Chapter 6 - The Pregnant Mistress Revealed the Secret That Could Bring Down Gregory Forever
Bethany's hands trembled.
“The baby isn't Gregory's,” she repeated.
Alina stared.
“Then whose?”
Bethany looked toward the door.
“I don't know.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was told not to ask.”
Dominic stepped closer.
“Who told you?”
“Arthur Vescari.”
The name hung in the room.
Bethany explained.
She had been working as an assistant at a private clinic.
She met Gregory there.
He pursued her.
He promised marriage.
But Vescari had already been involved in their relationship.
Alina listened.
The story became darker.
The pregnancy had been part of a plan.
Gregory needed an heir.
But he also needed leverage over Alina.
A pregnant mistress would make the divorce look justified.
Yet the baby belonged to another man.
A man Vescari wanted to place inside Gregory's company.
“Who?” Alina asked.
Bethany shook her head.
“I only heard the name once.”
“Who?”
“Michael.”
Dominic stiffened.
“Michael Vescari?”
Bethany nodded.
Arthur's son.
Dominic's oldest enemy.
The man who had disappeared five years earlier.
Alina understood.
“The baby is Vescari blood.”
“Yes.”
“And Gregory thought it was his.”
“Yes.”
Dominic exhaled slowly.
That meant Vescari had used Gregory.
Gregory thought he was building his legacy.
Instead, he was building a bridge for his enemy.
The plan was almost elegant in its cruelty.
The woman.
The company.
The child.
All connected.
Dominic arranged protection for Bethany.
She refused to leave at first.
“I don't want to be involved anymore.”
“You won't be,” Alina said.
Bethany looked at her.
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because I know what it feels like to discover you've been living inside someone else's plan.”
Bethany cried.
Alina hugged her.
It was the last thing either woman expected.
That night, Dominic found Alina in the library.
“You didn't have to save her.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Why?”
“Because she's innocent.”
He sat beside her.
“And you?”
She smiled sadly.
“I'm not sure anymore.”
He took her hand.
“You are.”
She looked at him.
“Why are you so certain?”
“Because I watched you lose everything and still refuse to become cruel.”
Her eyes softened.
“You care about me.”
“Yes.”
The answer was immediate.
She swallowed.
“I care about you too.”
He leaned closer.
Then stopped.
“Tell me to leave.”
She didn't.
He kissed her.
Slowly.
Carefully.
There was no possession in it.
Only choice.
When they separated, Alina whispered:
“This is dangerous.”
“Everything worth having is.”
She smiled.
“You really do have an answer for everything.”
“No.”
He touched her cheek.
“Just you.”
The peace lasted until morning.
Dominic's office was attacked.
Not the estate.
The office across town.
Someone had been waiting.
Matteo was injured.
The files were stolen.
Most importantly, the evidence connecting Michael Vescari to Gregory disappeared.
Dominic stood amid broken glass.
His face was terrifyingly calm.
“Who had access?”
“Four people,” Matteo said.
Dominic looked toward Alina.
“Your former company?”
“No.”
“Who knew about the warehouse?”
“Gregory. Damian. Me.”
“Damian.”
They found him two hours later.
Dead.
A note had been left beside him.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT ALINA ALONE.
Dominic read it.
Then looked at Alina.
“I should never have involved you.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“This is my fault.”
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“This started before you.”
He stared at her.
“I won't run.”
“Alina.”
“I spent 10 years letting a man decide what I was worth.”
She took his hand.
“I won't let fear do the same.”
Dominic looked at her.
May you like
Then kissed her forehead.
“Then we finish it.”
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