Pink panties beneath her oversized jersey.

~ Alex ~

I stared at the text I'd just sent her.

Having Andrew severe his wrist wasn't just to punish the scumbag, it was also a subtle warning to her. If she tried anything stupid, she would lose more than a wrist.

“Do you think she was sent to spy on you, sir? Is the child really yours?”

Andrew's question from a week ago echoed in my mind.

I hadn't been able to give him an answer then—I still couldn't. But perhaps time would tell.

Just then, my phone began to ring, and Bella's name appeared on the screen.

I answered.

“Babe, are you sleeping already? I just wanted to ask if I could spend the week with you and help with the surrogate.”

Her voice came through the phone, soft and soothing. Almost instantly, the anger that had been building in my chest disappeared.

“Why do you want to bother yourself with all that?”

“Just to gain some knowledge and make sure the baby is fine. It's your heir after all.”

I chuckled.

Bella and I had been together for almost a decade. I knew her well enough to know that she wasn't simply offering to spend the week for the sake of the baby.

“I know you're coming to spend the week with me. Don't go around the corner.”

She giggled, and I smiled.

“You should probably start packing. She's getting discharged tomorrow,” I said.

She hummed in response before uttering the three words I'd heard countless times over the years.

“I love you, Alex.”

“I love you too,” I murmured.

Silence settled between us for a moment before Bella eventually ended the call.

I lowered my phone. At this point, I couldn't imagine my life without her.

…

The next morning came in a flash.

I sat in the living room, peeling oranges for Bella, when Loise walked in with Andrew. She stopped the moment she noticed us.

Her eyes lingered on the scene for a brief second, and I didn't miss the fleeting embarrassment that crossed her face.

For some reason, I noticed it. Though I wasn't sure why.

I cast a glance at Andrew, and he nodded, immediately understanding what I meant.

“Please follow me, Miss Loise. I'll show you to your room.”

She nodded and followed him, while I planted a kiss on Bella's forehead.

“Take care, I have to head to the office.”

…

The moment I stepped into the office, everything else disappeared from my mind.

Work was work, and I didn't have the luxury of letting my personal problems interfere with it.

By the time I entered the boardroom, the members of the board were already seated around the long glass table, and I took my usual seat at the head.

“Let's begin.”

The head of the robotics division stood and turned on the screen. An image of a sleek, compact machine appeared.

It wasn't humanoid. It looked more like a futuristic piece of furniture, with a smooth oval body, a small retractable arm, and wheels hidden beneath its base.

“This is Project KNORA,” he began. “Our latest domestic-assistance prototype.”

The next slide showed KNORA inside a modern apartment.

“KNORA was designed to make everyday life easier. It can carry groceries, retrieve objects, assist elderly users, monitor the home, clean small areas, prepare simple meals, and respond to voice commands.”

I nodded.

“What is the problem?”

He hesitated.

“The design.”

Another image appeared. This version was noticeably larger and bulkier.

“We've managed to fit most of the necessary hardware inside the prototype, but doing so has created a number of problems.”

He clicked again. A diagram of the robot appeared, its internal components exposed.

“Battery pack here. Motors here. Storage compartment here. Robotic arm here. Sensors here.”

He pointed at each section.

“The problem is that we can't fit everything into a compact frame without compromising either stability, battery capacity, movement, or storage space.”

One of the board members frowned.

“So make it bigger.”

“We tried.”

Another image appeared. The robot was almost twice the size of the original.

“It can accommodate everything at this size, but it isn't practical for ordinary homes.”

“Why?”

“It can't comfortably move through narrow hallways. It takes up too much space in kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms. It also becomes difficult for elderly users to interact with.”

I folded my arms.

“And the smaller version?”

“It can't carry enough weight without becoming unstable.”

“Then redesign it.”

“We've been trying to.”

The engineer changed the slide again.

“Three different teams have attempted to solve the problem.”

Three designs appeared on the screen. None of them looked remotely close to what I wanted.

“One is too heavy. One overheats because of the way the components are arranged. And the third has excellent mobility, but we've had to sacrifice almost half of its storage capacity.”

I stared at the designs.

“How long have you been working on this?”

“Almost seven months.”

“And nobody has solved it?”

Silence. I leaned back on my chair.

“What exactly are you asking from me?”

“We need approval to bring in an external design team.”

My eyebrows rose as my eyes bore onto him.

“You've had the best engineers in the company working on this for seven months, and now you want me to hire another team?”

“We believe someone with a different approach might be able to solve the structural problem, sir.”

“Bring me every existing design,” I said.

The head of robotics nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

“I want the original prototypes, the failed designs, the component layouts, everything.”

“Of course.”

“And if none of your engineers can figure it out? Then we'll find someone who can.”

I looked at the machine on the screen one last time before speaking.

“Meeting adjourned.”

By the time I returned to the penthouse, it was already eight in the evening. I'd barely taken off my coat when my eyes landed on Loise sitting on the couch, her legs casually propped up and inadvertently revealing the pink panties beneath her oversized jersey.

“What are you doing?”