#####CHAPTER 6- THE PAWNS

“Alex?” Victoria voice echoed through the door.

Alex jerked away from Leah like he's been burned. “Yes Hun,come in.”

Leah stomach twisted in panic and she straightened herself, wiping off any emotion from her face as her thoughts raced. Had Victoria heard anything?

Victoria barged in with her usual arrogance, holding out a phone. “Alex, it's your father, he wants to speak with you.”

His mood shifted immediately, whatever little warmth was left in his eyes completely dissapeared.

“Give it here.” He snatched the phone from her hastingly. “Hello……Yes, sir

….. I understand……No but-.... Alright, I'll get back to you.”

He dropped the call and let out a sigh of exasperation.

“What did he say?” Asked Victoria.

“He wants it done as soon as possible.”

Victoria gave a curt nod. “Then we need to move fast.”

Leah had no clue as to what they were talking about but she knew whatever it was had to be important and needed to be treated with urgency. “Does this somehow involve me?”

Alex turned to Leah. “ Yes, we're going to the clinic.”

“Wait, like now?” Leah’s eyes widened.

“Yes, I did tell you, the process had to be quick right.

“Yes, but it would be better if I was given some head ups or something, I didn't even come with my stuff and you can't just drag me into this like I'm some kind of thing you use whenever you feel like.”

Alex turned to face her fully, a devious smirk playing at the corners of his lips.“Isn't that what I’ll be paying you for?”

Heat flared up in her chest. She hated how rude he was and also how he wasn't entirely wrong. “You’re a psychopath who tricked me into this and…”

Victoria couldn't stand another second of them bickering. It irked her to them just talking.“Enough, you too, let's get moving.”

Leah side-eyed her, as much as she wanted to give her a piece of her mind,she knew that her protests meant nothing. She was nothing more than their pawn now, she signed up for it.

……………..

The ride to the clinic was slow and painfully dull. All three of them were seated at the backseat of the limo. Leah sat in between Alex and Victoria feeling like a pawn trapped between two players on opposite side of a twisted chess board. No one spoke and an unsettling tension hung between the air like a thick fog.

Finally, the limo slowed down as they arrived at the fertility clinic. They walked in and we're hit by the typical clinical scent Leah always hated, they reminded of a dark point in her life.

A short bald headed man named Dr John as indicated by his name tag, greeted them with a warm smile. “Leah, have a seat, would you like some cookies and juice before we begin.”

The last thing Leah really wanted was to be in this predicament but what other choice did she have? Her fingers clenched around the armrest of the chair, but she nodded stiffly.

The procedure was quick. In less than an hour, she sat in a recovery room, staring blankly at the ceiling, her mind spiraling with thoughts about her new life. Here she was inseminated, no ceremony, no attachment, just business.

Dr John handed a list of strict Do’s and Donts. Then addressed Alex and Victoria. “She needs to be under close watch, no unnecessary stress, She must follow every instruction carefully.”

With that, they left the clinic and headed back to the house, no - mansion rather. Leah was in awe about how grand a majestic the place was. It looked like a castle from the victorian era.

They were welcomed with a grand bow by workers dressed in similar attires.

“You.” Victoria pointed to one of them. “Show Leah to the guest room.”

The worker scurried over to Leah. “Welcome ma'am, this way.”

She led Leah to massive bedroom at the upper right wing of the mansion. The room alone was larger than her two bedroom apartment and it was decorated in a really aesthetically pleasing manner.

The room had everything she needed, a fridge stocked with all kinds of snacks, a wardrobe filled with glamours dresses and shoes and many more.

She was still checking out her new room when she heard loud crash.

The crash was sharp but faint indicating that it was coming from downstairs, then an unmistakable clatter of plates followed, along with the angry shouts of two people arguing.

Curious, she stopped what she was doing and dashed out of the room to see what the fuss was about. She silently made her to the hallway that led to the parlor, close enough for her to witness the scene but careful not to be scene

The uproar continued, the sound of broken dishes echoed through the house with Victoria’s furious voice.

“You think I'm stupid?” Victoria barked hurling another plate towards where Alex was at, he flinched dodging it and she continued, “You really expect me to believe your lies.”

Alex replied, his voice low and almost defeated, “If you would just calm down for a second and let me explain, you're overreacting.”

“Explain?, what is there to explain?” She barked.

From Leah's vantage point, she could see Alex's red face, his shoulders stiff with frustration, but there was something quite unreadable in his eyes, guilt, maybe?

“First off, I've only known this girl for two days, and this whole surrogacy thing was your idea in the first place, what's the fuss about?

“Yeah, I agreed to having a surrogate not an assistant fiancee, I've seen the way you look at her Alex”

“Vikkie, for the thousandth time it's just work.”

She let out a chuckle, that hinted she was more pained than angry. “Oh, come off it, Today at the office, you shut me out, told me to leave the room, that's not just work.”

Alex ran his hands down his hair. “What do you want from me?”

“I want to be your partner. Not a placeholder. Not your pawn. But instead I'm watching you unravel over some girl you barely know, right in front of me.”

In a softer voice, she added, on the verge of tears. “I didn't agree to this because I trusted her, I did because I trusted you.”

Defeated, he handed over his phone to her, “Here, go through my phone, satisfy your curiosity”

Victoria snatched the phone from his hand aggressively and stormed out the parlor door, Alex sunk back in one of the chairs, visibly frustrated with his hand pressed to his forehead.

Leah was dumbfounded, she had just witnessed a toxic fight between the two people she would be stuck with for the next month. And worst? The fight was about her.

She knew for sure that this was just the beginning and the next nine months would be a dramatic rollercoaster, What she didn't know was whether she would survive it.