Chapter 8

"Where's the new commercial clip?" Brian said while flipping through the pages of the folder in his hand. 

"We are yet to shortlist the candidates.." The fidgeting thirty-something years old creative director managed to say even amid stammer.  

People working under Brian always find talking to him intimidating and somewhat scary. It's hard to share the same space with his arrogant and rude attitude. 

"You're fired," He said without flinching. 

"Sir?" She questioned in disbelief. 

"Are you deaf? I said you're fired! I can't have incompetent people working in my company" he didn't look at the poor lady, not even as little as a wink. 

Just as soon as she walked out of his office, Khloé walks in majestically while strutting her curves in the perfect motion. 

"Hey baby" she greeted before taking her seat. 

"What do you want?" He asked rudely. Typical Brian Chase. 

"You have no idea what today is do you?" She looked a bit more dumbfounded than surprised. 

Brian does not reply. 

"It's my birthday Brian, I can't believe you forgot the mother of your child's birthday" she raised her arms in the air in disbelief. 

Khloé knew the kind of road she was about to embark on with Brian since the day she decided to keep his baby. She'd thought that maybe the child they share will somehow draw him close to her but the opposite happened.

The only significant date Brian knows is Isabelle's birthday and nothing more. 

"Take the master card and have fun" Brian tossed his ATM card over to her on the table. 

She hesitated a bit mostly because she didn't want to totally give off the materialistic woman kind of vibe. In the end, Brian knows it's all for show. Women are all the same. Money hungry species. He sometimes wondered if Khloé would have gotten pregnant if he was broke or if she would have even allowed him to sleep with her on the first night. 

He'd met the supermodel in a commercial shoot for ChaseApp. He'd wanted to check in on the shoot when the hot legs of Khloé attracted him on the spot. He likes them tall, skinny and classy. Khloé had all but lacked in some ways that are not physically attributed. 

"It's not about the money baby," she said in disappointment. 

"It's all you've ever wanted" He didn't look at her one bit. 

"I want you too. Your love, affection and everything affiliated to your heart" She reached for his arms and he pulled away from her grasp. 

"What do you need me to do to have all of you?" She asked

"I have told you times without number that you and I will never go beyond co-parenting Isabelle. No more" He said, coldly. 

She looked at him for a moment before breaking the stare. She'd thought sex is the only thing that can work to keep a man of Brian's calibre afterall he made advances towards her in the beginning but later on when she noticed he was starting to withdraw from her, she went on to remove the rod implants from her arm and lied when she eventually got pregnant that the contraceptive expired the night before they had sex. He'd told her to abort it but she lied saying that her gynaecologist warned her from doing so because it would be life-threatening for both her and the babies she will have in the future.  She managed to pin the baby on him and it worked. He did get close to her during her pregnancy period. He cared and catered for her like a princess. Bought her so many expensive stuff but it all ended the moment Isabelle was born. He still gives her allowances and all other material things she may desire but not intimacy. He wouldn't risk getting close to her and having another baby. 

"As you know, Isabelle is going to be with the nanny after school, you can pick her up from my place and take her on a treat." 

Loving his daughter is an understatement. Brian adored and more than loves his daughter. His only worry is that he assumes he wouldn't be able to be a good father to the girl which his why he'd hired her a nanny way before she was born. He buys her stuff so much so that he overspends on her but the money didn't matter and in a way, he was using the paper to buy the child's loves oblivious of the fact that all the child ever wants is the presence of her parents in her life. 

"You make it sound like I'm one arm candy" Khloé crossed her arms beneath her bosom. 

"Aren't you?" He carefully looked into her eyes, searching for answers from those pretty little deceiving eyeballs that tell more lies than her mouth. 

She dismissed the question with a scoff. 

"You will regret all the time you wasted not treating me right Brian. I hope by then it's not too late for you" She picked up the card, walked over to his side of the mahogany desk and places a brief kiss on his cheeks.  

Brian exhaled deeply after her exit. Khloé annoys him in ways he never thought he'd be affected. The only reason why he can't cut her off completely is because of the obvious unless she does something that makes her unfit to be a mother just like what she'd done the last time. 

Brian buried himself back to work. That's all he's ever done since a lawyer walked up to him years back with an inheritance he never knew he had from his deceased grandfather. He'd never heard of the man but was thankful that the money came in in the direst moment.  He knew Jayda would likely know a thing or two about it but he couldn't bear to look for a woman he purposely tried to forget.  Thinking about her seemed like an abomination and betrayal to himself. He'd vowed never to do anything with the woman that rejected his love. Although it happened in his teenage years, a period led by different hormones, he somehow managed to tale that anger into his adult life. The reason, he would never ask himself because deep down he felt maybe just maybe he didn't really like that.