Chapter 6 The visit

Another week went by and It was already dinner time. Danika was putting the table only for her. As usual. The intercon ringed and she frowned, Who could it be? Moira was working at that hour and Mr. Banks would always give her a call in advance.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Mrs, there is a delivery for you." The concierge said and she frowned even more. The man never called her other than Miss.

"I didn't order anything." She replied.

"Oh, but it says here it is from your husband."

Danika's heart skipt a beat. From her husband?

"Oh.. ah... please, send it up. Thank you!" She said and put the intercon back into its place. She was very surprised. Hernán never had any contact with her. Not even one note, or a word through Mr. Banks. Never.

She heard the bell ringing and ran to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and her eyes were filled with a great red roses bouquet.

"Is it for me?" she asked, widened eyes.

"Ah, Mrs. Allaband?" The delivery man asked, looking at a paper.

"Yes, that is me."

"So it is for you, ma'am," the man said with a smile. "Your husband sent it for you and here is the card." He handed her a red card.

"Thank you!"

"Where should I put this?" He asked her and she opened the door for him.

"Please, put it on the table. Thanks!"

The man did as she told him and soon, he left. Danika looked at the bouquet. She never received one! Biting her lips nervously, she opened the card, and smelled the roses.

"Mrs. Allaband. I am sending this to inform and congratulate you. We are to be parents! Your husband, H.R.Allaband."

The note was not very heartwarming, but the info it contained was. She was... She was pregnant!

"Oh, my gosh!" She said, putting her hand on her belly. I'm ... I'm going to be a mother!"

That was the best night of her life. But at the same time, she had no idea what should she do. She couldn't tell anyone. She couldn't share the news with her mother. And that was stressful. At that moment, Danika realized how lonely she was.

Everyday, Danika received a different gift. Roses, dresses, books, jewelry, shoes... Always with a note congratulating her for another day of pregnancy.

"He is a romantic, after all. Even if not towards me, exactly." She said, smiling. Not that she was an ambitious woman, but she liked to think that that man was going to be the father of her child. He seemed to be a good person and cherished the child very much.

Not long after the news, she started to feel really sick, just as the doctor told her. Those terrible mornings everybody talked about.

She heard the bell ringing and she had just thrown up.

"Oh, gosh..." she said, and got up from the floor feeling terribly bad. "Coming!"

When she opened the door, she saw a woman looking her up and down.

"Are you Mrs. Allaband?"

Danika nodded, since she was both feeling ill and also too surprised.

Then, the woman threw her arms around Danika's neck and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, dear!" She said, seeming very happy. "So glad to meet you!"

She took a step back and held Danika by the shoulders, looking the younger woman up and down again.

"Ah, Mrs... sorry, but, who are you?" Danika asked, confused.

"Oh, of course!" The woman made a dismissive motion with her hand. "I'm your mother-in-law!"

"My... my mother-in-law?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at that woman.

The woman was a mature one, around her fifties. Pretty. Chestnut hair and blue eyes.

"I'm Hernan's mother, dear!" She said. "I can't believe that brat never showed you even a picture of me!"

She said with quite dissatisfied. Then, she looked behind Danika.

"Oh, please. I'm sorry, come in." Danika finally realized she had been keeping the woman - her mother-in-law - outside the apartment. Taking a step aside, she let the woman enter.

"That you, dear." The woman said. "I'm Leida, as you well know."

"Yeah, sure!" Danika said, smiling. She didn't know and she was now very stressed. What if she screwed things up? "Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Allaband."

The smile on the woman's lips faltered.

"I see Hernan doesn't talk much about me." She said and took a deep breath. "I'm not married to his father. You must know that skank - sorry for the language - Vera, took my place!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just..." Danika said, but the woman smiled at her.

"No need to be sorry. And if you don't know about it, it means you didn't go and google us."

"I should have, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!"

"Honey, it's okay!" Leida said and patted the sofa. "Let's sit and chat. I like that you didn't search for info about us. You must be with my son because you really love him!"

Danika's head was spinning! She wanted nothing more than to cry!

Leida saw how uncomfortable Danika was.

"You need to meet Lazlo. He was waiting for Hernán to finally have a child. An heir!" she said, happily.

"Oh, so you already know I am pregnant." Danika said and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I know. I kind of overheard my son talking to his assistant, Kyson. Have you met Kyson?"

"Yes, I have." Danika said. "He is very gentle."

"Gentle?" Leida asked, frowning, then, she opened a big smile. "But of course. You are Hernan's wife. As if he would ever dare to treat you with less than gentleness."

Leida's phone rang and she asked with her index finger for a moment to answer, which Danika agreed immediately, nodding. While Leida was talking, she got her own phone, that was inside her pocket, and sent a message to Kyson, since she didn't have Hernán's number.

....

Kyson was having a little break after a meeting. When he was about to take a nice bite of his sandwich, his phone started to beep. One message after the other.

"Oh, come on!" he said, rolling his eyes. He took a look at the screen, because it could be Mr. Allaband and God forbid him not answering that man. But no, it was Danika.

Kyson was about to set the phone aside and eat. She could wait, but when he read the name 'Leida' among the words, his eyes widened and he got up from his chair as if it was on fire.

After reading the messages, he knew his boss would be furious.

He knocked three times and Hernan knew it was an emergency. They had a code. One for easy things. Two for medium and three for emergencies. Four when someone was about to die. Kyson was in doubt if that was a three or a four.

"Yes?" Hernan asked and when Kyson's head appeared by the door, he knew something was off.

"Your mother, sir... She... she knows!"