CHAPTER 5

Two weeks! Two weeks of successfully avoiding Mr. White, my boss and fate slaps her in the back with a fucking 'pick-me' tag. Although it wasn't that hard because he was always cooped up in his office with his girlfriend, Mia, a super hot model with an hourglass figure that would shame even an hourglass itself. 

She was always visiting him and walking around with this air of pride and making everyone else feel like the gum beneath her shoes, at least Mary was the one feeling attacked the most. 

The lady was always trying to get Mr.White's attention, it was so obvious and soon, she'll probably get fired. Not even her sugar daddy, Andre will be able to save her. 

She was on her way from getting extra hard papers for letterheads from the storage room when Brian a fellow co-worker, stopped her. Brian is a cute guy with your regular boy-next-door vibes.

 His charming looks and dimple smile would melt any girl's heart. Perhaps she just saw too much into him and hated his narcissistic behavior, the reason for her regular decline every time he asked her out on a date. 

"I understand that you're playing hard to get, but it's been months, Sophia. Will you really not give me a chance? Don't I meet your standards?" He asked and he was oozing so many red flags she could make a whole bucket of red paint. 

"I'm not playing hard to get. You're the one with a hard skull that can't seem to understand the word 'NO'. Stop bothering me, Brian. I don't want to receive a query because of you." 

She tried to walk away from him but he held her hand and pulled her back, causing her to crash against him. Their chest presses together and his hand wrapped around her waist. 

"What the hell are you doing! Let go!" She whisper-yelled.

"I don't-"

"Hey! What do you guys think you're doing!" 

They both looked to their side and saw Chris ...fuming. Brian immediately let go of her and began to explain himself. 

"Save it. I'm guessing you have too much time on your hands. Report yourself to HR and tell them I said to give you the China project. I want the report on my desk by Monday, am I clear?" His voice boomed and she was thankful he didn't direct that impossible-to-achieve assignment to her

. 

"Yes sir." Brian stammered and he swore his legs looked jelly. 

"Good, failure to do that and be ready to tender your resignation letter. Get out of my sight!" 

Brian scurried away and she immediately glued my gaze to the floor when she felt Mr. White glaring at her.

"You, come with me." 

She didn't look up until she heard him walking away. She followed him until they got to his office. Thankfully, his girlfriend wasn't inside.

"If you have so much time on your hands to keep an office relationship then-"

She shouldn't have but she couldn't help herself, so she cut him off. "I'm not. He was forcing himself-"

"I don't care. From now on, you're my secretary and will only report to this floor and to my office." 

"Sec-secretary?" She stammered.

"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" 

His previous secretary got married and was moving to the other side of the country. Andre had asked everyone interested in the position to apply, she hadn't. 

"I didn't apply." She said, 

"You didn't have to. A lot of people recommended you. So go to my receptionist, she has thirty minutes to show you around, then report back with the shipping industry file." He said with a dismissive wave. 

And that is how she ended up working with Chris White till early dawn. 

She was too scared to sleep because she was worried he would fire her for slacking but after dousing more than ten cups of caffeine and yawning like she was making an album, she dozed off on the couch with different files scattered around her. 

___________________

It felt soft and wet and...

It felt like someone was kissing me and the realization made me snap my eyes open. I came eye to eye with Chris glaring down at me. 

"Sleeping on the job?" He curled an eyebrow and she stood up immediately bumping their foreheads together. 

"Ow!" She exclaimed, rubbing it hard. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was-" 

"No excuses. I'll let you off this time. We're done anyway, you can leave." 

He said and walked into the room in his office while she touched my lips, it felt...moist. 

Had she imagined the kiss? She was starting to think she was going nuts. 

On my way home since Chris gave me three hours to get back to work, she kept thinking about her new position and how it would affect my work life with Chris.

She couldn't even reject it because he gave it to her and secondly, the pay was actually far better than her previous salary. 

She came up with a different plan to avoid him and so far, so good. 

The tension and awkwardness was still there but most times they were able to push it aside and focus on our jobs. On so many occasions, Mia would glare at me and sometimes she even asked Chris why Sophia was working in the same office as him.

Insecure much?

Sophia ignored her and her deadly stares and focused on her work. 

__________________

Weeks later and it was supposed to be her first pay after being promoted but she fell sick. 

She had been planning for months what she would do with the money and how she would spend the entire day shopping with her best friend but I ended up in the hospital instead. 

"What's wrong with her doc? Does she have the flu?" Kira, her bestie asked with that motherly concern of hers. 

"I'm sure it's nothing. Stop worrying so much." Sophia rolled my eyes at her and she glared at her.

"She's actually right, Miss. Your friend is fine. In fact, it's a thing of joy." The doctor said with a smile. 

Kira raised an eyebrow, "Her illness is a thing of joy?" 

He nodded, "Yes, because she's actually th

ree weeks pregnant." 

"What!" 

"What!" They chorused at the same time. 

Oh no!

CHAPTER 6

"And why do you want to abort it?" Kira asked, while I paced around the room.Im she couldn't believe that this was even a question.

She stared at her like she had grown two horns. "What do you want me to do? Go to Mr Chris's office and say: Hey sir, remember that night we fucked? Yeah, I'm pregnant now and you're the father."

She let out an awkward laughter, trying to calm herself down but nothing was working. Kira knew that she couldn't force Sophia to do what she doesn't want too but she believed Chris deserved to know.

Kira took a deep breath, sighed and touched her by the shoulder. "You should tell him about it and if he doesn't want it then you can decide whatever the hell you want to," she said.

Sophia scoffed, walking away from her. "Are you saying that I need his permission? My body, my choice, Kira," she stated.

Kira knew there was no use fighting it. Her friend has made her decision and the best thing she could do was to support her and let her make her decisions.

"You're right. I'm sorry," she apologized. 

"You can go ahead and abort the baby. I would support whatever decision you make but I can't promise I won't do anything," she said.

A smirk formed on her lips. Sophia looked at her with an obscure expression, trying to figure out what kira meant. "What do you mean by that? What are you going to do?"

Kira shrugged. "You'd just have to find out."

Sophia didn't have time to worry about Kira. She called the hospital and scheduled an appointment for an abortion. Her heart kept racing fast at the thought of removing her child. A part of her wanted to go against all thoughts and tell Chris about it but she dismissed the thoughts quickly.

    Sophia woke up very early in the morning, doing her usual morning routine and then left for the hospital. She sat in the waiting room, waiting for her turn, her breath quickened as panic set in.

"You look very young to be aborting a baby," she heard someone say beside her. 

Sophia was trying her best to hide that she was pissed. The last thing she needed was a lecture. "And what are you? The moral police? You're here too, so why are you judging?" She snarled at her, much more to her surprise.

The lady was taken aback. Her stomach was starting to show and a little part of Sophia kept wondering why she wanted to abort if she kept the baby this long.

"You're wrong, dear. I'm not judging you, I don't know your story and I have nothing against abortion. I just wondered why you want to abort, especially since you look like you'd make an exceptional mother."

The lady stared at her, caressing her little bump softly. It was starting to creep Sophia out. "Why don't you tell that to yourself? You're pregnant too."

Her reaction changed, she tried to blink back her tears but Sophia could see her eyes getting moist. "It's not my choice to make and I don't want my baby to suffer. Sometimes, loving is letting go," she cried.

Sophia was dumbfounded, a million thoughts going through her head. "Is it financial trouble?" She inquired, intrigued by her story.

The lady shook her head. "No, in fact my husband and I are doing well financially," she responded. "But during an ultrasound we found out that my baby has a brain tumor with no cure. I couldn't bring him to the world knowing he'd suffer and it hurts me deeply to do this but I have too."

She didn't hold back anymore and started crying. Sophie went to her, caressing her back gently. She didn't realize when she started crying too.

"It's okay. You'd be fine. You'd get through it and I know your baby would be happy with your decision. He'd understand that you did it out of love," she consoled her.

Her sobs got calm. She let go of Sophia, wiping her tears. "My husband said the same. He didn't want any abortion but I convinced him, he's here but he's filling out the necessary documents at the counter," she explained.

Sophia felt a pang of pain in her heart. Although the woman was in pain, she had the best support system. She caressed her stomach gently. Was she really ready to be a mother?

Listening to the woman's story touched her and she decided to keep it. Maybe, just maybe it'd be worth it. She could raise her child on her own, she didn't need Chris.

"I think I'd keep my baby," she said, a smile appearing on the woman's face. "It's not going to be easy but I think I can handle it and my baby deserves to live. It's not his or her fault they're here, it was mine."

The lady clasped her hands in hers. "Whatever you choose to do. Do it for you and I'd support whatever you want," she told her.

Sophia smiled and got up. "I think you were God sent to me honestly," she chuckled softly. "And I'm glad we met."

"I pray everything goes well and I'm sure God will give you another baby soon, ma'am," she said.

The lady managed to smile. Sophia hugged her one last time and walked out of the hospital. Her heart was racing as thought of what to do next crossed her mind.

Then it hit her. She was really going to be a mother. It felt surreal and exciting at the same time, she couldn't wait to tell Kira. She didn't know how yet, but she was sure she'd be able to do it.

A call entered her phone and she saw that the caller was Kira. She picked it up. "Kira, guess what? I'm keeping the baby," she squealed.

"That's great news," Kira replied. "But I might have done something that you don't like but in my defense, I have you a heads up."

Sophia smiled vanished. "What did you do?"