Chapter 25

A month later

I was brushing my hair in the mirror when I caught the curve of my belly in the reflection.

It wasn't huge—just a small, gentle swell beneath my shirt—but it was enough to make my breath catch.

A baby.

Our baby.

I ran my fingers over the bump, slow and reverent. There was a pulse of something warm in my chest that hadn't been there in a long time—hope, maybe. Or peace. Or both.

"Caught you staring again," Walker's voice teased behind me.

I looked up in the mirror just as his arms slipped around my waist, his hands settling low, right over the curve. His chin rested on my shoulder, and he met my eyes in the glass.

"Can you blame me?" I asked softly.

He smiled. "Not at all. You're beautiful."

I leaned back into him, letting the weight of his chest ground me. He kissed my shoulder, then my neck, and I could feel the smile still tugging at his lips. It had been like this lately—soft touches, shared glances, late-night talks curled together in bed. Slowly, brick by brick, we'd been rebuilding.

We still had cracks. Still had nights where silence stretched too long or the wrong word reopened old wounds. But we were trying. And for the first time in a long time, that felt like enough.

"I have that thing with Jenna at the gallery this afternoon," I said, watching him in the mirror as he smoothed my shirt over my bump. "You're still coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it," he murmured, nuzzling behind my ear. "But if you keep looking this good, I'm going to be late."

I laughed, swatting at him. "No way."

He grinned and stepped back, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Guilty."

I turned to grab my purse when Walker's phone buzzed on the dresser. I glanced at the screen and froze.

Desmond calling.

Walker frowned and picked up the phone, "Why is your brother calling me? That's very odd. Was he trying to call you?" he asked.

I checked my phone, but there were no missed calls. "No. Maybe he just wants to greet you?"

Walker answered the phone with a casual, "Hey, what's up—" but his voice cut off as his expression shifted. His brow furrowed, lips pressing into a tight line. I couldn't hear what my brother was saying on the other end, but the sudden tension in Walker's face made my stomach twist. Something was wrong.

"What contract?... I'm not aware of any such—" Walker paused, rubbing his brow in frustration before glancing over at me.

"What's wrong?" I whispered, reaching out to gently hold his arm.

He gave me a faint, almost forced smile, smoothing his hand over my hair in a comforting gesture, but he didn't answer.

For the next twenty minutes, he listened in silence, his expression growing more serious with each passing moment. Finally, he spoke. "I'll head to headquarters right now. I'll get back to you later..." Then he ended the call without another word.

Walker's POV

"Walker...what happened?" Destiny looked up at me with worried eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Did Desmond tell you about some contract he signed with our company?" I asked carefully. Desmond had told me that he told Destiny about it, and she said she was going to tell me.

Destiny's eyes went wide, "Yes, he did. I was supposed to tell you about it, but it slipped my mind," then she froze up, her face twisting with worry. "Did something happen? Is it because of the contract?" she asked, her voice shook.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I stopped, fearing that she would start panicking over the matter. I didn't want her to worry and risk her health, or that of the baby.

I knelt in front of her and held her hands in mine, squeezing them gently. "Don't worry," I said softly, looking into her eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing serious. Probably just a miscommunication or a file that got lost in the shuffle."

Destiny didn't look convinced, but she sighed. "Alright. But you'll tell me everything when you get back, okay?" she said. I hugged her, "I will. So just go have fun with Jenna, don't worry about it," I kissed her forehead and left the house.

As I got to the parking lot, where Logan was waiting, I told him, "Find out if there was any sort of meeting at headquarters last week. Something off the record. Something related to the contract with Moore's Co."

Logan frowned. "Why would Moore's Co. sign a contract with HQ?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

"But if there was a meeting and we weren't informed, then someone's hiding something. And I want to know what."

He nodded once, sharp and decisive. "I'll dig into it."

As we drove off, a knot twisted in my gut. I was part of the Executive Directors, I attend every important meeting at HQ. Especially when it involved signing contracts with another company.

So if there really was a meeting, and I was not informed, then that means they deliberately left me out.

I stared out the window, jaw clenched tight as the city blurred past. The familiar skyline offered no comfort today. My thoughts were already spiraling, cycling through the possibilities, each one worse than the last. Someone at the top, undoubtedly the Chairwoman, was playing a dangerous game. And Destiny will be caught in the middle of it.

My blood boiled, "So this is how you want to play."

As soon as we got to the office, I didn't wait. I didn't stop to greet anyone or respond to the curious stares of assistants rushing through the halls. I went straight to my office, shut the door behind me, and called my grandmother.

The phone rang only once.

"Well," she answered, calm and smooth as ever. "I was wondering when you'd call."

"Cut the crap," I snapped. "There was a meeting last week. One I was deliberately kept out of."

A small pause, the kind that could slice through the air like a blade. "Careful, darling. You sound angry."

"I am angry. What do you think you're doing?"

"I suggest you lower your tone before you say something you'll regret," she said coolly. "You know better than to speak to me like that."

"No," I said sharply, "I know better than to let you play puppet master with the people I care about."

Another pause. But this time, she didn't hide the shift in her voice.

"You don't know what you're doing," she said, amused now. "I wondered how long it would take for her to become your weakness."

I inhaled slowly, forcing control back into my tone. "Oh please. Do you think this is going to make me change my mind or something? All you're doing is crossing the line,"

"Your line," she echoed, a hint of mockery coloring her words. "But you don't draw lines, dear. You follow them. The Board makes decisions based on what's best for this company. For the family. For our legacy."

"Don't give me that speech," I bit out. "You didn't change the contract for the company. You changed it to punish me, to punish Destiny—for stepping out of line. For marrying someone you couldn't control."

Her silence this time was a confirmation.

When she finally spoke, her voice was lower, calculated. "I warned you. You brought an outsider into our world, and you did it without consulting the Board. Without consulting me. There are consequences for that kind of arrogance, especially for my heir."

I laughed bitterly. "Destiny didn't marry into your throne. She married me. And what you've done... if it affects her family legally, financially—"

"What?" she challenged softly. "What will you do?"

"I'll burn every boardroom you hide behind," I said. "And I'll start by exposing exactly what was changed. You think the shareholders will stand by when they find out what you've done? When they realize you manipulated internal contracts for personal revenge?"

Then she laughed. A long wicked laugh, like she knew something I didn't.

"Oh you poor child," her time shifted to something darker, more ominous. "Do you really think Destiny will still stay after everything?" she asked.

"Her family's company is about to get bankrupt just because she married you," she asked.

I felt a pang in my chest. A knowing feeling of something I didn't want to think about. "I know what you're trying to do—"

"Really? I don't think so," she said. " Listen to me. This love you're trying so hard to protect will be your downfall," she paused. Then continued, "And I'll be here to tell you I told you so."

A click sounded. The call ended.

I lowered the phone, heart pounding, fury coursing through my veins like wildfire.