Chapter 2
Three months ago.
The annual company party was held at a spring resort in the city's suburbs.
Alexander wasn't a fan of socializing, but the annual party was a tradition. He always made a brief appearance and then left.
As the lowest-ranking member of the secretarial team, my only job was to make sure Alexander's schedule went off without a hitch.
The party kicked off at 8:30.
At 9:15, Alexander set down his glass and made small talk with a few partner reps.
By 9:40, he got up to leave, with his assistant, Henry Quinn, following close behind.
I figured that was it for the night.
A little after ten, Henry called. "Olivia, Mr. Shaw left his backup charger in the ballroom. Can you bring it up to room 1088?"
I grabbed the charger and headed up to the top floor.
The door to room 1088 was left slightly ajar.
As I pushed it open, a wave of heat mixed with the scent of booze washed over me.
The room was so dark.
"Mr. Shaw?" I called out.
No answer.
I stepped further inside, stumbled over something, and suddenly my wrist was seized in a vice-like grip.
In an instant, I was dragged straight into the darkness.
I didn't want to remember the details of that night.
All I could recall was that his body was burning up, his breath hot and ragged, nothing like the calm, composed Alexander I knew.
I tried to fight back, but at 120 pounds, I was as helpless as a piece of paper in his grip.
When I woke up the next morning, Alexander was already gone.
The stains on the sheets were impossible to ignore.
Trembling, I got dressed and slipped out through the hotel's emergency exit.
As I passed a corner pharmacy, I rushed in, grabbed a box of emergency contraception, paid, and swallowed the pill with a bottle of water.
It wasn't until I got home that I noticed the expiration date on the box.
It had expired.
Two whole months passed its expiration date.
I stared at the tiny print, my hands shaking so badly I could barely hold the box.
But I tried to reassure myself. It would be fine.
Expired didn't mean it wouldn't work at all, right?
But reality hit me hard; it was totally useless.
The positive result on the pregnancy test felt like a noose tightening around my neck.
I took half a day off and made an appointment at the OB-GYN clinic.
I thought if I handled it quickly and quietly, no one would ever have to know.
Especially not Alexander.
For the three months after that night, his attitude toward me didn't change at all.
He was still all business, passing me documents with that same blank face, not even a second look.
It was like that night never happened.
I couldn't be happier about it.
Pretending nothing happened and keeping things smooth was the last shred of dignity for an office worker.
At 12:30, I clutched my appointment slip and walked out of the office.
As the taxi pulled away, my phone rang.
It was Henry, Alexander's chief assistant and my direct supervisor. "Olivia, Mr. Shaw needs the bound copy of last quarter's merger report. Is it on your desk?"
"Yeah, it's in the second drawer," I replied.
"Alright, when will you be back this afternoon?" he asked.
"Before two," I said.
I hung up and let out a long sigh of relief.
That was close.
Twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the downtown OB-GYN clinic.
I paid the fare and stepped out, but the moment I turned around, I was rooted to the spot.
A black Maybach was parked right in front of the clinic entrance, ten feet away.
The windows were rolled up.
But that license plate, I'd seen it a hundred times every morning when I opened the door for him.
My heart skipped a beat.
No, maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe he was here for something else. Maybe it has nothing to do with...
The back door swung open.
Alexander stepped out.
His six-foot-two frame threw a shadow across the pavement, heavy and intimidating under the midday sun.
He was dressed in a black coat, the collar buttoned up perfectly.
In his hand, Alexander held a slip of paper.
I squinted to get a better look.
It was my appointment slip.
No, it was a copy of my appointment slip.
When did he...
"Olivia," Alexander called out.
His voice was deep, steady, and measured, coming from ten feet away, yet it sent chills down my spine.
He raised his eyes and looked straight at me.
They were narrow, unfathomably deep, and so deep that it was like staring into an endless abyss.
There was not a hint of warmth in them.
Not a trace of anger, either.
There was only an overwhelming presence that made me want to plead for forgiveness.
Alexander walked toward me, each step of his leather shoes echoing on the ground like a ticking clock.
I instinctively took a half-step back.
He stopped right in front of me, his sharply defined fingers gripping the appointment slip as he slowly raised it. "You want to carry my baby..."
He paused, lowered his head slightly, and his gaze landed on my flat stomach.
When he looked up again, a trace of something dangerous finally appeared in his eyes.
"Where do you think you're going?" Alexander added.