Chapter 6 - The Red Ledger
By midnight, the master suite in the Lake Forest estate was locked down under heavy guard.
A private physician, Dr. Sarah Lin, had arrived with a portable high-resolution ultrasound machine. The room was dark, save for the soft blue glow of the monitor screen and the crackle of the wood fire in the hearth.
Layla lay back on the comfortable bed, her sweater pulled up slightly, her lower abdomen covered in cold clear gel.
Dominic stood directly beside the bed, holding her hand. His grip was tight, almost possessive, his thumb rhythmically stroking the back of her knuckles as his eyes remained glued to the display screen.
THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.
The loud, rapid sound of two distinct heartbeats echoed through the room from the machine’s speakers.
Dr. Lin smiled, moving the transducer gently across Layla’s skin. “Heart rates are excellent. One hundred and forty-eight beats per minute for Baby A, one hundred and fifty-two for Baby B. Development is right on schedule for thirty-one weeks.”
Dominic stared at the grey-and-white images on the screen. He reached out with his free hand, touching the glass gently over the tiny, detailed outline of a small spine and a tiny fist resting near a forehead.
“They’re healthy?” Dominic asked, his voice rough with suppressed emotion.
“Exceptionally healthy,” Dr. Lin replied. “Though Ms. Bennett shows signs of mild exhaustion and slight anemia. She needs bed rest, high-protein nutrition, and zero stress for the remaining nine weeks.”
“She will have whatever she needs,” Dominic stated, looking down at Layla. His dark eyes softened as he met her tired gaze. “Thank you, Sarah. Leave the records on my encrypted server.”
Once the doctor had gathered her equipment and stepped out under Matteo’s escort, the room returned to a quiet stillness.
Layla wiped the gel from her skin, pulling her sweater back down. “Dominic... what are you going to do to Celeste?”
Dominic sat back down on the edge of the bed. He reached out and adjusted the cashmere blanket over her shoulders, his fingers lingering near her collarbone.
“Celeste is currently being escorted to a private holding facility near the docks,” Dominic said quietly. “My brother found the red drive hidden inside the lining of her jewelry case at the penthouse.”
“What was on it?”
“Our internal port access codes, the delivery routes for our legal real estate holdings, and the security schematics for this very estate,” Dominic revealed, his jaw clenching. “She was planning to give them to Moretti the night after our wedding.”
Layla let out a soft breath. “She almost destroyed you.”
“She tried,” Dominic said. He leaned down, placing his forehead against Layla’s, his warm breath fanning across her lips. “But a quiet maid from Pilsen saved my family before I even realized I had one.”
Layla’s breath caught. His face was inches from hers, his dark eyes searching hers with a desperate, hungry intensity that made her skin tingle.
“Dominic...” she whispered.
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“I know I ruined things between us before they even started,” Dominic murmured against her skin. “I know I’m a violent man who lives in a dark world. But I swear to you, Layla—on the lives of those two boys sleeping inside you—no one will ever hurt you again. Not Celeste, not Moretti, not anyone.”
He pressed his lips gently against her forehead, holding the kiss for a long, tender moment while his hand rested over her swollen stomach, feeling the soft movements of his sons beneath the blanket.
