All Chapters of The Contract Omega( MXM Romance): Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Caelen POVThe boardroom on the thirtieth floor felt different at eight in the morning. Colder somehow, more imposing without the usual buzz of activity that filled it during regular business hours. I stood at the head of the table with my presentation loaded and ready, my hands only trembling slightly as I arranged my notes for the third time.This was it. Six weeks of research, strategy development, and late nights had left me exhausted in ways I could not quite explain. Six weeks of building something that was entirely mine, with no input from Aldric beyond his initial approval to pursue the project.The Nordic expansion campaign. My campaign. My vision. My career is either taking flight or crashing spectacularly in front of the entire executive board."Stop fidgeting," Rachel said quietly from where she sat near the back. She had insisted on attending for moral support, claiming she wanted to see me succeed. "You know this material better than anyone in this room.""That doesn't m

Caelen POVThe charity gala was in full swing when we arrived; the ballroom at the Langham Hotel transformed into something that looked more like a garden than an event space. White flowers cascaded from every surface, string lights created constellations across the ceiling, and the crowd moved through it all in expensive formal wear that probably cost more collectively than most people made in a year.I adjusted my bow tie for the third time, hyperaware of how the collar sat against my throat. The bonding mark was visible tonight, deliberately so. Aldric had suggested I wear something that clearly showed it, his logic being that hiding it gave people permission to speculate and gossip. Better to display it openly and let the biology speak for itself."Stop fidgeting," Aldric murmured as we moved through the crowd. His hand settled on my lower back with familiar possession. "You look perfect.""Everyone's staring.""They're staring because you're beautiful and because that mark on you

Caelen POVThe nausea woke me before the alarm, just like it had every morning for the past three weeks. I lay very still in the pre-dawn darkness, trying to breathe through the rolling waves in my stomach while beside me Aldric slept on, oblivious to my quiet suffering.This was normal now. Wake up nauseous, wait for it to pass, stumble to the bathroom if it gets too bad. Then, I pretended everything was fine and pushed through another day at the office, where the stress of maintaining my newly established career success kept everything else at bay.Except the nausea was getting worse instead of better. And the exhaustion that had started after the bonding heat had settled into my bones so deeply that twelve hours of sleep barely made a dent in it anymore.I rolled carefully out of bed, moving slowly to avoid triggering the nausea further. The bathroom was cold, the tile floor shocking against my bare feet. I knelt in front of the toilet just in case, but nothing came up. It never di

Caelen POVThe pharmacy was three blocks from the estate, tucked between a bookshop and a small café. I had never been inside. I had driven past it dozens of times without giving it a second thought. Now, standing in front of it with my hands shaking and my heart racing, it felt like the most intimidating building in all of London.Just go inside. Buy the tests. Prove Mira wrong.Except I was not going to prove her wrong. Deep down, in a place I had been avoiding for weeks, I already knew what the tests would say. My body had been screaming it at me through nausea and exhaustion and a heat that was now fourteen days overdue. I just needed the confirmation to make it undeniable.The automatic doors slid open with a soft whoosh. Inside, the pharmacy was bright and clinical, fluorescent lights reflecting off white tile floors. An elderly woman browsed the vitamin aisle. A young mother stood at the counter with a prescription while her toddler tugged at her sleeve.Normal people were doin

Caelen POVI woke up at five in the morning knowing this was the day. I could not put it off any longer. The secret was eating me alive from the inside, making everything worse than it needed to be.Today. I would tell him today.Beside me, Aldric slept peacefully, one arm thrown across my waist in a gesture so possessive and protective it made my chest ache. He loved me. I knew he loved me. But would that love survive what I was about to tell him?I slipped out of bed carefully, trying not to wake him. The nausea was already building, that familiar morning wave that had become as routine as breathing. I made it to the bathroom and closed the door before the first heave hit.Afterward, I brushed my teeth and stared at my reflection. My face was pale, almost gray. Dark circles shadowed my eyes. And if I looked carefully, I could see the slight swell of my lower abdomen that had appeared in the past week.Six weeks pregnant. Nearly seven now. And still hiding it like a guilty secret.Th