Chapter 2
Mandy and the other maids held their breath, shooting each other terrified glances.
Zane's face went from stunned to livid, then to a dark, stormy look right before he snapped.
"Pomelia," he spat out my name through clenched teeth. "You'd better explain yourself."
I chugged down the whole bottle of milk and let out a satisfied burp.
"Explain what?" I looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "You mean why I eat so much? Maybe it's because I'm still growing."
"Growing?" Zane let out a bitter laugh, closing the distance between us with a menacing aura. "You call this growing?"
His finger was practically poking at my stomach.
I could feel all 999 babies inside me pick up on their dad's threatening vibe, and they started buzzing together in response.
My belly puffed up another size right before everyone's eyes.
I comforted them silently, "Babies, calm down. That's your real dad. He might not be the brightest, but he's easy on the eyes. Don't freak him out."
Zane's fingers froze mid-air.
His pupils contracted sharply, and he struggled to swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing with tension.
"Wh-What trick did you pull?" His voice was hoarse as he grabbed my wrist. "You think you can fool me with such ridiculous tricks?"
My wrist ached from his grip.
I frowned. "I'm not playing tricks." I looked at him seriously. "I'm pregnant."
"Shut up." Zane cut me off. "You? Pregnant overnight? Seriously?"
He yanked me up from the chair so hard that I stumbled.
"Let's go. To the hospital." Zane hauled me out, with murder in his eyes. "I'm going to blow your ridiculous stunt wide open today."
Going to the hospital? Perfect. Let the pros school him on what a real miracle of nature looked like.
Zane half-dragged, half-shoved me into the car, and honestly, I was a little excited.
*****
We walked through the VIP entrance of the Cook Group's top private hospital. Zane kept a stormy look on his face, practically dragging me along like I was a criminal.
The nurses around us shot curious glances our way, but as soon as Zane's icy stare swept over them, they quickly dropped their heads.
In the exam room, the doctor, Julian Harrow, who had been waiting for us, stood up as soon as we walked in. "Mr. Cook, who is this?"
Julian was the Cook family's personal doctor, a real authority in the medical world. He was so uptight that he could pass for a robot.
"Give her a full examination." Zane pushed me into the chair with a tone that allowed no argument. "Use the most precise equipment and figure out exactly what's really going on in her belly."
Julian paused for a moment, then adjusted his glasses. "Mrs. Cook, please lie down."
Here it was. The classic battle between science and the supernatural was about to begin.
I obediently lay down on the exam table, lifted my shirt, and exposed my round belly.
When that plump curve appeared under the bright lights, even the seasoned Julian couldn't help but gasp.
His gaze flickered between Zane and me, filled with scrutiny and puzzlement.
Zane stood off to the side, arms crossed, wearing a confident, icy smile.
He was waiting for me to be exposed and utterly disgraced.
The cold gel was spread across my belly.
Julian grabbed the ultrasound probe and started scanning my stomach.
His face went from all business to confused, then dazed, and finally blank.
He fiddled with the probe, even tapped the screen like he thought the thing was broken. "How is this possible?"
Zane strode over, impatience written all over his face. "So, what did you find? Did she stuff her belly with cotton or silicone?"
Julian didn't answer. He stared at the screen, sweat breaking out across his forehead.
On the display of that ultra-expensive, state-of-the-art ultrasound, there wasn't a single clear image of a fetus.
Only static.
No, not static. It was a dense, uncountable swarm of white dots, all vibrating at insane speed—like a boiling sea of stars.
These dots packed the entire uterine cavity, spilling past the edges of the screen, turning the whole image into a mess of indecipherable static.