CHAPTER 44: 44: BABY SHOPPING

Adrienne swallowed, the forced, tight smile fixed on her face masking absolute terror. Mrs. Devereux’s joke about Alexander not "swinging that way" was a cruel, perfectly timed punchline to the entire disastrous morning.

She looked at Alexander through the rearview mirror, finding his eyes already fixed on hers—a shared moment of silent, tensed torment over their clandestine kiss.

"Of course not, Mother," Alexander’s voice was too smooth, too quick. "Mr. Cole is simply an excellent secretary." He glanced at Adrienne with an unreadable look.

Adrienne felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "Yes. A very professional secretary," she affirmed, praying the stress wouldn’t make her already throbbing cheek twitch. The lie felt particularly heavy, considering she was literally sitting in the car with the man she had kissed while also pretending to be his wife, tasked with bearing his child.

The situation was a triple-decker lie, and it was about to implode.

Alexander’s continued attempts to call Adrian only intensified the pressure.

"He is highly reliable," Alexander mused, a dangerous edge to his tone as he ended the fifth unanswered call.

"This is highly unusual for him to be unreachable on a workday," Alexander tried not to show how disturbed he was.

Adrienne’s heart leapt. She didn’t know if she should be touched or worried by his worry.

"Perhaps he is preoccupied at the office, darling," Adrienne offered softly, using one of Adrian’s personas. "He is very dedicated to work."

"Perhaps," Alexander said, the scepticism evident in the tight grip he had on the steering wheel. He was clearly connecting Adrian’s sudden absence to their intense conversation the night before and the coerced kiss. He likely believed Adrian was hiding out of shame or disgust.

’Adrian’s not hiding; he’s sitting right here, driving you to the mall in a dress and a wig,’ Adrienne screamed internally.

"Well, if he’s so important, why don’t we swing by his apartment, Alexander? Just to be sure, he’s alright?" Mrs. Devereux suggested, ever the caretaker. "I would hate for such a talent to be under any duress."

Alexander shot Adrienne a glance before he replied, "That won’t be necessary, Mother. I’ll simply send Lawrence to check on him later today," he decided, pulling the flashy red car into the crowded mall parking lot. "For now, we have a baby to shop for."

The next hour was pure, agonising torture for Adrienne. Mrs. Devereux was ecstatic, dragging Adrienne through every high-end baby boutique.

"Look, darling! Tiny cashmere socks! For my grandchild!" Mrs. Devereux cooed, holding a pair up to Adrienne’s disguised waistline.

Adrienne forced a teary, overwhelmed smile. "They’re perfect, Mother. It’s just perfect."

Alexander trailed them, silent and watchful. His eyes never left Adrienne, constantly monitoring her reaction, testing her lie about being infertile.

At one point, Mrs. Devereux cornered them in a section dedicated to nutritional supplements.

"We need the best folic acid, dear. And prenatal vitamins!" Mrs. Devereux insisted, holding up a massive bottle.

"Mother, wait," Alexander interjected, stepping between the two women. He looked directly at Adrienne.

Adrienne’s heart flew.

She knew exactly what Alexander wanted to do. He wanted to tell Mrs. Devereux about her so-called infertility and by doing so, she would be forced to a high-end hospital where they would try to cure her condition. And by doing so, they would end up discovering that in fact she could never bear a child, but it wouldn’t be due to infertility, it would simply be because his biological make-up was never meant to have children.

"Yes, dear. What’s the issue?" Mrs. Devereux asked, turning to face Alexander.

Adrienne swiftly walked over and hugged Alexander’s arms, "Yes, baby, what’s the issue?" She asked, her eyes pleading.

Alexander smiled, "Nothing." He slowly looked away from her, glancing at his mother.

"I just wanted to tell mother not to get the supplements until we’re sure there’s a little angel in there... I mean, we just did it last night. We need a few weeks to know for sure. Let’s just get the clothes and other things, Mother. We will surely let you know when the magic happens." Alexander spoke calmly and clearly.

Mrs. Devereux was quiet for a while, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then she sighed, "Fine. I know I’m being a bit pushy. I should give you two some breathing spaces." She gently rubbed Adrienne’s arms, smiling softly.

"Then, I’ll go pick more of these cute clothes," She touched Alexander’s hand and walked away from them.

Adrienne released a loud sigh as Mrs. Devereux left, her hand slowly uncuing from Alexander’s.

"Thank you for not telling her –"

"I didn’t do it for you. I did it for me," Alexander cut her off in a mean tone, his eyes darkening.

Adrienne gulped, "Still, thank you." She nodded.

Alexander chuckled, "I know you’re hiding something, Adrienne. It’s so obvious." He held her chin, lifting her face, "However, what I do not know is what it is, yet. Telling her about your infertility lie... I feel like it would expose you to easy. I want to take my time, let you dig your own grave deeper and deeper..." he leaned in, his breath fanning her ear.

"I feel it, Adrienne, I know that whatever you’re hiding is going to piss me off real bad, and trust me, when I find out, I won’t hold back on my punishment. For now," he stepped back and laced his fingers together, cracking them, "I’ll sit back and watch you play your role. Just know, it’s not going to be for long, and... you’re having my baby by the end of the month." He said and walked off, heading toward his mother.

Adrienne staggered slightly, bracing herself on the counter behind her, "Oh, no... he’s onto me. I need to act, and u need to act fast." She breathed quietly, biting her lip hard.

She met them already checking out their purchased items, and after packing everything, they had more than ten bags to get to the car.

"Shit... all this for a baby that would never exist..." Adrienne muttered, guilt choking her airways and making it hard to breathe.

"I’m such a bad person... still, Alexander isn’t a saint, I only wanted to survive, and whether he likes it or not, his actions led me back to him as my Karma. If he hadn’t docked my salary, I might just have managed my way through. But he did. Now we’re stuck on this complex, risky situation –"

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Devereux suddenly asked behind Adrienne.

She looked worried when she saw Adrienne standing alone and muttering to herself.

Adrienne fidgeted very mildly, her smile returning to her face, "Oh, no... yes... I’m fine –"

"Of course, she’s fine, mother. What could be wrong with her?" Alexander walked over and wrapped his arm around Adrienne’s waist, kissing the top of her head.

Mrs. Devereux smiled at the affectionate couple, "Then let’s go home. I have something to attend so I won’t be staying over. But I’m still seeing your secretary tomorrow, right? At your penthouse?" She asked.

Alexander nodded, "Yeah, I’ll just need to check in with him and make sure he appears." He said, his tone dropping lower as he talked about Adrian.

Adrienne clenched her fists. She never imagined that her two personas would collide so much like that. Now, she had to find a way to be both Alexander’s wife and his secretary.

After a few minutes, they dropped Mrs. Devereux off at her home and headed back to theirs.

"Do you plan to go somewhere?" Alexander asked as they entered their living room.

"You know you don’t own my freedom, right? Your mother is gone, I can go wherever I want," Adrienne replied, standing behind a sofa.

Alexander nodded, "I know, darling wife. Stop being paranoid. I was just asking so I can drop me off wherever you need to be –"

"I’m not leaving now. I’m not feeling too well, I’ll sleep a little, then leave later," She replied too quickly, not wanting Alexander to get a sniff of a single place she goes.

He was smart, and she knew he would track her down if she ever pinned any location on her. It was best she stayed mysterious, only appearing when she was needed.

Alexander smirked, "You’re smart. You saw what I did there." He chuckled, winking at her.

"Well then, fine, suit yourself at home. I have a naughty, annoying, clumsy secretary to track down. See you soon, darling wife," He waved at her and backstepped out of the living room.

Adrienne sighed in relief, "Mad man. Do you think you can break my heart and control my life altogether?" She muttered and walked toward the window to peek through the curtains.

She smiled as she saw Alexander’s car drive out of the compound.

"Alright, time to move in with my boss," She murmured and quickly went to grab her bag upstairs.

As she left the house, she was heading straight to a small hideout where she hid Adrian’s bag, saving herself the stress of running back home for a change of clothes.

And, by the time Alexander would have finished his round at the office, Adrian would already be at the penthouse, waiting line the good, timid secretary he was.