CHAPTER 48;
The morning sun shone gracefully through the window of Kate's room. She rolled lazily on the bed; her body was frail and down. It felt like she had worked throughout the night without resting.
"Is this how it feels when a lady is pregnant?" she muttered under her breath.
She got off the bed and walked like a zombie as her legs wobbled like a duck on the marble floors. She got to the dining room and saw William sitting, staring blankly at the plate placed in front of him.
"Seems you've gotten obsessed with the plate," Kate said, pulling the chair and sitting beside him.
"Does that have to do anything with you?" he replied without diverting his gaze.
"Must you always speak and answer coldly? Can't you change your countenance for once?" she spilled out.
"I don't care about the way I behave. I just want everything to be the way it was before."
"Well, if you say that… About Clark and Donovan—have you gotten anything about it?" she asked.
He sighed. "Well, Clark is with the police, but Donovan is on the run," he explained.
"That means a threat is still lingering out there," she said, but her expression was masked with sadness and fear.
William stared at her face while she wasn't looking. When she turned her gaze to him, he quickly turned away.
"I'll try to—"
"Don't get yourself involved in this," William cut in. "You've involved yourself enough in this game, so it's time to let go."
"I've been involved in this from the time I entered this marriage, so there's no turning back. Clark is gone, but Donovan Grant and my uncle are still out there. Who knows if there's still another person in the shadows," she shared and clenched her fist.
"What do I do with you?" William said, his voice laced with concern.
"Nothing!" she answered without looking at his face.
The maids brought the dishes and shared them. The breakfast was like a feast.
"Eat…!" he said, gesturing his hand for her to eat her food.
"Hmm!"
She took a small bite of the banana bread. They ate in silence. They didn't say a word to each other until they finished eating.
Kate got dressed for work, but the revealing tummy was what she was battling with. She picked up her phone and dialed Joyce's number.
"Good morning, ma'am," Joyce's voice chipped in.
"Morning. Can you do a favor for me?" she smiled.
---
"Ma'am, you have to breathe in a bit. It's just a clip," Joyce voiced out forcefully.
"Just get this over with. We're gonna be late. We have a lot of meetings to attend," she said, adjusting the foamy tube on her tummy.
"Almost done…"
"Ahhh - ahhh," Kate screamed.
William was holding his briefcase and was rushing out when he heard the noise coming from Kate's room.
"Isn't she supposed to be in her office?" he asked himself.
He scurried toward her room like a lightning bolt.
"Just let this cover this side and—"
The door opened, and William entered the room, which made the two flinch.
"What are you still doing here?" he asked, looking around as if searching for something or someone.
"Nothing to be precise," she answered.
"So what's with the noise?"
"It's just a normal thing I do every morning," she replied and faked a smile. She pinched Joyce.
"I'm here to help her get some documents before going to the company," Joyce commented.
"How did you get into this place?" he asked, turning his gaze to Joyce.
"I… Umm… I—the… the back door," she stammered.
"Just make sure you get what you want to get and leave on time. It's not a time to play around." His brow twitched. He turned and left without saying anything else.
"Ma'am, why don't you tell him about it?" Joyce knelt beside her and held her hands.
"Not yet… He might go mad about it."
"He won't. A child is always a gift and not some business card to play with. Ma'am, if you tell him, he will accept it," Joyce assured.
"I'm scared."
"Don't be."
"He's always acting cold and dominant. I can't stand him when I tell him about the baby."
"Put all that away. I'll only tell you to tell him on time so he won't hear it from another person. And you know what that means."
Joyce stood up. "Soo… Um, Ma'am, I'll get going."
"Okay. I'll meet you at the office."
---
THE DRAY HOLDINGS
William sat in his office, his laptop switched on before him. He held a pen in his right hand. There were many files before him. He was staring intently at the files, but his mind wasn't there.
The door opened, revealing his mother, Helena Dray. She was wearing a red velvet gown that covered her body from neck to toe.
"You're here," he said without looking up from his work.
"Yes, I am," she said, sitting on the sofa in the office.
"What do you want to talk about, or what scheme are you planning with Gabriella?" he voiced coldly.
"How dare you?" she fired. "What has that cunning girl fed you at the mansion that gives you the right to talk to me that way?"
"Nothing. She feeds me nothing. You stooped yourself too low to start scheming with that witch Gabriella."
"What!" she asked, her voice laced with surprise.
"You're the one that is fed with something, not me."
"I wish your father were here with me."
"Yeah… You wish."
"That girl, she's unworthy of bearing the Dray's name. Ever since she signed the contract, the company GP has been falling."
"What do you mean?" He stood up.
"It's time to let go of her. You can see there's no gain she's given to the company. Every week their profits are decreasing."
"She has nothing to do with that," he defended. "She's been managing the company well. About the profit and GP—everything is undergoing investigation."
"Why are you defending her?"
"I'm not defending her. I'm stating the fact."
"You can't be stating the fact and allowing the company to go down."
"The company isn't going down. I have everything under control." He sighed and turned toward her. "If you have nothing to say, you can leave. Dad will be angry if you don't get home on time."
"Divorce her," she finally spilled out.
"Who?" he asked sarcastically.
"Kate… Divorce that girl. She's an unfortunate being."
"Hmph!" He scoffed. "You must be joking."
"I'm not joking. I've got the files ready," she said, pulling out the documents from her gold luxurious bag.
"Why do you love to waste your time on unnecessary things?"
"This is necessary."
"It's not. The contract is valid for one year, and it's only been three months. You should remember that." He pushed the files back to her.
"You can leave. I have a lot of things to cover up." He pointed his hand toward the door.
She picked up the files and stoned them at him.
"You've been poisoned."
"I'm sure you'd love that—if I were gone," he chuckled.
"You'll regret this."