Chapter 79
Letitia blinked and thought of something âDid you go see me in the Jewelry Department in person?â
He averted his eyes and didnât answer.
âAlright, alright! Iâm getting out of here and will leave the lovebirds here.â Phedra, having achieved her goal, had no interest in sticking around. âItâs your call to do the check-up or not.â
Right on cue, the doctor walked in. âLetitia Sanders, get ready. Lie down on that bedâ
She stood rooted to the spot.
Elginâs gaze flitted over the words âUltrasound Room,â and his lips twitched.
Youâre her husband, right? The doctor put on some sterile gloves. âPerfect timing. You can see how the babyâs developing.â
An awkward silence filled the air.
The doctor urged, âWhat are you spacing out for? This is a color ultrasound. We can get a clear picture of the baby.â
Letitia reached out to pull Elgin away, but before she could touch him, he said, âOkay.â
Letitia was taken back. What? Okay? What did he mean by that?
Elgin was already by the machine, and the doctor was all set up, waiting on her.
With no choice left, Letitia bit the bullet and lay down.
The cold instrument began gliding over her lower abdomen.
Doing his duty, the doctor explained, âLook, this is the fetus. Itâs still early, so itâs not super clearâ¦â
Letitia didnât even dare to look at Elginâs face. It wasnât his child, yet here he was, patient enough to check on the fetus.
Those few short minutes felt longer than an entire day to her.
Finally, when she heard the doctor say he had finished checking, Letitia bolted up and made for the door.
With his long legs and quick strides, Elgin caught up to her instantly. You came here just because Phedra told you to?â
âShe dragged me here.â
âYou couldnât call for help? Huh?â
LL
Elgin cut her off. âDid Phedra do anything to you?â
Letitia shook her head.
âYou sure?â
âYeah, it was just a straightforward examination,â she replied. âIâm fine.â
She didnât have the guts to tell Elgin about the paternity test.
What should she do next?
Once the results were out, Phedra would broadcast it far and wide!
That would be bad news!
Frantically brainstorming a plan, Elgin suddenly extended his hand. âPhoneâ
She handed it over.
Eiginâs fingers, defined and elegant, tapped away on the screen before returning it to Letitia. âThere.â
âWhat did you set up?â
âA one-touch SOS App, Elgin answered. âNext time something like this pops up, just press the button, and my phone gets an alarm, pinpointing your locationâ
Letitia blurted out. Thatâs like surveillance! Youâll know everywhere I go!â
His expression darkened slightly. âTm protecting youâ
âEven without this App, itâs a piece of cake to me if I want to know where you are,â Elgin snorted. âBesides, it only locks on your location after you hit the alarm.â
Letitia was silent for a few seconds before asking, âCan I change the emergency contact?â
âNopeâ Elgin said icily.
Letitia sighed in resignation. Fine, she could only deal with it
Elgin was looking out for her safety, after all.
Still, what mattered more to Letitia was stopping Phedra from getting that paternity test done!
She couldnât do it alone, so she sought out Vidonia and spilled the beans.
âThat old womanâs crafty as hell, Vidonia pondered. âWe canât let her get her way and mess with my godson!â
âVidonia, got any tricks up your sleeve?â
âDonât worry. Iâll handle it. I got your back.â
Letitia asked, âWhatâs the plan?â
Vidonia leaned in and whispered. âIâll sneak into the hospital tonight and cause a little havoc to ensure the test canât go smoothly.â âWill that work?â
Tve got a Plan B!â Vidonia replied. âIf Phedra can bribe a doctor, so can I! The big boss is yet to come.â
Letitia was about to say more, but Vidonia patted her shoulder. âChill, girl Iâm on it. Get back to work.â
Vidonia was always full of mischief and sharp as a tack, so it should be no problem.
It was fortunate to have a best friend who would step in for the rescue.
Shela lounged on the balcony of Breezy Bay Candos, munching on pricey fruit and soaking up the sun.
She had failed to have sex with Elgin, but the fake drama sheâd stirred was enough. She would take it low and steady. After all, she was the only one in on the secret. Even Elgin was under the impression that he had been intimate with her.
Mark sat across from her. âShela, howâs it going with Mr. Ramirez?â
âSmooth sailing. Dad, Iâm on it.â
âAh, thereâs a hitch, though. As long as Letitiaâs around, I canât rest easy.â
Shela inquired, âWhatâs up?â
âSheâs carrying Mr. Ramirezâs child, and with every passing month, itâs more obvious. Sheâs with Mr. Ramirez every day. And if he finds out the childâs his by accident, weâre toast!â
Shela brushed it off. âNonsense. Youâre overthinking it.â
âNo, donât take it lightly,â Mark said. âLately, Iâve got this feeling. Someoneâs been digging into my affairs and tailing meâ
âWho? You got enemies?â
âItâs Mr. Ramirezâs people.â Mark was fraught with worry. âHeâs so smart and sharp. God knows how long we can keep him in the dark before he exposes our little schemesâ¦â
Shela tensed up at that.
Why would Mr. Ramirez suddenly be on her dadâs tail?
âSo, Shela, I suspect Mr. Ramirez smells a rat and doubts the woman that night is you, so heâs started investigating again.â
âWhat?â Shela shot up. âWhat do we do now? I donât want to lose Mr. Ramirez!â
Mark rubbed his hands anxiously, thoughts racing. There has to be a way out. It canât go on like this. Time waits for no one.â
âIve got it! Mark clapped his hands. âIf Letitia can get pregnant, Shela, why canât you?â
âMe? Get pregnant?â
âYeah. Letitia got knocked up that night, and since you took her place, you can claim youâve conceived the child that night!â
Shele instinctively touched her stomach, thinking that she didnât have sex with Mr. Ramirez and could not just get pregnant out of
Chapter 79
Mark saw her concerns and reassured her, âNo sweet, Shela. Just fake a pregnancy for now. During this time, rack your brain for ways to cling to Mr. Ramirez more, turn on the charm, and get cracking on making a baby for real! We canât let Letitia keep having the upper hand!â
âAlright,â Shela agreed in a heartbeat. Thatâs the only option Iâve got.â
She could only play it by ear, faking a pregnancy first and snatching back Mr. Ramirezâs affection.
Tve got things covered at the hospital,â Mark declared. âAll you need to do is pull the wool over Mr. Ramirezâs eyes, convince him beyond a doubt that it was you he was with that night.â
Like father, like daughter. They struck a chord and got moving on their plan immediately.
AquaCity Hospital was buzzing with an unusual energy that day.