CHAPTER 13

I gulped after seeing Zach walking slowly towards the bench while looking at his phone. He didn't notice us yet so I have time to drive her away. "I follow your Instagram and found out about the news, congratulations!"

I felt like something just snapped in my head. I didn't think about that at first.

"Ahh.. t-thank you," I answered and forced a smile on her.

"When is your due date?" she asked acting as if we were really good friends. I don't even know why she's talking to me like this all of a sudden.

"I'm 2 months pregnant," I answered forcing a smile again. I glanced back at Zach and saw him stop in the middle of walking and is now talking to someone on the phone.

"Who's the father? You never really confirmed it on IG," she said. I immediately looked at her when she suddenly asked about that.

"Ahh.. that," I purposely stopped because I didn't want her to know either.

"Oh?" she said waiting for me to tell her. "Why aren't you answering?" she asked using a joking tone that I don't find true at all. I know she's just curious about it for some reason. I didn't answer at all and looked at her as she wait for my reply. After a few seconds, she smiled. "Why? Is it someone whom you cannot tell anybody? Is there something wrong with your boyfriend?"

I knew it. She wants to make fun of me. "N-no, that's not the case--" I tried to let her know but she cut me off.

"Who is it? some random guy from a club? That's way too cheap you know," she started jumping to conclusions and didn't let me say another word. "A one-night stand that accidentally made a baby? I'm not going to tell anyone about it, really," even if she said that, I knew the whole university is going to find out.

"I told you, it's not that," I tried to explain to her but before I could say another word,

"Xhyrah," my eyes widened immediately when Zach suddenly called me. I didn't see him coming. Elaine was surprised when she heard someone call my name too and immediately got even more surprised when she turned back.

"Z-Zach,' I called him back. He walked closer to us and took a glance at Elaine whose mouth was wide open.

"Did I take too long?" he asked me and I immediately shook my head. I looked back at her. I knew she had a crush on Zach when he saw him at their house when we did that research back in high school.

"T-this is Elaine, a high school classmate," I introduced her to him thinking that it would be too rude if I don't.

I can't help but get annoyed with what she said earlier. We were never close in high school but I didn't know she looks at me as low as that to the point that she would make fun of me.

"Zach Alfonso," he introduced himself. She offered a hand while smiling awkwardly in front of him. I stopped myself from not letting her touch him when a sudden feeling just went into my head.

"Elaine," she said and fixed her hair when he let go.

"We still have to look around, we'll go now, see you around Elaine," I said and turned my back from her. Zach followed me too. She didn't even get to say a word when we left.

"Where are we going next?" he asked me. I looked around the mall, I don't have something in mind so I continued walking on a straight path and after walking for a few minutes without talking, we got to the clothes section. There are different stores from popular brands, there's a lot but I always go where I usually buy my clothes. We went in and he let me go around since it was the women's section

I was looking for something to get when I noticed the salesladies whispering to each other while looking at my husband. I didn't know he was that popular when he came out. Girls just can't take their eyes off him. I looked at him and he was just there sitting on the couch looking at me again as I was searching for clothes. Too bad, he's looking at me.

"Oh? Mr. Alfonso," My eyes widened when I heard a voice calling Zach's name. I looked back and I saw a middle-aged man wearing business attire walking toward Zach with a smiling face. I saw them shake hands and I looked away.

"Mr. Heard," Zach greeted him back formally. He looks like he's someone he knew because of work. What the hell is he doing here?

"I saw you outside, " I was looking at them when I noticed bodyguards outside the store wearing black suits. There must be 7 of them. This guy must be a big shot. "I was reluctant at first because I saw you in the women's section," he said and laughed. "Where are your bodyguards?" he suddenly asked.

Does Zach usually go out with bodyguards? I have never seen him around bodyguards even for once.

"I was shopping with my wife,"

This guy--

OMG

My eyes widened and I immediately lowered myself so they couldn't see me. "Oh, you were married?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah,"

"Where is she?" he asked and I bet he's already looking around for me right now.

I didn't hear Zach saying anything. I bet he's wondering where I went.

"Oh, I better see your wife anytime soon, I still have to go, I have a lunch meeting in here today,"

"Alright, See you around Mr. Heard,"

"See you around Mr. Alfonso. I am looking towards to working with you again," he said and after a few seconds, I didn't hear anything else so I went and looked to see if he had already left and when I peeked, I saw Zach looking straight at me.

He knew where I was hiding?

I awkwardly brought myself back up and was planning to continue searching around when he approached me. "Why were you hiding?" he asked me.

"Nothing," I said and looked away. He sighed and I walked away from him pretending to see something that caught my eye.

What was that? Why did I hide?

I DON'T KNOW! DAMN IT, IT JUST HAPPENED!!!

I took 4 sets of clothes that I think I can wear during my pregnancy. He didn't even let the woman say the prize and just gave the card. I looked away and waited for them to give me the paper bags. He took it and we went out. He held my hand again.

I looked away and didn't mind it. We looked around for more. While walking, I remembered what the guy said earlier. "Do you usually go out with guards?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Oh? Why?"

"I don't like having them around, but sometimes, people do everything to get rid of businessmen. Dad hired them for me, I don't really need them,"

"Oh? Do you mean, while we're walking here someone might assassinate you or something?" I asked. Scared.

I didn't know business involves that kind of thing. Dad has 7 though I never really paid attention to them before. I never thought they do have some purpose. I thought they were just for show.

"Who knows?" he asked. I pulled my hand out of his and looked at him with my mouth open.

"Zach, seriously?!" I asked him. He chuckled and pulled my hand back.

"Shh, they're around,"

"What?" I asked him. Terrorists?

"I didn't want them around, I don't want you to get bothered with their presence too so I told them not to get close," I see, the guards.

"Where are they?" I asked and looked around. I didn't feel anyone following us since we got to the mall.

"That man at the back," he whispered and I looked at the back and there really was a guy there. "That person on the right sitting on the bench, that guy in the left talking to that guy with green clothes, and the one talking to the sales lady in front,"

"Oh my God, why are your bodyguards so good-looking?" I asked while looking back at the guys around us and trying to wave at them.

"Excuse me?" he asked me.

"Nothing," I said and continued walking and ignored what he said.

We continued walking around and all he did was pay and carry the things. Everything I buy, even the most useless thing, he pays for them. I am starting to think that he's spoiling me too much.

"Let's buy cheesecake before going home," I said.

We went home carrying lots of stuff from the mall. He made dinner and we ate the cheesecake after. He went to his office a few minutes later and I went inside the room to try the clothes that I bought. I also arranged my materials in a bin so I can easily take them out after.

This eggplant-shaped bag that I bought earlier costs a lot but he didn't even stop me from buying it even though he saw it being odd-looking.

I wonder how far can he get.

I walked into his office to see how far can he get with spending his money for me.

"Zach?" I called him when I stepped into his office. I saw him doing something on his computer.

"Hmm?" he asked without looking at me.

"There's a bag that I saw online," I started.

"Send me the link, I'll ask someone to buy it,"

What. Wasn't that too fast?

"It's rare and really expensive. You can't see it anywhere," I said and made sure that he was going to hear 'really expensive' clearly.

"Just send me the link. I know someone who can find it,"

"I want five of them," I took out my last resort.

"Alright, send me the link then,"

I hate the fact that he answers me without looking at me. It doesn't seem to be a very big deal for him that way.

"Aren't you agreeing with me too much?" I asked him if that made him look at me as if he was thinking about what he had done wrong. "Aren't you spending too much on me already?"

"And?" he asked still wondering why I'm asking him this right now.

"Me trying to make you buy 5 rare expensive bags, and you agree with that?"

"W-What's wrong?" He asked innocently.

Why am I being so mad right now? "Isn't it too much?" I asked him,

"If you wanted it, I can just buy it for--"

"That's not the point!" I exclaimed. He looked at me and pushed the swivel chair away from the desk and paid attention to me. Finally. "What I meant is, buying five of them is too much, why are you agreeing about that without asking why I want five for no reason?"

"The reason is yours if you wanted it and I can buy them for you, why won't I agree with that?"

I couldn't help but slap my hand on my forehead.

"You're being way too easy, are you not suspecting me of gold-digging you at this point?"

"Gold-digging? What do you mean? Making me your sugar daddy?"

"Sugar da-- where the heck did you get that?" I asked him stopping myself from laughing at how innocently he asked me about it.

"One of my guards said a woman made him her sugar daddy," he answered which made me laugh out loud to the point that I peed a little.

"But that's not the point!" I said to bring myself back up to the point of the conversation.

"What I am asking you is," I said, "Stop buying me useless things!" I exclaimed. You're going to buy, me 5 the same expensive bag?! Really?"

"What am I supposed to do if you wanted it?" he asked not being able to understand why I'm telling him this.

"Then tell me not to buy it!" I said. "Can you be less easy-going?' I asked.

"It's fine with me since I don't have anyone else to spend my money with. If it's fine, then why decline?"

My mouth fell open. I don't know if I should be happy with that or not.

"Because it's too much! And it's useless!" I said.

"But you wanted it--"

"But it's useless!"I cut him off.

"It's fine with me if it turns out to be useless because you wanted it and I can provide it. There's nothing wrong with that for me." his answer made me frown.

"What if I paint the house pink?"

"We're going to talk about that more,--"

"That's it! Because painting your house pink is too much because it's your house and there's no point in making it pink, so instead of agreeing you should--"

"I never said I wouldn't agree," he cut me off. My mouth fell open again.

"So you're going to consider painting your house pink because I wanted it?" I asked him sarcastically.

"Yeah?"

"OH MY GOD," I whispered not being able to believe what he just said. I have no plans of doing so but will he really consider painting his house pink? "What the fvck is wrong with this guy?" I whispered to myself.

"What if I wanted a new house?" I asked him.

"You're going to move out?" he asked me with a surprised face and even attempted to stand up from his swivel chair.

"No, what if I want another house, I'm not moving out! Calm down!" I stopped him. What the heck?

"I'll call an architect."

I stopped myself from exploding by staying still and breathing heavily. "Oh my God, I'm out," I said and walked out of the room.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

I'M NOT1 WHAT THE HELL?! HE'S FAR MORE THAN I CAN IMAGINE!

but I didn't answer.

He's going to build another house? Really? Do I even deserve this kind of treatment?!