The next day I head straight to HR to inform them that I will be giving my 30-day notice. The HR director luckily didn't ask any questions but I could tell she would have if it weren't so busy at the company during the holidays. The next stop I had was to get to the hall and begin the process of setting all the tables, chairs, stage, and backdrops up by Friday. The venue that the gala will take place is in the August Hall which is the opposite way from the office.
As I get inside the hall I see that the planner's assistant has arrived and is directing her crew of helpers to begin set up. The hall itself has different rooms and the main room is where the event will be held. The ballroom is an old fashioned style hall with a built-in bar at the entrance and the stage across the other end of the room. The venue itself is two stories and the upstairs level will be converted into a VIP lounge for all of our executives and board members of the company. The main level of the ballroom will be made into the dance floor and in another room outside of the hall will be the dining/seating area for the gala.
When I meet with the assistant, Lisa, we split off into teams to get the set-up done faster. Towards 5 o'clock we begin decorating the tables and chairs with the tablecloths. We all call it a day when it's 8 o'clock and so far we have finished decorating the dining hall with its centerpieces. The next day we plan to set up the photo booth, the stage, and the entryway for the event. After locking up for the night I head home because I have an early morning appointment. This appointment will tell me how far along I am and receive my prenatal care. I must have been tired today because all I remember was falling asleep as soon as I took a shower.
The next day I wake to a morning text from Xander wanting to know if we could have dinner after I leave the hall. I agree only because I promised myself that I wanted to spend as much time with Xander before I leave the company and break things off with him.
My appointment at the clinic, I learn that I'm 3 and a half weeks along and am given my prenatal care as well as scheduling my next appointment in three months. I really can't believe I'll be a mother soon and a single one. I know I shouldn't keep this pregnancy from him but the only way to help Xander is for it remain a secret. My head is swimming with guilt that I make myself pull over on the side of the road to vomit. Great. Morning sickness already has begun. After drinking some water I get back on the road to drive to the hall.
As soon as I get to the hall, I direct everyone to decorate the main hall and by lunchtime, the ballroom for the moment is finished. I feel confident that we might be out on time. The company I booked for the photo booth has arrived to set up their station outside the ballroom but as I'm instructing some workers on the color lighting I suddenly hear someone gasp from the entryway.
"What is going on here?" The figure from the entrance demands and I have to squint in the dimly lit hall to recognize the figure. It's Olivia. Great. She emerges from the entryway and is dressed in a short pencil skirt, and a crop top with a blazer draped over her shoulders.
"I said what's going on here?" She says as she approaches me.
"Olivia, I wasn't aware that you would come by." I really didn't know she was supposed to be here.
"Well it's my husband's gala so I should be the one organizing this event," I swear she is drunk because I can smell the hint liquor as she speaks and her eyes are glassy.
"Olivia I think you should go home. Everything is almost done being set up and I think it's best you go gets some rest." She should go because the last time she drank she got violent.
"I think you're out of commission because I'm going to be the one taking charge." She says matter of factly.
"Says who?" At this point, I'm getting a little tired of her charade.
"Says the ring on my finger." Okay, now I'm annoyed that she is willing to pull that card on me. "Right! So everyone please stop what you're doing and pay attention to my instructions..." As she speaks I walk out of the hall to send a text message to Xander about Olivia. As I'm sending the text I feel a little light-headed and my vision becomes blurry. The next second I feel my eyes close.
What seems like forever, I open my eyes to see that I'm laying on a hospital bed and When I turn towards my left side I see Xander sitting on a chair next to me. He is slumped over in his seat while his head rests in his hands on his knees.
"Xander?" I ask waking him.
"You're finally awake." He says dreamily and sits up to rest his hand on mine. I must have been here for a while.
"What happened?" All I can recall is that I made it to the venue of the gala, I saw Olivia, and somehow I ended up here.
"A worker found you on the floor and immediately called an ambulance to shuttle you to the hospital. I made it to the venue to send a car to Olivia but I heard what happened to you and went straight here. You were out for a couple of hours and the doctor has yet to check on you." He says. Well at least I feel okay but I do have a small headache and I want to know what the doctors have to say about me. "Do you need anything?" My head is still buzzing from fainting.
"Water please?" I ask and Xander gets up from his chair to grab a water bottle off the hospital nightstand.
"Here." He says handing me the water, I grab the water from Xander and take a sip of it. After my drink, I feel a little better. As I'm about to speak to Xander I see a nurse enter my room.
"Your awake that's good. I'll be grabbing the doctor to check up on you." She says while grabbing my chart at the end of my bed and leaves my room. Minutes later I see a female doctor in a white labcoat enter my room.
"Ms. Fuller I'm Dr. Anderson, I see here that you fainted and took a fall. Thank goodness someone was there to take you here. Well, I'm going to check your vitals and if everything is good I'll send you home with your friend." She says looking at Xander. I nod in agreement and she begins checking my heart rate, checking if I had a concussion, and took my blood pressure. After she's done she leaves my room. As I'm waiting for her to come back I tell Xander to not worry about me and that I can grab an Uber to take me home but Xander insisted on driving me back in my car because his chauffeur drove him. I keep insisting I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself but he insists on taking me back so I accept defeat and allow him. The doctor comes back with a folder and a clipboard.
"Well, everything seems to be fine. It appears you fainted from stress. I advise that you eat because on your chart it shows that you had low blood sugar levels. Also, you should keep your stress levels at bay because it could be fatal to your child that you're carrying. Other than that you're free to leave." She says and leaves the room. For a moment I forget Xander is in the room when she mentioned my child.
"Natalia, what does she means about "child your carrying"? " He asks. Shit. I can't believe he heard it. "Well?" Xander asks again.
"Xander I-I..." I can't say what I want to say and I feel the tears well up in my eyes.
"You what? Tell me, Natalia?" He reaches for both of my hands. I can't look at him so I let my eyes rest on our hands.
"I-I'm pregnant," I say at last and I feel my shoulders relax. I wait for his response but he doesn't say anything. I decide to look up at him and all I see is no emotion. Great, he's angry at me.
"Whose is it?" He says in a steel tone.
"Yours," I say in a whisper for some reason.
"How long did you know?" Xander continues to ask in his emotionless tone. I hesitate to tell him but then I remember I should just be honest with him about all of this.
"Xander I-" He cuts me off.
"How long?" He repeats.
"Since Monday." I see Xander take a deep breath and pull his hair. He has every right to be angry and upset with me but I need to let him cool off before I can say anything. I know he wouldn't hurt me but I'm afraid what he has to say because this silence between us is louder than any yelling I've heard.
YOU ARE READING
Billionaire Daddy
RomanceNatalia Fuller has had a difficult upbringing in her early adolescence but she has learned to come out strong. As a result, she has a wonderful full-time job as an assistant to a successful CEO with whom she has a fascination with since starting at...
