Chapter 34; I’m pregnant
Olivia’s thoughts returned to the unpleasant encounter she had with Elvis. She was shocked to see the woman she had insulted some months back standing next to her fiancé, holding hands as if they were a couple.
Trying not to make assumptions, she turned her attention to Javier, who seemed unfazed by the situation as his lower lips stretched into a smirk. She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as she sensed trouble brewing. Glancing behind her, she saw the media approaching, holding out microphones towards her.
She ignored the stares from the crowd and turned to face Javier. “Javier, who is she to you?” She asked quietly trying to keep her anger under control, keeping her eyes on Natalie.
Javier scoffed and turned to address the crowd. “Everyone, this is my partner. My wife. My everything.” He placed his hands on Natalie’s arms and turned her towards him.
He smiled at her warmly, causing Natalie to almost roll her eyes at his dramatics. She raised her arms to his neck and returned his smile.
To play along, Javier leaned in to kiss Natalie but stopped midway, grimacing. “Your breath is terrible. I can’t kiss you,” he whispered, smirking as he gave her a peck on the cheek instead.
Natalie stylishly rubbed his head, then stopped midway and grabbed his ear, digging her nail into his skin.
Javier was shocked by the sudden pain that shot through his body. He looked at her, but Natalie didn’t release his ear; instead, she pressed her nail in deeper.
Javier had to stifle a moan in his throat as he looked up at her, whispering, “Sorry.” Natalie immediately let go of his ear, and turned to the guest, flashing them a sweet smile.
The guests erupted in excitement, exclaiming, “He kissed her!”
“Olivia is in for a surprise!”
“Javier knows how to make headlines.”
“What a twist in the story.”
Olivia’s rage bubbled up inside her, propelling her towards Natalie. She raised her hand to slap her, but Natalie was one step ahead, grabbing Olivia’s hand before the blow could land.
“Let me go, you low-life bitch!” Olivia spat, pushing Natalie’s hand away. She stood before her, chest heaving with anger, unable to believe what was unfolding before her eyes.
The rest of the family descended the stairs, their jaws dropping in shock. They were bewildered by the scene before them, especially by Javier’s intimate embrace with a strange lady.
“Javier, what do you think you’re doing?” Reyes questioned in a loud, stern voice as he approached them on the stage. Standing in front of them, his gaze fixed on Natalie, he glared at her from head to toe. “And who are you? What are you doing with my son?” he asked.
Natalie raised her gaze, briefly glancing at Javier before returning her focus to Reyes, who awaited her response. Despite feeling a sense of unease, she had anticipated this moment ever since agreeing to marry Javier. She was prepared.
With a smile stretching across her lips, Natalie said, “I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, father-in-law,” bowing slightly and surprising everyone with her address to Reyes as her father-in-law.
The guests began murmuring among themselves, some taking out their phones to record the unfolding scene.
Reyes was shocked, his jaw dropping as he looked at Javier, who was grinning at Natalie’s response, ignoring his expression of shock. “Javier, what have come over you.!” Reyes yelled, pointing his finger at him.
Olivia rushed down from the stage and took her father’s hands as he tried to recover from the shock. He couldn’t understand why Javier took pleasure in humiliating his family at every opportunity.
“I’m married, father. To this beautiful woman right here,” Javier replied, pulling Natalie closer to him. She smiled sweetly in response.
Alverdo couldn’t contain his anger and quickly approached Javier, landing a strong punch on his face, causing a cut on his lower lip.
“Oh my God!” The guests exclaimed in unison, shocked by the turn of events. Everyone started recording the scene as things escalated beyond their expectations.
Javier held his bleeding mouth in pain as he glared at Alverdo with disdain in his eyes. Despite this, Alverdo slapped him across the face. Reyes quickly intervened, placing his hand on Alverdo’s chest to calm him down as he breathed heavily.
Helen rushed to the stage to check on her son, her heart pounding as she saw blood flowing from his broken lips. “Javier, are you okay?” she asked repeatedly, her voice filled with concern.
“I’m fine, mom,” Javier reassured her, wiping the blood from his lips and rubbing his sore cheek.
Carlo joined them on stage, asking Javier if he was alright, to which Javier nodded in response.
Natalie and Elvis stood back, unsure of what to do in the situation and letting Javier handle it himself, as he had started the fight.
Helen turned to Alverdo with anger in her eyes, “How dare you hit my son!” She yelled, tears welling up in her eyes as she defended Javier.
“How dare you, you moron!” Alverdo shouted loudly, panting heavily. He attempted to push Reyes away, but Reyes stood firm, not letting him go. Alverdo turned to face him with bloodshot eyes. “Is this how you plan to humiliate me in front of the world? Is this what you promised me, Reyes?” he asked with a broken voice, tears welling up in his eyes.
Reyes sighed softly. “Just let me handle him in my own way,” he reassured, gently patting Alverdo’s shoulder.
“Handle him, you say? Can’t you see he’s married? Can’t you see there’s nothing left to do?” Alverdo angrily exclaimed in frustration. He couldn’t believe that all his efforts to marry his daughter into THE REYES had failed. The insults and curses he had endured from others were now coming true before his eyes.
Marcus erupted into boisterous laughter, abruptly breaking the moment. He had emerged to welcome his wife Zoe, who had just arrived and stood beside him, her face contorted in bewilderment at the sudden outburst.
All eyes turned to him as he boldly confronted Alverdo. “Only a fool would end up with a worn-out harlot like your daughter,” he sneered. “Fortunately, my niece is smart enough to avoid the snares you’ve laid out for him.”
“Don’t you dare insult…” Alverdo was interrupted by Zoe, as she walked past him, intentionally bumping her shoulders on him.
Zoe strutted confidently towards the stage, her shoulders held high and her shoes clicking on the tile floor. It was clear from her demeanor that she came from a wealthy background and had impressive qualifications in law. Her accent and sharp sense of humor added to her air of superiority, but she also had a judgmental streak, particularly towards those less privileged, like Elvis. She never missed an opportunity to remind him of his humble beginnings on the streets.
Ignoring her husband’s comment, Zoe’s gaze fixed on Elvis as she approached him, standing directly in front of him. “When you label someone as a bad person, look beside them and you’ll find a corrupting influence. That’s Elvis,” she declared, causing confusion among the onlookers.
Marcus quickly intervened, stepping in front of his wife. “Honey, Elvis is not involved in this. Stop implicating him,” he urged.
Elvis was unfazed by Zoe’s accusations, as he had grown accustomed to her habit of blaming him for everything, whether justified or not.
Zoe scoffed, “I made it clear from the beginning that nobody should adopt this boy, but nobody listened to me.” She yelled, poking at Elvis’s chest. “My Carlo would never be a bad influence or irresponsible like some people.” she taunted casually.
Murmurs spread among the group as questions arose.
“Does she mean that Elvis was adopted and not Reyes’s true son?”
“The rich also have their secrets!”
“So Elvis was an orphan!”
“I won’t stand for you speaking ill of my sons,” Helen interjected angrily. “As if your own son was any better.” She scoffed, “We all know why Carlo was banned from entering Italy, because…” Helen stopped herself as she caught Marcus’s silent plea with his eyes. She decided to swallow her words and quickly went to Javier to check in him.
“I’m pregnant!” Olivia suddenly announced out of the blue and all eyes turned to her direction.