All Chapters of His Forbidden Guard : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Five days.Five days of relentless assignments. Five days of barely seeing Leonard except in passing. Five days of professional courtesy masking personal devastation.Daveson sat in Dr. Chen's office at 6:05 PM on Tuesday, staring at the ultrasound monitor showing a tiny bean-shaped form that was apparently his baby."Everything looks good," Dr. Chen said, her voice warm with encouragement. "Development is right on track for eleven weeks. Heart rate is strong. Have you been taking the prenatal vitamins?""Yes," Daveson said automatically, though he'd missed three doses in the past week simply because he'd been too exhausted to remember."And eating regularly? Staying hydrated?"Daveson didn't answer immediately, which was answer enough.Dr. Chen's expression shifted to concern. "Daveson, I know this is a difficult situation, but you need to take care of yourself. The baby needs proper nutrition. You need rest. Stress can impact the pregnancy.""I'm trying," Daveson said quietly."Are

Leonard didn't deny it. Couldn't deny it."I'm choosing both," he said finally. "I'm trying to navigate a situation where I need the company's resources to fight my mother, but I also need to protect you from her scrutiny. And I'm doing a terrible job of balancing it."Daveson turned to look out at the city lights below. "You hurt me, Leonard. These past five days, I've never felt more alone. I'm carrying your child, dealing with symptoms I don't understand, and the one person who's supposed to be going through this with me is treating me like a stranger.""I'm sorry," Leonard said, and his voice cracked slightly. "Daveson, I'm so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought creating distance would keep you safe.""Safe from what? Your mother? Leonard, she's going to figure it out eventually. The pregnancy won't stay hidden forever. And when she does find out, wouldn't it be better if we're together? If we're united instead of fractured?"Leonard was quiet for a long moment

Lissa Heyden didn't believe in coincidences.She stood in her home office at 7:42 AM, reviewing James Morrison's first surveillance report on her son, and every instinct she'd honed over thirty years in business was screaming that something was off.Subject departed estate at 9:17 PM. Drove to Lovers Point scenic overlook. Remained in vehicle for approximately 53 minutes. No visible contact with other parties. Returned to estate at 11:28 PM.Lovers Point.Alone.For nearly an hour.Lissa set down the report and pulled up the estate's security logs from last night. Leonard had entered through the front door at 11:35 PM. Seven minutes after Morrison clocked him returning.She scrolled back further.Daveson Roarke had entered through the side entrance at 11:29 PM.One minute after Leonard's return.Lissa's jaw tightened.Morrison's report said Leonard was alone. But the timing was too perfect. Too coordinated.She picked up her phone and dialed Morrison."The report says my son was alone

James Morrison had been in the investigation business for twenty-three years.He knew when someone was hiding something.And Leonard Heyden was definitely hiding something.Morrison sat in his car across from Heyden Industries headquarters at 7:15 AM, watching Leonard arrive with his new security detail, Marcus Chen, replacing Daveson Roarke two days ago.The switch had been sudden. Lissa Heyden's orders.Which meant she suspected her son of something and wanted eyes on him that weren't compromised by personal attachment.Morrison had been surveilling Leonard for five days now. The pattern was consistent: arrive at office by 7:30, work until 6 or 7 PM, return home, work more in his private office until midnight or later.No more late-night drives. No more unexplained absences.Either Leonard had figured out he was being watched, or his mother's reassignment of his security had accomplished its goal.Morrison's phone buzzed. A text from his associate, Diane, who was covering the estate

Daveson was conducting a routine perimeter check at 4:15 PM when his phone buzzed with an encrypted message from Leonard.Victoria just left. Someone has photos of us from Lovers Point. They're trying to sell them.Daveson stopped walking, his hand automatically moving to his stomach.Daveson: Who?Leonard: Don't know yet. Victoria's investigating. But Daveson, if they have photos from that night, they might have been following us longer. They might have more.More. Like photos of Daveson entering Dr. Chen's office. Like evidence of his pregnancy appointments.Daveson leaned against the estate's stone wall, feeling dizzy. The nausea was back, worse than this morning.Daveson: What do we do?Leonard: Victoria suggested we prepare a cover story. Some explanation for why we were together that doesn't suggest anything personal.Daveson: Like what?Leonard: Security briefing about a credible threat. Or wedding-related discussion that required privacy.Daveson stared at the message. A cover