was rushed, yes, but my lawyer's good. He put in everything I asked him to, and I asked him to put in a lot of things, including a very generous sum of money.
So why didn't Stella sign it? Didn't she say she wanted to be a mother? Has she changed her mind?
I want to summon her back into my office, tell her to cancel all my appointments and just have her tell me what's on her mind so she can make me understand why she said no, so I can convince her to say yes. But I wait until my work is done.
"Is there anything else I can do for you before I go home?" Stella asks me when she pops into my office at the end of the day.
"Yes."
I leave my desk and sit on the couch, brown envelope in tow. I place it on the table and gesture to the other couch.
"Sit."
Stella sits. She crosses her legs and clasps her hands on her knee. Then she straightens her shoulders as she waits for me to speak.
I decide to go straight to the point. "Why didn't you sign the contract?"
Stella glances at the envelope, then holds her chin high.
"Because I decided it wasn't in my best interest to sign it," she answers simply.
"And exactly which part made you think that?" I ask.
"Everything."
"Everything?"
Stella draws a deep breath. I can tell she's struggling to form an explanation inside her head. If she's so sure about her answer, why can't she explain it to me?
I lean forward and look into her eyes.
"Stella, let's be honest here. I'll go first. I was hoping you'd sign this." I point at the envelope on the table. "I don't understand why you didn't."
She exhales. "No. You don't understand because you don't understand me at all."
My eyebrows furrow. Now, I really don't understand her.
"If you understand me, if you know me, if you've been paying any attention at all to me these past two years, you would know I'd never sign a contract like that," she says.
"Because you're the kind of person who always tries to do what is right?"
Stella doesn't answer.
"So you think it's fine to have sex with your boss but not to have your boss's baby?"
"No, I don't think it's fine," she tells me. "That's why I ended it."
"And what if I got you pregnant? After all, you asked me not to use any protection. Are you going to use the baby to get me to marry you?"
Stella's eyes grow wide. "I'd never do that."
I nod. "Of course not."
I'm not sure why I said that. I must be losing my temper because I've been frustrated and anxious all day. But I have to keep myself calm or I won't get what I want from her.
"I'm sorry. I know you're not that kind of person. In fact, I know you're a good person raised by good people..."
"Don't bring my parents into this."
"That's why I offered you this contract," I tell her. "Do you think I'd just ask anyone to be the mother of my child?"
"Why don't you just get yourself a girlfriend? Or a wife? Isn't that what your father wants? Does he know you're doing this? Do you think he'll approve?"
"As long as he gets his grandchild and the heir to Hawthorne Holdings, he'll be happy," I say. "If not, I no longer care."
"So it's all about the baby?" Stella asks as she uncrosses her legs and lifts her hands. "I'm just a baby maker? A baby machine? A sex doll that happens to have the extra feature of being able to reproduce?"
I frown. "I never said any of that."
"But all you care about is the baby, right? That's why you're willing to pay so much for it."
"I care about you, too. That's why I'm letting you keep the baby."
"Oh. That's a concession?"
"That's why I'm providing for you. I'm willing to give you everything you want, everything you need not just to raise a child but to be happy. Because you deserve to be happy."
"I know I do."
"Think about what I'm offering you, Stella."
"So you think it's a lot compared to what you're asking of me?"
"If you think it's not enough, we can negotiate."
"Like business people?" she asks. "Because this is just another business transaction to you?"
"Not true."
I don't understand why she's being so difficult, why she's making me feel like I'm doing something wrong without telling me what I'm doing wrong.
I draw a deep breath. "Like I said, if there's anything about the