Chapter 180 – Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel

Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel

Anastasia had turned a bright shade of red, and she could hear her heart beating in her ears. The man who stood in the room with her was so suave that he was basically a walking tower of testosterone.

Just as she tried to recollect her thoughts, Elliot suddenly reached out and drew her close with one arm. She gasped when he suddenly leaned forward and dipped his head, and his lips were but inches away from hers.

She blushed furiously as the air around her grew warm and became engulfed with his scent, which had a familiar tinge of peppermint to it. She blinked and realized that Elliot’s skin still looked flawless from up close.

For some reason, this goodbye kiss was becoming too hot-and-heavy for comfort. More importantly, he was gazing down at her with nothing but endearment, which made her heart beat so fast that it could fly out of her chest.

She looked away nervously, and though she tried to back away from him, his arm was so tightly wound around her waist that she could not budge. She could only cling to his muscular arm and his broad shoulder, using them as her pivot as she tried to break free.

“Three!” Elliot started counting in a voice that sounded like a low, dangerous growl.

She gaped at him incredulously. Wait! He said five seconds! How did it become three all of a sudden? This guy’s trying to weasel his way out of the deal!

However, she couldn’t let her anger settle; when she was about to accuse him of cheating, he parted his lips and said, “Two!”

This sent panic coursing through her. In a fit of desperation, she reached out her delicate hands and cupped his face. Then, she closed her eyes as she leaned forward to kiss him on his perfectly-carved lips. It’s just a kiss. What’s the big deal—

“Mmph!” Anastasia’s eyes widened when she realized that Elliot’s ferocity was probed.

He was kissing her back aggressively, seeming as though he wanted to pack all his pent-up feelings into this one kiss. At that moment, he was no longer the cool and reserved president of a company; he was a man who had relinquished all his self-control just to pour his love out for her.

He had abandoned his calm reasoning in favor of heated recklessness. He wanted to show his true self and bare his soul to her.

On the other hand, Anastasia was startled by how hungrily he kissed her that she instinctively tried to push him away. However, he did not release her, and as he demanded more of her, she found herself starting to cave into the kiss. She was losing herself, and the air was thick with electrifying tension.

Just then, the tenant upstairs moved what sounded like a heavy object, and two muffled thuds were all it took for Anastasia to snap out of her reverie. She summoned all the strength she had and pushed Elliot away before he got the better of her. He was a little confused by her sudden rejection at first, but he quickly broke into a grin as he said, “I’m very much satisfied.”

It was by sheer force of will that she managed to keep her heart from leaping out of her ribcage as she said calmly, “You may leave now.”

Elliot stared at her. She was so beautiful under the lights that he felt he could stay there and look at her forever.

A bad feeling rose in her when she met his burning gaze. Why is he still looking at me like that when he’s supposed to leave? “Are you considering going back on your word?” She was furious now. She could hardly believe that he would refuse to hold up his end of the deal after what she had just done.

He raised a brow. “Of course not. I’ll get going now. Call me if you miss me.” Then, he suddenly thought of something and asked in a confrontational tone, “You’re not planning to carpool with that programmer punk to work, are you?”

She was at a loss for words. She didn’t think it had anything to do with him whether she carpooled with anyone or not.

Before she could say anything, a frosty look flashed in his eyes as he ordered imperiously, “You are not allowed to have any man other than myself in the passenger seat of your car, Anastasia.”

She nearly burst out laughing, but she kept a straight face as she drawled sarcastically, “Is that so? I should probably have all the men in the company line up to take a ride in the passenger seat of my car. What are you going to do about that? Fire all of them?”

Elliot was stumped by this for a few seconds, but when he thought about how he had given the programmer a stern warning earlier that evening, he figured that the man would know better than to try his luck with Anastasia.

This was the first time Anastasia had ever encountered anyone so outrageously demanding and controlling. It was as if he wouldn’t be happy until he could pick out all the molecules in the air and force her to only breathe in the ones he deemed fit. Perhaps he should try getting global warming under control and do everyone a great service!

“I’m leaving now,” he said as he gave her a long, hard look. After that, he grabbed his keys off the table and left without putting up a fight.

Anastasia was skeptical as she watched him leave, and she wondered if this truly marked the end of his constant presence in her and Jared’s private life. She began to question if he really would hold up his end of the deal, and she found herself hoping that that would be the case.

As she lay in bed that night, sleep evaded her once again. She couldn’t stop replaying the scene of the kiss from earlier, and there was no shaking it off no matter how many times she had tossed and turned in bed. She was starting to think that Elliot had cast some kind of spell on her.

Anastasia didn’t know why she would think of Elliot now and then even though they had already agreed to go back to being strangers. No, stop this, she chided herself. I have to stop thinking about him. I still have work tomorrow. She still had to work for a living, and she couldn’t afford to lose sleep right now. In fact, she had to catch up on rest.

However, the more she tried to convince herself to sleep, the harder it was for her to actually drift off into slumber. She gave up in the end, and at some point, sleep came to her without having to be beckoned.

Early the next morning, she woke up and opened her eyes blearily. Then, she reached for her phone and texted Oliver, telling him to meet her at the basement parking lot later.

Her phone rang shortly after, and she answered the call. “Hey there, Oliver. How much longer will you need?”

“Uh, Anastasia, I don’t think I can carpool with you anymore. I… I need to make a trip back to my hometown, and I’ll probably be there for half a year,” Oliver said on the other line.

“That’s sudden,” she remarked. “Did something happen back home?”

“Oh, no, it’s just… I figured I should keep my parents company for a while. Anyway, don’t worry about me. Remember to drive safe to work,” he replied, adding a gentle reminder at the end.

She nodded and said kindly, “Well, you take care as well and don’t overwork yourself.”

Oliver’s reluctance did not wane even after he had hung up, but he was admittedly relieved. After all, getting too close to Anastasia would only evoke the Presgraves’ wrath and put him on their assassination radar.

When Anastasia had dropped Jared off at school, she got a text from Felicia telling her to drive safely to work and that she had already helped her check into work. Upon reading this, Anastasia felt a surge of warmth go through her, and words couldn’t describe how grateful she was to have such a considerate person for a superior.

Now that she was no longer anxious to get to work on time, she slowed down and found herself maneuvering through the streets easily. She hardly hit any traffic on the way, and by the time she pulled into the company building’s basement parking lot, she deliberately chose not to park in the spot Elliot had reserved for her, but in one of the ordinary spots instead.

She had only just gone up to the office when Grace told her that Felicia wanted to see her. Since she didn’t want to dawdle, Anastasia headed straight into Felicia’s office.

Felicia was dressed in a rose-red suit today, adding a vibrant edge to her already-professional appearance. Although she was 36 this year, she was still full of life and zest.

Presently, it was only after Anastasia had walked into her office that she looked down at Felicia’s fingers as they flew across the keyboard, and she noticed the diamond ring Felicia was wearing. She couldn’t help smiling as she leaned forward and asked knowingly, “Felicia, has someone perhaps… proposed to you?”

At once, Felicia grew bashful as she glanced at the ring on her finger. “You’re the first one to notice, and yes, I’m seeing someone right now.”

“Congratulations! Do I hear wedding bells?”

“No, we’re still in our early stages! We just want to take things slow for now.” Felicia was known to have strong ideals, and it went without saying that her values and principles in life were carried into her newfound relationship as well.

Having exchanged pleasantries, Felicia opened up a cabinet and produced an intricately-wrapped gift box. Then, she opened it to reveal an ornate jewelry case painted over with floral motifs. In the case were nestled two necklaces that glittered breathtakingly under the natural light.

“I didn’t think these would be ready so soon!” Anastasia exclaimed in surprise. The necklaces were designed by her, and she had toiled over them in earnest. To see them brought to life now made her feel like she was on cloud nine, and any other designer would relate to this.

Felicia hummed in response as she gazed at the jewelry proudly. “The workmanship and the design are flawless. If these weren’t limited edition pieces, I would have petitioned to have them sold at all of our boutiques.”

“What time will the client be coming to collect these?”

Needless to say, Felicia had contacted the customer at the very first instance. “I’ve already given them a call, and they said they’ll be here in the afternoon.”

Anastasia nodded. “Let’s have lunch together. I’ll make reservations.”

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