He Brought His Mistress to My Ultrasound

"Did you think I would still let you manipulate me?" I asked, my voice slicing through the heavy silence of the examination room.

Julian stared at the freezing order resting on his expensive shoes. The arrogant flush drained entirely from his face, leaving him a sickening shade of gray.

"Serena, wait," he pleaded. His hands reached out, hovering inches from my coat. "You can't do this. The board will panic. The stock will plummet. You are ruining everything over a misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding?" I repeated, stepping closer. I forced him to look at me. "You brought her to my clinic. You forged a DNA test to blame your biggest rival. You used my family's money to buy her silence."

"I did it to protect us!" Julian yelled, his voice cracking. He pointed a shaking finger at the ultrasound machine. "We are having twins! You are going to rip our family apart over one mistake?"

"You ripped it apart the second you unzipped your pants," I said.

Chloe sniffled from the corner. "Julian, please... my stomach hurts."

Julian flinched, torn between his pregnant wife and his pregnant mistress. That split second of hesitation was all the closure I needed.

I turned my back to him. The crowd of onlookers parted instantly. A few people kept their phones raised, recording my exit, but I kept my gaze locked straight ahead. My stilettos struck the linoleum floor with sharp, heavy thuds.

"I'll fight you for everything!" Julian screamed down the corridor. "You hear me? You won't get a dime of the liquid assets! I'll freeze you out before you even reach your car!"

"Talk to my lawyers," I tossed over my shoulder.

The elevator doors sealed away his frantic shouting. I descended to the underground parking structure. The concrete cavern was freezing. A bitter gust of wind whipped through the open ramp, cutting straight through my thin beige trench coat. I wrapped my arms around my waist.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out. It was Elias, my lead attorney.

"It's done," Elias said through the receiver, his tone strictly professional. "The judge signed the freezing order. Julian's access to the joint accounts is locked. But Serena, this locks your access to the operational cash flow too. The board is going to demand a liquidity check by tomorrow morning."

"I know," I said, walking faster toward my designated parking spot.

"If you don't show ten million in liquid capital by the eight o'clock emergency meeting, Julian's faction will vote to remove you as CEO. He planned this. He drained the secondary accounts."

"I will find the money, Elias."

"Where? No bank will approve a loan overnight with a pending divorce and frozen assets."

"I said I'll handle it," I snapped, ending the call.

The adrenaline from the clinic was fading, leaving a hollow ache in my chest. Two babies. A cheating husband. A corporate coup.

I needed to get to my car.

Before I could press the unlock button on my key fob, the roar of an engine bounced off the concrete pillars.

A matte-black Maybach tore around the corner. It braked hard, stopping precisely inches from my toes. The heavy tires hit a stagnant puddle of dirty water, splashing a cold spray against the hem of my coat.

I stepped back, my jaw tightening. "Watch where you're driving."

The tinted passenger window glided down with a soft mechanical hum.

The air trapped in my throat.

Dominic Russo sat in the driver's seat. The dim fluorescent lighting of the garage cast sharp shadows across his angular jaw and straight nose. He radiated a lethal, suffocating stillness. This was the man trying to destroy my family's empire. The man Julian just accused of fathering his mistress's child.

He didn't look at me right away. His gaze remained fixed on the concrete wall ahead.

"Get in, Mrs. Vance," Dominic commanded. His voice was a low, rough rasp that vibrated in the damp air.

I crossed my arms, refusing to move. "Why would I get into a car with the man actively trying to bankrupt my company?"

Dominic finally turned his head. His dark eyes locked onto mine, stripping away my defenses. "Because standing in a freezing garage won't solve your liquidity problem."

"I don't have a liquidity problem," I lied, keeping my chin high.

"Elias is a good lawyer, but he talks too loud on the phone," Dominic said.

My nails dug into the leather of my Birkin bag. "You were listening to my calls?"

"I don't need to listen to your calls to know Julian drained the secondary accounts," Dominic replied. "I'm the one who cornered his offshore investments last week. He's broke. And now, thanks to your freezing order, so are you."

"I can secure a loan by morning," I shot back.

"No bank will approve a loan overnight with a pending divorce and frozen assets," Dominic countered. "Julian knows this. He set a trap. If you don't show ten million in liquid capital by the eight o'clock emergency meeting, his faction will vote to remove you as CEO."

My stomach dropped. Dominic knew the inner workings of my board better than I did.

"Get to the point, Dominic."

He reached into his tailored suit jacket and pulled out a sleek, matte-black credit card. He extended his arm through the open window, trapping the plastic between his index and middle finger.

"Ten million dollars," Dominic said. "No limit beyond that. Unrestricted access."

I stared at the black card. The gold lettering caught the dim garage lights.

"Consider it a hostile takeover of your immediate problems," he added.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "You expect me to believe Dominic Russo is offering me charity? In a parking garage?"

"I don't do charity," he replied, his expression entirely unreadable. "I do investments. Julian is weak. You are not. I prefer dealing with the competent Vance."

"If I take that," I said, stepping closer to the vehicle, "what do you want in return?"

"Your cooperation," Dominic answered smoothly. "Julian thinks he can leverage your family's reputation to keep his seat on the board. We are going to crush him from both sides."

"And the DNA test upstairs?" I asked, testing him. "The one that says you fathered Chloe's baby?"

Dominic's jaw clenched. A muscle feathered in his cheek. "Julian forged those lab results to frame me. He needed a scapegoat for his mistress. I came here to handle it."

"By throwing money at me?"

"By giving you the weapon you need to destroy him at the board meeting tomorrow," Dominic corrected. "Take the card, Serena."

He used my first name. The familiarity felt like a spark in the freezing garage.

I reached out. The smooth plastic of the card brushed against my fingertips.

Before I could snatch the card from his grip, a heavy metallic clunk echoed through the damp air.

The rear passenger door of the Maybach swung open from the inside.

I stepped back, my eyes darting to the shadowed backseat.

Chloe Miller sat against the plush leather, her hands trembling in her lap and her eyes rimmed with angry red tears.