Blackmailing His Runaway Bride by Dance-is-me (carter reed .txt) 📗

Fifty Three

Extremely taken aback, Charles's eyes darted towards Isabella whose arms were crossed, a little frown on her forehead. He wasn't ready to wonder what she could be thinking or feeling after the crazy bomb Daphne just dropped.

So, while trying his best to stay calm, Charles swiftly faced the pregnant woman and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Daphne gave a little chuckle which always sounded somewhat evil whenever Charles heard it. Slowly, she got up and their eyes leveled. "What?" She looked oddly amused. "Are you going to deny sleeping with me?"

Charles almost grabbed his hair in anguish. Still attempting to stay still and refusing to acknowledge the fact that things could go terribly wrong from that moment onward, Charles began to ask questions. 

He wondered what sort of ill fate he had to be in such a situation.

Daphne was just a fling and that was all she ever was. After a week of having her around, he broke all ties with her and she had no issues with it.

 But it seemed things were not as settled as he thought.

"Daphne..." Charles fixed his signature hard gaze on the woman, a part of him hoping that she would break down in tears and confess that she was lying. Charles maintained that look for a few seconds before asking, "Are you certain this baby is mine?"

She scoffed. "Are you accusing me of sleeping around while I was with you?"

"You were with me for a week Daphne. So..."

"So, I have made the wrong calculations?" Her eyes narrowed and she took a few steps forward. Her motion almost caused their skins to touch but Charles quickly walked backward, his being still finding it hard to face Isabella.

"You might have. Who knows?" His brows jerked as his words suggested many things. "And maybe you have chosen me to be the father of this child for certain reasons. And I can not help but wonder what those reasons could be."

"Are you calling me a gold digger?"

"You and I know that I don't indulge in name-calling. Listen to me, Daphne..." Charles's shoulder briefly brushed Isabella's as he shifted a bit. "I am very certain there is something fishy here. And there is one way to find out whatever thing it is you are hiding." A suspenseful pause followed his last word, his glare intensified as seconds flew, and his growing anger refused to be tucked aside. "We are going to conduct a DNA test."

"What?" Daphne chuckled again, her forehead wearing a crease Charles interpreted to be a sign of worry. "You can't conduct one while I am still pregnant."

"I think we can. But fine. Let's have one done after the child is delivered."

"What will happen to me till then? Uh?" Her confidence threatened his soul as well as his recently renewed relationship. Daphne sounded so sure that the child was his. 

Charles who was fighting hard to avoid giving in to the crumbling in his heart started to wonder what he would do should everything be true.

"Are you going to toss me aside till you are ready for the test?" Daphne's question cut through his thoughts "No, Charles. I won't let you treat me that way."

The defiant tone she had in her voice got on Charles's nerves.

"Excuse you?"

"I am here because I want to live with you!" Charles's eyes grew a slight bulge in reaction to her screamed utterance. "As the mother of your child, I deserve to be with you. If I will be carrying your child, I should at least live properly. I can't raise this child in the environment I presently live in."

"Do you realize what you are saying, Daphne? Uh?" His voice was now carrying that pressing tone that made his employees dread his other side. "You are asking me to let you stay in the same house I live in with my wife. How is that sane? Does that make sense to you?"

 Charles was trying hard to refrain from bellowing at the woman.

He was so close... so close to using deadly means to get rid of her.

"What?" The shrug Daphne gave suited the calm look on her face, and it angered the man even more. "Is she pregnant like I am?" The way she stuck her nose into the air made Charles wish he could throw a quick jab in her direction. But he had to be reasonable. " Is she carrying your child? For all we know, she might even be barren."

" How dare you, Daphne?" His tone became deeper and reeked of menace. "Who do you think you are to speak ill of my wife?" From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Isabella was no longer standing beside him and he felt weak instantly.

"You know what..." He dug into his pocket and took out his phone. After texting some details to the Managing Director of his company, he looked up at her. "I have made arrangements for you to stay at a hotel. Remain there till I say otherwise."

"You can't control me, Charles" she retorted, her eyelids batting furiously. 

"What? Aren't you trying to do the same?" Daphne fell quiet. "Stay there till I say otherwise and don't cause any trouble. Is it clear?"

"When do I get to live with you?" Her question stopped the tracks of the man who was already approaching the entrance.

"If this turns out to be some game you have decided to play, trust me, Daphne, I will make you regret ever meeting me." A small sigh left his lips and Charles gently said, "Wait here for the car coming to pick you up."

Then, without a single glance at the woman called Daphne, he left to go meet Isabella. 

When Charles entered the modern house, he met Isabella sitting in front of the large glass that gave a view of the city ahead. 

After he settled beside her, Charles wondered what to say. He couldn't, for the love of his life, find a single word to say. But he knew he had so much to tell her. So much...

Isabella didn't give him a chance to find those words of his as she asked, "It is funny, isn't it?"

Her voice was so calm it almost frightened him.

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