Chương 1: Chapter 1
"You don't ever give up, do you?" Avery crossed her arms and looked up at the man in a blue tuxedo, who had yet again waited for her in front of her company building like he had done every day for the past two weeks.
No matter how many times she pretended not to have noticed him or outrightly ignored him, Markus would show up the next day, all dressed up and with a fresh bouquet of flowers in his hands.
The man smiled through his handsome lips and closed in on her. He felt as though he had finally accomplished a great feat since she had finally spared him a glance. Heaven knew how embarrassed he was to be ignored by the same woman every day despite his vehement pursuit.
"Haven't you heard of the saying? There isn't any such thing as giving up when pursuing a beautiful woman—especially one as beautiful as you." He smiled as he offered the large bouquet or white and red roses which were still dripping with dew.
She waved at her assistant to take the bouquet and didn't spare it a glance, and her assistant received it from the man and went to find a place to keep it.
The man frowned slightly at her spiteful gesture but cleared his throat. "I'll get out of your hair if you have dinner with me."
"Mr. Blanc, I am a busy woman." She had the urge to roll her eyes. Why did everyone like to assume that she had all the time in the world to give in to their whims and wants?
"Well, then you can continue to have me as a hair accessory. I was starting to think that you didn't want me waiting for you anymore." Came his sneaky words.
She sucked in a breath as she checked the time. "One dinner and you will get the hell out of my life. Deal?"
"Deal." He agreed even though he didn't mean it. How could he get out of her life when he had waited for this chance ever since he first saw her? It was even more convenient that their parents thought of them as a perfect match and had been pestering him to pursue her so they could be together. If she blamed him for not leaving her alone later, he could simply pin the blame on her parents.
She gave her assistant some instructions and followed Markus into the bugatti veyron that was parked outside the office building of Vaillant Telecommunications.
"Why do beautiful women like to stay single?" He checked her out with a side glance as he started the car. She possesed a beautiful face that every woman was jealous of and every man wanted to worship. Her blue eyes made it seem like she looked down on every living creature on the earth's surface but no one could blame her for that. She was, after all, one of the most talented businesswomen in Olphire. Her telephone production and telecommunications empire was unrivaled in the whole country and she was said to be able to earn millions within the time she took to take a short power nap.
She was almost always busy, which might explain why she took out her laptop to continue working soon after entering his car.
That didn't sit well with him—since she might as well be doing that to ignore him—so he asked through a joke, "Do beautiful and capable women look down on men? Is it because you think you are too good for anyone to deserve you?"
She stopped typing whatever she was typing and tilted her head to him, her blue eyes not flinching as she enunciated each of her words. "It's because we are certain that no man deserves us."
"How can you say that? My heart is broken." He did not expect her to be so sharp tongued.
Hearing his complaint, she let off a snicker as a slight frown formed on her beautiful face. "Isn't that what you wanted me to say?"
He pulled over into a nearby restaurant and stopped the car. Before he could get down to help her out, she had long gotten off on her own and stood aside. His throat bobbed. "Well, I prefer a fiesty miss tycoon, I guess. It's a total upgrade, much better than being forced to marry a dumped bride."
"Mmh." Her response was a hum of disinterest, and he thought she would not say anything else until he heard her ask, "A dumped bride?"
His eyebrows raised in intrigue. Was she jealous? He had simply mentioned it in passing and thought that she wouldn't pay attention to a word he said. As expected, women were all the same in this aspect. They would never tolerate it if the man who liked them got close to another woman, even if they didn't like him back. Of course, he was happy that she was jealous so he briefly explained, "My parents tried to match me up with a woman I didn't like. Her husband-to-be dumped her on her wedding day. I was disgusted as soon as I lay my eyes on her."
Her eyebrows furrowed and she started walking into the restaurant.
"Forgive my manners." He quickly caught up so he would lead the way. At the same time he continued telling his tale. "Don't worry, I have no interest in used goods."
"Used goods." She repeated his words in a tone he could not quite place, and he assumed it to be jealousy.
"Yeah, you know, a woman who has been with someone else." He explained. "They were even about to get married so heaven knows how far the relationship had progressed. Who would want to accidentally end up as the father of someone else's child?"
"You wouldn't father another man's child?" She asked in a casual tone, still keeping some distance between them which looked like she was his boss and he was her bodyguard-rendering him displeased.
"Count me out." He ignored her arrogance and explained his view, happy that she was finally interested in his likes and dislikes. "Only a scumbag would leave his child fatherless, and I wouldn't want to clean after the mess of a jerk."
"I see." She didn't ask anything else but she had a smile plastered on her pink lips. She must be impressed by him.
He had already reserved a table in the VIP section so he led her in.
As soon as she sat down, her phone rang and she had panic written all over her face when she answered it.
"I'll be right there." She answered whoever it was and hung up, standing at the same time. "Something happened at home. Sorry, I have to go."
"I'll drop you off." He was displeased about her leaving even before the meals were served but he grabbed the chance to be the hero to save the belle. He would later pester her to make up for the failed dinner and that would be a golden chance to get closer to her.
Her car was still at Vaillant Telecommunications and it would take time for the chauffeur to get here so she told him the address and rushed back into his car.
He didn't know what the emergency was but he floored the accelerator and ran several red lights to arrive at the villa complex within twenty minutes.
As soon as the car came to a stop, she jumped out and rushed into the house while he followed her in case she needed help.
"Baby! What happened to him?" He heard her panicked voice as he made his way through the door, making his heart skip a beat.
His throat tightened when he saw a little boy snuggling into Avery's arms while bawling his eyes out as she checked him all over in fright. "Baby, did something happen?" She asked worriedly.
"Mommy…" The little boy cried, and when Markus' eyes met his, he finally jolted from the trance caused by his shock.
Did that boy just call Avery… his mother?!
Avery had a son?!
No matter how much he hated it, he had to admit that they did look like a mother and her son.
She turned around to face him while patting the back of the crying boy, her lips raising on both sides. "What a coincidence, Markus Blanc. I wouldn't want you cleaning after the mess left behind by my scumbag. The door is right behind you, and I hope you don't appear at my company if you don't have official matters to talk about."
Hello Darlings, this is my new entry for Webnovel Spirity Awards 2021. I would appreciate your support.
If you fancy a hot romance with a pinch—or a few pinches—of fantasy, check out my other WSA Entry:
Reborn As The Daemon's Wife.
…
Use the following link to follow me on Instagram, join my discord server or buy me a coffee at (Ko-fi.com. : Linktr.ee/Avalorian.) Thanks for reading.
Chương 2: Chapter 2
She saw him stare at her as though he wanted to say something. He was evidently ashamed of himself but she knew that he was not sorry—he was only sorry that his words had come back to bite him, not because he had been rude. She didn't spare him an extra glance and neither did she show him to the door. She was already done with him.
Ignoring him, she sat the little boy on her lap to check on him. She sighed in relief when she confirmed that there was nothing wrong with him.
"What happened?" Avery's question was directed at the nanny, who had been the one to call her back home. The elderly woman was standing at the side close to them and waiting to be given orders or asked to leave.
"Young Master woke up from his afternoon nap and started looking for something or someone from his room and looked disappointed when he couldn't find them. I thought he was looking for you so I told him that mummy would be home soon. That's when he started crying and threw a tantrum." Explained the nanny, and Avery dismissed her. She bowed and left the living room.
Avery continued to gently pat the back of her son who was drifting to sleep. She knew him well enough and perhaps out of maternal instinct, she had a gut feeling that the matter was not entirely as the nanny had described. She knew that Angel's emotions were volatile and that he could throw a tantrum with little to no provocation, but a foreboding feeling crept into her heart. It was as though trouble was brewing, and she had a feeling that she was not ready for it.
The toddler stirred in her arms out of discomfort, probably because she had unknowingly squeezed him too tight. She checked on him and carried him to the nursery to put him to sleep.
She lowered him onto his blue little football-themed bed and just as she was about to withdraw her hand, he started out of his sleep and hugged her arm.
"I'm here." She whispered to coax him as his eyes drooped to close once again.
"Papa," Muttered the boy, making Avery's blood drain off her face.
It took a moment for her to believe what she had just heard and when she did, he was deep into slumberland.
A pained look crossed her eyes as she gazed at him. "He has never been part of your life. He doesn't even care whether or not you were born successfully. Why do you still dream of him?"
So that was what he was looking for earlier. Great, just when she was starting to believe that he was out of their lives forever. Was that man a demon? Even after breaking her heart and dumping her without a care, her son couldn't forget about him?
The point was, there was nothing to forget. He had never been with him. Where was this crazy thought emanating from?
…
The following day was the weekend so Avery took Angel out to play. He especially loved the theme park, where he could go on different rides that made him happy.
Like any other mother-child pair, she wore a furry skirt that was according to her son's preference, while he wore matching furry pants.
There were other kids with funny or cute drawings on their faces and snacks and toys in their hands, which made Avery understand why her son would be so crazy about it. Angel was not too different from the others. She bought him a funny leopard mask while she placed a cat ear tiara on her head at his request. It was only for her son that she would do things that were so much unlike her. While she was indifferent to everyone else, she would do anything as long as it made him happy.
The boy stuck to his mother's hand the whole while and pointed at a cotton candy then tugged on her clothes to get her attention.
"Of course, baby." She smiled and got him the cotton candy along with everything else he wanted, and when he finished the snacks, she bought him a ticket for the kids' roller coaster. She then helped him onto the train.
He saw the seat belt and started fumbling with it with his small hands, so she helped him fasten it with a chuckle. "Go, Angel! It's going to be fun." She urged, earning a happy giggle from him.
She stood a few steps beside the roller coaster and watched him wave at her, then she waved back with a smile. As she watched him yell in excitement along with the other kids when the ride got a little high, her heart was filled with joy.
"It's so much fun, right?" A masculine voice came beside her ear. She was about to roll her eyes in annoyance, thinking it was Markus, but her heart almost stopped beating when she clearly saw the person beside her.
"Avery Vaillant, long time no see." Grinned the man, as the breeze tousled his hair away from his face. It was a face she would never forget even in a million lifetimes. Those eyes had haunted her in so many of her nightmares that they were etched in her heart as the demon's eyes.
He hadn't changed much from the last time she saw him, he still liked to wear suits even when the occasion least needed it, and his face still held the same greater-than-thou smirk.
"You… who are you?" She asked and tried to sound indifferent but the obvious panic she was feeling gave her away.
"Are you pretending not to know me now? But I didn't forget you." He smirked, letting out his perfectly shaped teeth.
She swallowed a gulp and knew that she could no longer pretend.
The man beside her was none other than her ex-boyfriend, Damon D'aboville. Just when she was about to forget about him, here he was like the demon he was. No wonder she had a bad feeling since the day before. She must have picked up a streak of bad luck for this to be happening right now.
"What are you doing here?" She turned to face him, hoping the ride didn't end while he was still here. He couldn't see her Angel.
He gazed at the train as though he was looking at a specific child. "Just hanging out here and there. Watching as a child rides the roller coaster. It's quite fun. They look happy, don't they?"
So he had a child now. She was somewhat relieved but that didn't mean she was comfortable about his presence. . "I don't care how fun it looks to you but don't bother me. Stay away from me."
Damon laughed at her scared demeanor. "But the ride isn't over yet."
She finally felt dreadful. It didn't matter whether or not he was married now or whether he had a child who he had brought to the roller coaster. If he saw her picking Angel up…
No, she couldn't let that happen.
She wanted to call the nanny over hurriedly to have her pick Angel from the train and get him out of the theme pack, but she thought of a tragic outcome. What if the boy threw a tantrum because he couldn't find her later? Making him cry just because of a scumbag was not worth it in the slightest.
Decisively, she waited for the ride to end and hurriedly unfastened Angel's belt, then carried him with his face against her shoulder. She let out a small sigh of relief, only for Damon to stand in her way.
"What do you want?" She asked in annoyance.
He glanced at the boy in her arms then at her. "Aren't you going to introduce me to our son?"
"Whose son?" She frowned at him, recalling that Angel had a mask on. It was impossible for anyone to see his little face that was a miniature copy of that of the man in front of her, but that didn't lessen her urge to keep him away from this monster.
The said monster let out a laugh and poked the little boy, who was too tired to feel it. "You don't have to hide him, Avery. I already know that we have a son together. Nice job trying to hide him from his father."
How did he know? She wondered. The only person who knew about her son was Markus. Did he tell Damon about it? That was impossible, right? They didn't even know each other. Even so, it didn't matter whether or not they knew each other. They were both scumbags of the same variety.
At the thought of it, she felt disgusted. "Your son?! Damon D'aboville, what right do you have to claim my child as yours? Are you insane?"
He raised an eyebrow at her upset tone. "You are the insane one. To keep a child from its dad, have you no shame?"
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