After Divorce Billionaire Ex Found Me Pregnant (Leonica and Gabriel)

She clicked her tongue, burying the thoughts in the back of her mind as she readied a snarky response. But before she had the opportunity to speak, her phone vibrated, indicating that a message had entered. She supported the cake box on one hand and with the other,

fished out her phone from her back pocket.

Lloyd silently watched her all the while and when he looked away, he found that he quickly missed the heavy scent of her floral perfume. Odd, he thought, seeing as he always preferred ladies who wore lesser scented perfumes. The heavy ones were always too choking for him, ruining his mood before he could even get to the fun part.

But for some reason, it was different with Anastasia. As a matter of fact, everything was different with Anastasia Johansson. It left even him speechless and sometimes annoyed him.

With a sigh, Lloyd focused his gaze back on the enigma in his entire romantic advance, about to pull a leg or two to see her reaction and feel better about himself; when he saw her expression and paused.

Fear and panic was the first thing he could make out on b her visage and for some reason, it triggered a response that made him alert "Hey, what's wrong?" He quickly asked, not knowing that he had touched her shoulder until she harshly smacked his hand away But even she looked like she didn't know what she had done.

"Jesus Christ, Riley. You need to learn what personal space is." Her words had come out more harshly and louder than she wanted it to and when she realized that he had only done that because he was checking up on her, she felt a feeling of guilt creep into her gut. Fuck, he must think I'm an asshole, she thought, unconsciously biting on the inside of her cheek. Something she often did when she was tensed.

"I'm sorry if 1 scared you," Lloyd began and he looked genuinely sorry. Another kick to her snarky personality. "You just looked." He paused, looking for the right word. "Frightened."

Anastasia's grip tightened around her phone upon hearing his words and she looked away, swallowing thickly. "I'm fine." Game her response, but it sounded more like self reassuring words, rather than an answer.

And whether she wanted it or not, Lloyd wasn't buying that answer. "It doesn't look like that to me." He stepped forward, closer, and peered down at her, gauging her reaction, the way she avoided his gaze and was now visibly tensed compared to when she had first stepped out from the pastry shop, "is something the matter, Anastasia? You can talk to me if="

Anastasia's head snapped up to meet his gaze and she interrupted him, meaning to sound as rude and impolite as she did. "I said I was fine, so why don't you just mind your business, Riley."

Lloyd was caught off guard by her words, His expression said it all and the more she looked at him, the more she got that tiny kick in her gut, calling her an asshole..

Thankfully before anymore Interaction could go on between them, Leonica returned. "Sorry for keeping you waiting," She paused and looked between the two, sensing the tensed air. "Is everything alright?"

Her question was answered by a smile from Anastasia "Peachy. Can we leave now?" Before even waiting for Leonica's answer, she began walking towards the car. Leonica took one last look at Lloyd before chasing after her friend.

"y"know, you have one hell of a talent when it comes to pissing women off." Christian said as he came to stand beside Lloyd, stuffing his hand into his pocket and just like his friend, watching as the two ladies drove off.

But even after they left, Lloyd didn't look away. He couldn't. Anastasia's expression had been burnt into his head for some reason.

"No, this one wasn't on me." He muttered, eyes drawing into a slim line as he came to realize that Anastasia's countenance had only changed after she checked the message on her phone.

Now, he couldn't help but wonder what she saw in the message, even though he knew that was none of his business.

"One cappuccino decat for Ms. Anastasia Johansson!"

Standing up at the sound of her name, Anastasia walked to the counter and picked up her offer. She paid for it, tipping the barrister generously as he had once again made her morning with his splendid coffee skill

As she took a sip from the beverage, she could feel all her worries fade away. Her worry concern her mother's party. Her worries concerning work and her worries concerning that stupid message she had gotten from Derek two days back. [If you won't answer me, then I'd have no choice than to come to you.]

She still remembered those words vividly and the fear that had shot through her body. Throughout the ride back, she had remained silent, biting on her nails as she reprimanded herself for having answered his message the first time he texted. And then later in the night, she received another round of reprimanding from herself towards the way she had acted when Lloyd had simply tried checking on her.

But that really didn't matter now, she told herself as she stopped in front of the glass door to fish out her car keys from her bag. As she got them and looked up, catching her reflection on the glass doors, she froze.

Derek. Derek was fucking behind her!

Panicked, she spun around, but the space behind her was empty. But even at that, the warning alarms in her head hadn't stopped blaring and only did she realize she was about to have one of her usual panic attacks from all the bad memories with Derek, when she felt her hands shaking and the hot liquid spilling on her hand.

But thankfully, that was enough to pull her gaze away from the empty spot and have her briskly walking out of the cafe. She paused for a while, waiting for the traffic light above to turn red so that she could cross and get to her car.

Seconds felt like minutes and the more she waited, different people passing and crowding around her, the more she felt this weird feeling of being watched. And just when she felt like things couldn't get any worse, she was suddenly bumped off the side walk and SPECIAL CHAPTER I

straight into the road.

An incoming car honked loudly at her, flashing its headlights, but her body seemed like it was frozen in place and the only thing she could do was close her eye and pray to the lord above that he allowed her feet grace the doors of heaven when the time comes. But the pain she waited for never came and she instead felt someone pull harshly on her arm and she crashed into the chest of someone. As the whispers all around died down, she finally pried her eyes open to see that the person she was currently smudged against was Lloyd Fucking Riley.

"Reincarnation isn't a thing here in our world, Anastasia. You get hit, you die, no such thing as getting reborn in another universe." He said, the tone of his voice sounding concerned, yet having its usual teasing gleam.

It was slowly, having delayed effect from having had her life just flashed before her eyes, but the moment Anastasia opened her mouth to respond, instead of words a sob slipped out and soon after, the damn broke loose.

But as the tear streaked down her face, she didn't care about the onlookers, only replaying a certain thought in her head.

Why the fuck did she has to be saved by Lloyd fucking Riley and why the hell was she sobbing like a five years old who had lost her toy? Well, the answers were obvious; It was all because of Derek Smith SPECIAL CHAPTER: #2

Shortly after her outburst, Anastasia had been led back into the Café and seated in a less crowded section, where Lloyd quietly sat with her and waited for her to calm down. When it seemed to him like she was getting more clear headed, he fetched her a glass of water, substituting it for her spilled cup of decal. "Feeling better?" He asked as he placed the glass on the table, sliding it to her, all the while sliding into the seat across her.

Anastasia caught the water, wrapping her hands around the glass and seeking the usual warmth that her coffee provided. When the glass remained warm, bland, she fore her gaze away fixing it on the side walk where she had been bumped, shoved

She was sure someone had shoved her. Or perhaps that was just her paranoid mind getting the better of her.

Pulling her gaze away from the side walk, she took one huge pulp of the water, placed the glass down and nodded, giving a belated answer to Lloyd's question. "Yes, thank you."

He nodded and chooses to remain silent, giving her a few more minutes to regain herself before anything else..

Anastasia appreciated his silent gesture but found herself looking around, searching the crowd behind for the face that had thrown her into panic mode. She sighed out in relief when she didn't see anyone matching his description, but her body felt far from relieved. "Is everything okay? Lloyd asked, questioning the way she was looking around and sighing out in relief yet still looked tensed. "You look a bit worried."

He watched as her head snapped up, eyes meeting his, and saw the way they widened in alarm, before she schooled her expression and nodded her head, answering him. "I'm fine, nothing to worry about." She took her cup and brought it to her lips, finishing its content in one go

"Thanks again, for this and saving me back there." She said and stood up. She reached into her purse to pull out some change but Lloyd stopped her.

"Don't bother." He said. She nodded her head, but struggled to put the change back into her purse with her shaky fingers. Lloyd of course, look notice of this and asked. "Can you manage?

er speech and

She flashed him a thin, yet uncertain smile. "Of course. My car's just parked out there and-" She paused midway of her squeaked loudly when the barrister from before gently rapped her on her shoulder.

He looked guilty as he handed a paper to her. "Your coupon, Ma'am"

Lloyd beat her to collect the coupon before she could raise her hand. "Thank you," He offered the barrister a smile, turning towards her after he had walked away and arching a brow at her. "You can manager His question this time around sounded more condemning than caring

She wanted to nod her head, prove him wrong and shut his fucking mouth, but instead, she found her head shaking from side to side.

Lloyd sighed. "Thought so. Let's go, give me your address, I'll drive you home."

They arrived in the parking lot and walked straight to his car.

"Address?" He asked when they had both gotten into the car.

Anastasia gave him the address and remained silent for the rest of the ride. Only when it was time to get down did she speak

"You don't tell Leonica about this." She said, looking him in the eyes with a stern gaze.