Chapter 1

After pocketing Liam Quinn's 3.3 million settlement, I bought a one-way ticket and booked the clinic for right after landing.

Waiting in line at the gate, a voice suddenly erupted from my stomach. "Mom, have you lost your mind? That's hundreds of billions. Do you realize he's the last of his line?"

My fingers went rigid around the boarding pass.

I spun around and tore it to shreds.

I was not leaving. I was going back to get that inheritance with my baby.

*****

It was 9:47 PM at Terminal 3 of the international airport.

I stood in line at gate B23, pulling a 20-inch carry-on suitcase. Inside were three sets of clothes, my passport, and an envelope.

Inside the envelope was a bank card loaded with 3.3 million dollars.

Liam had it sent over without so much as a note.

Peter, the Quinn family butler, offered a smile so stiff with good manners it might as well have been a slap. "Mr. Quinn's message is that Ms. Sherman has returned.

"He expects the residence to be vacated by the end of the day, at your earliest convenience."

Convenient. How convenient.

Two years as a stand-in, and all I was worth was 3.3 million. That broke down to 1.6 million a year, 130 thousand a month, 4 thousand a day. It was pricier than an hour with a top-tier private physician, but cheaper than Liam's racehorse.

Daily feed, training, and insurance for that horse ran 9 thousand dollars.

I was worth less than a damn horse.

I'd packed everything up three days in advance.

I'd lived at the Quinn residence for two years. The walk-in closet had a whole wall of my clothes. The vanity was lined with luxury skincare sets. The bathroom had my personal bathrobe.

But I didn't take a single thing with me.

Those things were bought for Yvonne Sherman's replacement, not for me.

So I only grabbed the same suitcase I'd arrived with, containing what I'd worn two years ago when I moved in. A white tee. A pair of jeans. Canvas sneakers.

That was enough.

The gate announcement blared. "Now boarding for Kingsford. First class and business passengers may board at this time."

I shuffled forward a step, clutching my economy boarding pass.

With 3.3 million dollars in hand, I only spent 2 thousand dollars on a one-way economy ticket.

Once I got settled, I'd find a clinic and take care of the thing inside me, which was barely a month along.

No one knew I was pregnant.

Liam didn't know. Peter didn't know. Yvonne definitely didn't know.

I'd only found out three days before departure. I got two lines on the test, bright and clear, like I'd hit the jackpot.

But I wasn't cashing it in.

Liam only wanted the woman he truly loved, not some kid from his stand-in. If I tried to use this baby to tie him down, how would I be any different from someone who refuses to let go?

I could be poor. I could be pathetic. But I couldn't be shameless.

The line inched forward. The wheels of my carry-on clacked over the gaps in the tile floor, steady as a countdown.

Then a voice exploded inside my head.

It wasn't a hallucination or ringing in my ears. It was a loud, clear voice, babyish but forceful. "Mom, don't get on that plane. If you leave now, you're walking away from hundreds of billions."

I froze.

The passenger behind me nearly rammed my suitcase and shot me a glare as they sidestepped.

I stood there. My throat went dry. My fingers dug into the edge of the boarding pass, nails biting into the paper.

What was that? Who was talking?

I glanced around instinctively. Everyone around me was dragging their luggage, rushing to catch their flights. No one was looking at me; no one was talking to me.

The voice came again, more urgent this time. "Mom. Listen. Liam looks all tough, but the doctors already declared him sterile. He can't have kids. I'm the only heir he's got left on this planet."

My hands started shaking. It wasn't fear. It was a strange feeling shooting up from my feet, something I couldn't name. That voice seemed to be coming from my stomach.

I looked down at my belly. It was flat. Nothing showed.

"Mom, we gotta go back!" The babyish voice kept hollering.

It wobbled like they were about to cry, but the words coming out had nothing to do with being upset. "Let's grab those hundreds of billions, and the whole entertainment industry will turn into our personal playground. That's major status."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Three thoughts raced through my mind.

First: Had I lost my mind?

Second: If I wasn't crazy, then whose voice was this?

Third: Hundreds of billions?

After the third thought, the first two stopped mattering.

The voice continued, "That witch, Yvonne, is biding her time until Liam dies without an heir so she can claim the entire fortune. Mom, why are you being so dense? We're holding the only winning ticket in the world. Why are you running away?"

Those words, "without an heir", made my temples throb.

Liam couldn't father children?