Catherine’s POV
I sprawled across my desk, chin propped on my palm, staring at the delivery tracking app on my phone.
Twenty-three minutes and counting.
My stomach growled in protest, but food wasn’t what had fidgeting in my ergonomic chair all day.
The pregnancy test photo Anna sent glowed on my screen, those two pink lines taunting with their implications. I’d been wrestling with this dilemma since morning: should I tell Uncle Marcus?
"Fuck it," I muttered, tossing my phone onto a stack of animation storyboards. "He needs to know so he can move on."
Anna was pregnant. With soone else’s baby. Any possibility of her becoming my aunt had just evaporated like morning dew in July. My fingers drumd against the polished surface of my desk as guilt twisted through my chest. I was the one who kept pushing Uncle Marcus toward her, convinced they were perfect for each other.
_Maybe this is for the best. Uncle Marcus can finally stop pining after her._
I grabbed my phone and forwarded Anna’s pregnancy test photo to him before I could chicken out. Despite it being the middle of the night in Europe, his response was imdiate:
[Whose kid is it? Is your father against it or is the boy’s family the problem?]
I stared at the ssage, my jaw going slack. "Oh my God." A bubble of hysterical laughter escaped my throat.
"He thinks I’m pregnant!"
My fingers flew across the screen:
[Not , it’s Anna who’s pregnant.]
I bit my lip, trying to imagine Uncle Marcus’s face as he read those words.
The stoic mask would crack, revealing the raw hurt beneath. My chest tightened with preemptive remorse.
[Uncle Marcus, I feel terrible. Maybe we should just let this go.]
[Look, Anna’s having a child now. She clearly doesn’t have feelings for you.]
I gnawed on my lower lip, desperate to offer so comfort:
[Uncle Marcus, you’re such a catch.
You could find any woman you want to be your wife, right?]
[Don’t be upset, Uncle. I’ll help you look for soone new.]
I held my breath, waiting for his response. Would he lash out? Go cold?
I braced myself for emotional fallout.
His reply was a single sentence:
[Don’t tell her that I know about her pregnancy.]
I furrowed my brow, reading the ssage three tis. Where was the heartbreak? The anger? The cold dismissal?
Marcus’s POV
I stared at my phone screen, completely frozen. The photo Catherine had just sent—those two clear lines—made my heart nearly stop. A pregnancy test? My brain refused to process this information until a thought exploded in my mind:
Anna was pregnant. I was going to be a father.
A wave of heat spread from my chest throughout my body, my hands trembling uncontrollably. The silence of the European night was broken only by my rapid breathing. I instinctively stood up, pacing across my spacious office, trying to control my emotions. If not for years of practiced restraint, I might have burst into laughter in that mont.
"Prepare the private jet imdiately," I blurted out to Peter Reed, my voice carrying an excitent unfamiliar even to myself. "I need to return to Skyview City right away."
Peter’s expression morphed from confusion to shock. "Now, Mr. Murphy? You just said there’s an extrely important eting tonight.
The entire executive team has been waiting for you all day."
"The eting can be postponed," I stated firmly, with only one thought in mind: I needed to be by Anna’s side imdiately. "I’m going to be a father!
That’s more important than any eting."
Peter hesitated briefly before nodding and turning to leave. Just then, as the initial euphoria began to fade, rationality gradually took over. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down and consider the implications and possibilities of this news.
"Wait, Peter." I suddenly called out, shaking my head. "On second thought, I can’t go back. I must pretend I don’t know about this."
I closed my eyes, imagining Anna’s face when she would tell this news -those beautiful eyes flickering with uncertainty and anticipation. The image made my heart clench. But I had to stay rational. This was about our future, our child. Every step needed to be carefully considered.
"But Anna is..." Peter’s voice was filled with confusion.
"I know she needs ," I sighed heavily, painfully rubbing my forehead. "But precisely because of that, I need to ensure everything is properly arranged. This is my first child with Anna, and I can’t let any risks near them."
Peter’s expression suddenly turned serious. "Sir, not to pour cold water, but I genuinely believe you shouldn’t rush back now. Doyle has recovered, and according to our intelligence, that madman has already started moving.
He certainly won’t let you off easily."
My face darkened. Peter was right; with enemies like Doyle, one could never be too careful. If he learned about Anna’s pregnancy... The re possibility sent a chill down my spine.
For Anna and our child’s safety, I couldn’t act recklessly.
"I’ll stay in Europe a bit longer," my voice was calm and resolute, though my insides were churning. "Contact Ryan White, have him et with my father. Tell him the details. Anna must receive comprehensive protection, but discreetly-she shouldn’t feel alard."
Catherine’s POV
My phone buzzed with Grandpa William’s na flashing on the screen.
I answered imdiately, feeling that familiar flutter of anticipation whenever he called.
"Catherine, co to Murphy Estate after work today. Imdiately." His voice carried that distinctive tone that brooked no argunt.
"Is everything okay, Grandpa?"
"Just co." The line went dead before I could ask another question.
The rest of my workday crawled by, my mind spinning with possibilities.
Had sothing happened to Uncle Marcus? Was Grandpa ill again? By the ti I pulled into Murphy Estate’s circular driveway, my imagination had conjured a dozen worst-case scenarios.
The mont 1 stepped into the grand foyer, I froze. The marble entryway had transford into so bizarre high-end pharmacy. Expensive health supplents and gift baskets ford small mountains against the walls, arranged with the precision that characterized everything in Grandpa’s domain.
"What the hell is all this?" I muttered, navigating through the labyrinth of packages.
Grandpa William appeared from his study, leaning slightly on his cane.
"These were ant for your Uncle Marcus, thinking he might have children soon after marriage. They were for his future wife’s health." His voice carried that particular blend of disappointnt and resignation I’d co to recognize whenever Uncle Marcus was the topic.
"But your uncle hasn’t been cooperative. Couldn’t have a wife.
Now he won’t even co back for the holidays." Grandpa’s eyes drifted across the supplents, decades of business acun unable to hide the sentintal old man beneath.
"Take them all," Grandpa said suddenly, waving his hand dismissively. "Have the kitchen staff prepare them for you."
A lightbulb mont hit with such force I nearly gasped aloud. These weren’t for -they were perfect for Anna’s pregnancy! The universe had a twisted sense of humor sotis.
———
Two hours later, I pulled up to Goldenleaf Manor with my car packed to the ceiling with supplents. Anna answered the door herself, her expression morphing from surprise to bewildernt as I directed the staff to bring in box after box.
"What is all this?" She gestured at the mountain of health products now occupying her foyer.
"Just found them in our family storage.
All high-quality stuff," I lied smoothly, avoiding any ntion of Grandpa William or Uncle Marcus. The last thing Anna needed was to know these were originally intended for her as Marcus’s wife. The irony was too much even for .
Anna shook her head, her fingers absently finding their way to her slightly rounded belly—a new habit I’d noticed developing. "How am I supposed to finish all this? Mom and Grandma Margaret just bought a carload today-food, supplies, things for , things for the baby. I’m overwheld. The doctor said I don’t need special supplents, just a normal balanced diet."
I raised an eyebrow, unable to resist.
’These aren’t for you anyway. They’re for my godchild." My eyes drifted to her belly, a wave of protective affection washing over .
---
Two days later, Grandpa William summoned again. This ti, a broad-shouldered man with a military bearing stood beside him in the study.
’This young man is a military veteran, honorably discharged after an injury.
He can drive, he can fight, and he’ll be your driver now," Grandpa explained casually, though the concern in his eyes betrayed his true intentions.
I imdiately thought of Rachel Wilson, still recovering from injuries ant for Anna. This man would be perfect for her, not .
"Thank you, Grandpa. He looks very capable." I accepted with a gracious smile, already planning the reassignnt in my head.
---
That afternoon, I marched into Goldenleaf Manor with the stoic bodyguard trailing behind .
"I found him especially for you. His combat skills are on par with Rachels, and he’ll be responsible for your protection from now on," I announced proudly, nudging the man forward.
The transformation in Anna’s face was instantaneous-from polite confusion to genuine delight. She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around in a tight embrace before planting a firm kiss on my cheek.
"You are the best godmother ever!
Thanks, darling!" The warmth in her voice made my chest tighten with affection.
I pretended embarrassnt, rolling my eyes dramatically. "Why so formal with ? That investor you introduced to, Jasmine Butler, has already helped make a fortune. I should be thanking you."
Reviews
All reviews (0)