The Billionaire's Bundle of Joy

RIZ A strong slap hit my cheek when my father arrived, followed by Liberty, his legal wife. I was currently thinking about how to tell him the results of my checkup yesterday, but it seemed he discovered my secret before I could say anything. “You’re pregnant?! When were you planning to tell me about this, huh?!” he shouted at me. My father was red with anger. The force of his slap stunned me. I also felt dizzy. Good thing I was sitting on the patio because if I had been standing, I might have collapsed on the tiled flooring. When I glanced at Liberty, I knew she had something to do with this. She had always been angry at me and was always looking for reasons to make my father mad at me. She doesn’t like me living with them. If my mother hadn’t driven me away to be with Daddy, I wouldn’t be living with him. My family is far from perfect. I’m a child out of wedlock. Maybe my parents weren’t meant for each other, and my mother played a big part in that. She cheated on him with another man while he was away, and that was the end of their relationship. “Dad—” “Arizona! You are only twenty-one! I expected more from you. Is this the reward for the education I gave you? You’re pregnant before you even have a job. Who is the father of your child? Bring him to me!” My father was so mad. Hurt and disappointment were written all over his face. I had no other words to say and just accepted his anger. He wouldn’t listen to any explanation I had. “Who is the father of your child? I’m asking you, answer me!” With every passing second, his anger towards me intensified. He was almost having a fit from rage. “It’s . . . Paul.” “Who’s Paul? You don’t have a boyfriend, how did you get pregnant by that Paul?!” His eyebrows almost met, and I could see his jaw clenching. “Paul Gonzales, Dad. W-We met at the . . . club the time my friends and I went out.” “At the club?!” Dad shouted. Liberty smirked. “Hon, I told you. I never failed to tell you about your daughter’s behavior. You’re the only one who trusts her. She’s not a saint; she just knows how to hide her promiscuity well. Look, she got pregnant at an inconvenient time. She takes after her mother.” I clenched my fists but didn’t respond because it would only make the situation worse. This wasn’t the first time she insulted me, and I never fought back. To me, she was the legal wife, and I was grateful she accepted me into her home. If I had stayed under my mother’s care, I wouldn’t have had the chance to study. That was one of my father’s conditions: he would only educate me if I lived with him. At first, I hesitated because I didn’t know what his wife was like, especially since they had no children, and I would be living with them. It’s either she takes it as an insult or accepts me with open arms. “Lib, stay out of this,” my father scolded her. She immediately shut up. She was used to the jabs, but when my father told her to shut up, she had no choice. Carlos Consigna can be ruthless. Although his family wasn’t wealthy, he was naturally intelligent and hardworking, so he quickly became rich. He met Liberty during one of his trips and married her instantly. But over the years of their marriage, they were not blessed with children. She can deny it repeatedly, but I know she got sick and lost the ability to have children. And when my father learned that my mother married her boyfriend, they talked, and he took me. I was already six at the time. I saw him handing an envelope to my mother, which, if I’m not mistaken, contained money. After that, my mother drove me away, saying she wanted me to be with my father. That’s where I would live. She didn’t even ask if I wanted to live with my father. Just like before, whenever they made decisions, I was always left in the middle. I always followed whatever they wanted. “Pack your things and see the father of your child. I will only accept you in this house—in my life—if he marries you and takes responsibility for your pregnancy. If he doesn’t, then you are on your own. I don’t care if you go back to Donnabelle’s care or whatever you do with your life. I never failed you. I gave you everything, Arizona. But if this is how you repay all our goodness to you, you can leave.” My father turned his back and left me by the pool area. Before Liberty followed, she gave me a meaningful smile. A victorious smile. A smile that said that finally, I would be out of her sight. Finally, she succeeded in her plans. When I was still studying, she always sabotaged my projects. Whenever I finished them, they would always be destroyed or go missing. After a couple of incidents, I learned to make backups because I heard her talking to one of her friends and recounting what she had done. She doesn’t want me here, simply because I remind her of what she is not capable of—to bear a child. I want to tell my father that he didn’t fail in material things, but his attention and time for me were severely lacking. Whenever we had plans to go out, his wife would always block it. There were times when she would complain of stomach pains, forcing Dad to cancel, or when we had a set date, she would suddenly plan an out-of-town trip for them that couldn’t be refunded. In every situation, he always chose her. I was always the one adjusting. Maybe that’s how it is when you have a firstborn child and a legal wife to choose from. In a way, it’s the same with my mom. Only her husband and their child were important to her. And me? I was always the one not chosen. Always pushed away. I’m worthless.