Filed to story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel >>
It was about 5.00AM by the time Daniel held his head in his hands and sat by the edge of the bed. He was filled with regret and self-criticism. Right then, a soft arm wrapped itself around his waist. “I belong to you now, Daniel. You have to take responsibility for me!”
“I’m sorry, Miss Seymour. I made a huge mistake.” He pushed her aside hastily. Her gaze darkened as her voice turned cold. “Do you think Elliot will forgive you if he finds out that you slept with me, Daniel?”
He stared at her with a look of pure helplessness in his eyes, so she softened her voice a little as she continued speaking. “Daniel, the two of us are the only ones who know about this. However, from now on, I want you to obey me. You will do whatever I tell you to do, okay?”
“I won’t do anything illegal,” he uttered.
“I don’t need you to do anything illegal. I just want you to tell me all about Elliot’s daily schedule and the women he interacts with,” she ordered. Daniel didn’t want his life to be ruined, and he was fine with whatever Hayley wanted him to do. “Okay. I’ll tell you exactly whatever President Presgrave does every day.”
“Well, tell me—have there been any important things that Elliot has been up to lately?” Hayley lay down on the bed like she was a queen, glaring at the man as she questioned him.
“I can’t tell you about his work-related stuff, but he will be attending the family’s charity dinner this Friday. You will be able to see him,” he replied.
“What? This Friday? It’s already Wednesday—why haven’t I received an invitation?” Hayley frowned.
“I heard that all the invitations have been sent out. Didn’t you receive anything?” he asked.
“No! Who’s hosting it?” she cried.
“It’s a charity dinner hosted by Old Madam Presgrave. You should have received an invitation!” he replied. A resentful look flashed in Hayley’s eyes. It seems like Old Madam Presgrave values Anastasia more than she values me. I can’t believe she didn’t invite me to such an important event. I bet she invited Anastasia, didn’t she?
Does she think I won’t go just because she didn’t invite me to it? Well, that makes me want to go even more. “Great. From now on, I want you to tell me everything about Elliot. Also, I want you to keep an eye on Anastasia. If she has any intimate interactions with Elliot, I need you to tell me immediately.”
Daniel held a relatively important position in the company, although he wasn’t as powerful as Elliot’s head assistant, Timothy. Regardless, Daniel still had access to most of Elliot’s daily schedules. After Daniel left, Hayley still felt too furious to go to bed. What does Old Madam Presgrave mean by this? Is she looking down on me? Does she want me to stay away from Elliot? Hayley was especially furious because of the unfair treatment.
The next morning, Anastasia rushed to her office after sending Jared to school. Today was a day she had been looking forward to. When she arrived at the office, Grace opened the door and came over to give Anastasia some words of comfort. “Don’t mind all the nonsense that they say about you, Anastasia. I trust that you and President Presgrave are innocent.” Anastasia could no longer be bothered by these things—she felt that there was no point in clarifying such matters, and that she shouldn’t be living her life based on others’ comments.
It was about 10.00AM when Anastasia’s landline rang. “Hello?” She picked the call up.
“You need to come for a meeting, Anastasia. I have the list of winners with me.” Felicia’s voice came from the other end. Anastasia felt her heart skipping a beat. Is it out already? I thought it’d only be out by the afternoon. She headed to the meeting room with a mixture of fear and excitement coursing through her veins.
The rest of the staff members from the design department were already there, but Felicia had yet to arrive. Alice shot Anastasia a cold glare as Anastasia sat down opposite her. Anastasia merely cast her an uninterested glance.
“I wonder if it’s Alice or Anastasia who won the prize! I’m so excited! That’s 1 million worth of cash right there.” One of the junior designers made the atmosphere tenser on purpose.
“We’ll find out once the director arrives,” another person replied. Right then, Felicia walked into the room and glanced at the two competitors before taking a seat at the table. “The sponsored meal that you guys have been waiting for has been approved. Would you guys like to eat together tonight?”
“Of course! We’d love a feast, Director Evans,” someone cried. Both Alice and Anastasia exchanged glances. Judging by the look on Felicia’s face, they could tell that someone in the company must have won a prize. The winner had to be one of them.
A look of jealousy flashed in Alice’s gaze. It’s obvious. It has to be Anastasia. “Alright! Let’s organize dinner for tonight! Well, I’m going to proceed with announcing the winners and the prizes that they will receive. Firstly, I’d like to congratulate the champion of this jewelry design competition—Anastasia! You’ve won a total of 1 million!”
Anastasia heard a loud ringing sound in her ears before Felicia even finished her sentence. Me? Am I the winner? Does the 1 million belong to me? Her heart was filled with joy at that moment—she had finally gotten the money she needed for her son.
Felicia turned to Alice before she continued speaking. “The company decided to also provide some rewards to those who were selected, so Alice gets 20,000 as a consolation prize.” Alice curled her lips up into a sarcastic smile. A consolation prize, huh? What a joke.
Right then, the room erupted into applause as Anastasia found herself drowned by a bunch of wishes. She hastily thanked the people who congratulated her before turning to thank Felicia. “Thank you for your encouragement and support, Director Evans.”
“You got this because of your own skills, Anastasia. Continue to work hard, okay? Alright, the meeting’s over. You guys can decide on a place to have dinner tonight.”
Felicia stepped out of the room, and Anastasia was just about to leave when Alice crossed her arms and let out a scoff. “Don’t you feel any shame for taking this 1 million, Anastasia?”
“Why should I feel ashamed?” Anastasia asked in return. She was confident about her own work.
“I don’t think you should thank Director Evans. Maybe you should thank President Presgrave instead—I bet you only got this prize because he put in a good word for you. He was the one who gave you this 1 million. I wouldn’t have the nerve to take this money if I were you!”