The betrayal didn't come with drama.
No shouting. No confrontation.
Just a file sent to the wrong inbox.
I was in the study when Marcus knocked once, sharp, urgent.
"Ma'am," he said, stepping inside without waiting for permission. "We have a breach."
I looked up slowly. "External?"
"No," he replied. "Internal."
That word settled heavy.
He placed a tablet in front of me. On the screen was a media draft unfinished but detailed. Photos. Timelines. Medical confirmations.
My breath stalled.
DE SANTIS HEIR CONFIRMED CONTRACT BRIDE PREGNANT
The room seemed to tilt.
"They have medical verification," Marcus continued grimly. "Only three people had access to that level of confirmation."
I didn't have to ask who.
Dr. Keane.
The doctor Luca trusted. The one assigned privately to me. The one who smiled gently and told me stress levels were stable.
I felt something cold spread through my chest.
"When did this circulate?" I asked.
"Forty minutes ago. It hasn't gone public yet. Someone is shopping it."
I stood.
"Call Luca."
"He's already on his way."
The moment Luca entered, he knew. He always did.
"They know," he said flatly.
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Dr. Keane," Marcus answered. "He transferred funds this morning. Offshore. Clean."
Luca's expression didn't change, but the temperature in the room dropped.
"He's dead," Luca said.
"No," I said sharply.
Both men looked at me.
"Not yet," I continued. "Killing him turns this into a spectacle. They want chaos."
Luca studied me. "You're protecting him?"
"I'm controlling the narrative," I replied. "There's a difference."
A phone buzzed.
Then another.
Then another.
Marcus glanced at his screen. "They've released it."
I closed my eyes for a brief second just long enough to steady myself.
Then I opened them.
"Put the television on," I said.
The headline filled the screen within seconds.
SECRET HEIR SHAKES DE SANTIS EMPIRE
Commentators speculated. Experts analyzed. Faces blurred but words were sharp.
Contract bride. Strategy pregnancy. Power move.
None of them asked if I was afraid.
"They're framing this as manipulation," Marcus said.
"They always do when a woman survives," I replied quietly.
Luca turned to me. "We can deny it."
"No."
"That will cost us".
"I said no," I repeated calmly.
Silence followed.
"If we deny it," I said, "they'll leak proof. Drag it out. Twist it. If we confirm it, we control how."
Luca's jaw tightened. "You shouldn't have to stand in front of them."
"I already am," I said.
Within the hour, a statement went out.
Simple. Direct.
Yes. Elena De Santis is pregnant.
No further comments will be made at this time.
The reaction was immediate.
Supporters. Critics. Opportunists.
And then Isabella.
She didn't call.
She sent flowers.
White lilies.
No card.
Just a single envelope tucked beneath the ribbon.
Inside was a photograph.
Mrs. Alvarez.
Alive.
Seated. Calm. Looking straight into the camera.
My hands trembled for the first time in days.
Luca was behind me instantly. "She's alive."
"For now," I whispered.
Marcus checked the envelope again. "There's a location stamp. Old district. Abandoned church."
"A trap," Luca said.
"Yes," I agreed. "But also an invitation."
I looked down at my stomach.
"They're accelerating," I said. "Because the heir changes everything."
Luca's voice lowered. "You don't go."
"I do."
"Elena".
"They exposed my child," I said, turning to face him. "They used my body as leverage. This doesn't stay between men anymore."
His eyes searched mine.
Finally, "Then we don't go blind."
The church was empty when we arrived.
Too empty.
Dust. Broken pews. Sunlight cutting through cracked stained glass.
A voice echoed.
"You came."
Isabella stepped out from the shadows, dressed elegantly, as if this were a private viewing rather than a crime scene.
"You leaked my pregnancy," I said.
She smiled. "You made it valuable."
"Where is she?"
"Close," Isabella replied. "Close enough to hear what happens next."
My pulse remained steady.
"You wanted me visible," I said. "You succeeded. What now?"
Isabella tilted her head. "Now the world watches how far you're willing to go."
I stepped forward.
"You took someone innocent," I said. "You crossed a line."
She laughed softly. "There are no innocent people in our world."
"Then you misjudged me," I said.
Her smile faltered just slightly.
Because for the first time, she realized the truth.
I wasn't protecting myself anymore.
I was protecting something that would outlive all of us.
And that made me dangerous.