Chapter 6 The CEO Confronted

Olivia stood outside Alexander Kane's office longer than necessary.

Her palm was damp against the folder she held, though there was nothing inside it that mattered. The real weight pressed against her chest, making it hard to breathe.

This was the moment she had been delaying.

There was no perfect time to tell a man like Alexander Kane that he was about to become a father especially when the child was the result of a night neither of them was supposed to acknowledge.

She knocked once.

"Come in."

His voice was calm, controlled. Familiar.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

Alexander was standing by the window, phone in hand. He turned when he heard her, his sharp gaze settling on her face immediately.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked.

"Yes."

The word came out softer than she intended.

He frowned slightly. "Sit."

She didn't.

"I need to say this," Olivia said, forcing the words out before fear could stop her. "And if I sit down, I won't."

That got his attention.

He set his phone aside slowly. "All right."

Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. Olivia clasped her hands together, grounding herself.

"This is... personal," she said. "And difficult."

"I gathered that," he replied evenly. "Go on."

She swallowed.

"I went to a clinic," she said.

His brow furrowed. "Are you sick?"

"No."

Her voice trembled despite her effort to steady it. She lifted her gaze and met his eyes directly.

"I'm pregnant."

The words hung in the air.

Alexander didn't move.

Didn't speak.

For a moment, Olivia wondered if he hadn't heard her at all.

Then his expression shifted-subtly, but unmistakably. The calm fractured. Control tightened.

"You're certain?" he asked.

"Yes."

"How far along?"

"Five weeks."

He exhaled slowly, jaw tightening. He turned away from her, pacing once before stopping near his desk.

"And you're telling me this now because...?"

"Because you deserve to know," she said quietly. "And because it's yours."

That made him turn back.

His gaze locked onto hers, intense and searching, as if trying to read something hidden beneath the surface.

"You're sure," he said again, this time not as a question.

"There's no one else," Olivia replied. "There never was."

The room fell silent again.

Alexander ran a hand through his hair, a rare sign of agitation. "The timing," he said slowly. "The night we-"

"Yes."

His eyes darkened.

"I see," he said.

She braced herself for anger. For disbelief. For dismissal.

It didn't come.

Instead, he looked... thoughtful.

"This changes things," he said.

"Yes."

"How long were you planning to keep this to yourself?"

"I wasn't," she said honestly. "I just needed confirmation."

He studied her face again, his gaze lingering this time, softer than before.

"You should have come to me immediately."

"I didn't know how," she admitted. "You're my boss."

"And the father of your child," he added quietly.

The words landed heavily between them.

Alexander straightened. "Sit," he said again, gentler this time.

She obeyed.

He remained standing, hands braced against the desk, eyes fixed on the city beyond the glass.

"I won't pretend this is simple," he said. "But I don't run from responsibility."

"I didn't expect you to," Olivia said.

"Good."

He turned back to her. "What do you want?"

The question surprised her.

"I want to keep my job," she said first. "I want stability. And I don't want this to become gossip."

He nodded once. "Reasonable."

"And... I want honesty," she added quietly.

That gave him pause.

"You'll have it," he said after a moment.

Another silence followed, less tense now, but no less charged.

"I can arrange medical care," Alexander continued. "Discretion. Support. Whatever you need."

"I'm not asking for charity," Olivia said.

"I know," he replied. "I'm offering responsibility."

Something in his voice made her chest tighten.

"I need time," she said. "To process all of this."

"You'll have it."

She stood. "Thank you."

As she reached for the door, he spoke again.

"Olivia."

She turned.

"This situation," he said carefully, "extends beyond the office."

"I know."

"And what happened between us that night-"

She stiffened.

"-was not a mistake," he finished.

Her breath caught.

"I didn't say it was," she replied softly.

They held each other's gaze for a long moment, the air between them charged with things neither had said aloud.

She left before the moment could stretch any further.

That evening, Alexander insisted on driving her home.

"I want to talk," he said simply.

She agreed.

His car was quiet, the city lights sliding past the windows as they drove. When they arrived at his penthouse instead of her apartment, she hesitated.

"We can talk here," he said. "If that's all right."

She nodded.

The penthouse was modern and understated, more controlled than luxurious. Just like him.

They talked for hours.

About the pregnancy. About expectations. About boundaries.

The tension never fully left the room.

At some point, conversation faded into silence.

Alexander stood near the window again. Olivia remained by the sofa, arms folded loosely.

"This isn't just about the baby," he said quietly.

She didn't pretend not to understand.

"No," she agreed.

He turned to her, his gaze searching. "That night-we both felt it."

"Yes."

"You should walk away," he said.

"I know."

Neither moved.

The silence stretched.

Then Alexander crossed the space between them.

He stopped just in front of her, close enough that she could feel his warmth, but not touching.

"If you tell me to stop," he said, "I will."

She looked up at him, her heart pounding.

"I won't," she whispered.

His hand lifted slowly, brushing her cheek. She leaned into the touch without thinking.

When he kissed her, it was gentle at first, restrained, as if he were still giving her time to change her mind.

She didn't.

The rest of the night blurred into warmth, closeness, and surrender. Not rushed. Not reckless.

Just two people giving in to something that had been building for far too long.

By morning, everything had changed.

Olivia woke in unfamiliar sheets, sunlight spilling across the room. She lay still for a moment, listening to the quiet.

Reality settled in slowly.

The pregnancy.

Alexander.

The night they could never undo.

She sat up just as Alexander appeared in the doorway, fully dressed, expression unreadable.

"We need to talk," he said.

Her stomach tightened.

"About what?" she asked.

He held out a thin folder.

"About the future," he said. "And a contract."