Mr. CEO's Pregnant Ex-Wife

MCPEW 038 THE ORDEAL 2

"The Patriarch of the Crawford's was a hardened man in his mid-forties." The man began when the old truck was peacefully traveling on the highway.

I learned that he was a farmer, happily married, and has two beautiful daughters. He was there in the city to buy some farming tools when he spotted me, standing there on the street, looking as if I didn't belong there. 

"Oh but why? It's unbelievable he was that cruel when he fathered eight children from eight different women at the young age of twenty!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my surprise as he told me the whole Crawford history.

"You see, Adele was his first love. They are about to get married when she eloped with another man while she was carrying his daughter. Being jilted was so painful that it carved a scar deep through his heart. He became a womanizer to perhaps hide the pain. He was longing to have his lost daughter back."

The man smiled but it didn't make his eyes twinkle which gave me the impression it was forced and he was sympathetic to the Crawford patriarch.

"I couldn't imagine my wife running away with another man and bringing my children with her to be raised by another man. It's so painful. I would die of loneliness if it happens." He added and I finally grasped why he was so understanding. He had what the other man had lost and it was something which money could never buy.

"Are you sure you aren't related to the Crawfords?"

His tone suddenly turned accusing and I almost fell off my seat.

It was the third time the man asked and just like the first and second attempt, I replied 'no.' My eyes flickered with disbelief and amusement as I looked at him. 

Do I really look like that person he was referring to? Perhaps we might have a few similarities. But having the same facial features was too impossible. Even blood related people don't look the same. How much more if they weren't related at all.

If what he was saying is true—which I find it hard to believe—then that would be one in a million occurrence. Now I'm intrigued to see the person he was talking about.

The man scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. He wasn't amused like I do. He was taking this matter seriously. I searched for a trace of humor in his face but I found none. 

The man explained that Crawford's are the wealthiest clan in the country of Cordova. They own a chain of hotels here and across the country. They also own resorts, malls, and chain restaurants.

"Are you telling the truth?" He asked after a moment of silence. His doubtful gaze never left my face. 

"Of course! I would not gain anything by lying." I told him as he continued to look at me intently as if assessing my features. The look of bewilderment plastered on his face was epic. If the situation weren't this serious, I swear I would be rolling in laughter now.

"Seriously?"

I couldn't suppress the mirth inside. My eyes sparkled as I tried to contain the crisp laughter erupting from my mouth. I blinked my eyes several times to calm myself before I responded. "I swear! I'm telling the truth!" This time I raised my fingers up in an oath.

He seemed to agree but not entirely. He may not say it but his doubt was almost palpable in his eyes. Despite my best efforts, he wasn't convinced that I was telling the truth.

"I was fifteen years old when I saw Clarissa Crawford—that was the first and last—she was in her mid-forties that time." He shrugged his shoulders as he continued. "She was a breathtaking beauty with seraphic features. She once was the pride of this country in beauty pageants during her younger years."