Chapter 4: Terms and Conditions

Elizabeth barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, Lewis’s voice echoed in her head.

This isn’t over.

By morning, her body felt heavy, her thoughts sluggish. She dressed carefully loose blouse, tailored trousers choosing comfort over style for once. As she stood in front of the mirror, she paused, studying her reflection.

Nothing had changed.

And yet everything had.

Her phone vibrated on the counter.

She didn’t need to check the name.

Lewis Anderson.

She let it ring.

Then again.

And again.

Finally, a message appeared.

We need to talk.

Today.

Elizabeth exhaled slowly and typed back with deliberate calm.

We already talked.

There’s nothing left to say.

The response came almost instantly.

That’s not how this works.

She closed her eyes briefly.

It is for me.

Another pause. Longer this time.

I’m not negotiating my child’s future over text.

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

Then don’t.

There is no negotiation.

She slipped the phone into her bag and left the apartment before doubt could creep in.

Lewis stared at the unanswered message, jaw clenched.

She was doing it again building walls, controlling the distance, forcing him into reaction instead of command. It infuriated him.

And, uncomfortably, it scared him.

“Have the car ready,” he said to Caleb. “And clear my schedule.”

Caleb studied him. “You’re pushing her.”

“I’m protecting what’s mine.”

Caleb didn’t argue but his silence spoke volumes.

Elizabeth made it through half the morning at work before everything unraveled.

Her manager called her into the conference room just before lunch, expression unusually tense.

“There’s someone here to see you,” he said. “Didn’t have an appointment.”

Elizabeth’s stomach twisted. “Who?”

He hesitated. “Mrs. Anderson.”

The air seemed to leave the room.

“Which one?” Elizabeth asked quietly, though she already knew.

Her manager cleared his throat. “Lewis Anderson’s mother.”

Elizabeth’s heart slammed violently against her ribs.

“I didn’t authorize”

“She didn’t ask,” he said apologetically. “She’s… very persuasive.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a split second, gathering herself.

“I’ll handle it,” she said.

Vivian Anderson stood by the conference room window like she owned the building.

Immaculately dressed in ivory, pearls resting elegantly at her throat, she turned as Elizabeth entered, her expression coolly appraising.

“Elizabeth,” Vivian said smoothly. “You look… thinner.”

Elizabeth stiffened. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“And yet,” Vivian replied, smiling faintly, “here I am.”

Elizabeth closed the door behind her. “What do you want?”

Vivian folded her hands. “Let’s not pretend. You’re carrying my grandchild.”

Elizabeth’s blood ran cold.

“You’ve been monitoring me,” she said.

Vivian’s smile didn’t falter. “The Anderson family monitors everything that concerns us.”

Elizabeth lifted her chin. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh, my dear,” Vivian said softly. “It concerns me very much.”

She stepped closer. “Lewis is… emotional. This situation could destabilize him.”

Elizabeth laughed humorlessly. “You didn’t seem concerned about that when you destroyed our marriage.”

Vivian’s eyes hardened just slightly.

“You were unsuitable,” she said calmly. “Too independent. Too soft-hearted. Lewis needed a partner who understood power.”

“And yet here I am,” Elizabeth said. “Carrying his child.”

Vivian studied her stomach with thinly veiled interest. “Which is why I’m here.”

Elizabeth crossed her arms protectively. “Stay away from my baby.”

Vivian chuckled lightly. “You misunderstand. I’m here to help you.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“You will,” Vivian replied coolly. “Lewis will insist you move in with him. It’s inevitable.”

Elizabeth’s jaw tightened. “That’s not happening.”

Vivian’s smile faded. “You’re in no position to refuse.”

Elizabeth’s voice trembled but not with fear. With fury.

“I’m the one carrying this child.”

“And Lewis is the one with resources,” Vivian countered. “Do you really want to raise an Anderson heir without Anderson protection?”

Elizabeth stared at her, heart pounding.

“You will not threaten me,” she said quietly.

Vivian leaned in, voice dropping. “I don’t threaten. I inform.”

The door opened suddenly.

Lewis stood there, his presence instantly shifting the air in the room.

“Mother,” he said coldly. “Step away from her.”

Vivian straightened. “Lewis. I was merely”

“You were crossing a line,” he interrupted sharply. “Leave.”

Elizabeth looked at him in surprise.

Vivian’s lips thinned. “This isn’t over.”

“It is,” Lewis said. “Now.”

Vivian met Elizabeth’s gaze one last time measured, assessing before turning and leaving without another word.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Elizabeth’s hands shook.

Lewis turned to her, his expression unreadable. “Are you okay?”

She laughed weakly. “You really think that matters now?”

“It matters to me.”

She scoffed. “You brought her into my life again the moment you decided you were entitled to this baby.”

Lewis’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t send her.”

“You didn’t stop her either.”

He stepped closer. “I just did.”

She looked at him then really looked at him and saw something unfamiliar in his eyes.

Guilt.

Fear.

“You don’t get to control this,” she said quietly.

Lewis exhaled slowly. “Then tell me what control looks like to you.”

Elizabeth hesitated.

“Space,” she said. “Boundaries. No ambushes. No family interference.”

“And the baby?”

“My decisions come first.”

Lewis studied her carefully.

Finally, he nodded once. “Then we do this properly.”

She frowned. “Do what?”

“Structure,” he said. “Rules. A legal agreement.”

Her stomach dropped. “A contract.”

“Yes.”

She stared at him. “You want to contract my pregnancy.”

“I want to protect all of us,” he said evenly. “Including you.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I won’t be owned.”

“You won’t be,” Lewis said. “But I won’t be excluded either.”

A long silence followed.

Finally, she said, “I’ll listen.”

Lewis’s eyes sharpened. “You’ll consider it?”

“I said I’ll listen,” she corrected. “That’s all.”

Lewis nodded. “That’s enough for now.”

That night, Elizabeth lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

Lewis knew.

His mother knew.

The world was closing in.

She pressed a hand to her stomach, tears sliding silently into her hair.

“I won’t let them take you,” she whispered.

Somewhere across the city, Lewis sat alone in his penthouse, staring at a blank document titled:

Parental Agreement – Draft

For the first time in his life, power wasn’t enough.

He needed her trust.

And he had no idea how to earn it.