Andin barely remembered getting blood drawn. The nurse had been chatting away as she had done her job, smiling and laughing at her own jokes. However, for her, it felt like she existed inside a bubble at this moment. The outside world was not penetrating the fog over her mind, and the numbness only increased as she stopped at the drugstore and purchased a pregnancy test.

Was she pregnant? The question swirled around and around inside her head. She wondered if it was even possible. Unfortunately for her, it was possible. She and Sebastian had unprotected sex that morning, and now they might be facing the consequences of it. Andin took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly.

What would she do if it turned out that she was truly pregnant? Sebastian would have to know. The baby would definitely be his and she was not going to keep that kind of information from him after all, she had grown up without a father. She knew firsthand how hard it had been, she would not let her child suffer through that.

Andin looked at the pregnancy test box. It was such an innocuous device. Yet it had the potential of completely changing her life forever. She drew in a deep breath and decided that once and for all, she had to know. She had to do it. There was no point in putting it off any longer. If she knew, then she could start making plans, regardless of what the outcome was. So she carried the test into the bathroom. She felt very nervous.

She sat on the toilet seat and peed on the stick. "Please be negative," she begged.

Once she flushed the toilet, she went outside the bathroom and waited. She did not want to look at it, she did not want to see what it said but she had to. Taking a deep breath, she turned the test over. There were two lines that appeared. Andin shook the stick but nothing happened.

"I'm pregnant," she said with a sigh.

The test dropped and clattered on the floor yet she barely even noticed. Her mind was completely numb. She was pregnant and the father of her child was her boss who did not believe in love. Suddenly she was not only repressing herself from vomiting, but she was also developing a headache. She had always known that it was a possibility and she knew the chance of it was quite high but she really had hoped that it still would be negative. Unfortunately, it was not and now she had to think clearly which was quite hard to do given the situation at hand.

Andin stumbled over to the couch and sat heavily. She knew she had to tell Sebastian as soon as possible. She realized that the best thing she had to do would be pick up the phone and call him. He needed to be involved in this matter because this was his child too. But with Maria's threat, she could not risk her finding out and sending the photos to the newspapers. She could not risk him getting sued for something he did not do. She could not let him get hurt.

A baby. What was she supposed to do with a baby? She lived in a one-bedroom apartment and she worked five days a week. She was still single. And she submitted her resignation letter and forfeited her salary this month. On top of being pregnant, she needed to find a job. Panic started to form in her chest, a heavy lump that made it hard to breathe. She could not have a baby but at the same time, she did not think she could bring herself to have an abortion. There was too much to think about. Suddenly, nine months stretched out before her, and the end of it seemed far too close.

"Damn!" Andin brushed the sweat off her forehead and leaned back against the back of the couch.

Would Sebastian know what to do? This was his child too. But finding out his thoughts required telling him, and she simply could not do that right now. Andin slumped down on the pillows of the couch. She wanted to scream and rant and rage.

She took a deep calming breath and reminded herself, "I am a strong woman. I can do this."

The tiredness took over and soon she fell into a deep slumber. Both her body and mind were tired and all she needed at the moment was rest.

* * *

The day without Andin was hard. Her replacement, Maria Gonzales, was not as good as Andin. Not only was she sycophantic, but she was nowhere near as efficient. Sebastian realized that Andin obviously had been spoiling him with how good at her job she was. At the end of the day, he was more than happy when Maria clocked out exactly on time, not staying back even a moment longer to finish any work.

In the middle of that afternoon, he grabbed his phone and sent Andin a text.

Miss Gonzales is not as good as you. It made me appreciate you more.

However, it appeared that Maria had something different in her mind because, by the time the clock hit five, she walked into his office through the connecting door instead of leaving the building. Unfortunately, Sebastian did not see her, his eyes were fixed on the screen as he read the draft of a contract sent by Thornton's legal team. The sound of something dropping on the floor attracted his attention to the floor where there was a pool of someone's coat there. He looked up and his eyes caught Maria's. "Are you okay, Miss Gonzales?"

"I am so sorry, Sir. I was just going to tell you that I am leaving and ask if you need anything." She bent forward and grabbed her coat then wobbly rose to her feet. "Oh, no. I am not feeling well." Her legs wobble as if she was going to fall any moment.

Sebastian rose from his seat and walked over to the table to her side. His hand caught her arm just in time before she swayed. "What is wrong, Miss Gonzales? Perhaps you should sit." He led her to the nearest chair and brought her down to sit.

"My head is feeling a little bit dizzy, Sir. I am so sorry." Maria put one hand on his shoulder as if to support herself while her other hand massaged her temple.

"Okay. Perhaps you should go to a doctor just to check and make sure it is nothing serious." He frowned. Something like this had never happened before and he was not sure what to do. Then he realized how Maria's hand which previously had been on his shoulder had slid to the side of his neck. "You should get some days off, Miss Gonzales. I will call the temp agency to send someone tomorrow."

"No!" Her response was sudden and full of energy which was the opposite of her weak body and that alone was odd. Her voice weakened in her next sentence as she said, "I think this is because I skipped lunch today. I should be fine once I have dinner. Though I am not sure I can drive tonight."

"That is alright." Sebastian took her hand off his neck and put it on her lap. "I will have you taken home."

"Really, Sir?" Her eyes blinked several times and she was about to reach out for him but he took a step back. So instead she clapped both hands in front of her chest. "Thank you so much."

"No worries. I will inform Pedro now." He walked towards his desk and picked up his phone. He quickly typed a message to his driver and then sent it.

"Um, I—I am sorry." Maria looked every bit confused as she rose to her feet. "Pedro?"

Sebastian slid his phone into the pocket of his suit. He looked up to Maria and gave her a polite smile. "Yes. My personal driver. I just told him to stand by in the lobby. You can take him for the night." He walked back to his desk and sat behind his desk. "Have a good dinner, Miss Gonzales."

Then as if he had just closed a business deal, he turned his poker face back on and slid his gaze back to his computer screen. He had gone through this before. This was the reason he had to fire at least a dozen women who had been his secretary and all because they had fallen for him. Even though Maria was unlike the last one who had been even crazier for she had thrown herself naked at him during office hours, he did not want to risk it. Furthermore, he had some feelings for Andin and although he was not completely convinced that it was love — since he still did not believe that it actually existed — but his sister, Clarabelle, had been right. He had to give himself a chance, he had to give both him and Andin a chance.

It had not been easy since Andin had been blowing his call off and she was not at her house as she took a few days off to be her mother — furthermore her friend, Damon's lips had been sealed and he did not wish to tell Sebastian where Andin's mother lived. Yet he simply would not quit. Every day after work he went to her place and talked to her friend. He knew he probably annoyed her friend with his incessant questions but he knew one day, Damon would cave in. Even if he would not, one of these days Andin would eventually come home and then he would be able to talk to her. Whatever he had done wrong or whatever caused her to leave him, he would try his best to convince her to give themselves a chance.

He cared for all of his employees and he had done his best to make sure they knew they were appreciated but right now. However, the last thing he ever wanted was to be kind to a woman such as Miss Maria Gonzales and then have her mistake his kindness for something else.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the confused look on Maria Gonzales's face however he stayed focused on his screen and continued working. He watched her back as she put her coat on, concealing her exposed skin that was not hidden by her tiny dress. He did not trust her, not even one bit. There was something about her that seemed off, something that was not right. He pulled his phone out again and dialed Pedro's number. Little did people know that other than being his personal driver, Pedro was also his personal assistant and his personal bodyguard. He was one of the few people he trusted. He was also one of those who had signed a non-disclosure agreement and would not spill his secrets to anyone.

"Pedro, I have a little assignment for you. You must be discreet about this."

* * * * * * *

What assignment did Mister Summers give to Pedro? Can anyone take a guess? ;)