Chapter 4

I watch Leander’s face as I pulled up files on my laptop. They show Leon’s takeovers, Harris-Rossi stockpiling Ivanov shares, and decoded messages where Wren and Leon plan to use their connection to steal our merger plans.

His jaw tightens, his knuckles white as he grips the edge of the desk, but his eyes stay cold distant.

“This doesn’t change anything,” he says, his voice flat. “You actually manage to dig all this up? You’ve been spying on me, on my business contacts, how do I know you didn’t fabricate this to turn me against Wren?”

I stared at him, my heart was breaking all over again. “I didn’t fabricate anything, I found this because I was trying to figure out why you’ve been pulling away from me, why you’d choose her over us, over this.” I gesture to my stomach, which is just starting to show beneath my shirt. “Over our baby.”

He looks at my stomach like he’s seeing it for the first time, but there’s no warmth in his gaze only anger. “You waited this long to tell me? Why? So you could use the baby against me when you found something you didn’t like?”

“That’s not fair,” I say, my voice shaking. “I was going to tell you on your birthday before you left me to go to her. I’ve been trying to find the right moment, but every time I get close, she calls or shows up, and you drop everything for her.”

“I was helping a friend,” he snaps, standing up so quickly the chair topples over. “Something you clearly wouldn’t understand, since you’ve been digging through my life like some kind of detective.”

“I did it because I love you!” I shout back, standing up too. “Because I saw the way she looks at you, the way you look at her, and I was scared, scared that everything we’ve built means nothing to you. Scared that you’ll let her and Leon destroy your family’s company just because you can’t let go of the past.”

Before he can respond, my phone buzzes, it was Sam with a news link. I click it and my blood runs cold. The front page story says “Ivanov Industries CEO Seen with Mystery Woman Marriage in Jeopardy.” The cropped, edited photos are there, with captions claiming our marriage is over and I’m holding the company hostage with false claims.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, dropping my phone on the desk.

Leander picks it up and reads the story, his face turning white with rage but it’s not directed at the people who published it. “You told her to run this,” he says, looking at me with betrayal in his eyes. “You wanted to ruin me. To make sure I had nothing left if I left you.”

“I didn’t tell her to run it!” I cried, reaching for his arm but he pulls away. “I told her to sit on it I would never do that to you, to your family.”

“Wouldn’t you?” he said his voice was sharp. “You’ve already shown me how far you’ll go to keep me digging through my business files, spying on my meetings, keeping secrets about the baby. How am I supposed to trust anything you say now?”

We heard loud voices on the foyer, an angry voices. I recognized one of them immediately, it was Mr. Ivanov Sr., Leander’s grandfather and the founder of the company. He was followed by two of the board members, their faces tight with anger.

“Leander Ivanov,” Mr. Ivanov Sr. calls out, his voice was booming through the house. “What is the meaning of this?”

He holds up his phone, the same news story on the screen. Leander steps forward, his jaw was clenched.

“It’s a lie,” he responded, but I can hear the doubt in his voice , doubt not just about the story, but about me.

“Quinn says she didn’t have anything to do with it, but she’s been investigating Wren and Leon without telling me.”

The board member next to him cuts him off. “Whether you’re involved or not, this is damaging. The merger with Stanton Corp is already in jeopardy they’re talking about pulling out if we can’t prove we’re stable, and if there’s infighting at the top…”

“I didn’t do this,” I said, stepping forward even though every bone in my body wants to run. “I have proof that Wren and Leon are behind the story and that they’re planning a hostile takeover. I’ve been researching them because I was worried about what they were doing to you, to the company.”

I pulled up the evidence on my laptop and watch Leander’s face.

"It’s all here, Leon’s takeover history, records of Harris Rossi buying Ivanov shares for months, and messages between him and Wren proving they planned to use their relationship to steal our merger plans."

“This is serious,” Mr. Ivanov Sr. said almost whispering, "We need to act fast. Call a board meeting, we’ll present this evidence and file a lawsuit against Harris and Rossi for defamation and attempted corporate espionage.”

As Leander starts making calls, his back to me, I step into the hallway to catch my breath. My head is spinning, my stomach is churning, and I can feel the baby moving, a tiny flutter that reminds me why I’m doing this.

“Quinn?”

I turned to see Wren standing in the doorway, her foot was wrapped in a bandage, her face was pale. She looks different without her perfect makeup and designer clothes, smaller, more vulnerable.

“Get out of my house,” I said, my voice were cold.

“I know you think I’m here to hurt you,” she said stepping forward carefully. “But you don’t understand Leon has my family. If I don’t do what he says, he’ll ruin them, he'll take everything they have. He made me promise not to tell Leander said if I did, he’d release photos that would make it look like we were having an affair, and he’d make sure everyone blamed you.”

“Then why didn’t you find a way to tell us?” I asked, my voice are softer now even though the anger still burns in my chest. “We could have helped you.”

She looks away, tears streaming down her face. “I was scared. And… I’ll be honest with you, Quinn. I still have feelings for Leander. I thought if I could get close to him again, maybe he’d choose me maybe I could have the life I always wanted. But I never meant for anyone to get hurt.”

Before I can respond, Leon appears behind her, his face dark with rage. “You stupid girl,” he says, grabbing her arm roughly. “I told you not to talk to her.”

“Let go of her,” Leander says, appearing at my side not to comfort me, but to face Leon. His hand doesn’t touch me, doesn’t even brush against my shoulder. “We know everything, Leon. The takeovers, the stock purchases, the fake news story. We’re filing charges against you, and we’re going to make sure you never hurt anyone else again.”

Leon laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “You think you can stop me? I have more where those photos came from, enough to destroy your marriage and your company both. And your little wife here she can’t prove she didn’t have a hand in it.”

But as he speaks, sirens approach. Sam appears in the doorway with a phone in hand. "I called the police," she says, looking regretful. "Someone hacked my files to release the story logs prove it wasn’t from my device. They’ve been tracking me too."

Leon tries to run, but the police are already at the door. They cuffed him and lead him away, and Wren collapses into a chair, sobbing uncontrollably. Mr. Ivanov Sr. walks over to her, his face serious.

“You made a mistake,” he said. “But if you’re willing to testify against Leon and help us prove what he did, we’ll make sure your family is protected. Ivanov Industries has resources, we can help you get back on your feet.”

Wren looks up at him, her eyes full of hope. “Really?”

“Really,” he said, then turns to me. “Quinn, I owe you an apology. You’ve shown me what real strength looks like, and I can see you care deeply about this family and our company. But Leander…” He pauses, looking at his grandson, who’s still standing apart from me. “You two have work to do. Trust doesn’t come back overnight but it’s worth fighting for if what you have is real.”

I looked at Leander. He meets my gaze briefly then looks away, his eyes hold confusion, anger, not love. I know fixing things will take time, and he might never forgive me for keeping secrets and investigating his friends. But if we want a future with our baby, we have to start somewhere.

“I’m not asking you to forgive me,” I said quietly, my voice steady. “But I’m not going to apologize for protecting you, or our family. If you want to work through this, really work through it, I’ll be here. If not…” I pause, placing a hand on my stomach. “Our baby deserves to know their father. But I won’t stay in a marriage where I’m not trusted, where I’m not wanted.

He looks at my stomach again. Something shifts in his eyes, not forgiveness yet, but the first glimmer of understanding. For now, that’s enough.