Chapter 8

The next day was way better. There was no longer that pressure on Ana. She had told Landon, and that was what was most important. He was the only constant in her life and he was the most important person till date. Ana was yet to tell Veronica, her mother. But if she was being honest, she really didn’t want to do that. Veronica was an extreme Christian and she was probably going to get into some kind of fit and maybe call Ana a demon. And the last thing the latter needed was stress so she would pass on that.

The day was looking to be a bright one. Ana really couldn’t explain it but she felt excitement bubbling in her. She didn’t know why. But she knew it wasn’t cause of the promotion neither was the excitement caused by the fact that she had told Landon about the baby. Nope. She couldn’t put a finger on it but she hoped the excitement was because of a good event.

As Ana got into the office, there Tasha was, standing and looking around with a sour look on her face. Ana had managed to avoid the other girl since she had been promoted. Everyone knew that the promotion was either going to be given to Ana or Tasha and since Ana had gotten it, Tasha was salty. Ana turned away and tried to get out of the office quietly before Tasha spotted her. But it was too late.

“Well if it isn’t little miss goody shoes,” she said with a nasty sneer.

Ana sighed and turned towards the other girl. “Hi Tasha. Didn’t see you there,” she said, injecting fake cheer into her voice.

“So in addition to being a little whore and fucking your way to a promotion you’ve become blind as well?” Tasha asked with a cruel smile on her face. Ana gasped but before she could give a response, Tasha continued, “I’m surprised at how easily showing came to you.”

“I really don’t appreciate—” Ana started but she didn’t have a chance to finish before she was cut off by Tasha.

“I don’t care what you appreciate and what you don’t. But let me tell you one thing. I am going to make your life miserable. Just wait and see.” Tasha concluded the threat with a violent flip of her hair then she turned around and left the office.

Ana stood there for a while, confused and hurt. She had never done anything at all to this girl. And it was so weird that she had this much of a vendetta against her. Like, why did Tasha hate her so much? It was so weird.

The only issue they had ever had was with Ana refusing to cover her the previous week. But that was all. It was way too trivial to bring in this kind of reaction. But anyways, Ana was determined to put it behind her. Today was supposed to be a good one, positive vibes all the way. She didn’t want to and wouldn’t even let anything or anyone spoil her morale and make her mess up during her work.

The incident didn’t stay on her mind long anyways. As soon as she sat behind her desk to start working, her mind drifted off. She had been doing a lot of that lately and she couldn’t stop herself even if she tried. Ana found herself constantly thinking of that stranger, the one who was the father of the baby she was carrying. The more time went on, the more she remembered what had happened that night. And every time she thought about it, her cheeks heated up.

The only thing that was still fuzzy was his face. Try as she might, Ana couldn’t remember what exactly he looked like. She knew he was tall and had an amazing build. But what his facial features looked like? She honestly had no fucking idea and it was stressing her out if she was being honest.

But that was not the point. The point was, the man’s memory wouldn’t leave her alone, and it had gotten to the stage where he was a recurring actor in her fantasies. Ana imagined his hands moving all over her body, she thought of him staring deep into her eyes as his hardness slid into her wet warmth—fast then slow. Ana gasped and shook her head. That bit had been a little too much for her.

She clenched her legs tight and tried to think of something that was going to make the fantasies go away. Ana had read somewhere that it was a lot of more easy for pregnant women to get horny and here she was, experiencing that. And honestly, the last thing she wanted was to be sitting in her office with a wet pussy like some bitch in heat. She should have more control over her body. It was her body after all. And the most annoying thing was that she couldn’t even remember the man she was daydreaming over. It was so frustrating.

Ana let out a sigh then turned on her computer to do the work she has promised herself to get done that day. It was hard to concentrate but she was going to try her best. She pulled up the documents she had to work on but then her thoughts drifted again. But this time around, it wasn’t the filthy thoughts that occupied her mind. It was the baby.

She was thinking of how she was going to raise this baby on her own, how she was going to juggle the stress of work and raising a child. The financial part of it all did not worry Ana. She was not an extreme spender and she had a good chunk of her pay check stashed away in her savings, plus a couple of investments Landon had forced her into. So she wasn’t really worried about that.

What she was worried about was the fact that her child would probably grow up without a father. Ana herself had grown up without one. She had had an unaffectionate and almost… unloving mother. And sometimes she thought having a father would have made up for that lack of love in her life. She was going to give this kid the most love, she was going to suffocate them with affection. But society was society. The stigma never left. Ana had grown up ostracized and mocked by other kids simply because she didn’t know her father. And that was the last thing she would have wanted any child, whether hers or someone else’s to experience. But it was happening. She just had to accept it. Unfortunately.

She sighed again then looked up at the door. She promised herself one thing. That her child was going to have the best mother ever. She was going to make her kid feel enough, and they were never going to go through life wondering whether she loved them or not because it was going to be so obvious. Ana and her kid were going to be best friends and they were going to have an amazing relationship.

Ana was taken out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She shuddered a little, then shook her head to clear her mind and called out a come in. The door was opened slightly, then after a few seconds of delay, one of the temps came in with a shy smile on his face.

Ana mirrored the smile, but hers was bolder.

“Yes,” she said warmly.

She tried to make all the temps feel as comfortable as she could. Because she knew what it was like to be one. She had been treated so horribly as a temp because a lot of people knew she didn’t like confrontations. And if Landon wasn’t in her life, Ana would have quit. And this promotion would never have happened. Despite what the other employees did to the temps, Ana could never bring herself to treat them like they weren’t human.

“Fitz wants you in his office,” he offered timidly after clearing his throat.

“Thank you. I’ll be there shortly,” Ana replied. The temp nodded then went out, leaving Ana to her thoughts again.

She stood tiredly and made her way to Fitz’s office. She had been feeling so exhausted of late and she knew that Fitz was going to notice sooner or later. And she also knew she was going to have to tell him about the baby. That was a scary thought because the maternity leave might leave her position open to someone else, like Tasha. But she was going to convince Fitz that she could work from home.

She reached his office and knocked, then rocked on her feet as she waited for his response. When he said come in, she went in boldly. Fitz Hayes anyone who wasn’t sure of themselves. And Ana had worked hard to prove to him that she wasn’t that person.

He was a good and fair man, and he didn’t explode without reason. He was an amazing teacher and honestly, it was mainly because of him that Ana had become so good and focused on her job. He had pushed her so much that she had tried to meet his expectations, and when he was proud of her, to say Ana was happy was an understatement.

When she walked into the office, Fitz had a big smile on his face, just like on the day he had announced her promotion. Fitz hardly ever smiled. He wasn’t angry all the time, but his face never set itself into a smile unless it was very necessary. So to see a smile so big on his face meant it was good news.

“You called, sir?” she asked, a smile on her face while she looked at him.

Ana wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but the man’s smile got even bigger. She was a little creeped out but she tried her best not to show it.

“Ana!” he exclaimed in his boisterous voice, “Just the person I wanted to see. Take a seat.”

Ana obeyed, then stared at the man. The smile had not moved from his face one inch. She wondered what had put him in such a good mood.

“You know Jack Knight?” Fitz asked and before Ana had the chance to answer, he waved his hand in the air. “That was a dumb question. Who doesn’t know Jack Knight.”

Ana laughed a little. “Of course I know him sir. He’s the youngest billionaire of the decade and he had made his mark in the business industry.” She knew Fitz still expected an answer and with the way his face warmed up, she knew she had hit jackpot.

“I love that enthusiasm. I hope you’ll be just as excited to know that we are in charge of his interview,” Fitz said smugly.

Ana’s mouth dropped open. He was kidding. To get an interview with Jack Knight was an extremely big deal. And for Fitz to announce it so casually? He had to be kidding.

“Tell me you’re not joking sir,” Ana said with wife eyes, leaning forward towards her boss.

It was something big. And their magazine was not that big of a name. Not like the others anyways. Ones like Vogue and so on. But they had managed to snag an interview.

"Damn serious Ana. And do you know the best part?" Fitz asked Ana. She shook her head rapidly, her curls bouncing around. She was excited to know.

"You're the one who is going to conduct the interview," Fitz said and Ana damned nearly melted.

"Sir?" She asked and Fitz nodded. "Oh my god, sir thank you so much! This is a dream come true!"

Ana didn't know what came over her. But she rushed over to Fitz and hugged him tightly then said, "I promise I won't disappoint you sir".

"You'd better not. I chose you for a reason Ana. You're incredibly smart and talented. You’re one of the best. I'm sure you'll do good." Adam praised and Ana blushed.

She definitely was not going to disappoint the man. And she couldn't wait to rub this in Landon's face. She had actually gotten an interview with THE Jack Knight. Nothing could spoil her day now.