Chapter 4: The Proof and the Price
Lila Harper's stomach lurched as she stepped into Claire Kane's law office, the downtown high-rise reeking of money and power. It was 7 p.m., and the city skyline glittered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but Lila's focus was on the folder Claire slid across her polished desk. The lawyer's eyes were sharp, her voice all business, and Lila knew whatever was in that folder was about to make her life messier.
Claire's call last night—claiming proof that Derek Voss was behind the leaked photo and fake email—had kept Lila up, her mind spinning with questions about Ethan, Voss, and who else was playing dirty in this corporate shitstorm.
"Open it," Claire said, leaning back in her chair. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
Lila flipped the folder open, her hands unsteady. Inside was a paper trail: email exchanges, bank records, and screenshots of texts. The emails linked Derek Voss to an anonymous X account that posted the elevator photo of her and Ethan. The bank records showed payments to a private investigator who'd been tailing Ethan for weeks. And the texts—between Voss and someone labeled only "T"—hinted at an inside job at Kane Enterprises. One message read: She's a problem. Keep pushing the gold-digger angle. Kane's slipping.
Lila's blood ran cold. "Tina," she said, her voice low. "It's gotta be Tina."
Claire nodded. "My guess, too. Tina Brooks has been gunning for your spot since you started. She's feeding Voss dirt to take you both down."
Lila's mind flashed to Tina's smug grin, the Sharpie scrawl on her desk, the "anonymous" HR complaints. "Why? What's she get out of this?"
"Voss is promising her a promotion," Claire said. "If he tanks Ethan's merger, he takes over Kane Enterprises. Tina's betting on a corner office in his new regime."
Lila's hands clenched the folder. "So Voss leaks the photo, fakes an email to make Ethan look like a snake, and Tina's stirring the pot from inside. What's the catch you mentioned?"
Claire's eyes darkened. "To use this, you need to go public. Expose Voss and Tina in front of the board. But that means outing your pregnancy to everyone—investors, media, the whole damn company. Ethan's not ready for that, and it'll put a target on your back. Voss doesn't play nice when he's cornered."
Lila's heart pounded. Going public meant torching any privacy she had left. The X comments were already brutal—gold-digger, slut, homewrecker. Confirming the pregnancy would be like pouring gasoline on the fire. But if she didn't, Tina and Voss would keep coming, and she'd lose her job, her future, everything.
"What about Ethan?" Lila asked. "Does he know about this?"
Claire shook her head. "Not yet. I wanted you to see it first. He's my brother, but he's a mess. You need to decide how to play this, Lila. For you and your kid."
Lila left the office, the folder tucked under her arm, her mind racing. Claire's proof was a weapon, but using it could blow up her life. And Ethan—his past with Sarah, the college girlfriend he'd abandoned, made his denial of their baby hit harder.
He wasn't just a coward; he was running from a ghost. Lila wanted to hate him, but the fake relationship they were playing at last night's dinner—his hand on her back, the flashes of cameras—had stirred something she didn't want to name.
Meanwhile, Ethan was in a boardroom across town, facing Derek Voss and a table of stone-faced investors. The merger with Voss Industries was on life support, and Derek's smirk said he knew it. Ethan's phone buzzed with notifications about the fake email, but he ignored it, focusing on the man trying to gut his company.
"You're slipping, Kane," Derek said, leaning back in his chair. "The board's nervous. That photo, the email—makes you look like you can't keep your house in order."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "You leaked the photo, you son of a bitch. And that email's fake. You think I'm stupid?"
Derek shrugged, his eyes glinting. "Doesn't matter what I think. The board sees a CEO screwing his assistant, dodging a kid, and lying about it. They're ready to pull the plug."
Ethan leaned forward, his voice low. "You're playing a dangerous game, Derek. Keep pushing, and I'll bury you."
Derek laughed. "With what? Your girlfriend's tears? Face it, Ethan, you're done."
The meeting ended with the board deferring the merger vote, and Ethan stormed out, his blood boiling. Derek was winning, and the betrayal stung worse because Ethan knew someone inside his company was feeding him dirt. He just didn't know who.
Back at the office, Ethan found Lila waiting outside his door, her arms crossed, the folder in her hand. "We need to talk," she said, her voice sharp.
He unlocked the door, letting her in. "If this is about last night, I told you, the email's fake."
"It's not just that," she said, tossing the folder on his desk. "Your sister gave me this. Proof Derek Voss leaked the photo and faked the email. And Tina's helping him."
Ethan's eyes widened as he scanned the papers. "Tina? My assistant?"
"Yeah," Lila said, her voice hard. "She's been selling you out to Voss. They want you to lose the merger—and me to lose my job."
Ethan's hands clenched, his mind racing. Tina had been with him for years, always loyal, always efficient. The betrayal hit like a punch. "That little—" He stopped, his voice shaking with rage. "I'll fire her. Right now."
"No," Lila said, stepping closer. "Not yet. We need to play this smart. Claire says we can use this to take down Voss, but it means going public about the baby. All the way public."
Ethan froze, his face paling. "Public? Lila, I told you, I'm not—"
"Not built for this?" she cut in, her eyes blazing. "Yeah, I heard you. But this isn't just about you anymore. Voss is coming for us both, and Tina's lighting the match. You want to save your company? Step up."
He stared at her, his chest tight. Claire's words from years ago echoed in his head—You ran from Sarah, Ethan. Don't run again. But the thought of the world knowing about the baby, of being tied to Lila in a way he couldn't control, made his skin crawl.
Before he could respond, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen: Tina. He put it on speaker, his eyes locked on Lila's.
"Ethan, you there?" Tina's voice was smooth, too smooth. "Derek Voss just called. Said he's got a new deal for you—better terms, but you need to meet him tonight. Alone."
Lila's eyes narrowed, and she mouthed, Trap.
Ethan's grip tightened on the phone. "Tell him I'm busy," he said, his voice cold. "And Tina? Don't bother coming in tomorrow."
There was a pause, then Tina's voice hardened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're done," Ethan said, hanging up.
Lila stared at him, her heart pounding. "You just tipped her off. She'll run to Voss."
Ethan's jaw clenched. "Good. Let her. I'm done playing defense."
But as Lila left his office, her phone buzzed with a new X post: a blurry video of her and Ethan arguing in his office last week, her voice clear as she said, "I'm pregnant." The caption read: Kane's assistant confirms it. The CEO's in deep. The comments were a bloodbath, and Lila's name was trending.
She turned back to Ethan, her voice shaking. "This just went live. Voss isn't waiting for us to make a move. He's already made his."
Ethan grabbed his phone, his face dark. "Then we fight back. Tomorrow, we go public—together. But Lila, if we do this, there's no going back."
She nodded, her throat tight. "I know. But I'm not running."
As she walked out, her phone buzzed again. A text from an unknown number: Back off, or the next leak ends you. Lila's blood ran cold. Voss wasn't just playing dirty—he was playing for keeps.