2 days earlier

Declan Foster walked into his newly established firm late that afternoon after a day of travelling. He was exhausted and irritable. He checked his personal phone for any messages from the private investigator he hired back in Samjiyon, North Korea. Nothing yet, which was a good sign.

He walked into his office and poured himself a glass of whiskey, which he quickly downed. His business phone started ringing, and he was straight back at work dealing with investors and companies from around the world. FosterA was a company aimed at providing reliable internet and communications to all people around the world. He focused on connecting poor areas to the rest of the world. The company had subdivisions such as education, legal services, and anything related to information technology infrastructure (IT).

Declan started the business after coming out of the military, and it just grew since then, making him the 2nd wealthiest man from South Africa. 1st being Elon Musk but Declan was nowhere near close to Elon’s wealth. Declan’s net worth stood at 10 billion USD, and with the deals he formed, it kept increasing.

“Sir, the board of directors are here for the meeting.” His personal assistant stated after knocking on Declan’s office door.

“Tell them to fucking give me 5 minutes. I just got back.” Declan yelled, and his assistant nodded, then left. Luckily his assistant, Kian van Zyl, was used to Declan’s temper and, after 6 months, hadn’t resigned. Making him the longest assistant that had worked for the billionaire. Declan took a deep breath and straightened his tie. Lately, he had been unable to get a good night’s sleep as that waitress from Samjiyon haunted his dreams. He couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her, and the private investigator hadn’t sent any information his way. He only asked to be contacted if something was wrong, which was probably why.

Declan cracked his neck and poured himself another glass of whiskey before heading off to the meeting. He half-listened to what was going on in the meeting and slowly sipped his whiskey. Declan tapped his foot impatiently on the floor as his board members discussed the fluctuating forex rates. His personal phone vibrated in his pocket, and Declan’s foot stopped as he switched it on. A message from the private investigator popped up in the notifications.

“Miss Chae-Soo visited an abortion clinic today. Her appointment is the day after tomorrow.” The message read.

“Fuck!” Declan shouted and stood up. He threw the glass of whiskey at the wall, which shattered, then walked out. The board members were startled and confused by what just happened and watched their billionaire boss walk out of the room.

Sienna was pregnant… with his child. But worst of all, she wanted to have an abortion. She wanted to kill his child. He dialled the private investigator’s number and signalled for his assistant to come over.

“Book the next flight to Samjiyon.” He instructed Kian, then spoke to his phone, “Where is she now?”

“Hello, sir. Miss Chae-Soo just walked into work as we speak.” The investigator replied and watched her from his car. He grabbed his oversized brown coat and got out of the car to follow her in.

“Keep a close eye on her. I’m on my way there.” Declan stated and hung up the call.

“It is booked sir, you leave in the next hour. I’ve emailed you the tickets. Your driver has also been called; he will be here shortly.” Kian remarked and handed Declan an envelope. “Here are all your personal documents, sir.”

“Thank you, Kian.” Declan nodded and walked towards the elevator. He stopped and looked back at Kian, who watched him leave. “Good work. I should pay you double.”

“Thank you, sir,” Kian smiled as Declan walked out and turned to go tell the board of directors that Mr Foster was no longer in the building.

Declan walked up to the car where his personal driver waited and climbed in as the diver opened the door for him. Declan was on a phone call with a member of the board and instructed him on what to do for the next few days. The member didn’t dare question where Declan would be unless he wished to be fired and agreed, which ended with Declan hanging up the call in his ear.

“Jho, Zem… a Korean woman I slept with is now pregnant,” Declan said in isiXhosa to his driver, who chuckled.

“Mr boss, man, you are a father now.” His driver replied. A father. Declan was a father. It still hadn’t sunk in.

“I’m flying over tonight to sort out this problem.”

“You must bring her back as your wife, Mr boss. She can keep your bed warm while you work.” The driver added, which sparked an idea in Declan’s mind.

“Zem, you are such an intelligent man. I still don’t know why you are just a driver.” Declan laughed and touched the driver’s shoulder, who just smiled. Declan then dialled Kian’s number, who picked up instantly.

“Yes, Kian. Call my lawyer and draft a contract. Takedown this information….” Declan stated in English and continued to tell Kian what the contract was for.

“Yes, sir. I’ll get it emailed to you as soon as I can.” Kian replied, and the call ended.

“Right Zem, can we make it to the airport in time?” Declan asked back in the drivers home language.

“Don’t worry, sir. We will make it in time.” Zem nodded and accelerated faster. Declan had a plane to catch and an abortion to stop. Time was ticking by.

***

Declan flew 16 hours from Cape Town to Pyongyang and then hired a driver to Samjiyong, which was a 7-hour drive. The private investigator fetched him at a stop, and they sped over to the abortion clinic. Declan ran in and had made it on time. The waitress was now in his car, and he couldn’t calm down his anger which grew by the sight of her.

Her long black hair had been braided into a ponytail, while her large dark eyes glared at him like he was the worst person in the world. Her beautiful face was wet from tears, but instead, he hated that he found himself attracted to her.

“Why the fuck were you at that place?” Declan thundered and pointed to the clinic as they drove away. Even the private investigator got a fright when the billionaire shouted but kept his eyes on the road.

“I can’t raise this baby.” Sienna softly replied, and her hand flew to touch the pendant of the necklace she had on that was hidden beneath her shirt.

“Why the hell not! You should have phoned me. I would fucking take care of you and the baby. That’s my child, and I’m not going to be some unresponsible father.”

“You fucked me then left without saying bye! Who writes ‘keep the change’ on an envelope after sleeping with someone? How did you expect me to call?” Sienna yelled back, which surprised Declan. Maybe she had a backbone after all.

“Okay fine, fair point. Why did you want to kill my baby? That’s fucking murder!”

“I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t know I would see you again, and I live in poverty if you didn’t know! That’s not the best situation to raise a baby.”

“Don’t throw sarcasm at me, woman!” Declan screamed, and his hands clenched into fists. Sienna crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window while Declan tried to calm down. At this point, the private investigator was just driving around without a destination as the two of them yelled at one another on the back seat.

“I changed my mind and was about to tell the doctor that I wanted to keep the baby, but then you came in and caused a scene,” Sienna spoke when she controlled her anger and looked over at Declan. Her heart tugged, and she wanted to move closer to him, but his piercing blue eyes kept her in place. “What do you suggest we do?” She asked softly.

“Marry me,” Declan stated, and Sienna looked at him, confused. Was this another one of his deals?

“We don’t even know one another! Plus, I don’t like you.”

“Trust me, woman. I despise you as well.” Declan firmly said, and Sienna felt her heart drop. “We won’t marry for love. I know your families situation if you agree I’ll take care of them. Your parents will be placed in the best elderly care in North Korea, and your brother will receive top treatment from praised doctors around the world. I’ll pay for his schooling and make sure he lives a good life. As for you, have my baby, and I’ll take care of you. You won’t have to work a day in your life and can have anything money can buy. I don’t expect anything from you except loyalty. I won’t touch you without your permission or even expect your kindness.”

“Why? What’s in it for you?”

“My child grows up with both his parents, plus marrying you is a business move. Many of my investors declined my offer because the company is not ‘family-friendly’, so having a wife and my child would persuade them.” Declan smirked and handed Sienna some documents.

“Take us to her house.” He then instructed the private investigator and turned back to Sienna, who read over the contract his lawyer and assistant drafted.

“It says the contract is effective immediately.” She said and looked at Declan for an explanation.

“Yes, as soon as you agree, then you will leave for South Africa with me. Which is where you will be living from thereon. So make your decision, and when your shift starts later today, I will be waiting for the answer. Say goodbye to your family and whatever man you are seeing.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” Sienna rolled her eyes and continued to read over the contract.

“Good. Oh, and I expect your bed to be empty, as will mine. You will be my wife, and I see no other woman worthy to sleep next to me. If you have anything to add or wish to change, write it on the last page.” The billionaire added as the car came to a stop. He looked past the waitress and out of her window; the apartment she lived in looked like a dump. Windows were smashed, and trash was scattered across the floor. The building itself was beginning to fall apart, and Declan wondered how people were still living here. Surely that was a danger.

“What if I refuse your offer?” The waitress asked and looked at the billionaire that seemed disgusted with where she lived.

“Either you take my offer, and everyone wins. Or, you reject, and I still take you with me, but your family dies.” The billionaire shrugged. He truly was a heartless man.

“You can’t force me. That’s illegal.”

“Try me, sweetheart. You have no idea how far I am willing to go to get what I want.” Declan threatened, and his eyes darkened. A shiver ran down Sienna’s spine, and the hairs on her body stood up. Declan leaned over closer to her, and she tensed up. He opened the door and waited for the waitress to climb out before driving away.

Sienna watched the fancy car drive away and clenched the contract in her hand. Declan Foster was a dangerous man, but she considered his deal once again. What choice did she have? If she rejected, he would take her away forcefully. At least if she accepted, her family would be well looked after.

“Sienna! Come here, daughter.” Her mom called as they heard the front door open. Sienna made her way into the bedroom and left the contract in the kitchen.

“Look! Look! We won a month-free stay at an elderly retirement village. I don’t remember sighing up for this.” Her father laughed and handed Sienna the letter. She read over it and frowned when she saw the initials DF. Declan Foster. His plan was already in action.

“I signed you up for this,” Sienna stated with a forced smile. Her parents both cheered and thanked her with hugs.

“Mom… Dad… I have to go away for a bit. I’ll be fine, and I’ll come to visit you at the retirement village maybe sometime next year. I can’t explain why, but you have to trust me.” Sienna said and held back her tears. She said her goodbyes and packed up all the things she owned, which fit into one bag, then headed off to work.