The Billionaire’s Given Baby

Chapter 1

The phone rang three times without an answer and went straight to voicemail. “You’ve reached the voicemail of Trish Washington, please leave a message after the tone or just hang up.” Next to her boyfriend Bryan, Trish was like a sister to her more than just a best friend and confidant. They had shared blankets and toys, and maintained a steady friendship from kindergarten to university. Now they shared an apartment and would do anything to see the other happy. She had been in a staff meeting when Tricia had left a frantic voicemail, asking her to contact her as soon as possible. This was not like her level headed friend. Please pick up she muttered to herself, on the second try the phone rang only once then the call connected.

“Is everything okay Trish, where are you?”

“I’m at Chris’ place.” Replied Trish.

Betsy took a deep breath before responding. Trish knew how she felt about her latest flame. Her behavior since meeting him had become so erratic, like a love struck fool.

“Why are you at Chris’?” asked Betsy.

“He sent me a message asking for another chance, said things were going to be different this time, and like an idiot, I believed him.” Sobbed Trish.

 Foolishly she had longed for a drastic change from Chris that she had never once doubted him. Now she realized she had been the only one giving her all to make their relationship work. He was a minimalist in everything that he did, stingy with his attention, his money, his conversation, his emotional involvement and the list goes on. She longed for something her parents had, even grown envious of the relationship Betsy had with Bryan, trying hard to make things work, she pondered how she could have been so blind to Chris’ ways. She wondered how could love have passed her by and made her feel so useless and unworthy.

Betsy’s phone vibrated, it was Bryan calling, he had asked her to call the minute she got through to Trish and she forgot.

“Trish girl, don’t hang up Bryan is on the other line.”

“K.” She put Trish on hold.

“Hey Baby,” said Betsy.

“Did you get in touch with Trish?” asked Bryan.

“Yes, she’s on the other line, I’ll call you back, I promise…”

“Okay Hun,” he hung up, freeing up the line.

“Trish, you there?”

“Yes.”

“Stay where you are, I’m coming to get you.”

“Ok.” Answered Trish.

Fifteen minutes later, Betsy pulls up at the dump Chris resides in. It was a decent neighborhood but Chris was so lazy he brought down the value of the property by causing it to fall into disrepair. This was a family house that Chris had inherited from his grandparents when they passed. No longer were there manicured lawns, it was now overgrown grass and various weeds with garbage strewn across the lawn. Fungus and mold had started to spread and whatever paint was still visible on the house was either fading, peeling or chipped.

Trish sat on the doorstep outside Chris’ house waiting patiently for Betsy to come. She had a palpable air of nervousness that relaxed at the sound of a familiar engine coming down the road. As soon as she caught sight of Betsy, she bounded up to the car, hugged Betsy and threw her travel bag on the backseat. They rode in silence to their apartment.

Even though Trish had bags under tear stained eyes, looking like a bum who hadn’t slept for days, she was still beautiful. She was dressed in her favorite pair of faded jeans that clung to her like a second skin, and a black camisole top that made the brown in her eyes seem even darker. She accentuated it with a thin gold chain and small gold knobs. She had an oval face and a stubborn chin. At the corner of her luscious nude lips she had a beauty spot that enticed many a man to kiss it. Her normally sleek black hair that showcased tastefully done blond highlights lay sleep-mussed and tangled on her shoulders. Only Trish could pull off looking incredibly sexy and vulnerable at the same time. Had Betsy ever looked like that she would have been declared a haggard hot mess. If Betsy hadn’t found and felt secure in her high school sweetheart Bryan she would probably have been insanely jealous of her friend.

Betsy kept her promise to call Bryan and told him they were safe and sound at their apartment. They took turns showering, then settled on the couch to have that inevitable heart to heart talk. Betsy broke the ice first.

“We don’t have to talk, if you’re not ready. I just want you to know I’m always here for you Trish.” Betsy had to be careful with what she said to Trish and chose her words wisely. She didn’t want to put anymore distance between herself and Trish.

She was afraid that if she spoke how she really felt about Chris Demontaque, it would break something deep down inside her friend Trish. She didn’t want Trish to lose her cool and end up driving away her friend. She would never be able to live with herself, if something like that ever occurred, but she was never one to keep her tongue for too long, she wondered how long she could hold off the inevitable. Trish knew Betsy was worried. She struggled with the words to say. After Chris’ reaction to the news. She wasn’t sure how her best friend was going to take it. Chris had affected her confidence, now she doubted herself and her naïve belief of having faith in others. So she blurted it out.

“I’m scared Betsy. I might be pregnant.”

Betsy winced. “I always knew you were too stubborn for your own good.”

“Don’t patronize me Betsy, it’s not like I planned this, everything spiraled out of control so fast.” Trish’s temper flared.

“Did it ever occur to you both to use a condom in this day and age?” screeched Betsy.

 She was feeling mixed emotions; she felt outraged and angry on her friends’ behalf. Absolutely needed to calm herself, to be the voice of reason in this trying time. She wasn’t that surprised just disappointed. Trish deserved so much better for herself. She hoped this lesson would allow her to see the error in her ways and finally stop taking the abuse that Chris continuously dished out to her. Although she wholeheartedly believed the world didn’t deserve a demon possessed spawn of Chris anytime soon. She always felt something like this might happen between the two of them, because neither of them acted like responsible adults when around each other.

 Trish was so reckless and carefree in her dates with Chris. In Trish’s mind, she thought they were the next Jay Z and Beyoncé, and like the words to her favorite song, she could “upgrade” him. He could have told her he was going to rob the local Walmart and she would have thought that was so cool. Probably would have asked to drive the getaway car like Bonnie. She liked his thug mentality, tattoo muscled body and daredevil ways. She loved when they rode his motorbike at high speeds and clubbed until all hours of the morning.

Often they woke Betsy and the neighbors up when that loud bike came roaring down the street. Whenever they were on the outs, Chris acted like a madman, called her cell maniacally, dumped trash on the front lawn, or yelled to the neighbors about all the nasty things they done in bed, until the police showed up and moved him along, small wonder Betsy didn’t like him.

“We did, neither of us noticed when the condom had burst.” Replied Trish.