Semua Bab After I Left the Billionaire: Bab 41 - Bab 50

(Ivy)Kate and I walk into the private women’s clinic just after nine the next morning.I called Dr. Marissa Bell yesterday and asked for an off-the-record scan for a friend who needed complete confidentiality.She is waiting at the reception desk as we enter. “Ivy, good to see you. How are you?”“I’m coping. I’ll be fine.”She nods. “The room is ready,” she says. “Nothing is being entered into the system. You have privacy. We reserve that room for emergencies only.”“Thank you.”Marissa leads us straight down the hallway and unlocks the scan room.“If you need anything flick me a text.” Then she closes the door and I lock it.Kate looks at the machine, then at me. “I’ve no idea what I’m doing.”“You don’t have to.” I put my handbag on the chair. “Just do exactly what I tell you.”“Okay.”I get the machine running and connect the transducer.Then I take off my jacket and climb onto the bed. “The gel should be in that drawer,” I tell her.I’m more nervous that I expected.“Is this it?”

(Nash)I’m in the board meeting they called.No option to not attend. This should be fun. Not.The chairman hands me a document as soon as I sit down.“Read it,” he says.I look at the heading.EMERGENCY EXECUTIVE SUPERVISION PROTOCOL.“What’s this?”“The board’s decision.”I read the first paragraph.Effective immediately, Hawke Industries is appointing an external crisis-management executive with authority over all public communication, investor relations, media response, and any matter that could affect market confidence.“What the hell does this mean?” I ask.“It means you will not make a public statement, approve a major decision, or travel for personal reasons without consulting this person first.”“You think I need a glorified babysitter? You are taking control of my company.”“We know you need a babysitter. We’re ensuring this company is not damage any further.”I look around the table.Nobody looks away.The chairman continues, “the board will review your position twice a mon

(Ivy)Sarah has folders spread across the meeting table in my new office.This isn’t just an office, it's a whole suite. I could almost live here.There are fresh flowers on the windowsill, a new nameplate beside the door, and a view over half the city.“This is the VIP list,” Sarah says, sliding the first folder toward me. “Major donors, board members, senior staff, and their immediate families.”I look through it.People with money and influence always expect faster access, private rooms, and a personal number to call at two in the morning.“Every one of my patients gets the same standard of care.”“I know they do. You have integrity. But we let these people think whatever they need to.”I continue through the list. There are a few names I know. A senator’s wife. The daughter of one of the hospital’s biggest donors.A celebrity who had donated an entire wing after her twins spent months in neonatal intensive care.Sarah’s phone rings. She glances at the screen and sighs.“I need to

(Ivy)“I’ve always loved you, Ivy,” Robert says.For a few seconds, neither of us says anything.Robert has said the words I always knew were sitting there between us.I should feel happy. I should feel lucky.Instead, I feel frustrated.“Robert,” I say. “I appreciate that you would stand beside me in that way. I really do.”“But?”“Nash will eventually find out. He will get proof. I am not going to lie and say you are the father. I’m not going to use my baby as a weapon.”“I never asked you to.”“I know. But you said you would let the world think the baby is yours.”“If that is what you needed.”“I don’t need that.” My voice rises. “I need a breather, Robert. I need time to work out how I am going to raise this baby without Nash turning every single thing into proof that I am meant to be with him.”Robert looks at me. “I understand that.”“No, you don’t. You don’t know what it is like to have him in your head all the time. Every decision I make, he twists it around until it means I l

(Ivy)The heartbeat fills the room.I look back at the screen instead of at Nash. I do not want to share this moment with him. I know he'll be excited. He always wanted kids.This situation is so totally ridiculous, I can barely believe it's happening.Piper is crying. Eleanor has one hand over her mouth.Then Piper says, “can you tell if it’s a boy or a girl?”“It’s a little early for me to promise anything from the scan,” I say. “I could make an educated guess, but 18 weeks is more definite.”“Is there any way to know?” Piper asks.“There’s an early blood test. It looks at fetal DNA in your blood. It can tell us the sex.”“How long would that take?”“As a VIP, the fastest I could get it back is probably forty-eight hours. More likely seventy-two. The plasma has to separate and that takes time.”I take some photos and do a print out. I hand that to Piper. "We will email you more."Nash looks from the monitor to me. “Would that test prove paternity too?”Piper turns toward him. “Nash