Chapter 5

*Liam's POV*

“You useless boy! Why haven’t you brought a single girl home yet?” Dad screamed from his hospital bed, his voice cracking like he was already halfway gone. “I’m lying here dying, Liam! My only wish is to see my grandchild before I close my eyes, and you’re still playing bartender like some common worker? Answer me!”

I paced beside the bed, my fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. “Dad, I told you a hundred times. I’m not rushing into some fake marriage just to tick your box. I run the companies, I manage the shares, I even work the bar shifts so I know what your employees feel. That’s enough.”

“Enough?” Dad’s face flushed red, the tubes in his arms rattling as he tried to sit up. “It’s not enough! I built an empire worth billions and you think I’ll hand it over to a son who can’t even give me a grandchild? If you don’t bring a woman...pregnant, married, anything before I die, I swear on my last breath I’ll cut you out of the will. I’ll be unhappy in my grave, Liam. I’ll haunt you. Is that what you want?”

I stopped pacing, my heart slamming against my ribs. “Dad… you’re serious? You’d really disinherit me over this?”

“Dead serious, son. I’m not joking anymore. I’ve waited years. Bring me a girl. Bring me hope. Or watch everything I built go to charity.”

I rubbed my face hard, my throat burning. “Fine. Okay. I… I already have a girlfriend. She’s pregnant. I didn’t want to bring her without asking you first. I was waiting for the right moment.”

Dad’s eyes widened, tears forming instantly on his eyes. “Pregnant? You’re not kidding me, are you? My grandchild? Oh God, Liam, you’re telling the truth?”

“I swear, Dad. She’s carrying my baby. I just didn’t want to spring it on you while you’re like this.”

Dad grabbed my hand, squeezing so hard it hurt. “Then hurry! Go get her right now. Bring her here. I need to bless you both. I need to see her face, touch her belly, know my bloodline continues. Do it, son. Make your dying father happy. Please.”

I nodded fast, my chest tight like someone was squeezing my lungs. “I’ll get her. I promise. Just rest, okay? I’ll be back soon.”

I walked out of the room, my legs shaking, mind spinning in circles. Down the corridor, past the nurses’ station, I glanced toward the waiting area downstairs and froze.

There she was. Sitting alone on that plastic chair, staring at the floor like the whole world had crushed her.

“You…?” I shouted, rushing down the stairs two at a time. “You from the bar! Hey you.....”

She looked up, her eyes red and swollen. “Liam? What are you doing here?”

I stopped right in front of her, breathing hard. “My dad. He’s upstairs, bedridden. He has been sick for months. I come every day. What about you? Why are you here? You look… God, you look destroyed.”

She wiped fresh tears, her voice breaking. “I came to… to end it, Liam. The baby. I can’t bring a child into this mess. No money, no family, no support. My parents blocked me. The whole world thinks I’m the cheater who ruined Alexander Steele. I have nothing. How can I be a mother like this? I was waiting for the doctor to… to do it.”

I stared at her, silent for a long second, my brain screaming. Then I grabbed her hand, pulling her up gently but fast. “Come with me now to the private room. We need to talk. This could save us both.”

I led her down the quiet hallway, pushed open an empty consultation room, and shut the door behind us. “Sit. Listen. My dad’s a billionaire...he owns The Velvet Den, companies, everything. He’s dying. His only wish is a grandchild before he goes. He just threatened to cut me from the will if I don’t deliver. I lied and told him I already have a pregnant girlfriend".

I paused. "She is .... You.”

She pulled her hand back, her eyes filling again. “What? Liam, no. I can’t...”

“Hear me out,” I begged, my voice cracking with everything I was holding back. “We tell him the baby is mine. You’re my girlfriend. We pretend for one year. Just until he signs everything over to me. Then we annul it. Quiet divorce. You keep the baby, I keep my inheritance. We both win. You get security, money, a future for your child. I get to keep my father happy and my life intact. Please. I saw how broken you were that night. You don’t want to lose this baby. I heard it in your voice when you talked about Alexander. You’re not a cheater. You’re a woman who got destroyed. Let me help fix it.”

Her lips trembled, tears streaming down. “You want me to lie to a dying man? Pretend we’re in love? Pretend this baby is yours? Liam, I almost aborted today because I’m scared and alone. I caught my fiancé with my twin. My sister married him yesterday. The whole world hates me. And now you want me to play house with a stranger for money?”

“Yes!” My voice rose, raw and desperate. “Because I’m desperate too. My dad screamed at me five minutes ago. He said he’ll die unhappy and leave me nothing. I’ve worked my whole life for this empire. But I don’t want to lose you in that waiting room either. You’re beautiful, you’re strong, and that night… even drunk and hurting, you made me feel alive. I haven’t stopped thinking about you. This isn’t just about money. It’s about saving that baby you clearly love. One year, Elena. That’s it. We fake it. We protect each other. Then we walk away friends. Rich friends. Please. Say yes.”

She covered her face, sobbing quietly. “I always wanted to keep my baby. I did. I just… I can’t do this alone. The scandal, the hate, no home. If I say yes, you swear it’s only one year? No feelings, no tricks?”

“I swear on my father’s life,” I said, locking eyes with her, my voice thick with the fear and hope crashing inside me. “We tell him today. We act the part. After he wills it all to me, we end it clean. You and the baby get everything you need. I get my future. No one gets hurt.”

She lowered her hands, still crying but breathing a little steadier. “I’m terrified. But I can’t kill my baby. I can’t. And I have nowhere else to turn. Okay. I’ll do it. For the baby.”

Relief flooded through me so hard my knees almost buckled. I reached out, and we shook hands hard, both of us trembling.

“Deal,” I said.

“Deal,” she whispered.