I had not been able to make it back home as I returned to my car. I had parked on the side of the road within reach of a bar. Hopefully all had gone well with Ash and that she wasn't too much of a nuisance for Ralph. So much for sticking together when I had returned to the house in the next world, Ash was nowhere to be found. Unlike her, I could not sense her location as she could mine.

Today was also the day that I would finally be rid of Mallory and her bluff. In a way, I couldn't wait to hear the results of the paternity and have the last laugh at them all.

The traffic on the road was lighter than expected, and it didn't take me long before I was outside my home, as I was entering, Ralph was leaving.

"Where are you going?" I asked Ralph.

"To fulfil another long request before this evening," he replied, giving me a signal with his eyes, "the study requires it."

I nodded, putting my hands to my face, Ash, what was she up to?

"Well then, Sir, I will be off." Ralph headed in the direction of his car. "I have someone prep to do my duties as needed."

I opened the front door and passed the kitchen but didn't felt hungry. My appetite had decreased since yesterday, I wondered why? Maybe it was too much thinking, stress perhaps? Was I still able to feel that? I might need to pay a visit to the doctor soon.

I made my way to the study and opened the door to find that Ash had made the entire area hers. She had everything in here a bed, clothes, panties which were thrown here and there and a suitcase of shoes. The only reminder that it was a study was the bookcases that remained.

She merely glanced at me as I entered, saying nothing in return.

My eyebrow rose, "Your majesty," I proclaimed in a very jesting manner.

"What do you expect to lock me down in a dusty book room and for me to be contented?"

"Dusty? This study was well kept."

"Whatever."

"Where were you anyway? I thought we were sticking together after what had happened."

"I had something else to do."

"You mean help those people? I told you the end result. You are merely wasting your time that could be spent elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" She gave me a mocking face and squeezed her fist. "Protecting you from what seems to be your own problem? Look, you have your way of thinking and I have mine."

"Well, at least give me notice when you are going to leave."

"Okay, father, took you a while to come back."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I am----"

A knock came on the door. "Mr. Foster? A Ms. Mallory is here requesting to see you."

Mallory, I thought as I gripped my left fist tightly. I was not expecting her so soon. I felt a sudden burst of rage as I hit my hand on the table. "Stay here, do what you like," I said to Ash.

I look towards the door, "Tell her I am coming soon."

"Ok," the maid replied as the footsteps left the door.

"Seems like you have other troubles," Ash said, as I was about to leave.

"Yeah, it should be over with today, hopefully," I said as I left.

I took my time going down the stairs. Half of me dreaded to see her, and the other half of me wanted to push it in her face when the news came back.

I was now, face to face with her. My hardened face was shattered as her dress made me glance twice at her. I was prepared for war, not to be teased in such a manner. I took in how beautiful she was, nothing like the first time she was here. When was the last time I had seen her look like this?

It took me back for a while before I regained my composure and was able to speak.

"Where is the little girl?" I asked.

"She is with Kim, I didn't think it would be appropriate for her to be here for the news or details."

"I understand, you don't want to break her heart as you did with mine?"

"What?" She snarled before composing herself again. "Look, Domenic, I will let the results speak for itself."

"Okay then," I replied as I walked outside.

"Wait," she said as she came close to me, "I was hoping we could go together."

"Why you have your own car?" I said.

"Just for this moment, I promise no Kim or Andrew like before. The results and back here, that is all."

I thought about it for a while, what could be the harm of just driving her? Besides, when the news comes back that I am not the father, I will be the one with the most to say and she wouldn't be able to duck me.

I smirked to myself, "Okay, no problem, just for today."

We both got into the car and headed to the private hospital for the results.

***

The ride to the office was pure torture. I had inhaled that intoxicating perfume. I took several glances at her shape and pronounced figure in that dress. So that was her game seduction? Too bad it horribly failed as we both stepped into the hospital. I felt as if I had just passed one hell of an exam.

"Mr. Foster," a doctor's voice called for me. They were quiet whispers as we both directly passed the onlookers of people outside an office.

In the office, the doctor offered us something to drink before he got the test results out. He spent some time talking about irrelevant information about how it all works.

"What is the result doctor?" I asked impatiently, checking the time.

"The child," he began as he cleared his throat, he looked at me like his life depended on it, "the child is yours."

"What!!?" I shouted, standing to my feet the chair I was in fell to the ground. "That can't be right. Let me see that." I snatched the paper from his hand. I started to read the scientific nonsense on the paper, but looked at the keywords.

"I told you, didn't I, Domenic. That the child is yours, our child."

"I don't believe this, can I have a retest?"

"It is credible to the amount stated in the paper," the doctor said meekly.

"Nothing is one hundred percent bring me someone else higher than you!?" I shouted, causing him to flee the room as if being chased by some sort of predator. I heard his footsteps running down the hall.

I paced the room back and forth, my hands moving from my head to my chest. I muttered and started pieces of words that I didn't finish. It was almost as if I was trying to create some form of incantation.

All the while, I peered that wicked smile upon that viper's face. She was enjoying this. What had she done? Did she pay the doctor, the staff, was Andrew involved somehow?

A million questions boggled my mind with a million paranoid answers to boot. The novice returned with a far more senior doctor. It was easy to tell he looked like he had lived four lifetimes already.

Good, I thought, this man would surely be able to tell that this is all utter nonsense or so I had thought.

The more I listened, the more I slumped down in the chair. The doctor was placing stake after stake in my heart. I am the father, I am the father, rang and rang over in my head. Now utterly defeated a hand touched mine, it was cold to my heated body.

"It is okay, Domenic," the voice said as I came back to reality. I turned to see it was Mallory. "I did tell you the child was yours."

We were going through the motions as the doctors bid us goodbye and we left. Reaching the car park my mind started to ponder. Had I ran back into the noose I thought I had escaped from? There was silence as we got inside the car and I began to drive us to my home.

The house of Cassis blared on the radio; the gist of it was nothing new: more acquisition of land by them, more layoffs of staff, and more moves to robotics blared on the news. That bastard, I thought, he wanted everything. Today was also the day of the proposal against him.

Mallory had not shut up since the drive had started about the test. I tried to drown her out by listening to the news, but it was not really like I wanted to hear about that man's success. I sighed to myself as I was stuck between two walls.

"So," she said as we neared closer to the house. "Are you going to step up and be a father?"

"Yes," I reluctantly replied, "I have no choice."

Even though I still don't think that the child is mine. I said in my head.

"That is not how you should look at this," she said, as we pulled up outside of the house and got out of the car.

"Since she is mine, she stays here only here and you visit on whatever days. I have to talk to my lawyer Eric to arrange that."

She followed me to the house. "We don't have to go through all of that. We can just work things out betwe---"

I heard a crashing noise onto the ground behind us. There was an intense pressure in the air that made it hard to breathe, it was squeezing my body. My knees shook as it tumbled under the invisible weight. I grasped the wall to keep myself steady. In the corner of my eye, Mallory was lying flat upon the ground, luckily she had fallen onto the grass. Glass crashed onto the floor from the inside of the house. Barely able to tear away from the pressure, I witnessed the collapsing of the workers inside. What the hell was going on? I wondered as my legs continued to wobble for dear life. I took deep breaths as they finally seemed to stop.

A loud snarl came behind me, as I felt the presence of an ominous force.

A voice spoke, "I told you, didn't I? We can't be killed."