LOGINChapter 38:Threads of Ambition
The new studio space on the 32nd floor of a neighboring tower felt like a declaration. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the financial district, and natural light flooded the open layout I had designed myself. No more working from the penthouse like a kept secret. This was mine—leased in my name, funded by the first big freelance contract I’d secured without Voss connections.I pinned a new mood board to the wall, stepping back to study the d**Chapter 75: Second Shadow**The press conference played on every screen in the penthouse.I stood frozen in the living room in one of Damien’s oversized button-down shirts, my hand cradling the heavy swell of my thirty-two-week belly, while Selena Drake’s face filled the television. She looked radiant—flawless makeup, soft lighting, one hand resting meaningfully over her still-flat stomach.“I never wanted it to come to this,” she said, voice trembling with practiced vulnerability. “But Damien Voss deserves to know he’s going to be a father again. I’m eight weeks pregnant. And despite what the tabloids say about his engagement to that girl… I believe our child deserves a chance at a real family.”The headline ticker screamed: **DAMIEN VOSS BABY MAMA WAR EXPLODES — TWO PREGNANCIES, ONE EMPIRE.**My stomach twisted violently. Our son kicked hard, as if protesting the chaos his father had dragged us into again.Damien stood behind
**Chapter 74: Past Sins**The silence in the penthouse was heavier than the city skyline pressing against the windows. I sat on the edge of our bed in my silk robe, the emerald gala gown discarded in a heap on the floor like a shed skin. My hands rested protectively over my thirty-one-week belly, feeling the steady kicks of our son, while Damien stood across from me, still in his tuxedo pants and unbuttoned dress shirt.“Tell me about her.” My voice came out quieter than I intended, but the demand was clear. “No more half-truths, Damien. No more ‘it was a long time ago.’ I want everything. Tonight.”He watched me for a long moment, dark eyes unreadable. Then he exhaled slowly and loosened his tie completely, tossing it aside.“Selena wasn’t just a submissive,” he said finally, voice low. “She was my partner in more ways than one. Business first. She helped broker the Asian expansion three years ago. Sharp. Ruthless. Unafraid of my darkness.” He pa
**Chapter 73: The Ghost**The gala was a glittering cage of crystal chandeliers and whispered power plays. Voss Enterprises’ annual charity ball filled the grand ballroom of the city’s most exclusive hotel, every corner dripping with old money and sharper ambitions. I stood beside Damien in a custom emerald-green maternity gown that flowed elegantly over my thirty-one-week belly, the diamond on my finger catching every light. I should have felt untouchable. Instead, I felt like prey.“You’re breathtaking tonight,” Damien murmured, his large hand resting possessively on my lower back. His thumb stroked slow circles over the silk, right above the curve of my ass. “Every man here wishes he could touch what’s mine.”I leaned into him, drawing strength from his solid presence. After the dirty money confrontation and the intense makeup sex that followed, we’d existed in a fragile truce. He’d been attentive, almost tender. But the shadow of Selena
**Chapter 72: Dirty Money**I waited until morning.The penthouse was bathed in soft gray light when Damien stepped out of the shower, towel slung low around his hips, water still glistening on his sculpted chest. He looked every inch the powerful man who owned half this city. My future husband. The father of my child.And a liar.I stood in the middle of the bedroom in my silk robe, his phone clutched in my hand like a weapon. My belly felt heavier than ever at thirty weeks—our son pressing down as if he, too, was tired of the secrets.Damien’s sharp eyes flicked to the phone, then to my face. He stilled.“Isla.”“Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” My voice shook but didn’t break. “To Selena Drake. One week ago. Right around the time that video conveniently surfaced.”He didn’t flinch. Instead, he walked toward me slowly, deliberately, the way one approaches a cornered animal. “Give me the phone, little
**Chapter 71: Shattered Trust**The video played on loop in my mind even when I closed my eyes.A sleek hotel suite. Damien’s broad shoulders unmistakable in a tailored black shirt. A beautiful woman with long auburn hair laughing as she leaned into him, hand resting possessively on his chest. Then the bombshell—her tearful interview claiming she was carrying Damien Voss’s child too. The timestamp on the footage was from two weeks ago, right after I’d said yes to his proposal.*“He told me I was special,”* the woman had sobbed to the camera. *“Just like he’s telling her.”*I sat curled up on the chaise in the penthouse living room, knees drawn up as much as my thirty-week belly would allow. The diamond on my finger felt heavier than ever. Damien had spent the last three days trying to extinguish the firestorm. Victor had issued statements. PR teams spun damage control. Damien swore it was Marcus Hale’s latest move—a deepfake mixed with a paid actr
**Chapter 70: The Video**The ring on my finger felt like both a promise and a chain.I hadn’t slept. After the beautiful proposal on the terrace, after Damien had made love to me under the stars and whispered that I was going to be his wife, the video had shattered everything. I lay curled on my side in our bed at twenty-eight weeks pregnant, one hand resting on the gentle swell of my belly, the other clutching my phone like it was poisoned.Damien slept beside me, one arm draped possessively over my waist, his breath warm against my neck. Even in sleep he held me like I might disappear. The man who had just knelt and begged me to marry him looked peaceful. Almost human.I opened the video again, volume on low.The woman was stunning — auburn hair, sharp cheekbones, the kind of confidence that came from knowing exactly what she was worth. She laughed at something Damien said, leaning into him, her hand resting on his chest with familiar
**Chapter 67: Custody Battle**The courtroom smelled of polished wood and old money. I sat beside Damien at the defendant’s table, my hand clasped tightly in his under the heavy oak surface. At twenty-six weeks, my belly made it impossible to hide anymore. The baby kicked restlessly, as
**Chapter 66: Hospital Again**The steady beep of the fetal monitor was the only sound keeping me anchored.I lay in the private suite at St. Augustine’s, the same wing where I’d visited Bianca what felt like a lifetime ago. IV fluids dripped cold into my arm. My hospital gown s
**Chapter 62: Punishment**The marble floor was cool against my knees, but it did nothing to temper the heat flooding my body. Damien stood above me like a god carved from shadow and steel, his fingers still tangled in my hair. The city lights painted sharp angles across his face, highlighting the
Chapter 61:The Victim CardThe guilt started with a single text from an unknown number.**Alex:** *Bianca is in the hospital. Heart complications. She’s asking for you. Says she needs to apologize before it’s too late. Please, Isla. For old times’ sake.*I stared a







