Chapter 21 TWENTY-ONE
Brienne woke up feeling a little queasy. She rushed into the toilet and threw up everything. Once finished, she flushed the vomit and sat on the cold tile floor, massaging her tummy.
"Not again, baby," she whispered and sighed. Brienne got up and brushed her teeth; after that, she went out and walked towards the window. She opened the window, and a sudden gust of wind blew past her. Brienne breathed deeply and gasped. Not far from the house is the entrance to the forest.
Brienne couldn't see it last night because she slept early, but she remembered passing too many trees. A knock on the door snapped her out of it. She closed the window and opened the door.
"Good morning," Raven greeted with a smile.
"You didn't tell me you have a whole forest behind your house!" Brienne exclaimed, causing Raven to chuckle.
"I'm sorry, baby," Raven said and pulled her closer to him. "How was your sleep?" he said, kissing the top of her head.
"Good," Brienne replied. "Thank you, Raven," she added and smiled.
"Anything for you, baby. Let's go, let's eat," he said. They went down and saw the servants preparing everything, which made Brienne a little uncomfortable because she was not used to having someone attend to her. Brienne thanked the servants and sat on the chair.
"Where's the nearest bus stop?" Brienne asked while eating.
"Why?" Raven asked her back.
"So, I can come to work, of course," Brienne responded, her gaze fixed on Raven.
"Baby, why would I allow you to wait at the bus stop when I can get you to work every day?" Raven said.
"What?" Brienne said, eyes widening. "You can't!" she added.
"Yes, I can, baby, and besides, I'm also going to start working for the company," he said, winking at her.
"No, you don't. Raven!" Brienne said. She knows Raven is planning something more. Raven sheepishly smiled, and Brienne could only heave a sigh and shake her head.
"Don't be mad at me, baby," Raven said.
"I'm not," Brienne replied, continuing to eat.
"But you are!" Raven exclaimed. "Come on, baby," he said and got up. He went and opened the cupboard where a bouquet of flowers lay. He grabbed it and handed it to Brienne.
"I'm sorry," he said with puppy eyes. Brienne accepted the flowers, and her heartbeat fastened.
"Okay, fine," she replied.
"But please tell me everything beforehand. I don't want to be kept in the dark. My parents did that, and I didn't like it at all," she said. Raven fell silent. He forced a smile and kissed Brienne's forehead.
"I'm sorry," he sincerely said. He also expressed regret for concealing his true identity from Brienne. Raven went back to his chair and continued eating.
After they finished their meal, Brienne was getting ready to leave the house when the door burst open.
"Good morning everyone," Carter greeted upon entering the house. Brienne smiled at him and greeted him back.
"Carter, what are you doing here?" Raven asked as he put his hand on Brienne's waist.
"Of course it's to greet the lovely Miss Brienne," he teased.
"Carter," Raven warned. His beast was beginning to grow irritated by his beta's actions. Carter smiled and raised his hands upon hearing the Alpha's warning. He won't gain anything if he provokes him further.
"Alright, I'm stopping here," he said. "Anyways, are you two going now? Can I hitch a ride? I'm going to attend an event in the city," Carter said.
"What is it?" Raven asked. Carter fixed his gaze on Raven, while Brienne, who was observing them, looked puzzled.
"Guys?" she asked. "You guys were silent," she added.
"I'm sorry, baby. He's not going to join us," Raven said.
"Yep, sorry, Miss Brienne. I'll see you guys later!" Carter said and went out of the packhouse. Weirdened by his actions, Brienne just shrugged her shoulders.
"Let's go, baby," Raven said and took her bag. They got inside the car, and Raven drove away.
Brienne has just observed the town. Even early in the morning, she could already see people walking to their respective destinations. When she asked about the population to Raven, he answered roughly one thousand five hundred. The town was rich and beautiful, despite having a small population.
"I'll tour you around on the weekend," Raven said and smiled. "You'll like it," he added.
They arrived at Brienne's office building, but Brienne was confused when he parked in front of the entrance and handed his keys to the valet.
"Thank you," he said. The valet nodded as he waited. Raven opened the door on Brienne's side and leaned forward.
"Why here?!" Brienne asked and glared at him.
"Baby, I don't want to hide you. You deserve to be shown off," Raven said with all seriousness.
"But Raven!" Brienne said, seeing the people start gathering and watching with their hawk eyes. They were all curious. Eagerly waiting for the person who will get out of Raven's car.
"Let's talk about this later," she sternly said, making Raven gulp and go out of the car. Brienne bowed her head as Raven walked beside her, putting his arm on her shoulder. They entered the building, and the murmurs of people behind them likely spread the news throughout the entire building.
Brienne pushed the button to her department's floor in the private elevator that the CEO and the company's investors used, all the while ignoring Raven. She needs him to realize what he did was wrong. When the elevator opened, Brienne left, leaving Raven inside. Once she entered her department, the whispers and stares began to irritate her. She breathed deeply and sat on her chair.
"What was that?" Janice asked and handed her the folder.
"I'm genuinely upset with him for his actions," she responded, rolling her eyes.
"Uh-oh," Janice muttered.
"He said he didn't want to hide me, but Nice I don't want everyone to stare at me as if I'm some sort of thing. You understand me, right?" Brienne asked and pouted her lips.
"Of course I do, but don't stress about it too much. Remember, you are pregnant; you need to take it easy," Janice said, whispering the 'preggy' part. "Here are some dates," she said, passing her the jar of dates she had bought.
"Thanks, nice," Brienne whispered, taking the jar.
"You're welcome, everything for my godchild," she whispered. "Now, how was your day at his house?" she said.
"It's good; I love the place. It's peaceful and suitable for my condition," she replied. "You can come visit me; Raven said it's okay," she added with a smile.
"Sure, I will do that, but for now I have to go. These leeches were glaring holes in my back," Janice said, chuckling. Brienne smiled at her friend and began working while ignoring everyone.