Chapter 2

"Congratulations, Mrs. Russo," the private doctor said, handing me the test results with a respectful nod. "Your pregnancy hormone test came back excellent. You're about four weeks pregnant."

I stared at the two bright red lines on the pregnancy test, a smile devoid of warmth curling on my lips. I finally had my leverage.

I pulled out my phone, snapped a clear shot of the test results, and sent it to the family's inner circle group chat with no filters or edits.

The group chat was usually quiet. Only Lawrence Russo and Margaret Russo, Damian's parents, would give orders every now and then.

Within seconds of sending the photo, the chat blew up.

Lawrence fired off a sixty-second voice message, his voice shaking with excitement. [Good! Get the highest level of security on this, now. Tonight, we're having dinner at the Russo Manor for a celebration.]

Five minutes later, my phone rang. It was Damian, and in the background, I could hear Lily's muffled sobs.

"Did you fucking do this on purpose?" Damian roared into the phone. "Lawrence chewed me out for half an hour and ordered me to personally drive you back to the Russo Manor tonight.

"Lily's falling apart from all the online hate, and you had to pull this stunt and report your pregnancy right now, huh?"

I leaned on the leather sofa, my tone flat. "I'll wait at the gate in 30 minutes. If you're a minute late, I'll call a cab to the Russo Manor and let Lawrence know you were busy playing hero for the girl getting roasted online."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm stating the facts, Damian."

Half an hour later, Damian's LaFerrari screeched to a stop at the villa gate.

I pulled open the door and slid into the passenger seat.

Damian slammed his fist against the steering wheel and stomped on the gas. The car shot up to 75 mph, recklessly weaving through the evening traffic on the city overpass.

"Feeling smug now, huh?" Damian's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the road. "You're a parasite, popping out kids to claw your way into favor. You really think a bastard child can chain me to you? Dream on."

I buckled my seatbelt, not even looking his way. "Keep your speed in check, unless you want the three of us to end up dead."

Just then, the car's Bluetooth suddenly switched over to an incoming call. It was Lily.

"Damian, help me." Lily's voice was raw with panic, and I could hear furniture crashing in the background. "My brother showed up with a bunch of thugs, and they trapped me in my apartment.

"He said I must've made a ton of money from trending online, and now he's demanding 600 thousand dollars to buy drugs. They're smashing at my door. Damian, please. You have to come."

Damian's face went pale. "Lily, don't be scared. Get in the bathroom and lock the door. I'm coming."

Outside, a bolt of lightning split the sky, and the rain started pouring down. Damian slammed on the brakes, pulling over onto the emergency lane on the overpass.

The tires screeched against the wet pavement, and my body lurched forward, the seatbelt digging painfully into my chest.

"Get out," Damian barked, leaning over and shoving the passenger door open. The wind and freezing rain blasted in, soaking my trench coat.

"Damian, this is an overpass. You can't stop here," I said and looked at him coldly.

"I said get out!" Damian's eyes were bloodshot, totally out of control. "Lily's life is on the line. All you've got is a barely formed embryo." Then he shoved me hard.

Caught off guard, I was thrown out of the car.

My knee crashed onto the rain-slick asphalt, a stabbing pain drilling through me. Instinctively, I clutched my flat stomach protectively.

With a loud bang, the car door slammed shut. The red taillights stretched out in the rain, quickly vanishing into the distance.

I sat on the ground in the downpour, not making a sound or shedding a tear. I pulled my soaked trench coat tighter and used the guardrail to push myself back up.

I fished out my waterproof phone from my pocket and pressed the private emergency button for the Russo Manor's butler, David Ellison.

"Mrs. Russo? What's wrong?" David asked.

"I'm stuck in the middle of the overpass. Send a bulletproof car for me. And let Lawrence know Damian left me out here in the storm to rescue a drug addict's sister," I said.

Twenty minutes later, a black Maybach pulled up in front of me. I slid into the warm car, and David immediately handed me a dry towel.

I towel-dried my soaked hair and unlocked my phone. My social media fixer had sent me a screenshot.

The hashtag about Lily's brother, drug abuse, and violent debt collecting was now sitting at the top of the trending list.

I texted back: [Nice work.] Then I stared out at the rain-blurred city lights.

Damian was bound to miss tonight's celebration dinner.