Chapter 5 The Price of Survival

The hospital corridor smelled like antiseptic, fear, and sleepless nights.

Seraphina sat alone on a plastic chair, her fingers locked together so tightly her knuckles had turned white. The fluorescent lights above her buzzed softly, casting a pale glow over the empty hallway.

She had been there for six hours.

Six long hours of waiting.

Six hours of praying.

Six hours of fighting the same terrifying question:

What if I lose the baby?

The doctor had taken her in immediately when she arrived earlier that morning, weak and dizzy after fainting at work. Now she was outside the ultrasound room, waiting for the results.

Every minute felt like a year.

Her phone vibrated.

She didn’t need to check to know who it was.

Unknown number.

Again.

Her stomach tightened.

The messages had started three days ago.

At first, they were short.

You think you can hide?

You don’t belong in his world.

Leave before you’re forced to.

She had ignored them.

Blocked the number.

But new numbers kept appearing.

Yesterday’s message had been different.

If you don’t disappear, you and that child won’t be safe.

Seraphina’s hand instinctively moved to her stomach.

The baby.

Her baby.

Lysander’s child.

She swallowed hard and opened the latest message.

Her breath stopped.

There was a photo.

A photo of her.

Taken that morning.

Standing outside the hospital.

Her hands began to shake.

Someone was watching her.

Before she could process it, the ultrasound room door opened.

“Miss Vale?”

She shot to her feet immediately. “Yes! I’m here.”

The doctor, a middle-aged woman with kind but serious eyes, gestured for her to come inside.

Seraphina followed, her heart pounding.

“Please sit,” the doctor said.

That tone.

Not good.

Seraphina sat slowly.

“Is the baby okay?” she asked immediately, her voice barely steady.

The doctor folded her hands. “The baby still has a heartbeat.”

Relief flooded through Seraphina so suddenly she almost cried.

But the doctor continued.

“However, your blood pressure is dangerously high, and you’re severely stressed. There are signs of early complications.”

Seraphina’s relief shattered.

“What does that mean?” she whispered.

“It means,” the doctor said gently, “if you don’t reduce stress and take proper care of yourself, you could miscarry.”

The word hit like a physical blow.

Miscarry.

Her fingers curled into her dress.

“I’ll do anything,” she said quickly. “I’ll quit my job. I’ll rest. I’ll stay home. Whatever it takes.”

The doctor nodded. “You also need emotional stability. No major shocks. No anxiety. No stressful environments.”

Seraphina let out a weak laugh.

No stress?

She was pregnant with a billionaire’s child who had publicly humiliated her.

She was receiving anonymous threats.

She had no family.

No partner.

No protection.

No money.

“How long do I need to be careful?” she asked quietly.

“The entire pregnancy,” the doctor replied.

Seraphina nodded slowly.

Then she placed both hands over her stomach.

“I won’t lose you,” she whispered.

Outside the hospital, the air felt heavier.

Seraphina stepped onto the pavement, clutching her prescription and medical report.

Her mind was racing.

She needed to quit her job.

She needed to move.

She needed to disappear.

Because someone was watching her.

And she knew exactly who it might be.

There was only one person powerful enough to track her like this.

Lysander.

Or someone in his world.

Her phone rang.

This time, it wasn’t unknown.

Lysander Vale.

Her breath caught.

For a moment, she considered letting it ring.

But then she answered.

“Hello?”

His voice was calm. Controlled. Dangerous.

“Where are you?”

Her heart skipped.

“Why?”

“Because,” he said, his tone sharpening, “you fainted at work. You went to the hospital. And you didn’t inform me.”

Her eyes widened.

He knew.

Of course he knew.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly.

Silence.

Then, colder:

“You are carrying my heir. You don’t get to decide what ‘fine’ means.”

Her chest tightened.

“I said I’m fine,” she repeated, forcing strength into her voice.

Another pause.

Then:

“I’m sending a driver.”

“No.”

The word came out before she could stop herself.

There was a long silence on the other end.

Then his voice dropped.

“You’re refusing me?”

“Yes.”

Her hands trembled, but she kept talking.

“I don’t want your help. I don’t want your driver. I don’t want your control. This child is mine. I’ll take care of it myself.”

The silence this time was heavy.

Dangerous.

Then he spoke again.

“Seraphina.”

Her name sounded like a warning.

“You’re already being watched.”

Her heart froze.

“What?”

“I’ve had security tracking you since the wedding,” he continued calmly. “Three different vehicles have followed you this week. Your phone was pinged from an external source yesterday.”

Her mouth went dry.

“So yes,” he finished, his voice now sharp, “you’re getting my protection whether you want it or not.”

Fear crawled up her spine.

He wasn’t lying.

Someone was watching her.

The photo.

The messages.

“Who would do that?” she whispered.

There was a pause.

Then his answer came, quiet and deadly.

“My enemies.”

Her blood ran cold.

“You mean… powerful people?”

“Yes.”

“And now they know about me?”

Another pause.

“Yes.”

Seraphina’s legs felt weak.

“What do they want?” she asked.

His answer came without hesitation.

“Leverage.”

Her hand tightened around her phone.

“And the baby?” she asked softly.

His voice turned darker.

“The baby makes you valuable.”

A car pulled up in front of her.

Black.

Luxury.

Tinted windows.

The passenger door opened.

Her heart pounded.

“I didn’t agree to this,” she said into the phone.

“You don’t have a choice,” Lysander replied.

Then he hung up.

Inside the car, the driver spoke without turning.

“Good afternoon, Miss Vale. Mr. Vale has arranged for you to stay at the Crescent Estate for your safety.”

Seraphina stared out the window as the city began to pass by.

Crescent Estate.

That was one of Lysander’s private residences.

A mansion.

Guarded.

Hidden.

Isolated.

She swallowed.

This wasn’t protection.

This was control.

Across the city, inside a glass-walled office, Lysander stood with his phone still in his hand.

Behind him, a man spoke.

“We traced the messages,” his head of security said. “They’re being routed through multiple international servers. But the pattern suggests someone familiar with corporate warfare.”

Lysander’s eyes darkened.

“Names.”

“There’s one likely source,” the man said carefully.

He placed a file on the desk.

Lysander opened it.

His jaw tightened instantly.

“Impossible,” he said.

“Sir,” the security chief continued quietly, “they’ve been buying shares in your subsidiary companies. Quietly. Aggressively.”

Lysander looked up slowly.

“Why target her?”

The answer came like a knife.

“Because she’s your weakness now.”

Lysander closed the file.

For the first time in years, real anger burned in his chest.

“They touched the wrong woman,” he said quietly.

As the car gates closed behind her, Seraphina stepped out slowly.

The mansion was enormous.

White stone.

Private gardens.

Security guards.

Cameras.

It looked like a palace.

It felt like a prison.

A housekeeper approached. “Miss Vale, your room is ready.”

Seraphina nodded.

As she walked inside, her hand moved instinctively to her stomach.

“I’ll protect you,” she whispered.

But as the doors shut behind her, one thought kept echoing in her mind.

She wasn’t just under Lysander’s protection.

She was inside his world now.

And in his world

People didn’t fight fair.