Chapter 39

“I don’t want to sign over my parental rights.” Calvin shrugged, taking a seat on the couch and pointed to the seat across from him.

“What do you mean?” I frowned and looked over at my parents. “We agreed to that; that’s the whole reason you made me do the paternity test,” I elaborated. He made me go through it for this specific reason. “This is what you wanted, Calvin,” I reminded him, his name leaving my lips as if it were a curse.

“Things have changed,” my mother said calmly, resting her hand on my shoulder.

“You two knew?” I frowned, looking up at my parents. The fact that they didn’t react to this like me proved they were prepared for this conversation.

“He discussed it with us first,” my father muttered.

“You two discussed it first? Are you two carrying the child right now?” I asked out of anger and rolled my eyes at them. This was unbelievable. I didn’t appreciate him talking to my parents about things that revolved around me.

“Okay, honey, I understand you’re angry.” Mom sighed and went to sit down next to me.

“And you have every right to be angry but please just hear him out.” My father took a seat on the other side, having me right between them both.

“After listening to him, you can decide on your own what you want to do,” Mom continued to talk and looked over at Calvin who was overall calm, but god, I hated that look on his face. It was the one he made before pitching an idea. “We just needed to make sure you’d hear him out,” she added. I sighed and looked at Calvin, waiting for him to start talking.

“Well.. the public now knows I’ll be a father,” he blurted out.

“What? How?” I frowned.

“The hospital staff. Internally, there has been a leak.” Calvin shrugged, seeming like he was clueless how it all had happened.

“Are you serious?” I sighed. Did this mean they knew I was the mother of his child? That was literally the last thing I wanted right now. What if people didn’t respect my privacy? My parents did their hardest to protect me from the public. Back in our hometown, the Marinos were a little popular and known for their wealth, but my parents hid and protected me so well that only when I graduated people found out I was part of that Marino family.

“Yes, I have Dr. Julia’s cooperation to find out who the mole is,” Calvin then explained while Mom and Dad got up and left us to be for the moment. I just assumed they already knew the whole story. “Also, don’t worry about your identity. It’s safe,” he assured me, tapping on the coffee table as he looked at me.

“Oh, thank god.” I sighed with relief. So I had nothing to worry about then. I smiled and looked over at my mother who returned with some drinks for us all.

“That’s not the problem, dear.” My mother’s expression wasn’t a happy one which explained a lot now. He wouldn't be here just to tell me that.

“Then?” I asked, looking back at Calvin who still seemed to have a lot to tell me.

“There are rumors that Janelle cheated on Cameron with me and that the child she’s carrying is mine,” he mentioned, which disgusted me. Although I knew Janelle for a short time, I could tell she loved her husband dearly and would never cheat on him.

“What the fuck?” I retorted, the words leaving my mouth without thinking twice. “That’s awful,” I commented sincerely.

“As we’re speaking, there are more and more articles being written and me showing up at the clinic each time along with the paternity test only makes it seem more and more like the truth,” Calvin mentioned, which only made me more upset. I could only imagine what Janelle was going through. Oh my god, that’s why she never replied to any of my messages; she must be going through all of it on her own right now.

“Are you for real?” I asked, a little weirded out how much people were obsessed with the Cartwright family.

“Yes, Lily. It’s stressing Janelle out, and I have a favor to ask. A huge favor.” He cleared his throat. And there it was; he had a favor to ask. From what I’ve learned, Cartwrights always have the oddest favors to ask. My parents would know.

“What exactly do you want from me, Calvin?” I asked, narrowing my eyes on him for a moment, unsure where this was heading.

“Come forward about the pregnancy,” he asked plainly. I stared at him, waiting for him to burst into laughter and continue with his actual favor, but that didn’t happen, and it began to worry me.

“Excuse me?” I asked, wanting to hear it again.

“Tell the truth. You’re the one I impregnated,” Calvin continued. I looked over at my parents, both silent and letting me do this on my own.

“No, do you have any idea how much this will ruin my life?” I stared at him. I could already see it all before my eyes. The intern is fucking the boss for money, fame, and, of course, her job title. I wouldn’t let my hard work go down the drain; plus, if they had no issue dragging poor Janelle’s name like that, I could only imagine what they’d do with mine.

“Please, think about Janelle. I’ll accept this with whatever condition you may have,” Calvin pleaded. He actually pleaded; this was the first time I’d ever seen him needing something from others. He was always someone who had to all; in fact, he always had others surrounding him, asking and begging for something.

“My internship will be deemed invalid if they find out I’m working for my baby daddy,” I reminded him, trying not to think too much of what he had just asked from me. It was a wild thing to do!

“Then I will have someone else evaluate you.” He shrugged casually.

“Calvin, people will talk,” I then said. Obviously, I’d bring up everything I would have an issue with.

“Your parents said you’d say that, and I have been thinking.” He slipped closer to the edge of the seat. “We could say that you becoming pregnant is indeed an accident, but we’ve grown to get to know each other, and you’re a friend of Janelle’s, so we can say we met a little before the pregnancy,” he explained. I stared at him with eyes wide and mouth slightly hung open. He really went ahead and thought of it all.

“You two have been seen together a lot in public,” my father reminded me. I turned to look at her with my brows raised at him. “It would be a little believable.” He shrugged innocently.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, but I’m only asking because of Janelle,” Calvin added, though the tone he had used previously made it seem like he’d keep throwing more on the table until I’d accept.

“Perhaps we should have dinner first before discussing this?” my mother asked, knowing I originally came over for some dinner.

“No.” I shook my head. I wasn’t about to drag this conversation out for longer than it should. I took a deep breath, and I myself couldn’t believe what I was about to say.

“I think I want to do this. We just have to set some very clear rules,” I answered. Calvin’s worried expression soon turned into a relieved one, like this had been stressing him out nonstop. “This must not come and bite me in the ass,” I added, glaring at the man. Now, I didn’t trust him, just like he didn’t trust me in the beginning when we kept meeting up. In fact, I now wondered if he even trusted me right now. He was clearly only here out of desperation. Right?

“It will not. I promise you,” he assured me.

“I think to be safe we should sign on it,” I decided, watching as his brows furrowed.

“A contract?” Calvin asked with a weird look on his face.

“Just to be sure you won’t backstab me in any way.” I shrugged innocently.

“You think I would backstab you?” Calvin asked and sounded quite offended by my idea, but I was sticking to my guns.

“Listen, do you want this or not? You said whatever terms I had,” I reminded him, looking at him with one brow up in an arch. It was bad to say in a case like this, but wow, it felt great to have more power than Calvin Cartwright. To see him in front of me and having to do as I say for him to get his way.

“Fine, Lily. I will read and sign whatever contract you need me to sign.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I just have one request: we do this right now, and tomorrow, we announce the truth.”