The Ultimate Chance-Chapter 117

"Are you going to forget all about everything else and let one moment define me?" Mina was displeased.

"That moment would have killed my son. Do you expect me to forget it as though it’s nothing worth mentioning?" Avery shot back. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work."

"There is something else." Mina pulled the file out of her hand. "I understand how you feel and if you need time and space to process it, I’ll give you that. But I need you to know that our friendship was not fake nor was it orchestrated by my father."

"If that’s so, was it a coincidence that he chose your friend’s company as a target?" She mockingly questioned. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"I don’t believe so. Not entirely, at least." She tapped Avery’s desk nervously. "Everyone talks about you and you know it. Men can’t help but worship you. Women want to be you—the woman who created an empire from the ground and became a self-made tycoon within four years. It’s not hard for a man like Jose Romano who wanted to clean up his dirty money to choose you as the person he wants to work with. And when he realized I worked for you, he expected me to help him. Filial duty and all that."

"Let’s assume I’m to believe you." Avery decided not to be too biased. "If I’m to believe you didn’t know he wanted to kidnap Angel, and if you didn’t help him, how did that woman know so much about me, including what I was wearing yesterday?"

Mina shut her eyes for a second to gather her thoughts. "If you give me the chance, I’ll find the answers to both of your questions."

"Or you have both answers and need the chance so you can make it sound like you were investigating it." Avery subtly accused her. She stood and poured herself a cup of coffee from the machine Mina had brought to her office before, but which she rarely used since the latter would bring her a cup from Reynolds every morning.

"I want to believe you, I really do." She confessed. "And I know I should. But how can I?"

Mina took a step away from her desk. "For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I understand how difficult it is for you to live with the fact that you thought you knew me only to find out you don’t know me. But I also need you to know our friendship was not orchestrated by anyone and neither was my job here. I’ll give you all the time and space you need to process this but if you need me, you know where to find me."

She waited for Avery to say something and when it became apparent that she wouldn’t say a word, she walked out of the door...only to bump into Gabriel right when she left Avery’s office.

"Give her some time to process things. She will remember how much she cares about you with time." He assured her.

"Easy for you to say. You’re not the one whose entire value reduced to the moment she uncovered a hidden secret." She groaned. He gave her a meaningful gaze which made her remember. "Right. You were there once too. Tell me, what did you do to earn back her trust? She would even let you sit Angel—something she would only allow people she trusts entirely to do."

"Nothing. I only stayed in the lane she wanted me to stay in." He placed his hands on her shoulders in reassurance. "If you ask me, it’s harder to forgive a man you thought was your brother but who turned out to be hiding the fact that you are not related, than a true friend who has always been there for you."

"You are right." She sighed in relief. It would be a shame if all the years of their friendship reduced to nothing so she hoped Avery would think about it later. "Thanks Gabe." She hugged him for comfort.

He spanked her backside and pulled her closer to him. "You can thank me in other ways." He then rubbed her flat stomach. "Did you go for a check up yet?"

"Why do I need to?" She didn’t need to.

"Are you out of your mind? Anything could be a cause for concern, not to mention you went through a traumatizing meeting with that asshole Jose Romano, had a fight, climbed out through a tunnel while carrying a child and ran with this said child still in your arms. Don’t forget the roller coaster of emotions you have been through in the last twelve hours. You should have seen the doctor."

She was helpless. "Gabe, I’m only pregnant. I didn’t turn into glass. Relax." She walked past him towards her office and stopped halfway, holding her stomach and wincing. He was behind her in a flash, sweeping her off the floor before she could register his presence.

"I’m okay. It’s just a...ow! Contraction!"

He glared at her and walked back to Avery’s office in steps she couldn’t imagine him making. He kicked the door open.

"Gabriel! What the hell?" Avery was startled.

"I’m taking her to hospital. Can I take an hour or two off?"

"Is she okay?" She stood in panic, and a moment later, probably rememebered she shouldn’t be caring for Mina. "What are you still doing here? Hurry! Skyline is about a mile away." She nagged.

So he dashed out of the company, ignoring all the stares and questions from the people they passed along the way. Mina was no longer in pain but she was distressed and by the time they arrived, her face was pale in fright.

"Mr. Vaillant?" A nurse asked in the parking lot as soon as they got off the car, as though he had been waiting for them.

"Yes?" He was momentarily confused.

"Miss Vaillant called ahead. Come with me." He instructed Gabriel and pushed forward the stretcher, which Mina refused to get on.

"I’m not getting on the stretcher like I’m helplessly ill." She stubbornly protested.

Without wasting a moment, Gabriel blazed through the halls to the hall the nurse told him to go to, where a doctor was already waiting.

He blew out a breath when he finally lay her down on the bed. "You will be okay. You just need to breathe, okay? I’ll be holding your hand."

Seeing their interraction, the doctor couldn’t help smiling. "Is this your first child?"

"Yes." They answered in unison.

"I understand your nervousness but I need you out of the way, sir. The patient requires some privacy." He instructed him to leave.

He huffed at his statement. "Privacy? How do you think she is carrying my child? Through privacy?"

The doctor facepalmed while the nurses giggled.

"Your presence might affect her emotions. Sir, the longer you stay here, the more time we waste and the more danger your child will be in." He tapped his wrist with his forefinger.

Left without a choice, he left the room but stayed at the door nervously until they had run all the tests and finally let him in.

"Is she okay?" He asked as soon as he was back into the room, and immediately followed up with, "How is the baby?"

"They are both fine."

"Thank heavens." He pocketed his hands to stop himself from hugging her before he was allowed to. "But the pain she felt earlier..."

"Was caused by too much exertion." He took off his gloves as he explained. "The baby is alright but you need to be more careful."

Mina nodded, gently rubbing her stomach and muttering a soft apology to the baby about not being careful and nearly putting it in danger.

Gabriel joined her and sat beside her to hug her. "When can we know whether it’s a boy or a girl?"

Mina shot him a glare. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does." He looked down at her seriously. "If I don’t know whether it’s a boy or a girl, how will I know what theme to decorate the nursery with? Also, should I buy toy vehicles or barbies and ponies? But now that I think about toys, any child can play with any toy. It’s just...I need to get myself ready either way and I can’t wait to find out."

The doctor chuckled at his ramble. "You can find out in nine more weeks."

"I’m three weeks pregnant?" Mina questioned with a chuckle. The doctor didn’t understand why they both laughed but he discharged her after reminding her to be careful and recommending supplements.

Once they were in the car, she couldn’t help laughing to him. "If it’s three weeks and my calculation is correct, that’s the first time we got together."

"I knew that night was up to something." He laughed along. "Not that I regret it."

"I regretted forgetting to take the pill that night but I don’t regret it anymore now that..." she found it awkward to mention how caring he had been earlier so she diverted it. "I mean, I regretted it instantly. Then I remembered to take it afterwards. On no single day did I regret being pregnant."

"I know that now." He led her by the waist. He had thought she was not ready to be a mother and had reluctantly agreed to help her through the process, but after the scare of losing their child, he couldn’t imagine willingly killing it. He would die along with it.

"I’ll call Avery and let her know we are alright."