Daisy’s Secret Crush

***Daisy’s POV.***

I look at the screen to see my babies are developing nicely. I am in the 15th week of pregnancy and I was happy when I crossed my first trimester successfully. And all the thanks go to my doctor, dietician and Damon. They have been there all the time.

“Everything is going well. You can travel but only an hour or two long ride. But flights are still off-limits for you. Also, after three weeks, you can know the gender of the babies.” She says.

“Sure. I want to know what I am having so I can start working on the nursery.” I say and she smiles.

“So I am booking your appointment on 10th Jan. Will that do?” She asks and I nod. “Good. You will get the reports by tomorrow.”

I leave the hospital through the back door and sit in the car. Rocco drives me towards my apartment. Theo would soon call to complain about missing the appointment and I have to assure him again that I am just fine. After our wedding, we had little to no time with each other, especially physically.

Theo visited his family for early Thanksgiving as everyone had plans, then left for Bristol. Some investors in Paris wanted him to open another international chain of Valentine hotels. So he has to go straight there. After a week he came back to me but unfortunately, he had to leave the very next day again.

“The investors there are keen after the success we had in Bristol.” He says with a broad smile and continues, “Mom, would be happy to know about this. I am going home tomorrow to take her with me. I want her touch in this one, as she loves Paris.”

“That’s great.” I say.

“Only if you could come with me. I miss you.” He says, and I caress his cheek.

“I miss you too.” I say and kiss him.

Along with Theo, I have been busy too. We got many projects this month as Christmas was near, and we took every client we could. It was tough, but we had good teams who dealt with things with expertise. And most of all, the big help was Dani, who hired extra hands for us to complete it fast and accurately.

I have hid my pregnancy successfully, but people have speculated a lot. My loose clothes in winter have done wonders, but my mood swings and cravings are getting out of hand. Except for Molly, no one knows what is going on with me and she has made some excuses, like I am taking pills to regulate my period.

Not only am I achieving in my work but also I am way ahead of my enemies. I have everything I need to defeat Val and Sylvia. My plan is going smoothly and I have successfully influenced someone by my side. This scandal would make Theo what he is, a romantic and charming Prince.

I reach my apartment and Rocco puts my groceries on the kitchen counter, then leaves. He has been very helpful all this time, along with Damon. I haven’t told Noah anything for now as it is good if they are in the dark, otherwise, the more people know about it, the more chances of me getting defeated. I can’t believe I am finding this fun.

I call Dad to talk with him and he asks me again, “You are coming for Christmas, right?”

“No.” I say.

“But why? We have not seen you for almost two months. I know you are busy as the firm is new and you can’t leave the work, but at least meet us once in a while.” He says.

“Hear me out first. I may not be there for Christmas, but I will be there for the New Year. I have some work to finish by then and I promise to celebrate the firm’s recent success with my employees. So please forgive me.” I say and I hear his heavy sigh.

“Fine. But no excuses for the New Year, okay?” He asks.

“Okay.” I say.

“And you have to compensate by giving me a better Christmas gift than others.” He says.

“Okay. I would surprise you with what gift I have for you this Christmas.” I say sarcastically, which he doesn’t understand.

The next call comes from Theo, “How is my beautiful wife and our babies?”

“Your beautiful wife is missing her husband and the babies are missing their Dad. I don’t think they will start moving until they feel you near them.” I say.

“I miss them and you, too. I will finish here before Christmas and promise to you ‌I will be home soon. I am buying a gift each day I am away from you all. Thank goodness I have a jet, otherwise, I don’t think any plane would let me board this many gifts.” He says and I chuckle, “What did the doctor say?”

“Everything is fine, and she gave me the date when we would know what we are having.” I say.

“Really? Which date?” He asks and I tell him, “Great. Then I am cancelling everything for that date.”

I talk with him for a while and go to bed with Lovey when I get a call and I ask, “What do you need?”

“They scheduled it three days after the actual date. What do you want me to do?” The voice on the end asks.

“That’s okay. We will go as per our plan. No need to rush, but it would be good to be cautious.” I say.

“Okay. Take care till then.” The voice says, and I hang up.

I lay on the bed and thought about what would unfold in the coming days. I hope ‌Theo is by my side before that happens and so are others on his side. The scandal is inevitable in one way or another. There would be a scandal and the only thing I or anyone could have done is to counterattack and present facts to the world. And that is why I think God made me aware of everything before only. Now the only thing I have to do is to sit back and enjoy the downfall of the people who started this all.

“Merry Christmas, Mam!” Molly says and gives me a gift.

“Merry Christmas, Molly!” I say and give her the gift I bought for her.

“Oh, my goodness! You bought me the earrings, and I only got a foot tub.” She says.

“Oh, please. This is what I need most right now.” I say and Rocco takes it from me.

I wish other employees well and drink some apple juice. Everyone is enjoying the treat after working non-stop for months. I have thought of raising their morale by giving them incentives as we earned enough for me to do so. I could have just simply invested it in the firm, but investing in my employees would give me better outcomes. Because if their morale is raised they will do more hard work which will cover everything in the future.

I go for a refill when I get a text from Theo. ‘Here I am, rushing back home for my wife and she is busy with her colleagues. But it is okay. Enjoy the evening, I will too, at night as I want to sleep in your arms.’

I smile as I read it and put the glass away and gesture to Rocco that we are leaving. I bid everyone Christmas and ask them to enjoy it but with some limits. The senior takes responsibility to watch over the young one and I leave with Rocco.

I text Theo as soon as I am in the car, ‘Where are you?’

He texts back, ‘Home.’

I smile and tell Rocco to take the car to Theo’s place and with discretion. I see many reporters lurking outside his home. Maybe Theo’s Paris project is going well. I hope the coming days won’t affect it. And for that, I have to tell him the truth soon. But after Christmas fun. I don’t want to spoil our first Christmas.

As soon as I enter the penthouse, I hug Theo from the back. He turns around and kisses me hard. By the time we break the kiss, I am short of breath. He makes me sit on the couch and just looks at me for some time, then he kisses the bump and places another small peck on my lips.

“Now it feels like home.” He says, and I lay my head on his chest.

“Yes, it does.” I say and we stay like that as the carols play in the apartment.

The next three days were amazing, as Theo and I stayed cooped up in the penthouse. He didn’t let me go from his side the whole time and kept me very close. I didn’t want to leave him either. I wanted to enjoy being with him because soon he would get upset with me. And the time comes too soon to my liking.

“What is it, Dad?” Theo asks a day before New Year when Richard calls him, “What?… Let me see… I know nothing about it. I swear… Okay. Wait for a minute…”

He hurries to turn on the TV and the news headline shocks him, ‘Prince of Valentine spotted with the heiress Val Cooper. According to our resources, Ms. Cooper and Mr Anderson have been meeting in secret. They have been in a relationship for a long time and we have seen Miss Cooper with Mr Anderson frequently. We have also spotted Ms Copper’s car going many times in Mr. Anderson’s residence. There are new reports coming forward that apparently Ms. Copper is pregnant and has been asking Mr. Anderson to marry her. The sources also say that Mr. Anderson has been given a strict warning from his own mother to leave his scandal behind, otherwise, he might get fired this January. To save his post, he started dating Ms. Cooper and we could say that they are going to marry soon for business benefits.’

“What rubbish are they saying?” Theo asks while I see they have missed a few points, “How come they know so much about me? And I bumped into Val only once and now they think I am with her. Let me call Val so that we can clear this misunderstanding.”

“Theo?” I say and he looks at me, “Sit with me.”

“But I have to make calls, otherwise I would lose everything. Now they are accusing me of using Val to protect my post and damn… They are saying I may not marry her.” He says as he gets more angry with the news.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Theo!” I yell and he gives me his attention again, “Sit.”

He complies, and I give him some water. He chugs it down in one go and looks at me and asks, “You believe me, right?”

“Of course, I do. That is why I have taken measures to save you.” I say.

“You have taken measures to save me. What does that mean?” Theo asks.

“It means I knew everything. Val and Sylvia have been conspiring against you for the past two months.” I say, and Theo looks at me with wide eyes.