Chapter 7 Truths that hurt

Arya wonders how Ayden will see to it that her brother does not find her. Two days had passed since that first call, and she doesn't know how to talk to her benefactor without upsetting him.

He has been "resting", eating and walking around the house like a stray cat. In the afternoons, she goes for a short walk to Central Park and returns just before he gets back. The doctor asked that they return on the third day when his period started and they did. During the visit, the doctor asked Ayden for a sample of his semen.

The latter almost choked when she told him that there were graphic magazines or a television with access to adult videos in the room.

Arya blushed just thinking that on the other side of that room, Ayden would be masturbating.

"You have nothing to worry about, that cubicle is soundproof and will have everything you need if necessary," the doctor explained, opening the door for him to pass through.

Ayden looks quickly from there to Arya, who, awakening her curiosity, comes closer to observe.

"Holy cow," she says as she sees the amount of graphic material, the dim light and all the cleaning kit next to the vials ready for the samples.

"You can take whichever one you like, they're sterile," says the doctor, pointing to the little jars. "Sometimes they get a little tense and decide to have their partners come in to help them. It is necessary to clarify that oral sex is not necessary, we don't want the sample to be contaminated with the partner's saliva."

Now it is the two of them who are embarrassed.

"No, I don't... I'd better back off," Arya warns, smiling sheepishly.

"Take your time," adds the doctor, letting Ayden enter totally embarrassed, closing the door behind him. "Arya, in your case, I need an ultrasound. Please come with me to this area."

The lady opens a sliding curtain, revealing a huge amount of technology she didn't think she was capable of seeing there.

"Lie down, I'll put some gel on you, and we'll see how your ovulation is going." the doctor checks her over and once she's finished they move back to the desk. "Okay, we'll have five more days to complete the medication, thereafter, if all goes well you'll be ready for insemination."

Those words echoed loudly in her mind. If all goes well, in five days she would be pregnant.

Most women remember the day of the birth of their children, she would remember the day she became pregnant with one she would not be able to claim.

About fifteen minutes had passed when Ayden finally came out. He was blushing and looked a little hot, Arya stifled a smile when she noticed him. He noticed and took it as if to mock.

"Would you like me to hand you the sample or leave it somewhere specific?"

"You can hand it to me in one of the envelopes there. Check that it's well sealed and on the outside I'll put a label with your name on it."

Ayden obeys and shortly thereafter returns with the transparent envelope that exposed her viscous liquid. Arya is surprised at the amount of sample and averts her gaze elsewhere.

"Perfect," says the doctor, sticking a label on the envelope. "You'll continue with the medication and come back in five days. Ayden, if the sample doesn't come back as required, I'll increase your dosage, but I'll let you know tomorrow, that would be all boys for now."

The doctor who is used to dealing with such cases naturally bids them farewell as the young men leave in embarrassment.

Once they get into the sexy millionaire's car, he explodes.

"Could you tell me what was so funny to you, ?" he asks, remembering Arya's suppressed smile.

She, caught off guard, starts laughing.

"It's not funny," he raises his voice, causing her to startle.

Ayden raises his hand to accommodate the rearview mirror, and Arya by mere inertia shrinks back, believing otherwise.

"Did you think I would hit you," Ayden asks, remembering. "No, I... sorry... I just..."

"Don't say anything, I'm sick of your sudden mood swings," the young woman scolds, looking at him suspiciously. "If I laughed, it was because you came out looking like you'd had the best fuck of your life. I could tell you were hot, that's all."

"Well, no, I'm not used to that kind of situation," he says, this lowering his voice on the last word. "Besides, it didn't make it easy that the doctor was screwing around with all the visual aids for me. That's not how I work."

"Is that what took you so long," Arya asks, and he grimaces. "Well, the doc said plenty of people have a hard time in those types of scenarios."

"Anyway...at the end of the day, I just closed my eyes and let myself go," he confesses in a raspy voice, as if remembering what turned him on.

Arya, curious about it and loosening her viper tongue, asks.

"What was it that made you cum," she asks, realizing what she has said.

Ayden snorts, remembering the young woman, the day he met her at the restaurant. She was disrespectful, reckless, but vivacious and with a mischievous cunning to speak of.

"You," he replied, rendering her mute.

Arya didn't know what else to say for a moment, she thought he was pulling her leg.

"You see, here's the thing," she says starting, as Ayden drives through the city. "It's clear you can't stand me, so I'd like you to stop teasing me."

"If I don't mock, it's true! But you know what, think what you want," he replies trying to calm the waters, taking course towards his destination. "You think you know me, but you don't, I only asked you to abide by the rules, not to touch me, period."

"Ah, ha...," Arya grumbles, "Quote, give you a son, pretend to be your girlfriend and never touch you. As for the rules, I hope you'll think about them and if you don't shove them up your ass."

"Arya!"

"What!"

"Shit..." says Ayden, realizing that by inertia he drove to the family company, not home. He tries to reverse, but it's impossible, his father who is also coming has seen him. "Just behave, okay... and humor me."

"Where are we," she asks, confused. "That's not your house parking lot."

"Because I came fighting with you, I got distracted and drove to the company, here comes my dad, humor me." he turns off the engine and hurries out to open the door for his -liar girlfriend-.

"Arya, Ayden! How nice to see you," Gerard greets with his bodyguards trailing behind. "Come, you look radiant."

He kisses the young woman on both cheeks, and she greets him as effusively as she can.

"Hello, Gerard," Ayden greets. "I just came to show my girlfriend my office, we'll be leaving soon."

"Impossible, Mark is coming here precisely with his fiancée, can you believe it?" the old man offers his arm to the young Arya, who takes it and walks with him. "All it took was for him to threaten not to leave them the company, and they start to come out of their hiding places."

Arya lets out a laugh because she doesn't know how true that is. However, Ayden is annoyed, he knows well that it is impossible for Mark to have a betrothed, it is or at least that is something he has always believed about him. He firmly thinks that he hasn't come out of the closet because it's something his father would never understand.

"What a coincidence," Ayden mutters, his father overhears, but ignores him.

"I just want to clarify that your son and I have been dating for months, I just wasn't in town," she explains, trying to be convincing. "In fact, I still don't know if I'm staying, I have to do my internship."

"Excuse me for butting in, but internship in what?"

"Medicine." Arya smiles broadly, remembering that she would be in Germany if she hadn't taken that damn deal.

"You're a doctor? That's great! No wonder Ayden hadn't introduced you, doctors are always busy," Gerard warns, entering the elevator together with his son and the bodyguards.

"Something like that, one makes time, after all we are people too," she kindly refers.

"Of course, otherwise how else would you be pregnant?"

Ayden nervously lets out a loud laugh. Usually, she's the one with the reckless comments, but now it's been her father. Arya blushes, she knows it's not true, but knowing that her sex life because of her fake pregnancy has been exposed grieves her.

"Dad, leave her alone," she begs with a chuckle. "You'll scare her away, and she'll want to go back to her hometown."

"Nonsense," Gerard says, patting the young woman's forearm. "You're carrying my future heir in your belly, and I won't let you leave."

Arya hears that and realizes where Ayden has gotten the bossy thing from.

"If he knew that nothing else I have his heir he would never see me again" she muses as she advances the elevator.

Once installed in the main office, which is Gerard's, Mark arrives hand in hand with a stunning blond woman with blue eyes and extravagant makeup.

"Come in, son, come in. We've been expecting you," Gerard says.

Mark is astonished to find Ayden there next to Arya.

"I thought you'd be alone," he refers, greeting his father. "This is Simonetta Rivaldi, she's a former classmate from the race."

"Nice to meet you," she says, extending her hand.

Ayden's inquisitive look does not go unnoticed by anyone. Once introductions are made, it is Gerard who calls the shots.

"Son, I'm glad to hear you'll be settling down, I think it adds more happiness to my life after knowing I'll be a grandfather too," he recalls excitedly. "I'd just like to know how long you've known each other."

Mark, surprised by the question, hesitates a bit to say, in the end it is she who answers.

"Five months, we met in a bar," she assures him. "Since then we couldn't be separated again."

Arya would like to shout that she is lying, she has realized the deception as soon as she arrived. However, she doesn't and remains silent.

"Ah... sweetheart, what is your real name?" inquires Gerard, studying his son and his disguised fiancée. "Please don't lie, I saw your Adam's apple as soon as I walked in. You are beautiful, I don't doubt that, but don't lie to save my son's skin."

Arya and Ayden marvel that Gerard had spotted that deception right away, yet held back from telling until the time was right.

"How dare you," Mark asks indignantly. "Ayden shows up with a stranger claiming she's pregnant, and you don't doubt that. But just from seeing Simonetta, you assume the worst? You're such a..."

"Mark Emory!" interrupts Gerard, raising his voice. "Don't mistake me for a nobody, I know you and I know you'd do anything to get what you want."

"We're leaving," he shouts taking Simonetta's hand trying to leave, but it's impossible.

"Excuse me, sir. It's true, Mark and I met in college, but back then I was Simon Rivaldi. Don't blame your son so harshly," she says this knowing that Mark has had a hard time coming out of the bisexual closet. While they were rightful friends in the past, she would never dare judge him, he will do it when he wants to.

Simonetta comes out, leaving the Emory family drama behind. She knows Mark won't tell her anything, he's done more she's done for him, and she's in his debt.

"Always doing your dirty tricks, always hiding behind your mother's skirts, always lying," Gerard points out. "I look forward to the day when you're actually a man of good and not a lying coward."

Mark stifles his words and looks angered, he says nothing and feigns to leave, but once again his father stops him.

"That's not all, Arya has to do her internship, I need you to do something good and get her settled in the hospital where I put you," the old man warns with a scathing tone. "I hope you'll be nice to her, she's not to blame for the competitiveness between you and your brother."

"Okay..." he replies tersely without looking at anyone specific and with his hands in his pockets.

He walks out of that place defeated, not knowing how he was found out so easily, so he does the only thing he has done all his life, he blames Ayden.