My billionaire ex-husband called me from his wedding just to hear me cry—he had no idea I had given birth to his daughter two hours earlier.

The Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel was draped in white silk, orchids, and crystal chandeliers that caught the dim light of late afternoon. Five hundred of Manhattan’s elite sat at gold-accented tables, sipping hundred-dollar flutes of champagne, their voices a low, chaotic buzz of whispered scandals.

Sienna Vale sat in the bridal suite on the second floor, her white tulle dress cascading over the velvet chaise lounge like a fallen cloud. Her mascara was smeared beneath her blue eyes, and her diamond-encrusted tiara hung slightly askew in her perfectly styled blonde hair.

"Where is he?" she screamed, throwing a crystal glass against the marble fireplace. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces. "Where is Grant?!"

Her mother, a sleek, tight-faced woman in emerald silk, paced near the window, frantically tapping on her phone. "His security detail said he went to Bellevue."

"Bellevue?!" Sienna stood up, grabbing the heavy folds of her dress. "Why would he go to a public hospital on our wedding day? What is wrong with him?!"

The heavy doors to the suite flew open. Grant walked in.

He had stripped off his bow tie, his collar was unbuttoned, and his tuxedo jacket was missing. He looked like a man who had spent the last hour walking through a war zone.

"Grant!" Sienna rushed toward him, her arms outstretched. "Where have you been? The press is outside! The guests are asking questions! People are saying you left me at the church—"

Grant didn't look at her. He walked straight to the bar cart, poured three fingers of neat scotch into a tumbler, and downed it in a single gulp.

"Grant, answer me!" Sienna grabbed his arm, her manicured nails digging into his shirt sleeve.

He turned slowly, looking down at her. His eyes were bloodshot, empty, and devoid of the affection he had faked for six months. "Claire had a baby today."

The room went completely dead silent. Sienna's mother stopped pacing.

Sienna’s hand slipped off his arm. "What... what did you say?"

"Claire gave birth two hours ago," Grant repeated, his voice cold, flat, and hollow. "At Bellevue."

"That's... that's impossible," Sienna stammered, a forced, nervous laugh escaping her lips. "She's barren, Grant. You showed everyone the medical reports. She couldn't—"

"The medical reports were fake, Sienna!" Grant suddenly roared, slamming his empty glass down onto the mahogany bar with enough force to crack the wood. "We both know they were fake! You helped me pay off her physician to write that report so I wouldn't have to divide the Brooklyn holdings in the divorce!"

Sienna gasped, instinctively looking toward her mother, who quickly stepped out of the room and closed the heavy double doors to shield them from the staff.

"Keep your voice down!" Sienna whispered, her face turning pale. "Are you out of your mind? If anyone hears you—"

"I don't care!" Grant hissed, stepping into her space. "Do you realize what she just did? She gave birth nine months after the divorce! Nine months! That means she was pregnant while we were negotiating the settlement! That means that child is my biological heir!"

"You don't know that!" Sienna snapped, her desperation rising like a tide. "She's an ex-wife, Grant! She could have been sleeping with anyone! She was seeing people!"

"She wasn't seeing anyone," Grant said quietly, his hands shaking slightly. "Except Dominic Moretti was in her room."

Sienna’s eyes widened in horror. "Moretti? The syndicate lawyer? What is he doing with Claire?"

"He was standing over her bed," Grant said, staring into space as if replaying the scene in his mind. "He looked at me like I was a beggar in his house. He told me I had no family there."

Sienna took a step back, her hands trembling as she tried to regain her composure. "Listen to me, Grant. Listen to me! It doesn't matter whose baby it is. We are getting married today. We have five hundred guests downstairs. The press is expecting a wedding! If you cancel this now, your stock will plummet twenty percent by Monday morning! Kingsley Enterprises cannot take another hit after the public relations disaster with Claire's dad's estate!"

Grant looked at her—really looked at her. For six months, Sienna had been the perfect accessory: beautiful, submissive, obedient, and eager to help him tear down Claire. But looking at her now, covered in silk and diamonds, he saw only a liability.

"There is no wedding today," Grant said quietly.

Sienna froze. "What?"

"Go downstairs and tell them the ceremony is postponed," Grant said, turning his back on her to pour another drink. "Indefinitely."

"You can't do this to me!" Sienna shrieked, lunging forward to grab his shoulders. "I gave up everything for you! I helped you destroy her! I lied for you!"

Grant turned with shocking speed, his hand wrapping tightly around her wrist. "And I paid you for it. You were my assistant, Sienna. Don't forget where you started."

He shoved her back onto the chaise lounge, pulled his suit jacket from the chair, and walked toward the door.