Elena's POV
The pregnancy test falls from my shaking hands and clatters into the sink.
Positive. Still positive. I've taken six tests in four weeks, praying each time for a different answer. But the universe doesn't care about my prayers.
I'm pregnant with Adrian Wolfe's baby.
The baby of a man who called me a mistake and disappeared.
The baby of my family's enemy.
The baby that will destroy whatever's left of my pathetic life.
I slide down to the bathroom floor, pressing my hands against my still-flat stomach. There's a tiny person growing inside me. A person who didn't ask to be born into this disaster. A person who deserves better than a mother who can't even remember their conception.
But despite everything—the fear, the shame, the absolute terror—I want this baby.
Maybe it's stupid. Maybe I'm crazy. But this baby is mine. The first thing in my entire life that's truly mine. Not Dad's. Not Vanessa's. Mine.
And I'm going to fight for them.
Which means I have to tell Adrian.
The thought makes me want to throw up again, but I've been throwing up for three weeks straight. Morning sickness is a cruel joke—it lasts all day.
I pull myself up, splash cold water on my face, and stare at my reflection. I look terrible. Dark circles under my eyes. Skin too pale. Hair unwashed for two days because the smell of shampoo makes me sick.
But I can't wait any longer. The blackmailer hasn't contacted me again since that first call four weeks ago, but I know they're watching. Waiting for the right moment to strike.
I need to tell Adrian before they do.
Maybe—just maybe—he'll remember that night differently than his note suggested. Maybe he felt the connection I felt. Maybe he'll want this baby.
It's a desperate hope, but it's all I have left.
Wolfe Enterprises towers over downtown Manhattan like a monument to money and power. I stand on the sidewalk outside, trying to breathe, trying to be brave.
I haven't left my apartment much in four weeks. Dad fired me from Chase Technologies the day after the gala—Vanessa told him I "embarrassed the family" by disappearing. He didn't even ask where I went or if I was okay.
Just fired his own daughter and moved on.
So I've been alone. Hiding. Trying to figure out what to do. But I can't hide anymore. Not with a baby coming.
I walk into the lobby on legs that feel like water.
The security guard looks me up and down with obvious judgment. I'm wearing my only nice dress—the one that doesn't smell like vomit—and I've tried to fix my hair, but I still look like exactly what I am: a desperate girl who's in way over her head.
"Can I help you?" His tone says he'd rather not.
"I need to see Adrian Wolfe." My voice sounds stronger than I feel. "Please. It's urgent."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but—"
"Then you can't see him." He turns back to his computer like I don't exist.
Tears burn my eyes. I refuse to cry. Not here. Not now.
"Please. Just tell him Elena Chase is here. He'll want to see me."
The guard's expression shifts to something like pity mixed with contempt. "Elena Chase? Richard Chase's daughter?"
"Yes."
He picks up his phone, but I can tell from his face that this isn't going well. He murmurs something I can't hear, listens, then hangs up.
"Mr. Wolfe is unavailable. He suggests you make an appointment through proper channels."
"But I need to—"
"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're disrupting—"
"Elena?"
I spin around at the familiar voice. Vanessa stands in the lobby, perfectly dressed in designer clothes, perfectly made up, perfectly everything I'm not.
And she's not alone.
Adrian Wolfe is beside her, his hand on her lower back in a gesture that's clearly possessive. He looks even better than I remember—sharp suit, cold eyes, complete control.
Those eyes land on me, and something flickers across his face. Recognition. Then something else. Something that looks almost like panic before his expression goes blank.
"Adrian, darling, who is this?" Vanessa's voice is sweet poison. She knows exactly who I am.
My mouth goes dry. "Adrian, I need to talk to you. Alone. Please."
"I'm busy." His voice is ice. "Whatever you need to say can wait."
"It can't." I step forward, desperate now. "Please. Five minutes. It's important."
Vanessa's eyes sharpen. "How do you two know each other?"
Adrian's jaw tightens. "We don't. She's Richard Chase's daughter. Probably here to beg me not to finalize the acquisition."
The words hit me like a slap. He's pretending he doesn't remember. Pretending that night never happened.
"That's not why I'm here." My voice shakes. "Adrian, I'm—"
"Mr. Wolfe doesn't have time for this." A new voice cuts in. A man in an expensive suit—his assistant, maybe—appears beside Adrian. "Miss Chase, you need to leave. Now."
"I'm pregnant!" The words explode out of me before I can stop them. "I'm pregnant, and it's yours!"
The lobby goes silent.
Adrian's face drains of color. Vanessa gasps dramatically. The security guard's mouth falls open.
And I stand there, exposed and vulnerable, waiting for Adrian to say something. Anything.
His eyes meet mine for one long moment. I see shock. Fear. Maybe something that could be regret.
Then his expression hardens into something cruel.
"That's an interesting claim." His voice is pure ice. "But I'm afraid you're mistaken. We've never met before today."
"What?" I can't breathe. "But that night—the hotel—"
"I've never been to a hotel with you." He steps closer, towering over me. "And I'd be very careful about making false accusations, Miss Chase. That sounds a lot like blackmail."
"Blackmail?" I'm shaking now. "I'm not—I would never—"
"You're desperate." Vanessa slides her arm through Adrian's, smiling like a cat with cream. "Your father's company is failing. You need money. So you're trying to trap a wealthy CEO with a convenient pregnancy story."
"That's not true!" Tears stream down my face now. I don't care anymore. "Adrian, please. I'm not lying. I have proof—the hotel security footage—"
"There is no footage." Adrian's voice is final. "Because nothing happened. David, call security. Have Miss Chase removed from the building."
"No!" I reach for him, but the assistant—David—steps between us. "Adrian, please! I'm not trying to trap you! I just—our baby deserves to know their father!"
"There is no baby." Adrian turns away from me. "And if you continue this harassment, I'll have no choice but to take legal action. Do you understand?"
I stare at his back, at the man who held me gently four weeks ago, and realize he's not going to help me.
He's going to destroy me.
"You're making a mistake," I whisper.
"No, Miss Chase." He looks at me over his shoulder, and his gray eyes are empty. "You're the one who made the mistake. Coming here. Threatening me. Trying to use a child—real or imaginary—to manipulate me." His lip curls. "You're just like my mother."
The comparison hits me like a physical blow.
Security guards appear on either side of me. They grab my arms, pulling me toward the exit.
"Adrian, please!" I'm begging now, and I hate myself for it. "I'm not lying! Check the hotel records! Ask your friend David—he knows something happened that night!"
David's face goes pale, but he says nothing.
They drag me out of the building and dump me on the sidewalk like trash.
I sit there, crying, with pedestrians walking past like I'm invisible.
My phone buzzes. Text from unknown number.
I almost don't look. But I'm already destroyed. What's one more disaster?
The message has a photo attached. It's me in the Wolfe Enterprises lobby, reaching for Adrian, mascara running down my face. I look pathetic.
Below the photo, a message: Perfect performance. But you forgot one thing—Vanessa Chase has been Adrian Wolfe's girlfriend for three weeks. Since the day after your little encounter. He chose her over you before you even woke up. Did you really think he'd want your baby? —A Friend
My world tilts.
Adrian and Vanessa have been together for three weeks.
Which means he moved on the day after he slept with me.
Which means he never cared at all.
But that's not the worst part.
Another text comes through: Oh, and Elena? Your father knows you're pregnant. Vanessa told him this morning. He's disowned you. Effective immediately. You have 24 hours to clear out of your apartment—it's in his name, remember? Good luck surviving with no money, no family, and no support. Maybe you should have thought about consequences before spreading your legs for your sister's boyfriend.
Sister's boyfriend.
Vanessa and Adrian.
This whole time, I've been the other woman without even knowing it.
I stare at my phone, at the lies and manipulations piling up around me, and something inside me breaks.
Or maybe it doesn't break.
Maybe it hardens.
I stand up, wiping my tears, and make a decision.
If they want to destroy me, fine. Let them try.
But I'm not going down alone.
And this baby—my baby—deserves better than a mother who gives up.
I turn away from Wolfe Enterprises and start walking.
Behind me, I don't see the black SUV that's been following me for four weeks pull away from the curb.
Don't see the camera in the tinted window recording everything.
Don't see the satisfied smile on the driver's face as they send one final text: Phase Two complete. Subject broken and isolated. Ready for recruitment.