The tinted window lowered slowly, revealing a pair of eyes darker than midnight.
Chen froze, her breath catching in her throat.
Liang Zhen.
Even in broad daylight, he was intimidating. The tailored black suit, the perfectly combed hair, the hard lines of his face—all screamed authority. But it was his gaze that unsettled her most. Piercing, calculating, unreadable.
Why here? Why now?
She clutched her bag tightly to her chest, heart racing. The little test stick still sat on her bathroom floor, mocking her. If she had been two minutes slower leaving her apartment, she might have escaped this moment.
"Get in," Liang Zhen said. His tone wasn't a request.
Chen's legs trembled. "I… I can't. I'm late for work."
His gaze flicked toward her plain outfit, the bargain shoes she wore. His lips curved faintly—not into a smile, but something colder. "Work? For a company I own?"
Her stomach dropped. She had known, of course. The small firm she worked for was one of his countless subsidiaries. But she had prayed he'd never notice her among the thousands of employees.
"Mr. Liang…" Her voice cracked. "I really need to—"
"Get in," he repeated, sharper this time.
Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her legs refused to move. With a shaky breath, she opened the car door and slid inside. The leather seats were smooth beneath her palms, the air faintly smelling of him—wood, spice, something dangerously addictive.
The car began moving. Silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
Chen kept her eyes glued to the window, her pulse thundering in her ears. If she stayed quiet, maybe this nightmare would end.
But Liang Zhen spoke.
"You disappeared that morning."
Her fingers dug into her bag. "I… I told you. It was a mistake."
He studied her face, his gaze sharp as a blade. "A mistake doesn't explain why you look like you've seen a ghost."
Chen bit down hard on her lip. Her body betrayed her—her pale cheeks, the dark circles under her eyes, the way her hands trembled in her lap. She had spent the past three weeks hiding her secret, but sitting beside him, it felt like every defense she had built was crumbling.
"I don't know what you mean," she whispered.
He leaned closer, his scent overwhelming her senses. "Don't play games with me, Chen. Do you think I wouldn't notice?"
Her heart thudded violently. Did he… know?
No, impossible. He couldn't. She had been careful.
"I'm just tired," she blurted out, gripping her bag tighter. "Long hours at work, that's all."
Liang Zhen's eyes narrowed, but he didn't call her bluff. Instead, he leaned back, his expression unreadable. "Where are you going?"
She blinked, startled. "To the office."
"Not anymore."
Her head whipped toward him. "What?"
He glanced at her, cool and detached. "You'll be transferred to headquarters. Effective today."
Her breath hitched. "No—no, I can't. I'm fine where I am."
"You don't get to decide." His tone was final.
Panic clawed at her chest. At headquarters, she would be under his watchful eye constantly. How long before her secret slipped? How long before the truth exploded?
Her throat tightened. "Why are you doing this?"
For the first time, something flickered in his gaze. Curiosity. Frustration. Maybe even… obsession.
"You think you can walk away from me," he said quietly, dangerously. "But I don't let people walk away so easily."
Chen's stomach dropped.
The car slowed, pulling up to the towering glass building of Liang Corporation's headquarters. She swallowed hard, her nails digging into her palms.
As the driver opened her door, Liang Zhen's voice stopped her cold.
"Chen."
She turned, her knees weak.
His gaze pinned her in place. "I'll find out what you're hiding."
Her blood ran cold.
She stumbled out of the car, clutching her bag like a lifeline. The massive skyscraper loomed above her, its polished glass reflecting the sky. She felt like a moth trapped beneath a predator's gaze.
Inside the lobby, employees whispered and stared as she passed. They had never seen their cold, untouchable CEO personally escort anyone.
Chen's cheeks burned. She kept her head down, walking faster, but no matter how far she moved, she could still feel the weight of Liang Zhen's gaze lingering on her like a shadow she couldn't shake.
Hours blurred. Work became impossible—her thoughts kept circling back to the test on her bathroom floor, the dark promise in Liang Zhen's voice. She skipped lunch, her body weak, her stomach queasy.
By late afternoon, her vision swam. She gripped her desk, but the dizziness worsened. A wave of nausea hit, her body trembling.
She barely managed to stand before her knees buckled.
Gasps erupted around her as coworkers rushed forward. But before anyone could touch her, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her.
Chen blinked through the haze. Her heart nearly stopped.
Liang Zhen.
His jaw was tight, his eyes burning with an intensity that made her skin prickle. Without a word, he lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing.
"Call my doctor," he barked, his voice like thunder.
The crowd parted instantly. No one dared to breathe too loudly as the CEO carried her through the building.
Chen wanted to protest, to push him away, but her strength had drained completely. Her head fell against his chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat the last thing she heard before darkness closed in.
When she stirred again, she was lying on a pristine white bed. The sharp scent of antiseptic filled her nose.
A hospital.
Her eyes fluttered open—and landed on Liang Zhen, seated beside her bed, his posture rigid, his gaze locked on her.
Relief flashed across his face for a fleeting second before it hardened into something colder.
"You've been hiding something from me," he said, voice low, deadly calm. He reached into his suit pocket and tossed a file onto the blanket.
Chen's blood froze as her eyes darted to the document.
The hospital report.
Positive pregnancy test.
Her secret—laid bare.
Her lips parted, but no words came.
Liang Zhen leaned closer, his dark gaze searing into her soul.
"So it's mine."