared at him, his gaze shifted to her. She waited for him to speak but he only sighed and in that moment, she wondered if he had accepted everything his friend had just said.

“Wow,” Cassidy said, looking away from him. “What else do I have to give him? I don't even have a property or anything to my name, I could have given that up.”

Hideto sighed. “Cassidy, I apologize. Look, I know this is a lot to ask but, I promise that you can still be in the child’s life. I just…”

Cassidy could see the sullen look that had befallen on the man’s face. She thought back to when Eric had told her he would pay a surrogate to carry his offspring and that made her even more curious about the man. She had never seen such before and the fact that she was brought into it made her more curious.

“Why don’t you just wait until after we divorce? You could easily get a surrogate and all that s**t,” she said and Eric rose to his feet.

Worry went through her for the man when she saw the heaviness of stress on his face. His eyes had dark circles around it and his hair disheveled. She could see why his friend worried for him. She could tell how stressed he was but the idea of them having a child together made her get angry again.

Even though it had been her wish to have a child of her own. She was still not ready, especially in a circumstance where she was married out of the blue.

“Hideto may be right. I did tell you already that I planned on hiring a surrogate. Marriage has never been an option for me as I may not even have time for that.” Eric sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. “You don’t need to be forced to do this. But, some part of me likes the idea. We are married and we will be for two years. You and I both know that anything could happen. What I am trying to say is; no matter how stubborn I am about my way of living, I am aware that one day, I may die of stress or some health issue and I am just an only child. I don’t want love or romance but I do want kids.”

Cassidy listened to everything he had said and wanted to believe he was not emotionally blackmailing her. She crossed her arms and looked from one man to the other. Hideto smiled at her and approached her.

“Please, Cassidy. Like I said, the kid will be yours too. You will not be separated from him.”

Cassidy sighed. “I will think about it.”

She watched Hideto grin then glanced at Eric who had a faraway look in his eyes.

^^^

Cassidy laid on the big bed of her new bedroom, thinking of what had happened hours ago. She imagined being pregnant and holding her baby. She loved babies and always wanted one, even when she had been with Victor. A part of her wanted the idea of having a child with Eric because after her relationship with Victor, she had assumed she would either adopt or visit a sperm bank but now she had a husband, a filthy rich husband who was willing to give her everything during and after the marriage. She was going to be rich at the end of the marriage and would possibly have a kid of around one or two years old. It was everything on a silver platter but the fear of having feelings for him made her unsure.

Forcing her mind off of the man, she took her time to admire the room. It had a four poster bed, a few miniature statues in some corners of the room, a chandelier, paintings and a large screen television and her most favorite spot, the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. Her room reminded her of a queen’s quarters. His home was like a castle in the midst of trees. It was her perfect dream home.

"729 days to go," she said and sighed, then her phone rang. Cassidy got off the bed and walked over to her bed where she saw the phone and picked it up. It was Anita calling.

Even though she had hated what her sister had done to her, she still loved her and understood that Anita only did it for the sake of her being happy. She accepted the call and placed the device on her ear.

"Yes?"

"Cassidy, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have sent an email to that company without your consent. I told mom about it and she almost beat the crap out of me. Forgive me, please?"

Cassidy laughed hysterically as she imagined her mother picking up the closest object to hit Anita. She always did it to either of them when they were little, cautioning them, so she was not surprised about the outcome of Anita's stupidity.

"It's fine, Anita. I forgive you but the only thing is that I have to suffer for your stupidity. But I will survive because all I have to do is ignore him and before I know it, two years have elapsed. Besides, he's always too busy," she said and sat down on the comfortable bed then covered her mouth when she yawned. She was not ready and in the mood to tell Anita about the pregnancy part.

"What makes you think it's that simple? I've watched movies and read books. You're going to fall for each other and have beautiful babies, sister."

Cassidy’s eyes went wide at the mention of having babies, almost as if Anita had telepathically known about the issue on ground. She sighed and made a mental note to meet up with her so they could talk about it.

"It's past two in the morning, Anita. I have to go to bed. He has a friend of his that may employ me. So, bye," she ended the call and closed her eyes to sleep, hoping the new day would bring good news.