Chapter 37: Trapped

Ashley's POV

I woke up with a splitting headache. The annoying sound of my alarm clock wasn't making things any easier either. I knew that drinking would be a foolish idea but I went and did it anyway.

"Morning," I heard Katy whisper.

If my brain wasn't so slow to respond this morning, I would have jumped out of my bed. I hadn't even noticed she was there.

"You know, if you continue like this, you are going to raise some serious eyebrows. People will notice and then you'll be in even more trouble." She said.

"I don't think getting into more trouble is even possible," I answered pushing the blankets off me.

"That's true, you look like crap." She commented.

Just what I wanted to hear first thing in the morning.

She sat beside me with a more serious expression on her face.

"I know that you are really hurt and that you really want to know who your dad is but maybe it's for the best." She paused. "Sometimes I wish I didn't know who my dad was and that he'd just disappear." She whispered

"You shouldn't say that," I whispered trying to console her.

"It's true. All he ever does is hurt us and just take more from us. It would have been better if I had never known him at all. That way I wouldn't be so embarrassed that my father is such a disappointment." She wept.

I never knew that was how she felt. I always knew that she was the one who was most affected by his behaviour but I never expected it to be this bad.

Maybe she also had a point. With my mother's luck in choosing men, what were the chances that he'd also be another disappointment? But that didn't stop me from wondering. I felt like a piece of me was missing, one that I'd never know.

I pulled Katy into a hug as she cried on my shoulder.

"I have to leave now or else I'll be late. You're suffocating me," Katy whined.

I finally pulled away from her as I watched her wipe her tears.

"Anyways, I want you to know that I'll support you. I won't eat mom's food or even speak to her until she decides to tell you the whole truth." She added.

Knowing mom, we were probably going to starve before she decided to say anything.

She patted me on the back before walking out of my room.

I was reminded of all the things I still needed to do today.

Tell Tristan the truth, just as I decided.

I wasn't backing out of my decision today. I couldn't keep lying in his face every day and watching him get his hopes up.

I made my bed and then walked to the bathroom. I realized there was no point in rushing today since I probably wasn't even going to have a job by the end of the day.

While in the shower, I started imagining the impending doom that awaited me. The reaction Tristan was going to have, he is never going to forgive me for this. Everyone at the hotel would probably find out, I was never going to find a job in this city again.

I got dressed and ready like I would for any other normal day at work.

Next, I made my way to the kitchen to grab some snacks on my way out.

As expected, mom was also in the kitchen.

I did my best to avoid all eye contact with her as I manoeuvred around the kitchen.

"Morning, I made some breakfast," I heard her whisper.

I didn't answer, instead, I grabbed a few fruits from our pantry and then made my way out of the house.

I wasn't ready to speak to her yet, I still wasn't completely sure of how I was feeling. Perhaps I was being a little unfair.

I managed to catch my usual bus for work.

I sat in the back seat as I tried to think of what I'd exactly say to Tristan.

How was I going to explain this? What would be the best way to tell someone you lied about being pregnant without looking like an opportunist or the obvious, that I was after his money?

I received a text from Tristan. I didn't bother to read it. Instead, I switched my phone off. I didn't want any distractions or anything that would cause me to change my mind.

I got off the bus, it was still a short walk until I finally arrived in front of the building.

I stopped, just taking the moment to take in the view of the building. Maybe this was going to be my last time here.

Everything else considered, it was great working here. It was the job that helped feed my family when we had nothing.

I didn't bother to clock in for work. I was just going to be in and out, probably escorted by security on my way out.

Before speaking to Tristan, there was something I needed to do first seeing that this would be my last time working here.

I made my way to Leonardo's suite. I still had my doubts about him but he seemed like the only person who would or just might tell me the truth. So, I was hoping to get as much as I could from him while I still could.

I still couldn't shake off that shivering feeling of all those pictures he had of my family and me.

I knocked on his door. I tried to listen in for any possible footsteps coming from his suite.

It didn't take him too long to answer the door when he stepped out. He looked a bit bewildered; he was probably expecting room service or anyone else but me.

"Ashley," he said with a smile.

He opened the door wider, allowing me to walk in.

I hesitantly stepped into his suite, taking slow steps.

He closed the door after me. He then offered me a seat in his living room.

"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked as I sat down.

I shook my head no.

"I know that you are probably very confused about everything and you have every right to be." He began.

He picked up a folder off his table which he then handed to me.

I opened the folder, looking at baby pictures of both my mother and him. In some of the pictures, they were in their teens. It certainly helped to confirm the little information my mother gave me, there was no denying that.

"I know I could have approached this in a better way. I should have just talked to you about it instead of you finding out like this." He paused. "At first, I wasn't really sure that's why I never said anything."

I continued looking through the folder. Some things were slowly beginning to make sense. Maybe mom wasn't lying about some things. But why wouldn't she just tell me the whole truth?

I finally closed the folder.

I paused as I took a deep breath. "I need you to help me find my real father," I said.

His eyes widened. "I don't think it's my position for me to get in the middle of that." He answered.

"You are the only one who can help me with this. I don't even know where to begin." I insisted.

"I really don't know much. It has been many years. Besides, your mother would kill me," he stated.

"You don't have to tell her," I answered.

He sighed, followed by a deep breath. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. I'm not promising anything." He answered.

"Thank you," I answered with a smile.

I stood up, preparing myself to leave.

The whiskey bottle on the side caught my attention.

Without thinking, I poured half the glass.

I drank it in a few gulps without taking any breaths in between.

This was probably a terrible idea but I was going to need all the courage I could get.

Leonardo looked at me with his brow raised.

I ignored his questioning look as I placed the glass down.

I waved him goodbye as I made my way out.

Finally, the moment I'd been avoiding for at least the past three weeks had arrived.

Perhaps this was the most difficult decision I would ever make but it needed to be done.

I took the elevator to Tristan's suite.

Before I'd raised my hand to knock, the door swung open as a deranged-looking Luke stared back at me.

He kept his gaze on me, staring at me worried before looking away as if pushing away a thought. He walked past me without saying a word, leaving the door wide open.

We weren't friends but I'd have expected at least some sort of acknowledgement.

Was something else happening that I wasn't aware of?

I ignored the warning sign and walked into the suite.

I heard Tristan curse from his office.

He was clearly in a foul mood. Maybe I should come back another day. But no, I couldn't keep avoiding this. I had already made the decision. There was always going to be something that would stop me. I couldn't keep making excuses.

I don't know how I managed to continue walking despite everything in me telling me not to and to get away from there instead.

Tristan's office came into view. His door had been left wide open. I would hear some unknown loud noises and papers being shredded.

I found myself standing in front of his door. He was standing beside his chair as he typed on his phone furiously.

I knocked on his door to get his attention. It certainly got me a lot more of his attention than I could have ever wanted.

He looked up, staring at me murderously as I noticed his jaw tighten. Had he already found out I was lying? Was that why he looked so mad? Maybe he just had a bad business deal and was now very stressed out.

I stepped into his office.

He didn't say anything, he just kept his gaze on me. Like a predator fixed on his prey.

Today didn't seem like the day to exchange any sort of greeting.

I would just confess and then leave before he finally exploded. On the bright side, I didn't seem like the first person today to put him in a grumpy mood.

I cleared my throat as I assembled my words.

He walked across his table to stand a few steps in front of me as he crossed his arms.

"I have something that I need to tell you." I finally spoke. My mouth became dry, my eyes narrowed to the floor as I was unable to look him in the eye.

"Let me guess, now that you've developed a conscience, you suddenly have the need to tell me everything." He guessed.

My heart was beating out of my chest. Did he know already? How much did he know?

"I really can explain, I didn't mean to," I answered. For the first time, I mustered the courage to look him in the eye.

"Which part exactly didn't you mean, going to get drunk yesterday despite knowing that you are pregnant?" He asked.

My eyes widened in realization.

That was what he was mad about. He saw me.

Despite my best attempts, I still got caught.

I sighed as I finally released some tension in my shoulders. This wasn't as bad as I thought. I couldn't handle this.

"Don't even try to deny it. I clearly saw you on camera drowning yourself in alcohol." He said vehemently. His voice was filled with so much disgust.

"I had a few drinks," I admitted.

"And you say it so casually?" He spat. He shook his head at me in disbelief. He probably couldn't believe how emotionless my voice sounded. "Do you have any idea what alcohol can do to a baby?" He yelled.

His voice alone nearly shook me. I've never seen him this mad before.

"I was just struggling through a very difficult moment," I answered, my voice nearly on the brink of tears.

"You could have come to me." He yelled back. "I thought we were finally getting somewhere, that we were at a point we could talk about serious stuff." He answered.

Why was I even bothering to explain this to him? Whether I drank or not was completely irrelevant. There wasn't even a baby to start with. If he was already this mad, how mad was he going to be when he found out the truth?

"I know, but I can explain. There is something more important I need to tell you." I said.

"What could possibly be more important than this?" he asked. "You are drowning the baby with alcohol." He said.

He didn't give me the chance to explain. I wanted to let him know that there was no baby.

"I'm not having your baby!" I finally yelled.

He paused, the anger on his face replaced by a confused look.

"Is that your excuse, the fact that you don't want to have one?" He questioned. He still looked confused; he was probably still trying to make sense of my words. Having spent all that time convincing him that there was a baby and receiving confirmation from the doctor, hearing the truth now seemed like a lie.

"There won't be any baby if you continue going like this. I realize that you may be scared right now. I am too. That doesn't give you the right to act so recklessly." He continued.

I shook my head at him, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Don't even try and look at me like that," he dismissed me.

I wasn't looking at him in any way.

He wasn't listening. This was even more terrible than I had thought. I expected him to be angry but having to break his heart like this felt a lot worse than any punishment he would have given me.

"You are not listening to me," I began. I took a step closer to him.

I wasn't willing to continue with this lie. I needed to be out with it because it was going to be a lot worse when he found out later.

"No," he cut me off. "Perhaps you didn't hear me clearly. If anything happens to that baby, you will be sorry. There won't be a corner in this world that would protect you from me.

"Is that a threat?" I whispered.

"I'm just warning you, sweetheart." He said. The calm in his voice made me all the more scared, almost like a silent warning that I shouldn't even dare.

"You should leave now, I don't want to say anything else I shouldn't." He said with a sigh.

"Okay," I whispered. "I'll be off to work if you need me," I said.

"You didn't understand me, you won't be working here or anywhere else until that baby is born." He said.

My eyes widened. "What?" I whispered.

"I can't even trust you to do something as simple as not getting drunk. Now I'm going to handle you as I see fit to make sure you don't do any further damage to yourself or the baby. You'll be on paid leave until the baby is born." He answered.

Handle me? Who was this person?

"You can't do that," I answered.

"Do you really want to challenge me on that? You won't be able to find another job even if you try to." He answered. "You should leave now." He motioned with his hand as he dismissed me.

I remained frozen on the spot. A part of me must have seen this coming. I was definitely screwed if I told him the truth. A baby wasn't something I could continue lying about. Either way, my life was over.

He glared at me, expecting me to leave.

Just then, Luke returned, accompanied by another man who was well-dressed in a suit.

"Just say one thing to piss me off and you'll be out of here in a second." Tristan threatened.

There wasn't a place for me here. I walked away slowly, dragging my feet as I walked out.

I don't know how I managed to get to the elevator or to the ground floor. I kept replaying our conversation.

"Ashley, what happened?" I heard a voice as I felt a rough shake on my arm.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I stared back at Ivy who looked at me worriedly.

"Why? What happened?" I finally managed to answer.

"Well, guess who I finally bumped into this morning? Tristan." She answered. "He knows that we weren't cousins and that I worked here too. He thinks that whenever I'm around, I am always getting you into trouble, and now I am on the verge of losing my job. He just asked me to submit a five-hundred-page essay on why I should keep my job or else I'll be fired." She said. "Within two days." She added.

"He did what?" My eyes widened.

This was a lot worse than I could have ever imagined.

She sighed. "I probably shouldn't be seen with you, I'll get back to work." She answered.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see two security guards behind me. "Good morning, ma'am," the security guard said after he had cleared his throat. "I was told to escort you out of the building. If you don't want to comply, I was told to carry you out." He informed me.

He was actually kicking me out? I couldn't believe it. Was this so bad that he'd now have someone kick me out of here? Everything was starting to feel more real every second.

Ivy stared at me with her eyes widening.

Some of the hotel staff were slowly gathering to see what was going on.

This was beyond embarrassing.

"Fine, I'll leave on my own," I answered raising my hands in defeat.

The security guard kept watch on me as I walked out of the building, a few steps behind me to ensure I wasn't taking any decoys.

By the time I was out of the building, I was the one who was completely upset. I understand his reaction but for him to take things this far was a new low.

I was officially out of the building as the security guards made a turn, returning inside the building.

A man stopped me. He was dressed in a tux with a matching black hat to complete his chauffeur uniform.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said. "I was told to drive you home." He gestured at the car behind him.

My anger erupted all the way to my face. He couldn't order me to do everything he wanted. I think he has already made his point.

I continued walking, ignoring the chauffeur.

He followed behind me, his fast steps matching mine. "If you don't want to get in the car ma'am, I'm going to have to walk home with you." He insisted.

I sighed. I didn't think anything was working according to my plan today.

I got into the car hesitantly, clearly displaying how upset I was.

The driver drove me to my house. I was doing my best to prevent myself from plotting Tristan's murder. This was all my fault. I should have never agreed to play this kind of dangerous game.

This had strayed too far from just being a small lie. Everything was messy. Ivy was about to lose her job too. I didn't know how to pull things back under control. I've never felt so trapped. A bit ironic I'd say.

The car stopped in front of my house. I pushed the car door open before the driver had the chance to open the door for me.

I stormed into our yard without looking back. Our front door was unlocked. Mom was probably at home.

I walked into the house, smelling the aroma of baked goods from the oven.

Mom peeked out of the kitchen, checking to see what was going on.

"You are home early, is everything okay?" she asked.

I placed my bag on the floor.

"I'm really tired. I just want to be left alone right now." I said dismissing her.

She didn't insist. I continued walking upstairs to my room.

It took me a while to gather my thoughts as I paced around my room.

I looked out the window. There wasn't anyone at my gate nor was anyone following me.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Layla's number.

"Hi, how are you?" she asked after the first ring.

"I'm in a lot of trouble," I admitted.

"I'm sure you're overreacting. Surely getting married can't be that bad." She answered. Something was wrong with her. I've never heard her this relaxed.

"Who is getting married?" I asked.

"What?" she yelled. I pulled my phone away from my ear. Her voice was now more alarmed. "What happened?" she asked.

I then began explaining the situation to her, starting from last night, obviously omitting some family details.

"Oh, thank goodness." She sighed. "I thought that something worse had happened." She said.

"How is this not bad?" I asked.

"You could have decided to tell him everything. Besides, did he ask you to go for a doctor's appointment to check on the baby?" She asked.

I wasn't sure he wouldn't do that soon.

"I need to do something about this now. He will obviously kill me if I tell him the truth. I'm just going to go with a miscarriage or something. I can't stay pregnant for another day, my problems are only getting worse." I blubbered.

"Let me get this straight, you went and got drunk and then you suddenly had a miscarriage." She paused. "Congratulations, you just took away the only chance I had of ever being a grandmother. "I'll forgive you and pretend you didn't do anything to cause it, "she replied sarcastically.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a car accident. Someone could just run me over and if I end up with amnesia that would be even better." I sighed.

"What if that plan goes wrong and you end up paralyzed? Besides, Tristan would find that unfortunate driver. Do you want to ruin a man's life and have him stay in prison for the rest of his life because Tristan will do that?" she asked.

"What would you have me do instead?" I asked.

"All I'm saying is that we can't do anything drastic now. We have to be more careful. I'll do the best I can here without arousing any suspension. Don't worry, it will all be better soon. " She said assuringly.

Knowing you have a problem and not being able to do anything about it was the most frustrating feeling in the world. If I could turn back in time, I would not have lied.

We said our goodbyes as I hung up the phone. I laid on my bed, trying to stop myself from overthinking.

****

I spent the day compiling my thoughts and running through my options. Right now it didn't seem like I had that many. All of them included me being screwed and not being able to find a job anywhere else again.

Katy and I were laying on my bed as we both stared at the ceiling.

"So, let me get this straight. You'll be getting paid without working?" Katy asked.

I nodded.

"Then why are you even complaining?" she asked.

"Because I'm in a lot of trouble, he is already responding this way just because I had a few drinks. What would he do when I finally tell him the truth?" I asked.

"You are the one who tried to kill my poor little niece or nephew with alcohol. You should be very ashamed of yourself. You are lucky he is not keeping you locked somewhere with twenty-four-hour surveillance." She answered.

"There is no baby," I almost yelled at her.

Right now I just want everyone to get that. I knew that lying was a terrible idea from the start.

"Your solution is very simple, you just have to get pregnant before he finds out." She answered. I couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not.

I could hardly live with this lie. I'd never take it that far.

"Okay, I'll just walk up to him and be like 'Hey, I wasn't pregnant before but now I'm ready to have your baby.'" I answered sarcastically.

"Fine, enjoy unemployment for the rest of your life." She answered. "I wonder if you were born with a warning label that read, 'attracted to trouble.'" Katy joked.

"If someone finds you murdered on the side of the road, no one should ask why," I answered.

She sat up straight and then turned to look at me. "Now that we are not talking to mom, what are we going to eat? Are we just going to starve?" she asked.

"I'm too stressed out to be worried about food," I answered her.

There were a few car honks outside our house. Katy jumped off the bed and rushed to the window. She peeked through the curtain as she looked to see what was happening.

"Your boyfriend is here." She whispered looking out the window.

This was not going to be good. He had already taken everything away. What else could he do?

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading,  I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please comment down your thoughts.

I'm back to classes now, my schedule is even a lot more hectic than ever. I promise to update the book every week and as best I can in between.