Nathan did not drive home immediately. He sat in his car outside the clinic long after Mira had left. The engine was off. The world around him continued as if nothing monumental had shifted.
But something had.
His reflection stared back at him in the darkened windshield, sharp jaw, steady eyes, composed exterior.
A man built for negotiation. For dominance. For control.
And yet...His pulse refused to settle. Paternity DNA Request. His name printed beneath it. Not rumor. Not assumption. Evidence.
He leaned back slowly against the leather seat. Three weeks. Three weeks ago, she had walked out of his house without a scene. Without tears. Without accusation. She could have gone to his father. Could have demanded money. Could have caused scandal.
But she didn't. She disappeared.
And now she was preparing to confirm paternity without him.
Alone.
That realization struck deeper than the pregnancy itself. She wasn't trying to trap him. She was trying to avoid him.
He finally started the engine. The drive back to the estate felt longer than usual. Streetlights blurred past. His thoughts sharpened. The deadline loomed in his mind.
Nine days. Nine days to present a wife. Nine days before his father would reconsider succession. And here he was...Possibly about to become a father.
The irony almost made him laugh.
"You need stability," his father had said.
Nathan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. What could be more stabilizing than blood? When he arrived home, the estate felt too polished. Too structured. Too controlled. He walked straight to his father's study. The door was half-open. His father sat at his desk, reviewing documents under a green-shaded lamp.
"You're late," the older man said calmly.
Nathan didn't respond to that.
Instead, he stepped fully inside and closed the door behind him.
"I need Mira's full file," he said.
His father looked up slowly. "Mira resigned."
"I know."
"Then why?"
Nathan held his father's gaze. "Because she didn't leave for the reasons you think."
Silence stretched. His father studied him carefully.
"You rarely involve yourself with staff," he observed.
Nathan didn't deny it.
"Give me her contact details."
His father leaned back slightly.
"You have nine days," he reminded him.
"I'm aware."
"And you are choosing to pursue a former maid?"
The word hung in the air. Former maid. Class difference. Expectation. Legacy. Nathan's jaw tightened.
"I'm choosing to handle something that concerns me."
His father's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Is she the reason you've been distracted?"
Nathan didn't answer directly. Instead, he said quietly....
"She might be carrying my child."
The room fell still. Even the clock on the wall seemed louder. His father did not react immediately. He simply observed his son.
"And are you certain?" he asked finally.
"No."
But his voice carried weight.
His father folded his hands.
"If this is true," he said calmly, "it changes nothing about the deadline."
Nathan felt something shift inside him. "It changes everything."
His father's expression hardened slightly.
"Do not confuse responsibility with impulse."
Nathan stepped closer to the desk.
"This isn't impulse."
This was blood. This was consequence. This was something he couldn't delegate or negotiate. His father studied him for a long moment. Then slowly opened a drawer and removed a thin file. He slid it across the desk.
Nathan picked it up.
Mira Mano.
Age: 24.
Previous employment: domestic service.
Temporary contract.
An address.
A number.
Minimal background.
She had kept her life small. Private. Untraceable. Almost as if she had never intended to be seen. Nathan closed the file.
"For the record," his father said evenly, "if this child is yours, you will handle it properly."
"I will."
"Marriage is still required."
Nathan paused at the door. He didn't respond. Because for the first time, marriage wasn't about inheritance anymore. It was about her.
Later that night, he stood on the balcony outside his room.The city stretched endlessly below. He replayed the clinic scene in his mind. Her hand resting protectively over her stomach. The quiet strength in her posture. The absence of demand. She wasn't seeking security. She was preparing for survival. Alone. And that unsettled him more than anything. He had known women who chased status. Who clung to his surname like an investment.
But Mira.....
She walked away from it. From wealth. From comfort. From power. And chose uncertainty instead.
Why?
Because of pride? Because of fear? Or because she didn't trust him?
That question lingered the longest. He looked down at the file in his hand again. Nine days. Nine days to decide his future. Nine days to secure his father's empire. Nine days to find a wife.
But now....He wasn't looking for just any woman. He was looking for her. And this time, He would not assume. He would not misread silence. He would not allow her to disappear again. Because if the child was his, then so was the responsibility.
And if responsibility meant marriage, Then the deadline would not control him. He would control the outcome. The question was no longer...Would they be together?
The question was....Would she ever agree?