Jennifer sighed in frustration as she put her head in her hands, she squatted by the culvert beside the road and burst into a fresh bout of tears.
"I cannot believe that this prick just kicked us out of his house." Hope screamed in exasperation.
Jennie didn't even feel like talking, she could feel her world turning upside down. She took a deep breath in and out and stood up. She turned her back to Hope and the Stryker estate, "Let's go, Hope. I'm starving." She said softly and she began to walk away.
They took a taxi to a nearby fast food restaurant and ordered some burgers with a side of fries and sodas. While they waited for their food to come, Jennie and Hope began to think of how to cope with the new development.
"What am I going to do, Hope? I feel so confused and lost." She said as she took a sip of her soda. "I haven't even told my mom yet."
"You should tell her soon. I know she will be so supportive." Hope said as she rubbed Jennie's hand as a form of emotional support.
Today is going to be a long day, Jennifer thought to herself as she brought her cell phone out of her bag and put a call through to her mum. The ringing tune trilled in her ears for what she thought to be an eternity but was just a few seconds. In no time, Marietta Boyce, Jennifer's mother picked the call.
"My baby! How are you doing?" Her mother sounded genuinely excited to hear her voice.
Jennie couldn't help but give a little smile. "Hi mum. I've missed you." She whispered into the phone.
"Hi Mrs Boyce." Hope chipped in.
"How are my favorite young ladies doing? You guys don't sound very cheerful. Is everything okay?" Marietta sounded a little worried.
"Everything is fine, Mum. We're coming over, are you home?" Jennie asked quietly.
"I am at home right now. I'll be expecting you guys. See you soon, I hope everything is okay." Marietta replied as she hung up the phone.
The girls hurriedly finished their meal and booked an Uber to go downtown to Marietta's house. They got there in about forty-five minutes. As soon as they got there, they found that Marietta was waiting for them on her front porch.
"Mom, are you okay? Why are you sitting outside?" Jennie asked as she climbed the stairs.
"I was just so anxious because you sounded so disturbed over the phone. What's going on, Jennifer?" Marietta dusted her skirt as she led them into the house.
As soon as they were inside, Jennifer sat her mom down and narrated everything that had transpired from three weeks ago up to the point where she found out she was pregnant.
Marietta's reaction shocked the two girls. She stood up, wrapped her daughter in a big hug and gave a kiss on her forehead. She led Jennifer to the couch and sat her down.
"I don't know why you would even think that I would be mad at you. If anything, I'm thrilled to raise this baby with you. So what about the father?" Marietta inquired.
It was at that point that Hope spoke up and explained the whole situation with Dwayne Stryker. She explained how they had gone to meet him and how he had them kicked out of his mansion.
"Oh hell no! There is no way that jerk of a guy will impregnate my daughter and try to get away with it. Not if I have anything to say about it and I have a whole lot to say." Marietta seemed to be getting worked up.
"We already tried, Mrs Boyce. He kicked us out of his house without mercy. He's such a scumbag." The frustration poured out of Hope.
"Let's wait till tomorrow. We are going to the head office of BlueRidge to confront the father of this baby." Marietta stood up as she led Jennie to her room. "I prepared your old room for you and the guest room for you, Hope." She said, pointing Hope in the direction of the guest room.
After a night of tossing and turning, Jennifer woke up bright and early and woke all of them up so they could get to their destination early. During the drive there, she kept drifting in and out of sleep because she had barely gotten any the night before.
When they reached the head office, Marietta took the lead and walked straight to the receptionist, demanding an audience with Dwayne. And after much ruckus was made, a meeting was set.
Jordan's personal assistant, Juliette, was the one that led them to his office. As soon as she saw them off, she scooted back to her office which was just a few doors away from his.
"So you are the jerk who got my daughter pregnant and has refused to take responsibility for it?" Marietta asked soon as she entered his office.
"You guys are still sticking to this silly plot?" Dwayne demanded grimly.
"It's not a plot, Dwayne. Why would anybody keep up an "act" for so long?" Jennie asked bitterly. She was thoroughly fed up with the whole situation.
"Let us just do a DNA test and end this nonsense," Marietta suggested. "That way you can know that we are not lying or cooking up stories." Hope suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea," He agreed drily. "Thankfully, we have in-house doctors in this establishment. Juliette will direct you to their office. Do the needful and I'll see you in a week." He said in conclusion.
"And don't worry, I won't tamper with the results." Jordan promised them.
**ONE WEEK LATER**
Exactly one week later, Jennifer and her mother received a call from an employee of BlueRidge Tech requesting their presence at the head office.
In no time, Cassie, Hope and Marietta arrived at the head office and headed to Jordan's office to hear the result of the DNA test that was conducted.
Without hesitation, Jordan handed the results that were in a brown envelope over to Cassie. After a brief moment, Cassie took a breath of relief out, "The results show that you are indeed the father." She let out, her voice was barely a whisper.
Refusing vehemently, Jordan said, "I still am not going to take responsibility for this pregnancy."
It was at this point that Marietta decided that she had had enough, "If you will not take responsibility for your actions," she began, "I am going to take this story to the press. And you know how badly it will affect you, Mr Dwayne Stryker." She finished resolutely.
"And we are not fools, Dwayne. Don't think we don't have evidence." Pamela added curtly.
"So pick one, Mr Stryker. Your image and business getting destroyed or being an adult and taking responsibility for your actions?" Jennifer demanded.