lt only the chilling, empty space where her self-respect had been left. The intensity of the nausea was overwhelming, but the emotional pain wa

the address to a high-end, discreet pharmacy miles away from her usual r

gala, the deal, Kincaid. It's the adrenaline crash. I'm an adult. I know my body. But the memory o

e moved quickly, picking up three different brands of pregnancy tests-digital, stick, and strip-as if redundancy could somehow

t, Elara stared at the bag on the seat beside her. The three white boxes f

efficiency-Elara locked the door. This was the moment of truth. The fate of her empire,

leaning against the cool marble countertop, staring at the three sticks lined up like tin

e mi

blue line appeared in the control window. Then

ial. No, it must be faulty.

sult window slowly, agonizingly, filled

They were tears of pure, blinding rage. This could not be happening.

een flickered, the result slow to materialize, bu

t: Pre

k. The sound was deafening. It was too fast. It was impossible. But it was true. The intense passion of

s Kin

ed her like a cheap, disposable conquest. Now, she was carrying his child. A par

eft flashed in her mind: "Consid

p. He would use the child to manipulate her, to weaken her company, to crush her compl

ide. The fire that Kaius had ignited in her the night before, the fi

defeated. She wo

y was gone. Her dark eyes were now alight with a dangerous, calculating intensity. She was a CEO, a

le, devastating secret that had to be pr

a silent,

You will not ruin me, Kaius Kincaid. This

, cold and logical, overri

fessional, and emotional. She couldn't stay in New York and run a mul

emanding immediate, isolated rest and travel abroad. Her VP would handle

secrecy. When she returned-leaner, colder, and stronger-she would be ready to

private, encrypted phone, used only for the most

aving in six hours. Tell the board I'm battling a rare, aggressive autoimmune disorder and need complete isolation for

extreme measures, didn't argue, only

domen. The hatred for Kaius was still there, a burning coal. But beneath it, a str

about business. It was ab

evacuation-her private line rang. The caller ID was blocked, but the

old you I'm s

o turn on the news, now." Marcus's voice was

reen TV. The news anchor was s

tile takeover bid. Kincaid Global acqu

challenge-not just competition, but a declaration of war. Kaius Kincaid wasn

ssion; it was about this. He had planned the entire hum

r initial six-month exile was now too long. She needed to stabilize th

nter-attack. She had six hours before the jet. She had to secure Vane

with, while carrying his child, was almos

's secure financial platform. She had to find his w

ile forming on her lips. "You want a war? I'll gi