2. What Were You Doing in My Room?

Brandon Henderson's Narrative

It was mid-August, and the evening sun cast a long, golden shadow through the window of my office. I paced around the room, anxiously awaiting the return of my bodyguards. I had sent them after one of my wife's maids who had kidnapped my two-week-old son, Julian Henderson.

This servant happened to be my wife's personal maid. On the night my wife and I signed our marriage licenses, I had, unfortunately, slept with the maid under the heavy influence of alcohol. I honestly thought that I was making love to my wife, not realizing it was her personal maid at that moment. A few weeks later, we discovered that the maid was pregnant. Both my wife and the maid suggested that we pass the baby off as my wife's. I strongly refused, but after much pressure and blackmail from my wife, I reluctantly agreed.

When the servant eventually gave birth, it ended up making headlines that Rachel Henderson had given birth to a baby boy. I had no idea why the maid suddenly had a change of heart and decided to claim her son.

"Bran, calm down, your son is safe," Richard said with a grin. My friend Richard always seemed to wear a smile on his face, even in the midst of trouble. I, on the other hand, felt like I was sinking. As the CEO of Zenith Incorporation, my reputation was on the line, and Richard just didn't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.

"Richard, you don't get it, do you?! The whole world believes Julian Henderson is Rachel's biological son! Oh, my God! I should never have agreed to this whole arrangement in the first place!" I said, placing a palm on my forehead as I continued to pace around my office.

"I warned Rachel of this outcome! Now that the actual mother of my son has had a change of heart, how on earth do I explain to the world that the child whose birth was all over the news just a couple of weeks ago is not actually Rachel's son, but the son of our maid! How do I reveal that I slept with my maid on the night Rachel and I officially became husband and wife while under the influence of alcohol?" I asked, desperately trying to make my friend understand the complexity of the situation. Unfortunately, it seemed that Richard just couldn't grasp it.

"Bran, calm down. Almost everything has a solution, except death," Richard said, still wearing his usual smile.

"Richard..." I trailed off as the door to my office segregated, revealing Jake, one of my bodyguards, holding Julian Henderson in his arms. I swiftly took my son from him, feeling an overwhelming rush of love. There was something about Julian that reminded me of a girl I was secretly obsessed with years ago.

"Where is the maid?" I inquired after examining my son.

"She's waiting in the reception area," Jake replied with a respectful bow.

"Why?" Richard stood up, his voice laced with anger. "She should be in police custody!"

I wanted to see the maid, to understand why she decided to change her mind. I believed something must have happened to make her change her course of action. Or perhaps she had some demands of her own. I couldn't wait to find out.

I waved at Richard and he sat down again and sighed.

"Boss, the girl said something you need to hear before we hand her over to the police," Jake stated, bowing once again. I already had an inkling of what it might be. She must have divulged the information that the child was hers and told them that I had non-consensual séx with her on the night I got married.

"What did she say?" I asked, my voice cold, my ear attuned to every word he was about to utter.

"The maid alleges that she is the biological mother of your son and is ready to prove it," the bodyguard replied in a hushed tone. I closed my eyes and nervously bit my lip, already aware of what was to come.

"She also mentioned that she had been requesting to see you for over nine months during her pregnancy, but you refused to meet with her," the bodyguard added.

Richard and I exchanged glances before focusing our attention on the bodyguard standing before us.

"This is absurd! I received all her invitations during her pregnancy, and Richard and I visited her every time!" I exclaimed loudly.

"Perhaps your maid wanted only you to visit her," Richard chuckled.

"I think you must have been visiting the wrong person, boss," Jake said.

"That's not true," I said.

"Boss, do you want to see the maid, or should we hand her over to the police?" Jake asked, his head humbly lowered.

"Send her in," I reluctantly replied, my gaze still fixed on the innocent baby in my arms, who was looking into my eyes.

The bodyguard bowed and left my office. Several minutes later, the door opened, and though I sensed people entering, my eyes remained glued to my handsome son. After a while, I took a deep breath and slowly lifted my head, scanning the room to see the maid.

As I glanced over, I noticed Emma Coleman standing near the door with her hands tied behind her back. Her face bore red marks, as if she had been in a fight. A frown formed on my face as my heart sank into my chest.

"Oh my God! Untie her immediately!" I yelled at one of the bodyguards positioned behind Emma. He quickly obeyed and freed Emma from the restraints.

"Jewel, have a seat," I pointed to one of the visitor chairs in my office, and Emma hesitated before complying.

Emma was the teenager I had secretly been obsessed with - the daughter of my best friend who had gone missing for the past nine months.

There was much to discuss between us to unravel the mystery of her whereabouts. But for now, I needed to address the urgent matter at hand, so I redirected my attention to Jake.

"Jake, where is the maid?" I asked.

"She is the one," Jake said, pointing at Emma Coleman. I glanced at Emma and let out a mischievous chuckle.

"Where... is... the... maid? The one who told you that she is the mother of Julian Henderson," I asked, feeling my blood pressure rise as I awaited Jake's response. Jake grimaced, looked at Emma Coleman and shrugged.

"Boss, she is the maid. She claims she is the mother of your son and she is ready to prove it," Jake replied.

"You've got to be kidding me," I blurted out, and the baby I was holding almost slipped from my arms.

"No, boss," Jake responded, and a sudden coldness washed over me as I sank into a chair, the noise echoing through my office. I wished it was all just a terrible dream, and someone would wake me up immediately.

But the more I waited for that awakening, the clearer it became that this was reality. After ten minutes of grappling with confusion, I lifted my eyes and locked them onto Emma Coleman, whose tear-filled eyes were also fixed upon me.

"Jewel, you know I have a problem. What were you doing in my room that night?" I whimpered, blinking rapidly as I stared at Emma.