Chapter 114 ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN

Chapter 114 ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN
CHLOE
I haven’t been this happy in a long time now.
The happiness was genuine and not forced.
The Uber I ordered drove smoothly, and all I could do was sit down in the back and smile like a fool.
I rubbed my stomach for some time. My baby has been kicking nonstop since I left the girls.
She had a good time, too, I guess.
Tess was a hilarious character; she knew how to bring in the spark in a room.
She doesn’t bother if her words sound appropriate or not; she just lets everything out just as it is in her mind.
She was fearless, funny, and very interesting.
She reminded me of one of my friends, then in New York, who has the same fire Tess has.
That one lived for drama; anywhere she went, chaos was sure to follow.
Even when you are having a bad day, just one joke from her will bring you out of that shallow hole.
And then, there was Shirley, who could always calm a raging storm with her cool persona.
She pays attention to every detail, no matter how little it is.
She was definitely going through her own shit, but the way she dropped everything she was doing when I asked her if she was free and rushed to the restaurant where I was seated, shocked me.
She was an amazing person.
They were both wonderful people.
I felt at peace for the first time in a long time.
I felt safe because I had finally found a group of women who I connected well with since I moved down here.
‘All will be well,’ I whispered to my stomach.
‘You look very excited Ma’am,’ the driver observed.
I smiled widely ‘Is it that obvious?’
‘Yes Ma’am, it is’
I chuckled ‘Well, I’m happy because I made new friends and they are amazing’
The driver was a stranger, but because I was too overjoyed, I decided to engage.
‘That’s nice, Ma’am,’ the driver said.
I nodded in agreement.
Being pregnant and lonely at the same time isn’t a great feeling at all.
It is draining, emotionally and mentally.
And then, Aiden told me his secret, and everything became scary.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy he was able to confide in me.
But I cannot get the thought of the things associated with the Mafia out of my head.
The guns, the deaths, the danger, and the threats.
That was why he had been so persistent about my safety; he feared that one of his rivals might harm me.
But then, how can I blame him for the kind of work he does?
He was only hustling.
The gate was opened for us, and the car drove into the compound.
‘Thank you,’ I said to the driver and stepped out of the door.
I closed the door and exhaled.
The environment was as exhausting as ever.
Of course, men stood in every corner of the compound looking super serious.
I’m sorry, let me rephrase, ARMED MEN.
I have entered another world, a world where guns and the shedding of blood felt normal.
‘Good evening, Ma’am,’ the men said to me as I walked past them, each of them bowing slightly.
I nodded in response to the cold greetings.
The doors of the mansion were opened to me, and I walked in.
There was no sign of Aiden in the living room or on the balcony, where he loves sitting sometimes.
‘Let me check his office, he might be there,’ I told myself.
I don’t even know why I want to see him, but there was no time to tell myself not to because I was already walking towards his office.
As I got to the hallway leading to his office, I saw something that made me very uncomfortable.
More armed men, some with unfamiliar faces standing outside his office.
I needed no one to tell me that Aiden was in his office, but why were there so many guards?
‘He is inside, Ma’am, with a visitor,’ one of his men told me.
That was his way of telling me that this wasn’t a good time, but I didn’t listen.
Something was going on behind those doors, and I didn’t think it was something pleasant.
I was scared for Aiden.
‘I will go in,’ I told him.
They made way for me to pass through, and without knocking, I pushed the door open slowly.
Aiden saw me first, and his eyes went cold.
He clearly didn’t hide that he didn’t want me in his office.
My eyes darted to the stranger sitting across from him.
He had this terrifying aura surrounding him. He was super handsome, though, with dark hair that was styled neatly to suit his formidable features.
He wore a dark, expensive suit that hugged his perfect frame, and his jaw was sharp and set.
The man turned towards me, he grinned widely, and stood up to greet me.
Aiden wasn’t comfortable; he kept shifting in his seat and signaling me to leave with his eyes.
‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you had someone with you. I will leave now’ I said, but before I could walk away, the man interrupted me.
‘Oh common, you can’t just make that jaw-dropping entrance and leave without saying hello,’ the man said in a very smooth voice.
Damn, he is fine!!! Like, I mean, super fine, and his voice can make girls go down on their knees, let's not even talk about his handsome face.
But…he still made me very nervous.
‘Aiden, aren’t you going to introduce me to this gorgeous woman?’ he asked, not taking his eyes off me.
Aiden clenched his jaw but didn’t say anything.
I coughed and stretched my hand to make things less awkward, ‘I’m Chloe,’ I said.
The man’s smile deepened ‘Hello Chloe, I’m Lucien. It’s a pleasure to meet you’ he responded, kissing my hand softly.
His eyes flickered to my stomach, and I inhaled at once.
Who exactly is this man?
He exuded cold dominance, and when his eyes went to my stomach, I felt my instincts kick in to protect my baby.
‘You have to stay calm Chloe, don’t let him see how scared you are of him,’ my head told me.