Pulling up in his penthouse's parking lot, Colton unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for his phone. He dialed Chad.
Chad picked up almost immediately. "Good evening, Boss. I was just about to call you."
Colt sighed, "Don't tell me my parents reached out to you already."
"Yes, they did. Your Father requested my presence. I'm about to leave my home.
Derik and Vicky knew Chad worked for their son so it was only reasonable for them to instruct him to come over to shed light on the matter.
Colton ran a hand through his hair, regretting that he mentioned Chad's name to his parents.
"Okay. They are going to ask you about the girl I'm dating, how long we've been dating, and all of that."
"Tell them you don't know much about it. You've never seen her before but you've only witnessed me talking to her on the phone a few times. You can tell them her name is Mia but don't you dare mention her surname."
"I'm sure my parents will not be satisfied with that information so they might lure you to investigate the whole thing. I don't care how you do it, just refuse them and if you tell them anything more than Mia's first name, consider yourself fired." Colton ended the call.
.........
He got down from the car and made his way into his home.
Colton was about to take off his clothes when his phone's ringtone came through. He cursed softly, still managed to take off his shirt, before reaching for his cell on the bed. It turned out to be his best friend, Theo.
"I just want to confirm if you were home but don't worry, I just sighted your car. Open your door, I'll be there in a couple of seconds."
Putting his phone back on the bed, Colton left for the living room. He opened the door and almost immediately, Theodore walked in.
"Please don't tell me you're here because my parents threatened you?" Colt said, taking a seat.
"Not exactly! It was Caleb who called me."
"What did he say to you?"
"He asked if I knew anything about the secret girl you were dating. He also mentioned that the girl in question was pregnant. I was confused, nothing was making sense to me, fortunately, I was close by so that brings me here. What's going on?" Theo stared at his best friend with confusion all over his face.
"What response did you give him?" Colt asked.
"I told him I had no idea what he was talking about. Dude, what the hell is going on?" He asked, still on his feet.
"I don't even understand what's going on!" Colt mumbled.
"What do you mean?" Theo asked.
"We finished having dinner, then Mom and Dad took me by surprise. They said they've agreed to help the McGuire family since they are going bankrupt which is fine by me. Then they said they've agreed with Natasha's parents for me and Natasha to get married."
"Trust me, I respect my parents, I adore them, I know they have my interest at heart but this is really ridiculous. I made it known to them that I don't love Natasha but they were not having it."
"Mom was claiming I'm not in love so I'll do just fine with Natasha and since Nat and I had a past together, they were hoping we could rekindle what we had."
"You know how much I dislike Natasha. How in the hell do they expect me to spend the rest of my life with her? Like, I can't even stand her presence. My parents were literally not having it so I had no choice but to lie to them."
"I told them I've been seeing Mia and she's pregnant with my child."
"They must have been so shocked," Theo mumbled.
Colton rubbed his palms together, then sighed. "Yes, they were. Most especially my mom. She had even argued that I was telling a lie. I had to make a straight face so they would believe me. Today was the first time in my life I saw a disappointed look on Mom's face. She had always been proud of me but her reaction today was just the opposite. It saddened me a little but I had to do what's best for me. Mom married the love of her life. Even though I'm not in love, it doesn't mean I should be with someone I dislike!"
Theodore nodded in agreement, taking a seat beside Colton.
"How did you even come up with that excuse?" Theo asked.
"I don't know. It just slipped out of my mouth. Mia hadn't left my mind since that night so it only made sense that I involved her. I just said what I said in the heat of the moment."
"I sort of figured out that telling them I was secretly dating someone else alone would be in vain. I'm sure as hell that they would think I was lying and also command me to break up with her because they've given Natasha's parents their word that we will get married and they never go back on their word."
"But since I lied that a baby was involved, it will be hard for them to persuade me to marry Natasha."
"I understand your reason for giving the excuse. But what's going to happen now? You are not even on talking terms with Mia. I had also thought hearing about the baby will make your Mom happy but it's just the opposite. She's disappointed. Again, the truth will eventually come out, what are you going to do then?" He asked.
Colton ran a hand over his face. "My brain is stressed right now from so much thinking. I honestly don't regret telling that lie and on that note, I think I'll be ready for whatever the consequence is. I have no plan for now but I guess I'll figure out what to do as time goes on."
"It's true that my mom has been stylishly bugging me for a grandchild. She's not happy because she thinks the baby came about as a result of some one-night stand I have with Mia. Even before dinner, while she was chatting with me and Caleb, she made mention of it, that her grandchild's mother just be from a noble background. I have no idea what her definition of 'noble' means."
"Don't you think you should reach out to Mia? Just in case!" Theo suggested.
Colton shook his head. "I don't want to involve her. I don't even want her to know that I still think about her or that I care about her after all that has happened. This is my mess, I'll just deal with it the best way I can."
"Of course my parents will find out the truth eventually but by then, I hope Natasha will have moved on."