"What?" Alsie shrieks.

"Darren, we're not doing this over the phone. I will meet you and Alsie in person. Then we can discuss all of this." She looks pissed off. I'm glad. Serves her fabulist ass right.

"There is nothing to discuss in person. Alsie wanted to let you know she was pregnant that is all. We have more people to share this exciting news with. Have a good day." I end the call, placing the phone on the desk. Alsie's eyes are wide open and her mouth slightly gaped open. I want to believe she truly didn't know this bit of information, but she is sisters with Selena. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't sisters usually tell each other everything? I just don't think for seven years, Selena didn't slip up--saying anything about this.

"Darren, I'm so sorry." She looks at me with pity. "I didn't know, if I did I wouldn't have said to ca—"

"It's fine, I'm fine." I lie. I'm not fine and neither was this whole situation. I thought the mother of my child would be my wife, someone I would be deeply in love with. Not a one-night stand. "Would you like to call your parents next?" I ask. I just want her to stop looking at me with those puppy eyes. If our child gets her eyes, I know I'm going to be done for.

"No. I think we should just call it a day with letting people know."

"I think that would be for the best." I agree with her. "I have meetings all day."

"Oh right, I will get going." She stands up awkwardly. "Have a good day."

I call out after her, she stops, hand on the doorknob.

"Would you like to accompany me for dinner?" I held my breath waiting for her answer. I haven't been this nervous since my college days when Everett's last party at Croakington went up in flames literally. A decade or so later and the school still hasn't rebuilt it.

"Well, I would love to, but I already have plans." She says.

Of course, she does. It is probably with Walter. Terrica was right Walter definitely has taken a liking to her. I don't want to seem overbearing and possessive, so I keep my mouth shut. I just nod my head. Giving my mouse a quick shake—my computer screen lights up. I don't give Alsie another glance as she exits my office. Damn it, I wonder what plans she has later on.

I finish up my last virtual meeting and a knock sounds on my door.

"Knock knock." Tristan walks in. "I bumped into your baby mama on the seventh floor. Not saying anything to get you riled up but that Walter guy was hanging around her like some lost puppy. Are those two a thing?" he takes a seat on the leather couch.

"Yeah, they seemed real buddy-buddy," Austin adds taking a seat on the same couch. "Seems like a love rival."

I scoff. Walter a love rival, hell he isn't any type of competition for me. That would just be an insult. I stand from my desk, heading to the liquor cabinet. Pouring myself a drink, not bothering to ask those two boneheads if they wanted anything. Tristan threw some insults my way before getting up to make his own cup.

"What brings you two here, other than getting on my nerve?" I ask.

"I wanted to go over the expansion for Norway," Austin says and I internally groan. I forgot about that. Well, I did and didn't. I knew I was going to leave for Norway in the next month, but with this new sudden news of Alsie being pregnant, I can't do that. "The trip got pushed up a few weeks early and—"

"I cant." I manage to say.

"We know and we all understand why you cant. So, I'll be going in your place." Tristan takes a sip of whiskey and nearly chokes himself to death. I don't understand why he still tries to this day. Tristan can not handle dark liquor. I keep a bottle of clear in my cabinet for him, but he always wants to be hardheaded. "Water." He croaks out.

Austin mimics him and I bust out in laughter.

Grabbing his own bottle of water, Tristan chugs it and then looks at Austin and me—death glare. "I should reconsider Norway," he adds and I try to stop laughing,

"Come on man. You cant be mad here. You always do this. Stop drinking dark, it's okay to admit you don't have enough chest hair for it." I say. "But thank you for taking on this Norway project. I owe you."

"Of course you do." Tristan retorts. "But it's for the greater of the company. Antonella will be going with me, so I won't be too lonely or bored."

"Finally stepping out the friendzone." I tease.

"Antonella is my best friend, I would never cross that line with her. For once I have a platonic friendship with a lady and I'm not messing it up."

"He wasn't talking about you." Austin raises an eyebrow at him.

"Antonella?" Tristan questions. We all can see how Antonella feels about Tristan. She loves him and has been in love with him for quite some time, it's just that Tristan honestly only sees her as a best friend. We all that he was pulling our legs at first but almost ten years later he is serious about her just being his best friend.

"Yes, her. When are you going to give in to her subtle yet not so subtle advances towards you?" I asked and he tells me to shut up. "Just saying you do know the Norway trip is three months long, maybe longer depending on what happens over there."

Another knock on my door, I tell the person to come in. Another knock, more like a bang—moving quickly I snatch open the door. My scowl turns into concern as I see Alsie carrying a box with some binders on top. I grab the box from her putting it down on my office floor. I look her over, my eyes linger on her stomach longer than she liked. Clearing her throat she tells me she is okay, but I don't buy it. When Selena was pregnant with Zoey—I shake the thought from my head. Alsie is having my child and only child.

"You shouldn't be carrying heavy things around," I tell her.

"Well, Tameka said these were urgent. Besides, she doesn't know I'm with a child. If she did I don't think she would have given me all these things." She comes to Tameka's defensive. "I mean Yuki from the sixth floor gave me all those binders." She pointed out.

Austin groans from inside my office. Yuki is one of his new hires and apparently she isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Austin appears by my side, looking through the binders, cruising underneath his breath. He gathers all the binders, excusing himself out of the office. Alsie also takes this as her cue to make a beeline for her office. I don't call after her, I'm pretty sure she wants minimal contact with me when others are around.

"I think you should invite her to dinner tonight. Charles is always wanting to have more women around. The other wives will be there too. Whether Alsie knows it or not, she is now officially a mama bear in the Croakington tribe." Tristan pats me on the shoulder before taking his leave too.

Just peachy.

"Umm Mr. Reed." Alsie comes walking back to my door. "Would you mind coming over to my place for dinner?"

"I thought you had plans."

"I did, but I think you and I need more time to get to know each other," she leans in closer. "for the sake of our unborn child." She whispers.

"I would love that." I smile.

She tells me she will wait for me in the lobby after work. I don't know where this sudden boost of courage has come from, but I will take it. The more I get to know her the more I will know if she truly didn't know about Zoey not being my child. I still have a gut feeling she knew. I also have a suspicious feeling Selena and she is setting me up. I wish I didn't, but with everything that happened all those years ago—I'm not sure about women's intentions anymore.