A Wrong Surrogate for the CEO-Chapter 66: Let them go

"I was thinking about getting you a new maid, Lara. What do you think? Would you like to interview the applicants yourself?" Curtis asked Lara during dinner.

Lara sighed and stopped eating. Of course she was aware of the fact that it was Benny, the old woman who was her maid, that poisoned her.

Curtis had filled her in about everything.

When they questioned Benny, they found out that it was Lisa, Curtis’s mother, who threatened to harm her granddaughter.

Lara understood that Benny was scared and wanted to save her granddaughter, but she was pretty sure that if Benny had come to her or when Curtis first, they would have found a way to rescue the granddaughter from Lisa’s mercenaries.

"No. It’s fine. I don’t think I need a maid, actually. I can do most of the things I need all by myself. I’ll be alright," she responded with a small smile.

Curtis wasn’t sharing the same sentiment.

"Oh hell no. You are getting bigger and rounder by the day. You need someone to look after you," he countered.

"I already have you, Curtis. You make breakfast for me in bed. You drive me to work all by yourself. You make periodic calls to make sure I don’t stress myself at work. What else could I possibly want?" she asked as she shook her head at him.

There was an indulgent smile on her face as she stared at Curtis.

"I was just doing my part as the father of the babies. You need to be in peak condition at all times. In fact, you are going to have to stop going to work very soon. I can’t have you working in such a delicate condition."

Lara rolled her eyes. He was so fussy, but his actions were sweet. She liked the way he babied her a lot, and even though she would never say it to his face, Lara always looked forward to his pampering sessions.

"Is this a choice? Am I allowed to say no?" she asked.

She knew he was going to refuse, of course. But she had to ask.

Curtis narrowed his eyes on her.

"No, it is not."

"Curtis. You do know that my stomach hasn’t actually gotten bigger than it was, right? Hell, I haven’t even added too much weight since the last time I checked. I am a pretty and petite pregnant woman. But I don’t want to sit at home. I will be bored," she groaned.

Curtis went silent for a minute, and there was a thoughtful look on his face.

"I can find things for you to do at home. As long as you accept not to keep going to work. I get worried out of my mind every single day. You can work from home if that will make you feel better," he suggested.

The fact that Curtis was willing to make a compromise just for Lara to stop working physically made her feel very warm and gooey.

So she nodded.

"Sure. But I am not going to start working immediately, I’ll think about it and let you know when I’m ready to do that."

A smile broke across Curtis’s face. Lara was so taken aback by the action that her jaw slightly dropped open.

She had never seen him smile before. At least not as far as she could remember.

But looking at him at that moment, her heart stopped in her chest.

He was so beautiful.

Curtis was an attractive man, with the rugged and stern expression he always had on all the time. But the smile on his face transformed him completely.

He looked so handsome, so radiant. And Lara could feel her heart melting in her chest.

"Lara. Are you okay? You’ve kind of zoned out on me," Curtis called out, and his words pierced the smile induced fog in her brain.

She shook her head at him, trying to get her pounding heart back in order.

"I’m fine. Sorry. Just got lost in thought for a moment there," she apologised, feeling a little bit sheepish.

"You sure? Do you need me to get you anything?" he asked, brows furrowed with worry.

"I’m fine, Curtis. Really. You were saying something?" she asked.

He sighed and leaned back on his chair.

"What do you think I should do to Benny and Tolu?" he asked.

"Honestly? I...I have no idea," she responded.

Curtis ran a hand through his hair.

"The entire thing is making me exhausted. Mum has been blowing up my phone all week. According to her text messages, since she had already cleaned up her mess with that god forsaken article, she wanted me to let them go."

Lara grimaced at the thought of Curtis’s mother.

"That seems like a pretty good deal. I don’t have to get harassed by reporters anymore. Maybe you should... you know, just let them go. I am fine. I survived the attack. We should not let either of them take up our attention. Let’s just... forget about everything."

Curtis frowned at her, unable to believe his ears.

"What are you talking about? They tried to kill you. YOU. What if you had died? Why is no one worried about that?" he snapped.

Lara gave him a small smile and placed her hand on his arm.

"I understand how you feel, but you know your mother. She’s going to keep throwing a fit until you do what she wants. Let them go. You don’t have to give either Benny or even Tolu their jobs back. Just...please. I am okay. I don’t want us to keep talking about this," she pleaded.

Curtis closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Fine. No problem. I’ll fire them both and let them go. But if they do as much as look in your direction again, they are going to jail," he deadpanned.

"I’m pretty sure they’ve both learned their lesson," she responded.

Curtis was skeptical, but he left the discussion at that.

The rest of the dinner went well, and Lara had a nice time.

"Thank you very much for this amazing dinner, Curtis. It was delicious," Lara said as she stood up.

Curtis rolled his eyes at her.

"Of course it was. I made it myself. And I take pride in the fact that I am a very good cook," he said smugly.

Lara laughed, her voice tinkling merrily.

"I am going to grow fat and bloated at this rate," she teased.

"Get fat and bloated all you want. I don’t care. As long as you are happy," he responded.

And his response made Lara’s heart flutter for a tiny moment.

"Good night, Curtis," she said softly. He leaned down to kiss her foreheads gently.

"Good night, Lara."

As Lara made her way to her bedroom, as she prepared for sleep, even as she laid on the bed hours later, she could not understand why there seemed to be butterflies in her belly.

Or why her heart kept fluttering at the memory of Curtis’s lips on her forehead.