CHAPTER 7 - PANIC

“Amelia!”

The sound of Damian’s voice echoed through the apartment with a panic nobody had ever heard from him before.

Sophie gasped.

Nathan froze.

And Adrian immediately lifted Amelia into his arms as her body went limp against him.

“Move.”

His calm tone cut sharply through the chaos.

Years of medical training instantly took over.

Adrian carried her carefully toward the couch while Sophie rushed to clear space.

Damian followed closely behind, every muscle in his body tight with fear.

Real fear.

The kind that made his heartbeat violent and irrational.

“Why did she faint?” he demanded.

Adrian ignored him at first, checking Amelia’s pulse quickly.

Her skin felt cold.

Too cold.

And her breathing was uneven.

“Amelia,” Adrian called softly. “Can you hear me?”

No response.

Damian’s chest tightened so painfully it almost hurt to breathe.

“This is because of the stress,” Adrian muttered grimly.

Sophie looked panicked. “Is the baby okay?”

The question hit Damian like lightning.

The baby.

His child.

A child he almost destroyed before even knowing existed.

Adrian carefully pressed two fingers against Amelia’s wrist again before finally answering:

“I don’t know yet.”

Damian snapped instantly.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

Adrian looked up sharply.

“Because she needs a proper examination, not interrogation.”

The tension exploded again.

Damian stepped forward immediately.

“Then take her to a hospital.”

“And have reporters swarm her within twenty minutes?” Adrian shot back coldly.

Damian fell silent.

Because he knew Adrian was right.

By now the media frenzy was already spreading uncontrollably.

The pregnancy leak guaranteed it.

Any hospital connected to powerful families would become a circus the moment Amelia’s name appeared.

Sophie grabbed her phone shakily.

“There’s already reporters outside the building.”

Everyone turned sharply.

“What?” Damian’s voice became dangerous instantly.

Sophie moved toward the window carefully before peeking through the curtains.

Flashlights glowed below.

Cars lined the street.

People holding cameras gathered near the entrance.

“Oh my God…”

Nathan cursed quietly under his breath.

“That was fast.”

“No,” Adrian corrected calmly. “That was planned.”

Damian’s expression darkened instantly.

Vanessa.

Again.

The realization ignited rage so cold it almost frightened Nathan.

Damian rarely lost emotional control.

But tonight?

Tonight he looked capable of destroying someone.

Amelia stirred weakly on the couch.

A soft painful sound escaped her lips.

Immediately, all three of them focused on her.

Adrian lowered his voice gently.

“Amelia? Stay with me.”

Her lashes fluttered slightly before her eyes slowly opened.

Disoriented.

Exhausted.

The moment she realized Damian was beside her, visible panic crossed her face.

And Damian noticed.

That fear again.

It cut deeper every time.

“You fainted,” Adrian explained quietly.

Amelia looked confused for a second before memory returned.

The gala.

The divorce.

The pregnancy leak.

The nausea returned instantly.

Her hand moved protectively toward her stomach.

Damian’s gaze followed the movement immediately.

The emotional intensity in his eyes startled even himself.

“You need medical care,” he said firmly.

Amelia shook her head weakly.

“No hospitals.”

“Amelia—”

“No.”

Her voice cracked sharply this time.

“I can’t handle cameras right now.”

Damian clenched his jaw.

Neither could he.

The thought of strangers discussing her pregnancy online made something vicious rise inside him again.

His phone buzzed repeatedly in his pocket.

Board members.

Executives.

Family members.

Media contacts.

He ignored all of them.

Nothing mattered more right now than the woman sitting pale and trembling in front of him.

Which was terrifying.

Because Damian Vale had never prioritized anyone above work before.

Not even Amelia.

And now suddenly,

T.he possibility of losing her made everything else feel insignificant.

Adrian stood slowly.

“She needs somewhere safe immediately.”

Damian answered without hesitation.

“She’ll stay at the penthouse downtown.”

Amelia looked at him instantly.

“No.”

“It’s private. Secure. Nobody can reach you there.”

“I said no.”

Damian’s patience snapped slightly.

“You’re carrying my child.”

The room fell silent.

The words sounded possessive.

Intense.

Almost desperate.

Amelia stared at him in disbelief.

And for the first time tonight, Damian realized something important.

He already cared about the baby far more than he expected.

Not because of legacy.

Not because of family pressure.

Because the child belonged to Amelia too.

A child they created together.

The thought awakened something deeply protective inside him.

Adrian noticed it immediately.

And honestly?

That worried him.

Because powerful men like Damian often confused possession with love.

Meanwhile Amelia looked emotionally overwhelmed.

Everything happened too fast.

Hours ago she planned to surprise Damian with happy news.

Now her pregnancy was public scandal.

Her marriage had collapsed.

And two powerful men stood in front of her arguing over where she should stay like she wasn’t even present.

“I don’t want either of you deciding for me,” she whispered.

Silence followed.

Because despite her exhausted state,she was right.

Adrian softened immediately.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Damian said nothing.

Which irritated Sophie instantly.

“Are you physically incapable of apologizing properly?” she snapped.

Nathan looked horrified.

Nobody spoke to Damian Vale that way.

But surprisingly,Damian barely reacted.

His eyes remained fixed on Amelia instead.

And something about that unsettled Sophie deeply.

Because for the first time, Damian actually looked affected.

Not cold.

Not distant.

Affected.

Like Amelia’s pain was finally reaching him.

Too late.

A loud commotion suddenly erupted outside the building.

Voices shouted downstairs.

Camera flashes reflected through the curtains.

Nathan checked his phone quickly.

“The reporters found the apartment number.”

Sophie cursed softly.

“How?!”

“Money,” Damian answered coldly.

The reality hit immediately.

There was no hiding anymore.

At least not here.

Adrian thought quickly before speaking.

“There’s a private medical facility owned by my company outside the city.”

Damian’s eyes narrowed instantly.

“No.”

“It’s secure.”

“No.”

Adrian’s calm expression sharpened slightly.

“You’re objecting emotionally, not logically.”

Damian stepped closer dangerously.

“And you’re too interested in my wife.”

The atmosphere became lethal instantly.

Sophie actually feared they might punch each other.

But Adrian only answered calmly:

“Someone has to care about her wellbeing.”

The hit landed perfectly.

Damian’s expression hardened violently.

Before he could respond, Amelia suddenly spoke weakly.

“Stop fighting.”

Both men fell silent immediately.

She looked exhausted beyond words now.

“I just want peace.”

The sentence broke something quietly inside Damian.

Because peace was exactly what he failed to give her for years.

Outside, shouting grew louder.

Someone banged on the building entrance downstairs.

“Mrs. Vale! Are the cheating rumors true?!”

“Did Damian Vale divorce you because of the baby?!”

“Who leaked the pregnancy?!”

Amelia visibly flinched.

Damian saw it.

And rage exploded inside him instantly.

No one frightened her.

No one.

He turned toward Nathan sharply.

“Get security here now.”

“It’ll take at least fifteen minutes.”

Too long.

Way too long.

Adrian was already thinking ahead.

“There’s a back exit through the underground parking garage.”

Damian hated that Adrian knew the building layout already.

“How convenient.”

Adrian ignored the jab completely.

Sophie quickly grabbed Amelia’s coat.

“We need to move now.”

Amelia looked overwhelmed.

Everything blurred together emotionally.

She barely had time to process one disaster before another appeared.

Then suddenly her phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

She almost ignored it.

Almost.

But something made her answer.

“…Hello?”

For a second, only silence came through.

Then a woman laughed softly.

Vanessa.

Amelia’s blood went cold instantly.

“Well,” Vanessa purred, “this escalated quickly.”

Damian’s expression darkened immediately hearing the voice through speakerphone.

Amelia gripped the phone tighter.

“What do you want?”

“Oh, don’t sound so hostile. I just wanted to congratulate you.”

The sarcasm dripped like poison.

“Your pregnancy announcement is trending beautifully.”

Sophie looked furious.

Adrian’s eyes turned icy.

But Damian,Damian’s rage became terrifyingly quiet.

“You leaked the records,” Amelia whispered.

Vanessa laughed lightly.

“You really should thank me. Now Damian can’t deny the baby publicly.”

Damian stepped forward sharply.

“Vanessa.”

The moment she heard his voice, silence hit the line briefly.

Then her tone softened instantly.

“Damian…”

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

The coldness in his voice made even Nathan tense.

Vanessa clearly noticed too.

“I was helping you.”

“You illegally accessed private medical information.”

“It’s not illegal if people cooperate willingly.”

Adrian’s brows furrowed immediately.

“What does that mean?”

Vanessa laughed again.

“Oh… Amelia doesn’t know?”

Damian’s eyes sharpened dangerously.

“Enough.”

But Vanessa continued anyway.

“The nurse who leaked the records used to work at one of Adrian Cross’s clinics.”

The apartment froze instantly.

Adrian’s expression darkened.

“What?”

Amelia looked confused.

Vanessa sounded delighted by the chaos she created.

“Such a strange coincidence, right? Makes it look like Adrian wanted the pregnancy exposed.”

Damian’s eyes immediately moved toward Adrian.

Tension exploded again.

Adrian’s voice became deadly calm.

“I had nothing to do with this.”

Vanessa hummed mockingly.

“Of course not.”

Then the line disconnected.

Silence.

Heavy.

Sharp.

Amelia looked between Damian and Adrian anxiously.

“No,” she whispered immediately. “Adrian wouldn’t do that.”

The immediate defense affected Adrian more than expected.

But Damian noticed too.

And jealousy twisted violently inside him again.

“She’s manipulating us,” Adrian said calmly.

Damian stared at him coldly.

“Maybe.”

Adrian’s eyes hardened slightly.

“You think I’d exploit Amelia like this?”

“I think you’ve wanted her for years.”

The room went still.

Sophie’s eyes widened.

Amelia froze completely.

Adrian didn’t deny it.

That silence alone was enough to make Damian irrationally furious.

Because deep down,he already knew.

Adrian looked directly at Damian before answering quietly:

“Yes.”

One word.

Simple.

Honest.

But it changed everything.

Amelia’s breath caught softly.

Damian’s entire body went rigid.

Adrian stepped closer calmly.

“I wanted her long before tonight.” His voice remained steady. “The difference between us is that I would never humiliate her to keep my pride intact.”

The hit landed brutally.

Damian’s expression became dangerous instantly.

And for the first time all night,

Amelia truly feared these two men might destroy each other.