C3 An unexpected twist

Aliyah's POV

“I'm pregnant?!”

I looked at the two lines on the pregnancy test strips with my eyes almost bulging out of my head.

“No, no, no, no! This can not be happening!!”

I had been feeling slight dizziness lately but I thought nothing of it, simply suspecting that it was a symptom of PMS, but something told me I could be wrong. I just wanted to be sure and now I had my answer.

I was pregnant by a man who definitely hated me.

**A month earlier**

My eyes opened slowly like an old computer booting into life as they took in the harsh light in this fancy looking room. I could feel the aftermath of the alcohol I took from yesterday unleashing its wrath on me.

Yesterday…

A flash back from the previous day flooded my mind and I immediately sat up despite the sharp headache I was feeling.

I wasn't in my room. I wasn't in my room!

I turned around slowly looking at the man whose arms I rested in just a second ago as he slept peacefully.

My face began to heat up as more vivid memories of the things we did yesterday came racing down.

“Oh God what have I done?” I asked, hugging myself as my eyes darted around the room for my clothes.

I needed to be gone before he woke up, before he saw the woman that gave herself to a man she barely knew.

My face began to heat up even more and my ears burned, my heart raced from the adrenaline as I slowly peeled myself away from the bed, making sure not to wake this big man up.

I began searching for my clothes silently, tiptoeing across the room.

“Where did he put them?” I whispered in frustration.

Suddenly I heard him groan and the hair on the back of my neck immediately stood up as I paused, my heart almost exploded. He was awake.

I turned around slowly looking over my shoulder only to find that he was rolled over still deep in sleep.

A sigh of relief fled my lungs.

At this point I had given up looking for my clothes and just concluded that I'd go home wearing his oversized shirt.

The walk of shame never killed anyone anyway.

It was then I saw it. The safe from yesterday.

I pushed my intrusive thoughts down, about to walk out the door when my shirt got caught in the knob of a cabinet left ajar.

I rolled my eyes in irritation and unhooked my shirt when I found a journal left open inside. There were numbers written on them.

“Are these numbers a password for the safe?” I asked in a hushed voice, careful not to wake him.

I picked up the journal and went to the safe, tapping the numbers on the pads.

And then I heard a click.

My heart flipped with anticipation with what could be inside.

I opened the door swiftly and found nothing but a small box. I took it out looking over my shoulders to make sure he was still sleeping before I looked inside.

There shone 12 blueish green stones. Each the size of a pea. They sparkled in a brilliant dance of blue, captivating me instantly.

“Wow” I gasped.

Then it hit me, the gems, they were obviously worth something, they looked rare. They were nothing I had ever seen before.

A light bulb suddenly appeared in my head. I could sell these and be rich for life. I'd never have to worry about money again.

I closed the box pushing down the pang of guilt for the action I was going to take. Yet a smile laced my face.

I took one last look at the sleeping prince before tiptoeing to the door. Who ever this man was, he was obviously very wealthy.

I tore my gaze away from his handsome face as I sprinted into the hallway.

“I'm sorry” I whispered out of breath, “but I need to do this”

I ran till I bursted out of the building immediately hailing a taxi and I jumped in never looking back.

As soon as I got off the taxi I practically sprinted into my apartment only to be greeted by the hollowing emptiness.

Bryan was gone and so was his stuff. I scoffed, walking in without even an ounce of grief. Good riddance to him.

“Soon I will be out of this dump” I beamed, clutching the box close to my heart. None of this would matter later.

I placed the box on the table and plopped on the couch. I caught a letter on the table, obviously from Bryan.

I threw it in the trash. I didn't need his explanations.

I did a quick search on the Internet using my neighbor's phone on what these gems were and to my greatest surprise I found that they were Alexandrites. They were rarer than diamonds and cost millions.

Without wasting time I got dressed and took three of the gems in my purse. I obviously didn't need all of them and I went straight to my shop landlord's house.

At first when I presented it to them they laughed in my face and called me all sorts of names. But when they saw that I was unmoved their expressions changed.

“Are you saying that these are real?!” Gideon, my landlord exclaimed in a voice that wasn't filled with the enthusiasm I had hoped for.

He sounded afraid but I shook off the feeling and beamed.

“Yes!” I smiled, my arms still stretched out to them with the gems.

I was already imagining myself rolling in hard currencies. My life would finally turn around for the better.

“Get out!” He yelled, suddenly pulling me out of my daydream.

“Wh-what?!”

“I said get out, you're not welcome”

My smile turned into an immediate frown. My brows knitted in confusion.

“But sir I-”

“Get out before I call the police!”

“But daddy, she's handing us a lot here. We would be rich” Stacey interjected.

“Shut up stupid girl” Gideon barked, making both Stacey and I jump.

“You stole these gems didn't you?” he interrogated fiercely.

“N-no” I responded shakily trying to think of a good lie, “I just-”

“Do you want Romano to come after me and my family?! You insolent girl!” he barked “Leave and never show your face here!”

Who? What was he talking about?!

I barely had time to process anything when he began to yell at the top of his voice.

“Thief! Thief! There's a thief in here!!”

I immediately sprang through the door. My heart pounding in fear, head spinning with thoughts.

This was supposed to be a done deal.

Why did he react like that?

Who was he talking about?

What was going on?

The shouts didn't stop and I hopped into the first taxi available and told the driver to step on it.

I turned to see Gideon raining curses on me even in the distance.

I was only happy to have gotten away before anything catastrophic had happened, I slumped on the car seat. Not from exhaustion but from the whole ordeal from the final realization that my life was over.

My store and everything in it would be sold.

I looked down at my palm. The gem shone as the sunlight hit it.

“How could something so beautiful be so useless?” I whispered as a tear rolled down my cheek.

The sound of screeching tires caught me off guard followed by the taxi swerving off balance.

I screamed in fear as the car continued to spin till the driver gripped the wheels and stirred into balance.

“Are you okay ma'am?” the driver asked.

“Yes” I responded shakily out of breath.

Soon there was a crowd and the driver began to narrate everything.

“It was that crazy driver that drove right into us!” He gesticulated.

“If I hadn't….” He continued but his voice began to fade out as I looked into the distance.

My eyes suddenly caught a car and its occupants watched us from afar.

My heart rate increased.

I took back what I said. The gems were not useless.

And someone was willing to kill me for it.