HEARTBREAKING DILEMMA

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you strike, fall like a thunderbolt - (the art of war)

******

Alexander Winthrop hit his hands against the steering wheel, fuming as he drove furiously.

The thing he hated the most were idiots that tried to take advantage of others, thinking they were wise.

He had registered his pharmaceutical company just last month and his two products had taken the world by storm, raking in a shit load of profits.

But before he could enjoy the fruits of his months of painstaking research, the director of the agency for food and drug administration called him in for a chat, claiming that the registration of his company was improperly done, despite the fact that Alex had provided every single document required.

He had claimed that he needed to see the formula, insisting that such miraculous drugs that can cure leukemia and skin cancer must definitely have side effects in the future.

What nonsense!

They were simply shocked by the effectiveness of the drugs made by the boy everyone termed useless, making them want to steal the formula for themselves. It sold like crazy, despite the price.

"They must think I am foolish! If they try any of their tricks and threats on my company, I will deal ruthlessly with them. I even gave them lots of money as compensation. When they kept coming up with ridiculous requests, I kept fulfilling it and giving money to them, making them think I'm easy to bully. Being kind and peaceful never pays!" Alex growled, staring fixedly at the road before him.

The sound of his ringtone disrupted the tense atmosphere, making his eyes snap to the phone holder in the car.

On seeing the caller whom he saved as 'my angel', a broad smile spread on his face and he quickly reached for it.

"Sweetheart", he drawled, turning on the phone speaker.

However, the sound of Mia's loud sobs immediately wiped the smile off his face.

"Angel, what's wrong? Mia?" He asked urgently, trying to focus on the road to no avail.

"I'm in trouble, big trouble. I'm definitely dead this time," Mia cried, blowing her nose.

Her lamentations immediately increased Alex's anxiousness and discomfort.

"Where are you? I will come right away" he quickly added, trying his best to soothe her.

"I'm at home", she whispered again, coughing and crying.

Alex frowned while listening to her.

"Which home? Mine?" He asked again, seeking for confirmation.

"Yes. I'm in our house. I came to wait for you" she whispered, hiccuping pitifully.

Alex nodded and stepped on the pedal, increasing the vehicle's speed in his bid to rush home to her.

****

Alex quickly drove into his cape cod style townhouse, stopping before the front door.

His eyes immediately went to Mia who was sitting on the front porch, shivering like a drenched, sick cat.

He rushed out of the car, stopping before her in three huge strides.

Mia immediately hugged him and broke down in his arms, crying profusely, while Alex patiently rubbed her back in silent consolation.

"The police will be here any moment soon, please help me. I can't survive going to prison," she wailed, hugging him tightly.

Alex's brows tightened in an ugly frown.

"Excuse me? Why? What happened?" He whispered, pulling away from her to look at her face.

Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, mucus was running down her nose, there was only one word to describe her appearance; pitiful.

"I went to Luz bar to drink with my friends. While coming home, I hit a pregnant woman and killed her with my car. I swear it was not intentional. The crack they gave me was stronger than usual, and the drinks made it worse, making me unable to focus on the road. The police already found out that the driver took some drugs. I can't go to prison, save me. Please save me. You love me, don't let them take me away," she wept, holding his hands.

Alex immediately clenched his fists.

"How many times have I warned you to stop taking cocaine? How many times have I warned you to leave that evil clique? What do you want me to do? You said the police were already following you. I can only try to visit some government and court officials to release you. Damn it!" Alex swore helplessly.

"No! They didn't know I was the one driving the car. Just tell them you were the one that took the drugs and killed the woman. Please, I won't be able to survive prison time," Mia cried, hugging Alex and crying profusely.

"Excuse me? You want me to lie to the court and take the fall for your mistakes, even when you know that I can easily bail you out after some time? Have you thought about the adverse effects that having a crime record will have on our future? I just registered my company. I will lose the company and my investments. I will lose my credibility, and no matter what I do, I will never be able to get people to trust in my brand in the future. But you're a woman, my woman. They won't punish you hard. I already promised to take care of you forever, and I will. I will get you out in weeks and make sure you live comfortably, I won't grant you your wish. My company is having issues right now. If I dare gamble on it by going to prison, I will lose it all," Alex calmly explained.

A vicious light flashed in Mia's eyes for a fleeting second, but she quickly masked it and increased the volume of her pitiful tears.

"I will take care of the company and ensure you come out immediately. I can't go to jail in my current condition," she wailed, making Alex frown.

He always knew that his girlfriend was selfish and materialistic, but why does she think he's an idiot?

She doesn't want to go to prison, but he should?

He doesn't take alcohol and hard drugs, why must he pay for her crime?

"I won't be able to survive for an hour in there. They will destroy my body through torture. Worse, I will lose my baby and suffer a miscarriage. I know I'm being too demanding, but I don't want to lose this baby. I would not have asked you to help me otherwise. I can't survive prison in my current condition," Mia wailed, sniffing and cleaning her face with her sleeves.

Alex's heart immediately skipped a beat and he fixed his eyes on her belly.

Mia smiled on seeing the look of awe on his face.

She knows how much he treasures family, despite being kicked out from his family at seventeen.

He was currently just twenty-two years old, but he had been telling her about his wish to marry her and have children of his own.

After the initial joy in Alex's heart on hearing about the kid, despair and doubt immediately arose in his heart as he realized the kind of dilemma he was currently in.

Losing his baby was not an option, but choosing the baby will make him lose his company which he had just paid back a loan to start up.

Mia noticed his hesitation and quickly reached for the test results, showing it to him while still wailing profusely.

Just then, the police sirens began to blare furiously, alerting them to the fact that the cops had finally caught up with them.

Alex looked back in confusion at the policemen who just drove in their vehicles, wondering why things never go smoothly for him.

What the hell will he do?

Choose his woman and baby?

Or choose his bright future?