Con

CHAPTER 22

Serena’s POV

Priiffinnngggg!

I woke up with a start. For a while, I thought it was morning already. But it was still dark outside.

It’s almost 3 am. Who the hell could be calling me?

The number was unfamiliar I answered it, anyway, “Hello?” I said in a sleepy voice, sitting up on my hotel bed.

“Hi” a low male voice greeted. “I’m so sorry to call you at this hour. My name is Trevis, and I’m a friend of Elijah’s. I got your number from his assistant Connor.”

“Oh, okay…”

“Listen, Serena, I was just wondering if you know whether Elijah got back to your hotel already?” He sounded worried. “It’s just that we were together earlier and I noticed that his mood was a little off. He wasn’t his usual self, and I’m just a bit worried about him.”

I had already climbed off the bed and put on my slippers. “Let me check,” I told Trevis. “Hold on.” I quickly went to the room beside mine and knocked several times on the door. There was no answer.

“He just suddenly took off while we were at the bar,” Trevis further explained.

“Oh, have you tried calling him?” I asked, beginning to feel perturbed.

“Yes, but he’s not answering his phone.”

My first thought was he might have gone to Sophia’s place. That possibility made me frown and narrow my eyes. No, no, that can’t be.

Aloud I said, “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll call you if I hear from him. But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to find him.”

As soon as we ended the call, I dialed Elijah’s number, my heart pounding a little bit faster than normal. Pick up, Elijah, I pleaded silently as I went back to my own hotel room and began to pace back and forth. Come on, pick up! Pick up!

There was no answer. Shit, where could he be?!

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CHAPTER 22

+25 BONUS

I kept trying as the nervousness began to spread throughout my body. Finally, on the third call, he answered his phone. But before I could say anything, I heard a familiar female voice on the other end.

“Serena? This is Sophia…”

The color drained from my face. I almost dropped the phone. He really had gone to

her!

It was like being splashed with ice on my face. I was suddenly very much alert. Elijah, who was supposed to be all high and mighty, still went to see her after everything that had happened! I couldn’t believe it.

And when Sophia informed me that Elijah was drunk and asked me to come and get him, I didn’t think twice. I simply grabbed a coat to put on over my sleepwear before rushing there.

Isaw Elijah across the hallway, standing outside Sophia’s door. I could hear their voices floating toward me, both sounding on edge. Sophia seemed distraught as they argued. Meanwhile, it seemed incredulous that Elijah was the one almost begging her to be with him.

“Elijah, if you’re so obsessed about this pregnancy and the child I’m carrying, then I’ll just go to the hospital and end it.” I was shocked at Sophia’s words. Oh, my gosh! Did she really mean it?

When I checked on Elijah, my heart went out to him. I’ve never seen him in such a state of disarray!

But who told Elijah that Sophia’s pregnant with his child?! I wondered silently as I crept closer. And it seems like he cares about the baby! This can’t be! Could it just be the baby that he wants or does he really care about Sophia? Worse, does he love

her?!

I felt my heart rate rising, and I could sense both cold and warm sensations fusing inside my body and sending chills down my spine. This can’t be, I repeated to myself. If I’m going to break them up for good, I’ll need to start with this baby.

Eventually, Sophia noticed my presence. “He’s all yours,” she said flatly before closing the door. She didn’t even bother to say goodbye to Elijah, which brought me a sense of satisfaction.

Elijah looked at me helplessly. For the first time since I had known him, he appeared like a lost, miserable little boy.

2/3

+25 BONUS

The next day, while we were having lunch together at the hotel, I noticed that he was quiet the entire time. At first, I tried to strike up various conversations about the business and other matters. But he wasn’t responsive at all.

“So… I met Trevis over the phone…” I opened up casually, wanting to lead the conversation toward last night’s events.

That caught his attention. “He called you?” he asked in surprise.

I nodded. “That’s why I got worried about you. Why did you go to Sophia’s? It was so late already.”

He looked away immediately. “Nothing important.”

“Nothing important?” I said incredulously, feeling frustrated too that he was acting like this. “It was past midnight!”

Suddenly, he turned to face me. He looked me straight in the eye and asked, “What do you know about the baby Sophia is carrying? Did you know I’m the father of that baby?”

“Of course not!” I answered defensively. Annoyed, I leaned forward and said, “But you should know that whether it’s yours or not, it won’t matter anymore because she intends to terminate the pregnancy, anyway.”

He was obviously taken aback. It was as if he was hearing it for the first time. “What did you say?” he asked, his eyes flashing with sudden anger. I saw his muscles tense and it seemed like I’d dropped a bomb on him.

“What did you say, Serena?!” he asked, raising his voice.

“I thought you guys agreed last night that Sophia would end the pregnancy,” I stated matter–of–factly. “And that she’s going to cut you out of her life completely.”