Lahat ng Kabanata ng Carrying The Billionaire's Child : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

The examination room was smaller than Elara expected.Sterile white walls. A medical bed with paper covering. Equipment she didn't recognize lined up on a cart. The sharp smell of antiseptic made her stomach turn, though she couldn't tell if that was morning sickness or nerves.Dr. Sarah Bennett was a woman in her early forties with kind eyes and steady hands. She smiled as she entered, tablet in hand.“Elara Moore,” she said warmly, then glanced at Sebastian. “And Mr. Vale. It's good to meet you both.”Sebastian nodded from his position near the door.He had kept his word about staying in the waiting room until the nurse had called them both back, assuming he would want to be present for the examination.Elara had been too flustered to correct her.Now he stood there, hands in his pockets, looking slightly out of place in the medical setting but refusing to leave.“So,” Dr. Bennett settled onto a rolling stool. “This is your first prenatal visit?”*Yes,” Elara said quietly.“And how f

The photograph fell from Sebastian's hands and drifted to the floor.Elara stared at it.At her own face, captured in a moment she hadn't known was being watched.She stared at the red X slashed across her features like a target.Like a death sentence.*Sir,” Marco said quietly. “Building security has already been notified. I've requested footage from all cameras in a five-block radius. Whoever delivered this…”“Find them.” Sebastian's voice was deadly calm in a way that was somehow more terrifying than if he had been shouting. “I want to know who delivered it, who sent it, and every single person they've been in contact with in the last forty-eight hours.”“Yes, sir.”“And call James. Tell him I need him at the office. He will be handling the board meeting.”Marco's eyebrows rose slightly. “You're not going?”“No.” Sebastian's eyes never left the photograph on the floor. “I'm staying here.”Marco nodded and left without another word.The door closed.Silence fell over the penthouse.E

Two weeks later Elara woke up to sunlight streaming through the windows and the smell of coffee drifting from somewhere in the penthouse.She lay still for a moment, disoriented by how normal this was starting to feel.Waking up in silk sheets.In a bedroom bigger than her old apartment.Sixty floors above a city that had torn her apart in tabloids two weeks ago and was now mercifully moving on to the next scandal.Ten weeks pregnant.Her hand moved automatically to her stomach. Still flat. Still no visible sign. But the nausea had started easing slightly, replaced by a constant exhaustion that Dr. Bennett had promised was normal.Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.Sebastian: Breakfast in 20 minutes. Don't make me come get you.Despite herself, Elara smiled.This had become their routine over the past two weeks.Sebastian, who allegedly ran a billion-dollar empire, had started working from home three days a week. Making sure she ate. Making sure she rested. Making sure she wasn't al

The Grand Ballroom of the Metropolitan Hotel was everything Elara had feared and more.Crystal chandeliers cast golden light over a sea of designer gowns and tailored tuxedos. A string quartet played in the corner. Waiters walked through the crowd with champagne and hors d'oeuvres that probably cost more than Elara used to make in a week.And everyone was staring.“Breathe Elara,” Sebastian murmured against her ear, his hand steady at the small of her back as they paused at the entrance.Elara tried and failed. And tried again.“They're all looking at us,” she whispered.“Good.” His voice was calm, controlled. “Let them look.”Cameras flashed as they descended the stairs into the ballroom. Elara recognized a few reporters from the tabloids that had torn her apart two weeks ago, now snapping photos like she was someone worth documenting.“Mr. Vale!” A photographer called. “Can we get a photo?”Sebastian's hand tightened slightly on her waist. “One photo. Then we're done.”He positioned

Sebastian's hands remained braced on either side of Elara's head, caging her against the wall.The only sound was their breathing which was uneven and harsh, and filling the dark penthouse.“No,” Elara whispered again, in case he hadn't heard. Please don't stop.”Something in Sebastian's expression cracked.The careful control he always maintained shattered completely. There was no holding back anymore.His hand slid into her hair, lifting her face up to his, and then his mouth was on hers.Not gentle.Not careful.This time it was hungry like someone being starved for too long.Elara gasped against his lips, and Sebastian took advantage, deepening the kiss until she couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't remember why she had ever thought stopping was a good idea.His other hand found her waist, pulling her close against him, and the feel of his body pressed against hers made heat flood through her entire system.This wasn't like the kiss in his office two weeks ago which was uncer