It seemed like his head had somehow exploded in reaction to what the woman in front of him just spilled. Extremely taken aback, Charles's eyes darted towards Isabella whose arms were crossed with a little frown on her forehead. He wasn't ready to wonder what she could be feeling after that crazy bomb Daphne just dropped.
So, he just faced the pregnant woman again and asked, "What are you talking about?"
She gave her little chuckle which he always felt had a tone of evil behind it anytime it rang in his ears. Slowly, she got up and she was soon leveled in stance with him, their eyes on the same plane. "What?" She looked oddly amused. "Are you going to deny sleeping with me?"
Charles almost held his hair in anguish. What kind of thing was happening to him? Daphne was just a fling and that was all she ever was. After a week, he broke all ties with her and she had no issues with it. But now...
"Daphne... Are you certain this child is mine?"
She scoffed. "Are you accusing me of sleeping around while I was with you?"
"You were with me for a week Daphne. So..."
"So, I have made the wrong calculations?" Her eyes narrowed and she took more steps forward. As her motion caused their bodies to almost touch, Charles took steps backwards, still finding it hard to face Isabella.
"You might have. Who knows? Maybe you have chosen the father of this child to be me because of certain reasons. And I can't help but wonder what those reasons could be."
"Are you calling me a gold digger now?"
"You and I know I don't call people names. Listen to me Daphne..." His shoulder briefly brushed Isabella's as he shifted a bit. "I am very certain there is something fishy here and there is one way to find out what ever thing it is you are hiding." A suspenseful pause followed his last word as his glare intensified by the second because, the more he thought about it, the more he got angry. "We are going to conduct a DNA test."
"What?" She chuckled again. "You can't conduct one while I am still pregnant."
"But one can be conducted after the child is delivered."
"What will happen to me till then? Uh?" Her confidence threatened his new found relationship. She sounded so sure that the child was his.
What if it turns out to be true? He wondered. What would happen then?
"Are you going to toss me to one side till you are ready for a test?" she firmly asked. "No, Charles. I refuse." Her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Excuse you?"
"I am here because I want to live with you!" His pupils dilated at her screamed utterance. "As the mother of your child, I deserve to be with you. I can't bear to live a life that reeks of doom."
"Do you realize what you are saying Daphne? Uh?" His voice was now carrying that pressing tone that made his employees dread his other side. "You are asking me to allow you stay in the same house I live in with my wife? How will that be sane?" Charles was trying to refrain himself from bellowing at the woman.
"What?" The shrug she gave suited the nonchalant look on her face and that angered the man even more. "Is she pregnant like I am? Is she carrying your child? For all we know, she might even be barren."
" How dare you Daphne?" His voice fell low and reeked of menace. " Who do you think you are to speak ill of my wife?" With the corner of his eyes, he noticed Isabella was no longer around and he felt weak instantly. He really couldn't start to imagine the things going on in her head.
"You know what..." He dug into his pocket and took out his phone. After texting the Managing Director of his company, he looked up at her. "I have booked a room for you. Stay there till I say otherwise."
"You can't control me!" She retorted, her eyes batting furiously.
"What? Aren't you trying to do the same?" Daphne fell quiet. " Stay there till I say otherwise and don't cause me trouble. Okay?"
"When do I get to live in your house with you?" Her question stopped the tracks of the man who was already approaching the entrance.
"If this turns out to be some game you have decided to play with me, trust me Daphne, I will make you regret ever meeting me." A small sigh left the man and he said, "Wait here for the car coming to pick you up."
Then, he left to go meet Isabella. As he entered the house, he met her right in front of the large glass that gave the view of the city ahead. Going to sit beside her, he began to wonder where to start from.
Isabella didn't give him a chance to say anything as she asked, "It is funny, isn't it?"
Her voice was so calm it almost frightened him. "What is?" he cautiously asked.
"Just barely few days after your real father asked for a grandchild, Daphne shows up." Her head swung in his direction. A small sad smile was on her lips and Charles felt so terrible. He felt responsible for the sober smile on her face.
"It is very funny."
"Isabella... Daphne is a long time fling. And I am very certain she is lying about the paternity of her child "
"What if she isn't?" She looked like she was going to cry. " What if the child is really yours? Won't you want the child around? Your child Charles... won't you want to be around him or her? Uh?"
"I-"
"Do you know what pains me the most in this situation?" Isabella gathered her knees to her chest. "It is not the woman who is trying to weasel her way into your life nor is it the child she claims to be yours. I am not even pained by the fact that you are most probable to have the child around."
Charles placed his large palm on her arm and with a groaning voice, he said, "Isabella.." He hated that she was sad. He hated even more that he was the reason she was that way.
One of her hands fell on his and she caressed as lovingly as she could with her eyes following the little motion she had initiated. "The fact that I won't be able to give you a child..." She looked up at a now confused Charles. " That's what makes me sad."
"How do you mean? What do you mean by not able to give me a child?"
Taking a deep sigh first, Isabella had her eyes darting to the side again before she replied him. "I should have told you this way earlier. But I was so scared to let you know about it."
"What is that?"
He followed a huge gulp that went down her throat with his eyes and he already suspected what she had to say would have something to do with Gabriel. "I suffered a miscarriage while I was married to Gabriel."
Charles felt like he had been kicked. "You were pregnant for that bastard?" he asked and it could not be denied that anger was within his voice.
As her head came up again, her eyes were already filled with tears and he felt his heart squeeze. "No Charles... I was pregnant with your child."