Chapter 18

Adam walked into their shared bedroom, carrying her in his arms and laid her on the bed. He sat close to her, staring at her and hoped the drug wore out soon and she woke up. He was grateful he was able to save her and couldn't bear to think of what would have happened to her if Erica had had her way. 

He shuddered at the thought of it and couldn't believe Erica could do that at all much more to him. He couldn't even call her a devil as he would also have to judge himself for dating a devil. He stared at Veronica again, finding it hard to believe she had almost gotten hurt because of him. He wouldn't delude himself and pretend he didn't know all that happened to her was to get to him. 

The moment he had seen her in the arms of the thug, slumped and dead to the world, his heart jsd dropped dead within him and he had realized that he cared about her and would have gone crazy with grief if anything had happened to her and not because she was his ticket to getting more dollars from her father. Veronica had become important to him and he had no idea of when it happened. All he knew was that he would fight to protect her with all he had got.

Veronica stirred and he held his breath, staring at her. She groaned as she opened her eyes and stared at him. "What happened?"

"You almost got yourself raped and sucked into a scandal, my dear."

"What?" She yelled and jolted up, hissing when she felt dizzy. Just how much drugs did that bitch spike her drink with?

"Why did you meet with Erica without telling me?"

She groaned. "I guess you were the one who saved me. How did you know where I was?"

He paused, unsure how she would react to realize that her phone was tracked. "Bruce has some amazing IT skills."

She nodded. "I am grateful for that." She rubbed at her neck and groaned. "My throat feels dry."

He hopped out of bed before she could say anything else and made a gesture for her to stay where she was. "Be right back. I will get you a cup of hot tea."

She nodded as he walked away. He must have been awfully frightened to be this jumpy, she thought and smiled though at his display of care. He was back with the drink and she thanked him, tipping the contents of the cup into her mouth. 

She licked her lips, swallowed and dropped the empty cup on the drawer by her bedside. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, baby." He said and coughed, his eyes wide. "Oh! Don't mind that."

She nodded. "I understand that you are stressed. I am not going to read any meaning into that."

He groaned at his slip. "You still haven't told me why you met with her."

"Someone called and told me she had information for me. She said she knew why the hate campaign against me is spreading all around town. She said she knew who was spreading the rumours about me."

"And you went there just like that, Veronica." He rebuked her with a shake of his head.

"I didn't know you had the devil's assistant as an ex-girlfriend." She hissed.

He winced at her choice of words. "Please do not try out this stunt again. I don't want to feel the fright I felt today ever again."

She nodded. "I don't like to be drugged either."

"Glad that we have come to an understanding."

"Where is that crazy girl?"

He smiled at the annoyance in her voice. "She has been arrested. She is in detention."

Veronica nodded. "As she should. I hope she gets imprisoned."

"She would. I have evidence against her that she drugged you and tried to have someone rape you. I also have evidence against her that she is a drug abuser." He growled. "Her life and career as she knows it are finished. I will make sure she regrets ever trying to hurt you."

"Adam!" She smiled at him, touched by his words.

He blinked at the look in her eyes and blushed. He cleared his throat, stood up from bed, took up the cup she had used for tea and headed out of the room. "Let me make us something to eat. What would you like?"

She shrugged. "I know anything you make is fine so be creative, Adam."

He grinned. "At your service, ma'am."

"I don't think I will go to work tomorrow." She yawned, sliding back into bed.

He nodded. "You can do as you want. I will also clear off my schedule for tomorrow so I can be here to tend to you."

She chuckled. "You don't have to do that, Adam."

"The choice is mine, Veronica so you just sleep and worry about nothing. I will wake you up when I am done with dinner."

The next day, Veronica stretched up in bed, surprised to find Adam's hands wrapped around her. She smiled at how much of a scare baby Adam was. He was behaving surprisingly sweet and romantic because he was freaked out. She pouted as she stared at his sleeping form. If only he was being sweet to her because he loved her.

She realized that that was the second time he would save at a club from the hands of unruly men and was glad he didn't bring up the first event up the previous night. He opened his eyes and she blushed at being caught staring.

He grinned at her. "Like what you see?"

She grinned. "Stop fooling around." 

"How was your night?"

She nodded. "It was okay."

She jumped as her phone rang and smiled at the caller ID. "Hey, babe."

"Vee, how are you feeling?"

"Fine. I heard you were there yesterday at the club. Thank you for being there."

Sandra rolled her eyes. "That was no problem but if I was Adam, I would ban you from drinking or going out anytime soon."

Veronica chuckled. "Thank God you are not Adam."

Sandra snorted. "Why would you go out to meet your husband's ex?"

"She said she has information about who was behind the hate campaign and I didn't think she was going to try anything bitter because Adam didn't hurt her, she was the one who ended their relationship."

Sandra tsked. "I didn't think you would be this reckless but I can say that it is not you, I know it is the pregnancy hormones. I heard that pregnancy changes some women."

"Stop it, Sandra. You make me feel weird for being pregnant."

"You should feel good for being pregnant. Why would you feel weird?"

"Why did you call so early in the morning?"

"Because I woke up just now and remembered that I have a friend who was drugged yesterday and I decided to reach out to her."

"Sandra Blair!" Veronica warned.

"Okay, okay." Sandra chuckled. "Do you know Erica wanted to scandalize you with what she tried yesterday."

"Of course, Adam told me everything yesterday."

"I am glad to know the both of you talk now."

"Oh shush it, Sandra. We talk to each other before." Veronica said, glancing at Adam who was stretched out on the bed and listening to her side of the conversation. 

Sandra scoffed. "Oh, please. Talking is different from talking and you know it. I can bet my car that yesterday would be the longest the two of you had ever sat down to talk to each other."

"Why do you keep repeating yourself, Sandra?"

"Because I want your marriage to work, babe. You can't build a lasting home if you barely talk to each other. Even if your marriage is an arranged one, that doesn't mean that it can't work. Communication is vital in every relationship."

Veronica giggled. "Okay, Sandra Blair, the marriage counselor."

"Oh please, I am just a blogger. I don't just want to write or read about your divorce later on so you can say I am saving myself from later work stress. Moreover, I believe you should try to make your marriage work now that you have known that he is the husband of your child. Adam is a great guy and you know it."

"Then behave like one." Veronica chuckled. She was always telling her of how good a guy Adam was. "Why did you call me?"

"About what happened yesterday, I already made a story about it on my blog. I told the world of how Erica had been posting and spreading hate words about you online and how she got arrested yesterday for drugging you and trying to get you raped. Her pictures are the best thing on my blog at the moment."

Veronica chuckled. "You are just like Adam. He also intends to spoil her career."

Sandra scoffed. "She never had a career to begin with. She could barely walk down the runway without being high and movie directors have rejected her more than she could breathe. I don't think it's a bad idea to give her a taste of her poison."

"Thank you, girlfriend."

"That is not all the reason why I called you."

"Of course, it's not. I know how you are."

"So other blogs have copied the news from my blog and some have also done some research and found out the police station she was at though I didn't include that."

"Your point is?" Veronica urged her to continue, afraid Sandra was beating around the bush because she knew she might not like what she had to say.

"Some reporters might want to interview you today so I am giving you a heads-up. I want you to tell them that you are pregnant during the interview."

"What?" Veronica spurted out.

"Babes, come on." Sandra groaned. "I know how you hate to put yourself out there but I can assure you that this is for the best."

"How?"

"Telling the world that you are pregnant will help increase the rage they feel for Erica for daring to drug you and also some dispel some of the nasty stuffs that she said about your marriage that both of you are not in a romantic relationship and were only married for convenience. The world will think of romance and love between you two if they hear that you are pregnant and that would help your image. Erica painted a picture that you both are like enemies and you can't imagine the romantic scenes everyone will start to think of when you tell them you are pregnant. After all, you can't get pregnant in a marriage without being intimate with your partner and as far as the world would be concerned, it meant that the two of you are in love and Erica is a liar. That makes both of you stop being the money grubbing bastards you have been painted out to be."

"You are a master planner."

"You are welcome." Sandra grinned.

"What happened?" Adam asked as Veronica dropped the phone, smiling.

"We have an interview to prepare for." She smiled, hopping out of bed.