I stood barefoot in front of my full-length mirror and ran my hands through my dress for the umpteenth time. I dropped my head to the side as I scrutinized every side, frill and design on the dress. Whitney lay in my bed, preoccupied with her phone in her hands. I'd called her into my room as another set of eyes and to be a voice of reason but she'd been with her phone since she arrived.

A carrot orange gown hugged my bump and skin, outlining every curve on my body. The neckline draped down one shoulder to the other like a lopsided smile, leaving one shoulder bare. The sleeves ran down my upper arms seamlessly, then puffed out with pleats from the forearm to the wrist. From the waist till the hem, on one side of the gown, a long piece of the material extended out the gown like a flag.

I turned around and struck a pose. "So, does this dress say, she's responsible, classy and not some gold-digging opportunist after their son's money?"

She dropped down her phone and rolled unto her stomach. She looked up at me and lifted both brows. "You've gone and scared yourself by googling them"

I didn't have much of a choice. I wasn't about to walk blindly into the lion's den just because Nicholas proposed I do so. We barely knew each other and had not discussed family members just yet. All I had were surface-level information; His job, His family name, He was loaded and had VIP status at the hospital.

Without much thought, I ran his name through google and regretted it afterwards. His family were high up in society and were basically, billionaires. There were many sites, filled with news and gossip about one family member or the other. His father founded the construction company he now headed, His mother had a perfume line. His elder sister was a model/fashion designer in France and the younger sister headed the company's branch in Italy.

I'd dug myself into a well of fear and anxiety, by the time I was done reading countless articles. I'd created so many scenarios in my head, about this meeting and not one, that ended well for me. It's not a big deal, Nicholas said. It'd be fine, he said.

I hope so ...

I stamped my feet and whined. "Come on, answer me. Should I change the dress or not?" I turned back to the mirror and stared at the dress. "You know what, I don't think it's appropriate. I'll change it"

"Don't. It's fine, you look amazing" Whitney pulled herself up to a sitting position.

"Are you sure? It's not too much?" I ran a hand over my exposed shoulder.

She sighed. "No. It's perfect, don't change a thing"

"Okay, good" I walked over to my wardrobe and pulled out two black wigs; a short bob and a long wavy one. I waved both wigs in front of her "Now, which one?"

"The brown blunt cut"

"Really?" I raised a brow at her.

She nodded and gave me a thumbs-up. "Affirmative"

"Okay"

I returned to the mirror and pulled the hair over my wig-capped skull. I opted out of straightening the wig and focused on putting on light makeup. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the front door and my heart literally skipped a beat. Whitney and I exchanged paused looks.

I couldn't discern if it was the nervous pit in my stomach or the baby but I felt a light pressure on my lower organs. I placed a hand beneath my bump. "I think I need to pee,"

Whitney chuckled and climbed out of the bed. "I'll get the door"

I blew out a mouthful of air as I headed for the bathroom. I was not looking forward to this dinner, not one bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nicholas's Bentley pulled to a stop in front of a large house, big enough for two large families. My insides twisted in knots as I took in the house.

A golden glow bathed the house's exterior and emanated from the corridors, through the wide French windows. There was a large expanse of land, covered in neatly trimmed carpet grass and in the centre of the space, stood a concrete water fountain. Bright white LED floor lights encircled the grass, forming a boundary between the grass and the smooth pavement.

Lord, Jesus. I took in a sharp breath and released it slowly. I felt perspiration gather up in my armpits and my neck, despite the cool air seeping out of the car's air conditioner. I tugged at the material underneath my arm, felt up the sides of the back of my neck and began to fan out the moisture with my hands.

Nicholas took my hand in his and patted the back of my palm. "It's going to be fine, relax. You look like I'm delivering you to a slaughterhouse"

I released a nervous chuckle. "Are you? I'm so nervous . . . and scared"

"Look, I won't lie to you by telling you my folks are angels" his voice dropped low and he continued to softly pat the back of my hand. "But I want you to know this though, I'll be by your side the entire time"

A sense of relief eased through me and the anxiety I felt toned down a bit. I nodded my head and sighed. "Okay. I'll hold you to that."

We got out of the car and I glanced around as I stretched out my legs. This place was a far cry from the urban area. It was completely tranquil and breezy out here, save for the occasional chirps of crickets. The next house wasn't for another ten meters and from my viewpoint, it was another breathtaking edifice. If I was to disappear, it would take days for anyone to locate me.

Nicholas took my hand in his as we trudged up the pavement that led to the front door. A cold wind swept past us and I found myself drawing close to his side. When he initially reappeared, I worried that we'd be at each other's throats more than we'd be cordial. But, between yesterday and today, he'd been a good source of comfort and reassurance. I didn't even find our physical contact creepy or weird.

He pushed the front door open without knocking or ringing a bell. If I thought the outside was breathtaking, then the inside was glorious.

It was clear that the house was designed with a lot of delicacy and precision. A massive chandelier hung in the centre of the entryway, pouring out its golden charm on us. A glass table with a tall flower vase sat in the middle of the entryway and behind the table, was a large staircase. The railings glistened with fine polished wooden and gold-rimmed sides. A few feet away from the door was an umbrella stand and coat rack, and further away on the wall was a large oval shape white mirror. Everything in the house as far as I could see screamed - we are loaded.

The clicking sound of heels against tiles filled the space, heading in our direction. An older woman appeared in the adjacent doorway.

She was the epitome of beauty and elegance. An exquisite black evening dress hugged her tall, slender figure. Her glossy brown hair, pinned up in a chignon hairstyle and an emerald necklace adorned her slender porcelain neck. She held her head up and her eyes fixed straight at us as she strutted towards us. The flowery scent of her perfume reached us before she did. I couldn't for the life of me attempt to imitate her posture and walking etiquette.

"Mother," Nicholas greeted and enveloped her in a hug.

"How are you, dear?" she returned the gesture and placed a cheek kiss on him. Lord, even her voice dripped with class.

They pulled apart and she fixated her gaze on me. Her eyes reduced to slits as she ran them over my body and I couldn't help, twiddling my fingers under her scrutiny.

"Good evening ma'am," My voice trembled out and I swallowed hard. She lifted a well-defined brow at me, her bold red lips set in sardonic curl and her faded green eyes held icicles.

"Nicholas, your father wants you in his study," she turned to her son and place a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Right now?" he took my hand back in his and pulled me back to his side.

She eyed our joined hands and her lips fell into a grim line. "Yes. You don't want to keep him waiting, now go"

"I'll be right back, okay?" He turned to me and gave my hand a gentle squeeze before pulling away.

My lips twitched up in a bland smile as I nodded. So much for being by my side the entire time.

We stood in cold silence till Nicholas disappeared up the stairs. She made a sharp turn to face me, created two inches of space between us and crossed her arms. "So... How did you meet my son?"

This question right here, I'd been dreading it ever since I found out about this dinner. I wasn't going to lie because I knew I'd only be digging a deeper hole for myself. Even though the truth wasn't pleasant either.

"Uhm," I cleared my throat and swallowed twice. "We met at a, uhm, club"

The deafening cold silence returned and I could hear my thoughts bounce off my skull. Her almond-shaped eyes filled with disdain as she ran them down my face and settled on my bump. I felt sweat reassemble in my underarm. I stood still as a rod and took in slow, short breaths, too afraid to visibly breathe. This is what I was afraid of. Nick, where are you? My eyes shifted to the stairs where Nicholas had gone up and then returned to her. If there was any atom of respect she had for me, it had gone out the window.

"Dinner's ready," a feminine voice called from behind us just as her lips parted to speak.

A spitting image of Nicholas's mother walked in with a small smile. Her deep blue abstract print satin gown danced in the air behind her. A sleek ponytail sat pretty atop her head and her face blended well with her makeup. You could hardly tell it was there, save for the false lashes and nude lipstick. The pictures of her I found on the internet, didn't do justice to how pleasant on the eyes she was. Along with her alluring presence came warmth and the departure of her mother.

She ventured closer and her smile grew wide. She outstretched her hand and the gloss on her short acrylic nails shone in the light above us. "Hi, I'm Evelyn" I know

"Amanda," I breathed in a lungful as I shook her hand.

"It's nice to finally put a face to the woman carrying my niece or nephew," she said

"Nephew and thank you"

She bunched up her fists, close to her cheeks and squealed. "Oh my gosh, a little Nick. How far along are you?"

"I'm five months in" I glanced down and jutted my belly out.

"Oh wow, you're halfway through" she placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned down to my bump level then looked up at me. "Can I feel?"

I smiled and nodded. "Uh, sure" I guess.

"Hi, baby. This is your aunty." she cooed at my belly and placed a gentle hand on the side of my swollen belly. "I heard you're a boy. I hope you're not troubling your mummy as much"

Well, isn't this something? I wedged my hands behind my hip and glanced around the room while she made a casual baby talk with my belly.

She laughed as she straightened up. "You must feel so awkward, I'm sorry. Come on. Let's go join them at the dinner table," she took my hands and steered me towards the dining room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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