Faux Vows, True Desires

After a brief silence, the woman's demeanor softened considerably as she addressed Cecilia. "Ms. Yates, what happened between your man and me was an accident. He probably doesn't even remember wha I look like because he was plastered that night."

"I came to talk to you because I want to discuss the situation. I'm pretty sure you folks don't want the baby I'm carrying. It's tough to raise a kid on my own, so here's what I propose. You give me a lump sum to cover the termination at the clinic, plus a little extra for my trouble, and then we go our separate ways. You won't hear from me again."

Her plan hadn't gone as smoothly as she'd hoped, and she wasn't sure if she could get the rest of the money. It seemed smarter to try and get something from Cecilia while she could.

After all, she wasn't really pregnant. The test results she showed Cecilia were given to her by the man who had hired her to con Cecilia.

She thought this would be an easy job, but Cecilia wasn't playing into her hands, leaving her at a loss.

Cecilia stared at her for a full minute, making her increasingly nervous while she tried to maintain an air of righteousness. It was quite the performance.

"Miss, you haven't told me your last name yet."

"My last name is West."

Of course, that wasn't her real last name. It was just another lie to deceive Cecilia.

Cecilia didn't believe she would reveal her true identity. If she claimed her name was West, then that's what Cecilia would go with.

"Ms. West, if it turns out the child you're carrying is my man's, and you don't want to keep it but just want the money, you'll get it. But not from me. It'll come from your child's father, provided you can prove the baby is indeed his. You can't just expect us to take your word for it. He's not short on cash, but he's not a charity either. You claim that it was a drunken mistake, but just how drunk was he?"

Ms. West replied, "So drunk he blacked out, which is why he doesn't remember my face."

Cecilia chuckled, "Are you sure about that?"

Her question made Ms. West hesitate.

But she insisted, "Yes, he was stinking drunk, could barely stand."

have happened between you

was at a loss

was truly incapacitated by alcohol, he wouldn't be

involved people who were not that far gone; it was the alcohol driving

They wouldn't be able to

drunk. He could

even less likely to get involved with you. Do you even know who you're trying to pin

sent me to destroy your marriage. I just thought the child was his and felt you

He isn't my husband, so there's no spousal

methodically punctured

the man you're trying to trap is the CEO of the Ikella Group, Owen Martinez. You've heard of Owen, right? He's quite famous around Pinehurst. He's been madly in love with Miss Ruby Scott for over a decade, remaining faithful to her, not even entertaining the company of other women. Even his secretary is male. A man like that, how could he possibly have a

West's face

Owen!

was trying to trap was

his unrequited love for the Scott family heiress, envying Ruby

to this wasn't very

Ms. West on this errand, full of

into the background

grabbing her

swiftly grasped

Cecilia's grip, but couldn't, so she

self-defense and, although she typically disliked physical confrontation, especially with other women, she

West swung her purse, Cecilia's

grabbed the purse, yanked it forcefully, and with a flick of her

pulled Ms. West back, firmly seating her down, and sternly