Chapter 15″ A child
“Are you having fun?” Harry asked Tessa as they sat in a restaurant, having dinner.
Soft music was playing in the background and the dim lighting was casting a romantic ambience upon the place.
However, all this didn’t make Tessa feel butterflies in her stomach. She felt uncomfortable and she couldn’t wait to get out of there.
They had watched a movie and then went for a walk in the park. Everything was planned well but the problem was, Harry and Tessa lacked chemistry.
There was literally nothing to talk about between them. Most of the time, they would fall into an awkward silence. Tessa was bored to death.
She forced a smile and picked at her mash on the plate with her fork.
“Yeah… this is a great place. Thank you for bringing me here,” she said, trying her best to look like she was having fun.
Harry had put in a lot of effort for that day and she didn’t want to disappoint him.
Hearing her words, Harry smirked. In his mind, winning Tessa’s heart was going to be easy since he thought she was desperate to find a father for her children.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
They fell into silence again until they finished the meal. Harry drove Tessa back home in another awkward
silence and walked her up to the door.
When she was about to open the door, he suddenly snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
“What’s the rush?” He whispered while looking into her eyes and he began to lean forward to claim her lips.
Tessa’s mind was in turmoil. She thought dating Harry would be a good thing for her children. He had stayed. by her side for five years and proved to be responsible. But she just couldn’t see herself getting intimate with
him.
At first, she wanted to let him do what he wanted and see if she could tolerate it. But suddenly, her stomach churned when his lips almost landed on hers.
She pushed him away like he burned her. “I-I’m sorry, Harry. I don’t think I can do this.”
With those words, she ran into the house and banged the door in his face.
A malicious look flitted through Harry’s eyes as he glared at the closed door. He clenched his fists and resisted the urge to punch the door..
“Is she still in love with Aaron?” He questioned internally, anger surging within him.
His hatred towards Aaron suddenly went up a notch. If he wasn’t his sister’s love interest, he would have dealt with him already.
At the same time, Tessa ran to her bedroom quietly since the children were already sleeping. The knot in her stomach tightened as she sighed, resting her back against the door.
It seemed romance wasn’t for her after all. She just couldn’t bring herself to feel something more than friendship for Harry. There was no spark between them.
The weekend passed by in a quick blur. Tessa was in her office on a Monday morning when Lisa called about a big client wanting to speak with her.
“Really? Let him through, Lisa. Did he mention which Company he belongs to?” Tessa asked excitedly.
“Yes, ma’am. He said he is from T&A properties limited,” Lisa responded through the intercom.
“Excitement bubbled up within Tessa. It had been long since she had a project from a real estate company. Having to design projects for gated community villas was like a dream come true. She would make a lot of money and probably expand the Company.
“Let him in.” she instructed.
Tessa didn’t have to wait for long. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and she raised her head to look at it.
“Come in,” she called out.
The door opened and a man of average height and ginger hair walked in. He was in a smart striped shirt with navy pants and he had some documents in his hand.
Tessa stood up to greet him. “Welcome to Tessa’s architectural firm, sir. Please take a seat.”
The man nodded in reverence as if he was talking to his boss.
“Thank you, Miss Hilton.”
Tessa’s eyebrows furrowed slightly when she noticed this but she brushed it away. The man was probably just being polite.
The man went straight to business. “My name is James Anderson and I’m the project manager for the T&A properties limited company. I am here to offer a proposal for a ten-billion-dollar project. This will be the largest real estate in the city. We aim to build a hundred villas, a shopping mall, a school, a hospital and a theme park in a gated community on the outskirts of town. Our company has chosen you to design the building plans for our project.”
Tessa’s mouth almost reached the floor. A lot of money was going to be pumped into this project and she
would be a fool to reject it.
She smiled and glanced at James. “When do we sign the contract? I’m ready to start working on it right now.”
James was quick to give her the contract and Tessa hurriedly went through it. She saw that a breach of the contract would attract a penalty fee of three times the amount she would earn from the project. But that was not a problem. She didn’t intend to break the contract.
However, she noticed that only the project manager had signed the contract. The CEO of the real estate
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company hadn’t signed yet.
She cocked up a brow and eyed James suspiciously. “Why hasn’t your CEO signed his part?”
James’ hands were sweaty as he gulped. His heart was in his throat because he had been tasked to make sure Tessa signed without any issues.
“The CEO shall sign after. He’s already approved of the project but he suddenly had a business trip. I’ll send you the copy this afternoon as soon he signs.”
Tessa’s eyebrows creased. It was strange but she thought it was possible for a CEO to be that busy. Anyway, she hadn’t put any money so she wasn’t afraid of being scammed.
She glanced at James and emphasised. “I can only start the work after fifty per cent of the payment has been transferred to the company’s account.”
James nodded. “That’s not a problem, Miss Hilton.”
Tessa signed the contracts and gave them back to James so his CEO could sign them as well.
Meanwhile, the moment James stepped out of the mall, he took out his phone and called his boss.
“It’s done, sir.” He reported and a deep voice came through the speaker in response.
“Good. I’ll take the copy of the contract to her myself.”
Back at the Wentworth group, a side smirk crossed Aaron’s lips as he cut the call. He had funded a project and named it after Tessa and himself.
Hearing that Tessa had signed the contract, he couldn’t help the excitement that rushed through him.
He was quick to leave whatever work he was doing and went to meet James.
An hour later, he majestically walked into Tessa’s office with her copy of the contract in his left hand and a
bouquet of lilies in the other.
Seeing the man who had entered her office. Tessa’s heart dropped to her feet.
Her eyebrows wrinkled as her gaze turned frosty.
“What do you want?” She questioned curtly.
Aaron had expected her hostility. He shamelessly took a seat across from her and placed the flowers on the
table.
“Is that a way to talk to a client, Miss Hilton?
Tessa raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you become my client? Even if you wanted to be one, I wouldn’t allow it.”
Aaron smiled warmly, the dimple on his right cheek taking Tessa aback.
He looked so handsome. When she was with him, Aaron was always aloof and rarely smiled. Seeing such a warm smile on his face was a first and it did strange things to the pits of her belly.
However, she quickly squashed that budding feeling and replaced it with anger and hatred.
‘He doesn’t deserve any sentiments from me! So what if he’s handsome? He hurt me.’
“I brought you lilies this time. Do you prefer them to roses?” Aaron inquired, ignoring her words.
Tessa glanced at the flowers on the table. They were an eyesore. She picked them up and roughly threw them in the office bin.
“I’m not interested in hand-me-downs! Did the love of your life reject these flowers so you brought them to me?”
Her words tugged at Aaron’s heartstrings painfully. He felt like someone had stabbed him in the chest.
He swallowed the painful lump in his throat and sighed. “I got the lilies for you, Tessa. I’m not with Serena. “I’ve never been with her-”
“I’m not interested in that tale, Mr Wentworth. Please leave my office.”
Aaron could only fish out the contract and place it in front of her. They were partners now. He would find the right time to explain everything to her when she was more calm.
Tessa’s stomach turned when she saw the name of the contract. A sense of unease settled in her stomach.
“Why is this contract with you?” She questioned, glaring at Aaron.
“It’s because it’s under the Wentworth group. I funded the project so that I can have a chance to talk to you,” Aaron replied in his deep baritone voice that could make panties drop.
Tessa was stunned when she heard his words. Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.
“You funded a ten-billion-dollar project for a chance to talk to me, are you crazy?”
Aaron nodded while looking into her mesmerising green eyes. “Yes, I’m crazy. I’m crazy for you, my love.”
Tessa was speechless. But thinking about how she had been tricked, anger ripped through her like a tidal
wave.
“How dare you? You trapped me in a contract knowing I wanted nothing to do with you!” She hissed.
“This is the only way I can get close to you. Tessa, the amount I spent is nothing. I could give up my entire wealth if it means having another chance to be with you.”
Tessa rubbed her temples. She had already signed the contract so it was binding. She didn’t have the money to pay the damages so she could only hide her displeasure and agree to a partnership with Aaron.
“Don’t think just because we are working together means you have a chance with me. That ship sailed long
ago.”
Seeing that she had relented, a huge grin crossed Aaron’s plump lips.
To him, having to work with Tessa was a win. He would spend every second of the day trying to get her back.
He was about to respond when his phone suddenly started ringing.
At the corner of her eyes, Tessa saw the word ‘daughter’ on the caller ID and a strange emotion shot through her.
‘Does he have a child? Didn’t he say nothing happened between him and Serena?’ Tessa’s heart grew cold. ‘So he just didn’t want to have children with me. But why am I surprised? I was only a substitute after all.’
Oblivious to what she was thinking, Aaron smiled when he saw that his little friend was calling and answered the call.
“Hello?”
However, his smile dropped when he heard the sobs coming from the other side of the phone.
“Daddy! Daddy! Someone is bullying me! Help!”
