Chapter 4 - A Revelation

Kate was feeling nervous. She had not seen or heard from Adrian since that fateful Friday night. Today she was scheduled to work at his house. Kate did not regret what had happened between the two of them. She was attracted to Adrian. And most important of all she had successfully steered the conversation away from her childhood and the Quicksilver Estate. Nevertheless, she had not intended their relationship to develop so far, at least not yet.


Kate arrived at Adrian's house and swiftly set about cleaning. There was no sign of Adrian. But that was normal, he usually came home from work just as she was finishing her shift. While she cleaned, Kate nervously kept one eye on the clock. As the time for Adrian to return home approached, Kate's heart began to beat faster. She carefully rehearsed what she would say and how she would behave.


But Adrian did not come home that day. Nor the next. The weeks passed and Kate still did not see Adrian. She began to wonder whether he was avoiding her.

******

Adrian was not avoiding Kate. In fact, all thought of Kate had slipped to the back of his mind. Once again Adrian was consumed by his work. Each morning he would roll out of bed at the crack of dawn and hurry to the office.

He had acheived his life ambition and was CEO of one of Sunnyvale's most prestigious businesses. However, Adrian had now set his sights even higher - he wanted to make it as a Power Broker. To further his ambitions, Adrian was putting in long days at the office and even longer nights out on the town entertaining clients and colleagues.


When the inevitable happened and he was promoted to the top of the business career, Adrian was in a mood to celebrate. He pulled out his cell phone and casually flicked through the numbers. He wondered which of his many friends to call. He paused when he came to Kate's name and number. Adrian realized with a start that he hadn't seen Kate for a while. He tried to recall the last time they were together and abruptly a memory of her naked body popped into his head. Adrian smiled to himself, they had shared a great night together. Why on earth had he left it so long before seeing her again? Adrian glanced at his watch. If he hurried home now he might catch her before she finished work. With a new spring in his step, he hailed a taxi and rushed home.


On arriving home, Adrian stepped out of the taxi and looked up at his house with a contented smile.


He was proud of his new home. It was modest in comparison to the original family estate. Yet it was a good size, with large family room and separate games room downstairs and five bedrooms upstairs. As he stepped through the front door, Adrian could hear Kate singing to herself in the kitchen. He grinned and moved swiftly through the hallway towards the sound of her voice. Adrian reached the door to the kitchen and paused. He felt a moment of fear, what if Kate was angry at him for ignoring her for so long? Adrian shook his head at his own stupidity, of course she would be delighted to see him again. Confidently, he pushed the door open and prepared to greet Kate. There he stopped in shock. Kate was standing at the kitchen sink with her back to him. But she was not the girl he remembered.


Adrian took a sharp intake of breath startling Kate, who dropped the dish she was holding. The plate clattered to the floor and Kate turned to greet Adrian.

"Hi" she said, a little awkwardly. "How are you, Adrian?"

Adrian did not reply. He stared speechlessly at the unmistakable bump beneath her dress. Kate pulled herself together, it was clear she was going to have to take control of the situation.

"I guess you're a bit shocked" she started. "So was I when I first realized I was pregnant. But I'm doing well... we both are." Kate moved her hand, cradling the bump in a protective gesture. "And yes - the baby is yours. But don't worry, we don't expect anything from you. Though I would appreciate your continued friendship". This last statement was a gamble, but Kate knew that tears or blackmail would have no positive effect on Adrian. This approach was best. She waited apprehensively for Adrian's reaction.

Adrian continued to stand motionless, his face gave no sign of emotion.

Kate bent to pick up the plate which was still lying on the floor and placed it on the counter top. She knew that now was not the time to push it. "Well I've finished here. So I think I should leave. You know where to find me if you want to talk... about anything." With this cautious farewell, Kate departed through the front door gently closing it behind her.

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