The Millionaires Pursuit

Chapter 12

Bianca approached Erik in the same way he imagined a snake would sneak up on its prey, right before attacking the poor victim. Fortunately for Erik, he was well accustomed to Bianca's wicked ways and her persistence to never give up on crazy ideas. At the current moment, all Erik knew was that Bianca was back in town and hooked on the notion of causing him unnecessary trouble.

"Good evening Erik." She suspiciously smiled, before taking a seat on the stool beside him.

Erik didn't bother to acknowledge her and instead threw back his entire drink. The mere presence of Bianca was already beginning to make him feel queasy and she had barely said more than a few words.

"Not even a hello? I guess I should have expected that." She said, sounding strangely remorseful.

"Why are you here Bianca?"

"I was hoping we could talk."

Erik blinked at her in response, hoping it would be enough to get her to start talking so he would be done with her before the night was over.

"In private." She added, when Erik said nothing.

"Whatever you have to say, you can tell me right here." Erik told her.

"I don't think you want to be in a public place when you hear what I have to tell you." She almost whispered.

Surprised by her sudden change in demeanour, Erik stands and invites her to follow him. Hidden away from prying eyes, Erik makes his way within the bar to the secluded loft that is reserved only for VIPs. As he and Bianca are climbing the stairs, he wonders what she could possibly have to tell him that is of such significant importance. He pales for a moment, thinking for a strange second that it could involve him when suddenly he remembers that he hasn't seen Bianca in over five years and therefore nothing could possibly be keeping him linked to her anymore. Still, with confusion running through his mind, Erik removes his blazer and takes a seat on the plush sofa. He fills a nearby glass with some more liquor, before redirecting his attention to Bianca, who sits less than a metre or so away.

"Talk." Erik instructs her.

"Before I explain anything to you, I want to hear why you honestly think we broke up?"

It takes Erik less than a second after Bianca has finished speaking to stand from his seat and make his way across the room. Yet again, he can't believe how foolish he was into thinking she had something even remotely relevant to tell him.

"Erik, wait!" Panics Bianca.

"No! I'm done listening to your shit and giving you more chances than you deserve. Either start talking some sense or I'm out of here."

"I was pregnant with your child when we were together, did you know that?" She practically yells at him, before falling onto the couch in defeat.

Erik stares at Bianca in astonishment. He can't even begin to comprehend the lengths this woman will go to in order to get him to stay with her. For a second he thinks she's gone completely mad, but as soon as he notices her fiddling with a small piece of paper from within her handbag, he starts to rethink his reasoning. Slowly, almost cautiously, Erik reclaims his seat while looking at Bianca in alarm.

"Bianca?" Erik struggles to say her name.

"Here." She says, while handing over the bit of paper.

Staring back at Erik is a piece of his past that he hadn't even realised he shared. Erik scans the photo of the grainy, black and white fetus and doesn't know what to think. More than a million thoughts are running through his mind and he can't seem to act on any of them. Never in his wildest dreams he did expect Bianca to tell him that he was destined to be a father. A father to a little boy or girl whom he'll now never have to pleasure of knowing. Finally, after being caught up in his own mind for too long, Erik breaks the silence.

"What happened?"

"I had a late miscarriage, just after my thirteenth week. A doctor confirmed it for me." She sadly spoke.

Erik kept looking back and forth between the photo of the ultrasound in his hand and Bianca's eyes. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her, yet he found himself struggling to get any of them out. Suddenly, almost irrationally, Erik began to fire questions at her.

"How do I know the child was even mine?"

Surprised by his lack of empathy, Bianca crosses her arms and directs her anger towards Erik.

"How can you even say such a thing? We were together for three years and in that time we hardly, if ever, spent a minute apart. As if I ever fucked anyone besides you!" She crudely spat at him.

Erik closed his mouth in shame. He couldn't deny that he and Bianca did spend all their time together, which was partly the reason for why they fell out with each other at the end of their relationship. Erik's brows drew closer together, as he raised his left hand to his temple, in an attempt at releasing some of the tension that had quickly built up there. Expelling another breath, Erik continued with his line of questioning.

"How come you never looked pregnant, in all of the time we were together?"

"Because when we broke up I was only ten weeks along. It was still too soon to notice."

"So you knew you were pregnant and didn't think to tell me!" Erik raised his voice at her, while moving to stand on his feet.

Erik began pacing around the small room, clearly feeling at a disadvantage for not knowing that Bianca was pregnant with his child. He felt betrayed by her actions and also saddened by the potential thought that their separation caused her to have the miscarriage.

"I was scared Erik! The months leading up to our breakup were some of the worse and best. What was I supposed to do, announce that I was pregnant with your child during one of the many fights we had? My God, what did you expect me to do?"

"I expected you to at least have the decency to tell me Bianca, yet instead you kept this part of your life a secret. A dirty, little secret that involved me in a monumental way." Erik loudly retaliated.

It was silent between the two of them for a long while. Nothing but outrage, guilt and regret coated the darkness around the room. At this point, Erik wasn't sure what to believe or what to think. What had started out as a beautiful evening spent with Rosalina, ended in the likes of a Shakespearean tragedy, starring non other than Bianca herself. Erik clearly had a lot to think about, but if he knew one thing for sure it was that he didn't want to do it at the bar tonight. So with that thought in mind, he shrugged on his blazer and left with a few parting words.

"I can't speak to you about any of this right now, but I will soon." He solemnly spoke, before heading towards the stairwell.