Chapter 8
Avalon
Oddly, I didn’t hear Liam come in last night, although the sheets next to me were tangled, indicating that he slept there.
His pillow was depressed and the closet door was open, so he definitely came home, got undressed, got in bed, and then left again for work.
But I suppose I was sleeping the sleep of the dead, and maybe Liam didn’t want to disturb me.
Maybe pregnant ladies just conk out more, since we’re tired from gestating a child inside.
The memory warms me again to know that I’m expecting a Carrington child.
But still, why didn’t Liam wake me? Usually, he pulls me close to that huge form, my back against his broad chest, and I sigh with contentment.
Then, I’ll feel something nudge against the softness of my thighs and before I realize it, that massive shaft is penetrating my wetness, my body obeying the command of Liam’s more powerful one.
More than once, I’ve fallen asleep straight after too, and woken in the morning to find his semen sticky on my thighs.
It’s a wonderful way to begin the day, and I always smile like a Cheshire Cat, knowing that I’ve pleased my man.
But this morning, Liam was nowhere to be seen and there was no telltale wetness on my thighs so I know we didn’t make love in the grey light of dawn.
Puzzled, I got up and got dressed, before putting his mysterious absence out of my head.
Then, I ate a solitary breakfast downstairs before retreating to the library to peruse my latest thriller.
The story is amazing actually. It’s about a housemaid who works for a young suburban couple in Paris.
Unfortunately, everything’s not as it seems with the perfect couple, and …
dun, dun, dun… there’s a murder! I read raptly, consuming the pages at quicksilver pace while eating bonbons and sipping on herbal tea.
Then, my phone rings, and I pick up. It’s an unknown caller, but I know that Liam uses a special service that jumbles his number so that it's undetectable. He doesn’t always want people to know it’s the CEO on the other side.
“Hello?” I ask, slightly breathless.
“Is this Avalon Leigh?” a pleasant male voice speaks. Oh, it’s not Liam, and immediately, walls come up.
“Yes, this is Avalon. Who’s this?”
“My name is Jimmy Warren, and I’m Mr. Carrington’s personal attorney. He may have spoken of me in the past?”
I pause.
“No, in fact he hasn’t mentioned you,” I say in a guarded voice. “Why?”
“Well, I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Carrington. I understand that you’re expecting his child.”
My eyes widen because how would he know? Duh, because Liam must have told him. My fingers white-knuckle on my cell as my heart begins to pound. Why is Liam’s personal lawyer calling me about my pregnancy? This can’t be good.
“Yes, I’m expecting a baby with Mr. Carrington,” I say in a tense voice. “Why?”
Jimmy Warren clears his throat.
“Well, I’ve been instructed to discuss your future plans with respect to the child, and to make any settlements as needed.”
“I plan on keeping my baby,” I say in a terse voice. “Why, was there something else?”
“No, of course not,” Mr. Warren says courteously.
“Mr. Carrington is more than excited to become a father again. However, as a man of ultra-high net worth, you can understand why it’s important that he settle these matters in a manner that’s both fair to him, and fair to the child and the child’s mother.
He wants what’s best for his progeny, and we find that careful planning, collaboration, and goal-setting have worked well in the past.”
“What do you mean, in the past?” I ask, perplexed. “This is my first baby.”
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear. Mr. Carrington has two children already, with two different women. He wants all of his children to be on equal footing, and thus made offers to both Magda and Belinda, Madison and Ellie’s mothers. We would like to make the same offer to you.”
My face goes hot, although my palms are now ice cold.
A sweat breaks out on my brow and my armpits become clammy and damp because clearly, this is a business call.
We might be discussing a baby created from love, but to Liam, this is nothing but a transaction.
How could I have been so foolish as to think it could be something more?
“What are you trying to say?” I ask in a frigid tone.
Mr. Warren clears his throat.
“What I’m trying to say is that we are willing to make the same offer to you that we made to Magda and Belinda.
We’re offering a one-time cash payment of fifteen million dollars, and free housing at the compound for both you and the child.
Of course, your son or daughter’s education, food, housing, and medical expenses will be covered by Liam.
In short, you will want for nothing, Miss Leigh. ”
But I’m still confused.
“A fifteen million dollar cash payment? But what for? You just said that all expenses at the compound will be covered. And what is the compound, by the way? I’ve never heard it mentioned before.”
Mr. Warren pauses delicately on the other line.
“I see that Mr. Carrington has never broached this topic with you. Well, I suppose I’ll need to provide the necessary background then.
Both Belinda and Magda live in luxury on a large estate owned by Mr. Carrington in the suburbs of St. Cloud, with Madison and Eleanor, of course.
The children have everything they need, and the mothers get along well.
It’s a plus because Belinda and Magda are able to co-parent, although they also have nannies, and the two girls are growing up together as sisters.
Mr. Carrington wants his family to be cohesive and dynamic, and living on a family compound is the best way to achieve that. ”
I’m totally silent on the phone, my heart thumping.
“Miss Leigh? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” I croak. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. Is this some kind of weird polyamorous community? Where there are multiple women but only one dude, and they have a passel of children together? Like Big Love, or some of those Mormon families?”
Mr. Warren clears his throat delicately.
“I assure you, it’s nothing of the sort.
Mr. Carrington does not consider himself to be polyamorous, nor does he belong to the Church of the Latter-Day Saints.
However, he would like his children to grow up together, and to consider each other siblings.
Hence, the compound. I assure you, the word “compound” is a misnomer because it’s a luxury estate, and each family has their own home.
You will have a house of your own, with a garden of your own, and of course, a car.
Every amenity will be provided. You will simply be living on a piece of property near the other mothers, so that your child will know Ellie and Madison as his or her elder siblings. ”
“The other mothers?” I echo faintly. “As in, we’re a pod?”
“Again, I hate to use misleading terminology,” the lawyer says.
“The word ‘pod’ connotes the precautions we took during the pandemic, and of course, this is not the same. You will be free to come and go, and you will be able to entertain visitors as well. Mr. Carrington isn’t seeking to control your life.
He merely wants to ensure that his clan is taken care of in the best way he knows how, and the compound is his strategy. ”
“I see,” I say in a slow tone. “And the fifteen million? What’s that for?”
“For simply being the mother of his child,” the attorney says in a smooth tone. “Both Belinda and Magda received the same amount, and we consider it a token of Mr. Carrington’s thanks. He’s excited to be a father again, and wants to show his appreciation to the women who bear his children.”
My heart thumps once, painfully, and my head begins to spin. Oh god, I have to get off this call, but how? I grimace, my fingers white-knuckling the phone.
“I see,” I mumble again. “Well, thank you for the information. If it’s okay, I’ll take some time to mull your offer over. I have to say it’s quite a surprise to hear from you because Liam has never mentioned you before.”
“I understand,” Mr. Warren says smoothly. “And I realize that the offer comes as a surprise, but please remember that Mr. Carrington is trying to be fair, equitable, and at the same time generous with his family. Again, you’ll want for nothing.”
“I realize that,” I say in a tight voice. “Still, to be the recipient of this kind of offer is strange, if not mind-blowing.”
Mr. Warren doesn’t miss a beat.
“It was mind-blowing for Belinda and Magda as well, but I’m sure once you think it over, you’ll see how much sense the family compound makes. Again, thank you for your time and please feel free to reach out to me at any time, Miss Leigh. I’m at your service.”
Then, the attorney clicks off and I’m left staring at my phone in shock.
What was that? Did Liam just try to buy me?
Did he just try to pay me fifteen million dollars for having his child?
Oh my god, am I basically one woman in a group of breeders, and he’s going to knock us up over and over again until he has an entire village of sons and daughters?
My stomach roils, acid rising in my throat.
My guess is that Liam’s got a dozen or so houses at this compound, and they’re just waiting to be filled with young, biddable women who agree to have his babies.
The realization makes me choke, and this time, the nausea is so bad that I rush to the bathroom before vomiting with a horrific belching sound into the toilet.
Green and brown chunks splatter onto the porcelain bowl, and before I know it, another heave makes me puke wretchedly, the vomit getting into my hair this time.
Oh my god, how did this happen? I was falling in love with the billionaire, and I thought he was falling in love with me too.
I thought I was the only woman in Liam’s life, but it turns out his exes have been present all along.
Belinda and Magda were merely waiting for me at this horrific family compound that reminds me of a sci-fi breeding facility.
Except that we’re not cows, sheep, chickens or goats.
We’re human woman, and yet we’re being used for our wombs.
Another wave of nausea passes over me, and after puking once more into the porcelain throne, I sink to the cold bathroom floor and begin to cry.
Everything I hoped for has disappeared into thin air, and I feel so stupid, hopeless, and dumb.
I feel like I was the idiotic young girl who started believing in fairy tales …
only to land hard on her ass, pregnant and pathetic, in the end.