The Ruined Heiress's Fake Pregnancy Bargain

The wind cut through her thin silk slip, raising goosebumps on her skin, b

Holdings. A name that was its own

the security guard she'd pushed past earlier, her voice now calm and authoritative. She promised him double his day'

, took a deep, steadying breath, and

eeded

with tired eyes, gave her a brief, curious glance as she paid in cash scraped from the bottom of her purse. The lo

of his color. He grabbed her hand, his own t

had never seen before, and her heart hardened

rfectly even. "I'm pregnant.

stark and violent: shock, then rage, then a wave o

could you get involved wi

rolled back in his head. His body went limp, slumping

Clare s

. The guard rushed over, phone

hand, guilt and a terrifying resolve warring within her. Ther

to be admitted for observation. Clare saw the estimated cost on the intake form and a w

nd used a payphone to call Mrs. Sullivan, tellin

ant to do," she said, he

less. She had to create one. She needed to

ce overlooking Manhattan, Edward Carlisle

y. "Mr. Price has confessed to leaking the acquisi

to see his name on the roster for tomorrow's board meeting." The command was absolute, as chilling as it was simple. Felix Stone, his

u have a three o'clock site inspection at the ne

ally searching for any news related to Edward Carlisle. She sifted through financial report

photo showed a newly constructed warehouse. Carlisle Hold

the kind of man who over

rt, identifying a stretch of service road along

the screen: 2:05 PM. Sh

the street. This time, she needed more t

hard day. She approached his window, unclasping the Cartier

d, holding it out. "If y

of the watch, gleaming under the aftern

river service road," sh

nwrapped the pregnancy test. She didn't need to use it. With a steady hand, she took a fine

vice road. In the distance, Clare saw it: a convoy o

said to t

et, tires squealing as it swerved to

rk suits immediately got out, their expre

n her door and stepped out, walking directly into the path of the bodyguards,