Ch.101

Ch.101
I had no idea why Irene would say she didn't like Allison. I mean, the girl was a sweetheart. Sure, she was a little quiet, maybe even a bit awkward, but that was understandable given the situation.

I kneeled down beside Irene and stroked her hair gently. "Irene, darling, come here. She's really nice, and she's my friend. She's going to be staying here for a while."

Irene crossed her arms and pouted. "But I don't like her."

I glanced at Travis, hoping he would step in and help. He sighed, rubbing his temples before speaking.

"Irene, with time, you'll get to like her, okay?" he said patiently. "Just come now. Let's go eat, then you can shower and sleep. Deal?"

She hesitated but eventually nodded. "Yes, Daddy."

With that, we made our way to the dining room.

As we took our seats, I noticed Allison standing near the table, looking unsure of where to sit. She shifted on her feet, clearly feeling out of place. I could sense the tension-both Travis and Irene were acting strange towards her, and she wasn't sure how to navigate it.

"Come sit here," I said, patting the chair beside me.

She smiled slightly and took the seat. "Thank you, Ayanna."

Before I could respond, Travis's voice cut through the room, his tone firm.

"Why are you calling my wife by her name?" he asked, his gaze locking onto Allison. "Shouldn't it be Mrs. Sinclair to you?"

I groaned internally. Not in front of the child, Travis.

"Oh my gosh," I muttered, shaking my head. "Travis, not in front of Irene. I just told her we were friends."

Travis shrugged, clearly not backing down.

I turned to him with a small frown. "There's nothing wrong with my friend calling me by my name. After all, I asked her to remove any formalities."

Travis didn't argue further, though he didn't look pleased.

We continued eating in silence for a while before Allison spoke up again.

"I heard, Ayanna, that you were an escort for years. What made you do that?"

I froze. The spoon in my hand stopped mid-air as my mind processed her words. Did she really just ask me that?

I placed my spoon down carefully and forced a small, fake smile. "The same reason you're doing surrogacy now."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Before I could say anything else, Irene, who had been quietly eating, suddenly spoke up.

"Mummy, what's an escort?"

I stiffened. Just great. I was about to answer when Travis beat me to it.

"Princess, she escorted me as a personal assistant for some time before we got married. That's what it means."

Irene squinted her eyes at him. "Then she should have said personal assistant. Aunt, are you dumb?"

I covered my mouth to suppress my laugh while Allison looked flustered.

"Irene," I said, shaking my head. "That's not nice. Apologize."

She sighed dramatically. "Sorry, Aunt Allison."

"It's fine," Allison said quickly, still looking embarrassed.

I decided to change the subject. "Let's just eat. I'm tired and would like to sleep.

After dinner, I cleared the table and took Irene upstairs to put her to bed. I read her a short bedtime story, kissed her goodnight, and quietly left her room.

When I returned to my bedroom, I found Travis already lying down, scrolling through his phone. He didn't say anything as I got into bed beside him, but I could tell something was off.

I sighed, resting my head on his chest. "Travis... I know you don't like this arrangement, but think about it. You weren't around during Irene's birth. Maybe this time, you could be involved."

He exhaled deeply, setting his phone down. "I know, Aya. Just don't worry about it. I'm not angry."

I wanted to believe him, but his tone wasn't convincing.

Just then, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I picked it up and saw a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: We need to talk. It's important.

I frowned, wondering who it might be at this hour.

"What's wrong, Ayanna?" Travis asked, noticing my reaction.

I quickly deleted the message and put my phone down. "It's nothing. Just a text from an unknown number. Probably spam."

He narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't push further.

"Goodnight, Travis. I need some sleep."

"Goodnight, love." He kissed me softly before turning off the bedside lamp.

I lay there in the dark, my mind racing because it brought back memories of Elijah, but he's in prison.

Who could it be?

A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of another message arriving on my phone. I hesitated before reaching for it.

Unknown: It's me, Henry.

I sat up instantly, my heart pounding. Henry? How the hell did he get my number?

Me: How did you get my contact?

Henry: I got it from Tyler.

I cursed under my breath. Of course. I never changed my number. Tyler still had it, which meant Henry could have easily gotten it from him.

Me: And why did you want my contact?

Henry: Can we meet? We need to talk.

Me: No. I don't have anything to say to you.

Henry: I suggest you oblige. It's very important.

I hesitated. What could be so important that he wanted to meet face-to-face?

Me: What is it? Say it over the phone.

Henry: Just meet me at Vertex Restaurant by 2 PM tomorrow. Don't tell Travis. Also, leave your bodyguard at home.

That last part made me suspicious. Why was he so specific?

Travis stirred beside me, his voice groggy. "Who are you talking to?"

I swallowed hard. "My brother."

Travis frowned. "At this time of the night? Couldn't he wait till morning?"

I forced a small smile. "No, he sent the message earlier, but I must have fallen asleep. I just woke up and replied."

Travis grunted, clearly too tired to care. "Okay, then. Just go back to sleep."

I nodded and put my phone down, lying back beside him. He wrapped an arm around me, and I nestled against his warmth.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't take my mind off the abrupt urgency of the message sent to me.

I was the one who suggested no secrets.

And yet, here I was, keeping one.

I just needed to know what Henry wanted first before telling Travis.

Just as I was starting to drift off, my phone vibrated again. My eyes flew open, and I carefully reached for it, trying not to wake Travis. Another message from Henry.

Henry: Remember, don't tell him. If you do, I might do something you won't like.

I frowned, my fingers hovering over the screen. What does he mean? What could he possibly do?

Before I could respond, another message came in.

Henry: You have a lot to lose, Ayanna. A husband, a daughter... and a surrogate.

I froze.

A surrogate?

My heart pounded as I stared at the screen. How does he know?

No one-absolutely no one-outside of this house and the hospital knew about the surrogacy. Not even Jenny who suggested it I haven't told her yet. Travis and I had agreed to keep it private until the baby was born.

I swallowed hard, my thoughts scattered.

Had the doctor told someone? No, that was impossible. Patient confidentiality wouldn't allow it. Did Allison say something? But to who?

Another message popped up.

Henry: Surprised? You should be. You don't know as much as you think you do. See you tomorrow. And remember-come alone.

I turned to look at Travis, who was still fast asleep. My fingers
. clenched around my phone.

No. He can't know. Not yet.

I needed to find out exactly what Henry wanted before I said anything. If this was a bluff, I couldn't risk overreacting. But if it wasn't...

Who else was watching me? Who else knew?

With shaky hands, I quickly deleted the messages.

Then, I lay back down, staring at the ceiling.

Tomorrow, I would go to Vertex Restaurant. Alone.