The baby kicked at the exact moment I heard his footsteps outside the restroom door. Five months of hiding, six weeks of choosing night shifts, and every careful decision I had made to stay invisible collapsed when a man’s voice came through the wood and said, “Clara. I know you’re in there.”

By the second week of my stay at the Rowe Estate, the quiet sanctuary began to feel less like a prison and more like a strange, golden dream.

Cassian was obsessive about my health. Every morning, he joined me for breakfast on the terrace, reading financial reports while quietly ensuring I ate every bite of my iron-rich meals. He spoke little about his business, but whenever he looked at my growing bump, his eyes softened with a reverent, fierce warmth that made my breath catch.

However, the dark world Cassian inhabited could not be kept outside the iron gates forever.

On a rainy Thursday afternoon, while Cassian was downtown at a federal deposition, a sleek black sedan pulled up to the front driveway without prior notice.

Mrs. Gable tried to intercept the visitor in the foyer, but the heavy oak doors swung open before she could reach them.

A woman stepped into the grand hall. She was stunning, wrapped in an emerald fur coat, her sharp features framed by platinum blonde hair. She held a red crocodile-skin handbag like a weapon.

Her name was Julianna Vance—the daughter of Senator Vance and the lead partner in Vance Maritime Logistics, Cassian’s primary corporate rival.

“Where is he?” Julianna demanded, her voice dripping with venom as her sharp heels clicked against the marble floor. “His executive assistant blocked my calls!”

Her eyes caught mine as I stood at the top of the grand curved staircase, wearing a simple cream cashmere dress.

Julianna’s eyes dropped instantly to my stomach. Her face contorted into an expression of absolute disgust and rage.

“So the rumors from Meridian Tower were true,” Julianna sneered, taking three slow steps toward the stairs. “Cassian locked himself away for six months because he knocked up a little mouse from the cleaning crew!”

I gripped the wooden banister tightly. “You need to leave. Mr. Rowe isn't here.”

“I know he isn't here, you worthless little gold-digger!” Julianna barked, pulling a manila folder from her bag. “Do you have any idea who Cassian Rowe really is? Do you think he brought you here out of love? He’s using you!”

My heart hammered against my ribs. “What are you talking about?”

“The Rowe Family Trust!” Julianna laughed bitterly. “Cassian’s grandfather set up a fifty-billion-dollar trust that vests on his thirty-fifth birthday—which is next month. But there’s a biological heir clause! If Cassian doesn't produce a legitimate child before his birthday, the voting shares revert to my family’s board!”