Mr Ceo's Pregnant Ex-Wife

2"I can't believe I've just met the notorious Lucas Nicholas Alexander up close." Samantha spoke suddenly while driving the sleek Lamborghini smoothly across the spacious highway. From reviewing the pointers of today's meeting in my notepad, my attention switches to hers in a snap. "He's nothing like the man I heard people talk about before." She continued without tearing her gaze off the road.     3

Every nerve in my body abruptly awakens by the mention of Luca's name. Samantha wasn't the expressive type, she'd never been vocal in her thoughts and opinions, but for the first time since meeting her, I've finally seen this side of her. It intrigued me even more to inquire further about the man.      

"What was Lucas actually like before you met him?" I quietly ask her.     

"Based on people who've been in close contact with him, they say he was cold, calculated, arrogant, and never really paid any attention to anyone around him." She explained, pausing a little bit to step on the brakes when the traffic light turned red.      

"That's not the worst thing I've heard about him though." She continued while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. "He was reportedly heartless, unforgiving, inconsiderate, and above all he never smiled before."     

"What difference does it have now?" I thought to myself, unaware that I have expressed my thoughts aloud without even realizing it.     

"I saw the way he looked at you." Samantha told me. This time she lifted her gaze to look at me to watch my expression.      

"I saw that too and I really hated that smug smile on his lips, to the point I wanted to punch him hard in the face." I responded with a very unladylike snort.     

"That's not what I saw. He was looking at you in a different light."     

"Then perhaps you needed to upgrade those eyeglasses of yours to see things clearly."      

Ignoring me, Samantha went on, "He's fond of you. The look in his eyes told me so."     

If I happened to be eating something, I should have choked into it and met my creator on the spot. Sam's one of the few intelligent people I knew but she's not making sense to me now.     

Fondness was something I knew someone like Lucas isn't capable of feeling, especially towards me after what I did to him before the fatal car accident that took my memory away.     

Perhaps Samantha's mistaken. I thought to myself, not doubting her intelligence but definitely skeptical about her observations. She's not a psychologist who could read people's emotions based on their gestures, behavior, and facial expression. She could be wrong in her judgment.     

"Lucas will never look at me in that light, Sam." My lips stretched into a smile, but the glint barely reached my eyes. "If you were put in his shoes will you look at me the same way after being cheated on multiple times?"     

"No." Samantha replied with blunt honesty. I will be reminded of the pain each time I see you. Every time I will look into your eyes, I'll feel nothing but hate knowing that you lied to me countless times, and I will hate myself more for believing in them."     

"Have you been cheated before?" The words were already out of my lips before I could even stop myself.     

Samantha didn't answer. The traffic light turned green. She stepped on the accelerator to overtake a red BMW before she mumbled a barely audible yes.     

I was half expecting to see the trace of bitterness in her eyes when I looked at her, but surprisingly, her beautiful countenance held nothing except serenity and acceptance.     

"What happened?"     

"We secretly dated for three years. He was the only one who accepted who I was and he understood why I had to dress like a boy to please my father. I thought he was the one but he never clarified the real score between us. But I never asked because I love him. I waited for years but he never asked my hand for marriage but then he met my cousin, he took one look at her and he fell in love. It only took him months to get her pregnant so he married her."     

"That sounds painful."      

"It does… took me years to recover. I've forgiven him but never forgotten what he did."     

"That must have been what Lucas felt when he first discovered I was having an affair with different men. There's no way he'll look at me with fondness in his eyes after all the pain I caused him."     

Samantha didn't reply because she knew my words rang true. She experienced the pain the same way Lucas did so she cannot disagree with me.     

We both lapsed into silence that lasted until we reached our destination.      

Samantha parked the car in the private parking area and when we both climbed out, we made a beeline straight to the entrance where employees were lounging around the area. However, when they saw me entering through the automatic doors, the small crowd went still, and a deafening silence feel into the lobby.     

I gave Samantha a puzzled look. She seem not to mind the deadpan reaction I elicited from the small crowd but I do. Makes me wonder how horrible my reputation had been based on how they look at me.     

"Ignore them." Samantha said in a low whisper just enough for me to hear.     

I took a deep breath, walk past them and made our way to the elevator. "Why do they look at me like that?" I found the courage to ask her when the elevator door closes.     

"Do I have to tell you that?"     

"I want to hear the answer no matter how unpleasant it was." I told her.     

"Well," Samantha began filling her chest with air before she continue. "No one likes you here…. Except of course a number of men wanting to try their luck at you."     

"That's obvious reason to me."     

"That's not the only reason." Sam butt in politely.     

"Tell me."     

"Well, there's this one time you fired a hundred employee just because you're having bad day."     

A gasp burst from my mouth. "Holy molly, I did that?" I gaped at her disbelievingly, hoping she's merely joking.     

"You did." Samantha confirmed.     

No doubt people call labeled me BITCH OF THE CENTURY, I thought to myself, guilty as hell and disgusted at my self for my lack of wok ethic.     

"If I continue explaining to you why employees here don't like you, it will drag on for week."     

"I'm that bad, huh?"     

"Not bad. Evil." She corrected me. Surprisingly I wasn't offended because I'm used to her brutal honest responses.     

"Just take this one advice of mine, your past doesn't affect your present unless you allow it to. As long as you're determined to change who you are for the better and correct the wrong you've done in the past, what others think of you doesn't matter." Samantha thoughtfully responded.     

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."     

Walking across the carpeted hallways wasn't different from the lobby. Employees seeing me froze on their tracks, their pale expression looks as if they just met the devil face to face. It only took seconds for their reaction to transition from shock to hate and disgust.     

Helpless and guilty as hell, I kept my gaze to the floor to avoid their scathing glares.     

After almost taking forever to reach my office, we made it safely inside but not before passing by the CEO's office where the name LUCAS NICHOLAS ALEXANDER was imprinted in bold capital letters.     

I know he's off duty today. It's a good sign from the heavens. My day isn't officially ruined yet.      

But little did I know it will be soon.