I nod, my throat tight. âYou better be.â The doors to the delivery room swing open, and suddenly, Iâm surrounded by bright lights, the sterile smell of antiseptic, and the calm, authoritative voices of nurses. My mind is racing. My body, however, is focused on one thing: the relentless, excruciating contractions that feel like my insides are being wrung out like a soaked towel. âBreathe, Desiree. Youâve got this,â a nurse says, guiding me onto the bed. Caspian bursts through the door moments later, his hair disheveled, his suit jacket gone, and his sleeves rolled up. He looks like a man ready for battle. And, honestly, thatâs what this feels like. âIâm here,â he says, taking my hand again. His grip is warm, solid, a lifeline in this sea of chaos. I glare at him through the pain. âYou did this to me.â He leans down, brushing a kiss against my sweaty forehead. âI know, baby. And youâre doing amazing.â âAmazing? I feel like Iâm being ripped in half!â I shout, my voice cracking wit
~~Months later~~ My best friend, Jessica, decided to organise a baby shower for me. She rented a penthouse. I know Caspian's involved in this. Who else is paying for the penthouse? The penthouse is everything Jessica promised and moreâsleek marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows with a panoramic view of the city, and enough floral arrangements to make a florist weep. Thereâs an extravagant dessert table with a towering cake. And, of course, the unmistakable Caspian touchâa champagne fountain. I take it all in, my eyes narrowing suspiciously as I glance at Jessica, whoâs currently trying to pass off the event as âmodest.â Modest my ass. âYouâre sure this wasnât Caspianâs idea?â Jessica flashes her most innocent smile, which is about as believable as a politicianâs promise. âI mean, he may have helped. But you deserve this! Come on, Dee, when was the last time we celebrated you?â I snort, adjusting the sash draped across my belly that reads Mom-to-Be. âYou mean besides the
Desiree's POVWe're at a press conference.Cameras flash like lights at a club, and the buzz of reporters fills the air like a swarm of relentless bees. I hate it. Every second of it. But I stand tall, my hand resting in Caspianâs, my knuckles white from the grip. He doesnât seem fazedâhis jaw set, his eyes gleaming. Heâs in his element.Me? Iâm a bundle of nerves hiding behind a tailored dress and a painted-on smile.The tension in the room is obvious. Every gaze is pinned on us, every microphone is pointed in our direction. Thereâs no escaping it.Caspian steps forward, adjusting the microphone. His presence is magnetic. Commanding. He could announce the end of the world, and people would believe it was for their own good.He clears his throat, and the room falls silent.âFor weeks now, CypherEdge Dynamics has been under siege,â he begins. âAn individual named Mabel Blackwood infiltrated our company. She blackmailed board members, manipulated shareholders, and attempted to undermine
âMr. Hart,â Aaronâs voice oozes through the line, smug and infuriating. âI trust youâve been thinking about my offer.ââMore like thinking about how to kill you,â I mutter under my breath, then louder: âIâve considered it. But I need proof Desiree is alive. Now.âA pause. Then, Desireeâs voice, faint but there. âCaspian, pleaseâŠâIt takes everything in me not to lose it. âIâm here, Desiree. Hold on.âAaron returns. âSatisfied?ââBarely,â I say. âYouâll get what you want. But not a second before I see her safe.ââFine,â Aaron agrees. âBring the drives to the location weâll send you. Alone. And no tricks, Hart. Or she dies.âThe line goes dead.Antonio is already moving, giving quick commands into his headset. âTheyâll never see us coming,â he promises.I grip the phone. âTheyâd better not.âBecause if they do, Iâll burn the entire city down before I let them take her away from me.---I park a block away from the designated warehouse, my pulse thudding in my ears. I sit there for a mom
The tone sends a chill down my spine. Calm, too calm, like this is a business deal and notââWhere is she?â I say. âIf youâve touched herâââTsk, tsk,â the man interrupts, almost amused. âLetâs not start with threats. Youâre not in a position to make them.âI grip the phone tighter, my knuckles white. âYou have no idea who youâre dealing with.ââDonât I? Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Hart. Ruthless. Powerful. But none of that matters here.âMy free hand balls into a fist at my side. âWhat do you want?âFinally, he gets to the point. âYouâre going to deliver something to me. Two things, actually. First, the drives you took from Mabelâs motherâs house.âMy mind races. How does he know about those?âAnd second,â he continues, âyour shares in the company. Sign them over. All of them.âI laugh, sharp and humorless. âYou think Iâll just hand those over? Do you know what theyâre worth?ââOh, I know exactly what theyâre worth.â His voice drops. âI also know what sheâs worth to you.âThe a
Caspian's POVItâs been over two hours since Desiree disappeared, and the hospital has called the police against my wishes.Iâm pacing the waiting room like a caged animal, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead doing nothing to quell the pounding in my skull. Every passing second feels like an eternity, a loud and unrelenting reminder that sheâs not here, that I donât know where she is, that I failed to protect her.âMr. Hart,â one of the officers starts, her voice too calm, too measured, like sheâs asking about a lost cat. âLetâs go over this again. Youâre sure your wife didnât⊠leave voluntarily?âMy fist clenches so hard my knuckles crack. I whip around, staring at her like sheâs grown a second head.âVoluntarily?â The word leaves my mouth dripping with venom. âYou think she just decided to disappear in the middle of a goddamn ultrasound?âThe other officer, a man with a face so nondescript I could forget it in seconds, clears his throat. âWeâre just trying to establish all possi
Desireeâs POVI wake up feeling like my head has been split in two.Pain radiates from the back of my skull, throbbing with every heartbeat. My mouth feels like Iâve swallowed sand, and the metallic tang of blood lingers on my tongue. I try to move, but my arms wonât budge. Cold metal digs into my wrists, and the sharp edge of panic slices through the fog clouding my mind.âWelcome back.âThe voice is smooth, almost polite, but it sends a chill racing down my spine. I force my eyes open, blinking against the dim light until the blurry figure in front of me sharpens into focus.Aaron.He leans casually against a table, his arms crossed, a smug grin stretched across his face. He looks like a villain from one of those old spy moviesâtoo polished, too composed, too damn pleased with himself.âWhat the hell,â I croak, my voice raspy. âWhat is this, amateur hour? I thought kidnappers were supposed to wear masks.âHe chuckles, slow and deliberate, like heâs savoring my sarcasm. âYouâre in go
Caspian's POVDesiree has been gone for too long.I glance at the clock on the wall, tapping my fingers on the armrest of the chair in rhythm with my heartbeat, which is getting louder and faster with every passing second. Maybe Iâm being paranoid. Maybe this is one of those âpregnancy bladderâ situations everyone warned me about. But how long does it take a pregnant woman to pee? Five minutes? Ten? Iâve lost track of time, but it feels like hours.I shift in my chair, trying to shake off the gnawing sense of unease creeping up my spine. The ultrasound pictures are still in my hand, slightly crumpled from where my grip has tightened.âSheâs fine,â I mutter to myself. âSheâs fine.âBut the words donât stick.Standing abruptly, I glance toward the hallway leading to the bathroom. The corridor feels longer than I remember, its sterile walls closing in like theyâre mocking me. Every instinct in me screams that something isnât right.Dr. William steps out of an adjacent room, looking surpr
Dr. William turns to us, his smile widening. âItâs a girl.âFor a moment, the world stops. A girl. Weâre having a daughter.âA girl,â I repeat, the words tasting foreign and magical on my tongue. Tears spill over before I can stop them, and I press a hand to my mouth, overcome with emotion.Caspian is silent beside me, his gaze fixed on the monitor. When he finally speaks, his voice is rough, as if heâs struggling to keep his own emotions in check. âA girl,â he echoes. Then, with a soft laugh, he adds, âGod help her if she inherits your stubbornness.ââExcuse me?â I glare at him, though the tears streaming down my face probably ruin the effect. âSheâs going to be the perfect combination of both of us, thank you very much.ââLetâs hope she leans more toward your good looks than my temper.ââLetâs hope she doesnât inherit your ego,â I shoot back, though my voice is choked with laughter.Dr. William chuckles, stepping back to give us a moment. âIâll print out some pictures for you two. T