The black limousine waited outside Lina's small house like something that didn't belong in her world.
For a long moment, she simply stood there at the doorway, the pregnancy test still trembling in her hand.
Two red lines.
Pregnant.
And now…
A man from Adrian Vale had come to take her.
The man in the suit maintained a calm, professional expression.
"Miss Lina?" he asked again politely.
Lina swallowed.
"Why… why does he want to see me?"
"I'm afraid Mr. Vale did not explain that to me," the man replied. "My instructions were simply to bring you to him."
Her heart pounded harder.
Did he really know?
No… that was impossible.
Lina had only discovered the pregnancy minutes ago.
Unless—
A terrifying thought crossed her mind.
Had he been watching her this whole time?
She quickly pushed that idea away. Adrian Vale was the most powerful businessman in the city. There was no reason for someone like him to keep track of a girl he had spent only one night with.
Still…
Why now?
Lina hesitated.
The rain from earlier had stopped, leaving the street quiet and damp. Her small neighborhood looked even poorer next to the luxurious car parked outside.
The man opened the limousine door.
"Please."
Lina looked back inside the house.
Her mother was asleep in the bedroom, exhausted after another long hospital visit.
The envelope Adrian had left months ago had paid for the first part of the treatment.
Without it…
Her mother might not even be alive now.
Lina clenched her hands.
Maybe this meeting was about that night.
Maybe Adrian wanted to make sure she would stay silent.
Maybe he wanted to give her more money to disappear.
The thought made something painful twist in her chest.
Still… she stepped forward.
"Alright," she said quietly.
The man nodded and closed the door after she entered the limousine.
The car began moving immediately.
Inside, everything smelled like expensive leather.
Lina felt small sitting in the large seat as the city lights passed outside the window.
Her mind was a storm of thoughts.
What would she say to him?
Should she tell him about the baby?
Her hand slowly moved to her stomach.
It was still too early to see anything.
But the truth was already there.
Adrian Vale's child.
Lina felt her heart tighten.
The car soon entered the richest part of the city.
Skyscrapers surrounded them, glowing with thousands of lights.
Finally, the limousine stopped in front of a massive glass building.
Lina looked up.
The building seemed to touch the clouds.
At the very top, golden letters shone against the night sky.
VALE GROUP.
Her stomach dropped.
This was his world.
The driver opened the door for her.
"Mr. Vale is waiting."
Lina followed the man through the enormous lobby.
Everything inside looked cold and perfect.
Marble floors.
Golden lights.
Employees working quietly even at this late hour.
They stepped into a private elevator.
The man pressed the top floor.
The ride felt endless.
Lina's heart beat faster with every second.
Finally, the elevator doors opened.
A long hallway stretched ahead, dimly lit.
At the very end stood a large office door.
The assistant stopped there.
"Mr. Vale is inside."
He opened the door.
Lina stepped in slowly.
The office was enormous.
Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the entire city below, glowing in the night.
Behind a large desk stood a tall figure.
Adrian Vale.
He wasn't wearing the same suit from that night.
Tonight he wore a dark gray one, perfectly tailored.
But his presence was exactly the same.
Cold.
Powerful.
Unreachable.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Adrian slowly walked toward her.
His dark eyes studied her face carefully.
"You look thinner," he said calmly.
Lina blinked in surprise.
"That's the first thing you say after months?"
Adrian stopped a few steps away.
"You disappeared."
Lina laughed softly, though there was no humor in it.
"You're the one who disappeared."
Silence filled the room.
Adrian watched her carefully.
Then his gaze lowered slightly.
To her hand.
The pregnancy test.
Still clutched between her fingers.
His eyes darkened.
"What is that?"
Lina froze.
She hadn't even realized she was still holding it.
Panic rose in her chest.
She quickly hid her hand behind her back.
"Nothing."
Adrian stepped closer.
Too close.
His presence was overwhelming.
"Show me."
His voice was calm.
But it wasn't a request.
Lina shook her head.
"No."
Adrian's eyes sharpened.
He gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand forward.
The small white stick fell into his palm.
For a second, Adrian simply stared at it.
Two red lines.
The room felt suddenly silent.
Dangerously silent.
Lina couldn't breathe.
Adrian's jaw tightened slightly.
Then his dark eyes slowly lifted to meet hers.
"When did you find out?"
Her heart stopped.
"You… you know what it means?"
His expression didn't change.
"I'm not stupid."
Lina's chest rose and fell rapidly.
"I only found out today."
Adrian remained silent for a long moment.
Then he asked one simple question.
"Is it mine?"
The words felt like a blade.
Lina's eyes filled with anger.
"What do you think?"
Adrian studied her face carefully.
Then something surprising happened.
He nodded.
As if confirming something in his mind.
"Good."
Lina blinked.
"…Good?"
Adrian placed the pregnancy test on the desk.
Then he looked directly into her eyes.
"If you're pregnant with my child, you won't be leaving."
Her heart pounded violently.
"What?"
Adrian spoke calmly, as if discussing business.
"You will move into my house."
Lina stared at him in disbelief.
"You're insane."
"I'm responsible," Adrian corrected.
"You left me that morning," she snapped. "Without even a message."
Adrian's gaze hardened slightly.
"That night was not supposed to happen."
"But it did."
Silence returned.
Then Adrian spoke again.
"And now there is a child."
Lina's hands trembled.
"I didn't come here to ask you for anything."
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
"But the child is mine."
"And?"
His voice became colder.
"I will not allow my heir to grow up anywhere else."
The word hit her like thunder.
Heir.
He wasn't talking about a baby.
He was talking about legacy.
Power.
Control.
Lina's anger rose.
"This is not a business deal!"
Adrian looked at her calmly.
"No."
He stepped closer again.
"This is responsibility."
Then he said the words that made Lina's entire world shift.
"You will live with me until the baby is born."
Lina's heart raced wildly.
"And after that?" she demanded.
Adrian looked down at her stomach for a brief moment.
Then back at her eyes.
"That… depends on you