Chapter 130. What comes first

Chapter 130. What comes first
Laura exhaled heavily as she stroked through her hair as she turned around as she couldn't handle the intensity that came as she stared at him.

“What am I supposed to do now?” She asked, her voice breaking slightly as she spoke.

Laura let out a small breath, not knowing what to say or how to address the situation.

“No, I think this question should be for you.” With that, she turned around to catch his stare. “What are you going to do about this, Leo?”

“I…don't know yet.” He said

Laura scoffed. “You don't know? Really— that's the best answer you can give at this moment?”

“For Christ sake—what else do you want me to tell you?” Leo yelled out in frustration. “It's the same way the news was broken to you it was to me. Or is there something else you want to hear from me?”

Laura stared at him without saying anything for a few minutes, then she broke into a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. 
“Do you even bother about how this makes me feel right now?” She suddenly asked. “Do you have even a single idea what is going through me at this exact moment? How it seems like everything just shattered with that single blow. Do you even think about it at all?”

Leo let out a heavy breath that seemed as if he had just run a long race. Then he turned back to Laura, his face was blank and neutral. “Does it always have to be about you?” 

Laura stared at him. “Excuse me?”

“Sometimes think about it, they're other people also going through some shit in one area or the other, or maybe trying to figure out some smart decisions for certain situations. They're a million people in this life and out of those people, you're just one of that million. So tell me Laura— why do your feelings always have to come first above every other?”

To say she was speechless wouldn't even come close to explaining how Laura felt at that moment. Had she heard him correctly? Or did her mind switch some of the words to have a different meaning from what he actually said. But from the looks on his face, it just served as proof that she had indeed not heard wrongly.

Laura let out a humorless chuckle as she folded her hand across her chest. “What exactly are you trying to say then?” The smile had immediately been wiped off her face 

“I'm just saying, they're a lot of things to consider here, Rachel especially.” He said and Laura felt her heart slowly shattering at his words but she did show it. “None of us would have expected something like this to happen. So we have to think rationally and…”

“You want this child, don't you?” She asked, obviously aware of his answer even before she asked the question.

“It's not about wanting the child. But I can't get rid of it, can I? Who knows if this would be the only child I may have on this Earth. We can act recklessly.” He said, obviously trying to justify himself 

Laura on the other hand felt her last restraint she was desperately trying to hold on to shatter with the last blow of his words. He was speaking so carelessly that he wasn't even considering how his words were being passed out to her.

“Only child on this Earth? Really?” She scoffed as she flickered her hair with her hands backwards. “What about me, Leo? Have I suddenly gone barren?”

“That's not what I meant…” she cut him off.

“You know that's exactly what you meant.” Her words came out sharp. “You're preparing for a plan B Incase plan A doesn't work, isn't it?”

Leo exhaled softly. “You're reading too much into all this.”

“Am I? Or are you the one who's not being straightforward with what you want.” Her voice had turned cold.

“We're not the only ones in this anymore Laura.” He told her as he took a step forward. “Rachel is technically carrying my child so we have to put her in the equation of all this, don't you think so?”

Laura looked at him—like really looked at him as she tried to read each and every emotion that could possibly pass his face or eyes. And what she saw made her heart clench within her.

“You want to raise this child besides Rachel, don't you?”

Leo suddenly went silent. “Laura…” he took a step towards her again but this time, Laura moved back.

“That means I'm right.” She said as she watched him lower his head. She scoffed. “Unbelievable.”

With that, she turned on her heels and walked out away from him without bothering to look back. What had started off as a dream for her had suddenly turned to one of her biggest nightmares.

Since the whole incident, Leo and Laura hadn't spoken. Leo had placed a call across to her a couple of times in the past week, but she didn't pick any of the calls.

She didn't want to speak to him. More like she couldn't speak to him in the condition she was currently in. All her time at the office, Leo had not for once come visit or maybe apologized for how things had ended during the last converts together. Instead, it seems like his rather too busy with Rachel and his fatherly duties to his unborn child to even check up on her in person.

Each time Laura remembered how that night had played out, how Leo and his parents had embraced Laura without any care in the world or without bothering themselves on how she may have been feeling or even if she was there or not, and it just caused another tug at her heartstrings—all she had left to keep her heart intact and avoiding it from shattering once again.

She stared at her laptop screen, trying to get some work done but she could barely keep her kind in place. She felt so distorted inside as her eyes kept staring at her phone, hoping for another call from Leo that he was probably in his way or wants to settle things.

But the phone screen remained blank.

Laura exhaled slowly as she turned her attention back to the computer. The next moment, her office telephone began to ring and she reached to pick it.

“Yeah Fina?” 

“Ma'am, there's someone here wanting to see you.” Fina said from the other line.

Laura immediately sat up straight as both her hands clutched to the phone tightly. 
“Who is it?” She asked with a hopeful tone.

Upon hearing the name of the person who was waiting for her, shock washed over her.

Some brief minutes later, there was a knock on the door which caused Laura to rise from the couch she had moved to earlier to get the door. She took a deep composed breath before pulling the door open.

She was immediately met with the calm and composed face of Leo's grandfather who stood right in front of her. In the flesh.

“Grandfather.” She breathed out slowly as she bowed her head slightly. “Please, come in.” She made way for him.

Archibald gave her a warm fatherly smile before making his way into the office and she closed the door behind him.

“Please, have a seat.” She gestured towards one of the couches. She must say that she was indeed surprised at the sudden show up of the Senior Carter to get company. It was indeed an honor for her but why did his presence make her feel slightly uneasy.

“Thank you.” He said as he settled himself on the couch, placing his cane to lie besides him. “You can sit too, my dear.”

Laura gave him a polite smile before seating opposite him. She felt nervous but tried not to show it. “Um…would you like me to get you anything? Water, coffee or…”

“I am perfectly fine, Laura.” His calm voice cut her off. “I don't think I would need anything for the discussion before us.”

His words sent a trail of goosebumps to run up her arms and neck as she anticipated the conversation that was ahead of them.

“I must say, you did a very good job with this.” He said as his eyes scanned around the office. “You built quite an impressive structure here.”

Laura smiled as she inclined her head slowly. “Thank you. It's more like an honor hearing you say that.”

Then there was a silence that swept over the room and Laura could feel her nerves spiking each second that seemed to pass.

Archibald had his head hung down while his fingers tapped softly against the arm rest. 
“I'd presume you have a pretty good idea on why I'm here.”