Chapter 2 THE PRICE OF SILENCE

Serena didn't leave the hotel immediately.

She stood in the bathroom, staring at her reflection.

Her hair was tangled.

Her lips were swollen.

Proof.

She splashed water on her face, grounding herself.

This was real, not a dream she could shake off.

"Get it together," she muttered.

The suite felt different now.

Empty.

Colder.

She dressed quickly.

The expensive sheets whispered accusations as she pulled away.

Lucas Blackwood had vanished.

No goodbye.

No explanation.

She checked her phone again.

The message was still there.

"Find Serena Vale. Immediately."

Her stomach twisted.

"That's not from him," she whispered.

Lucas didn't sound urgent.

Lucas didn't chase.

She slipped her phone into her bag and left the suite.

The elevator ride felt longer this time.

Her reflection in the mirrored walls looked smaller.

At the lobby, she avoided eye contact.

She just wanted to disappear.

"Miss Vale."

Her steps faltered.

The man who spoke was tall, sharp-eyed, wearing a tailored suit.

He smiled politely, but his eyes were assessing.

"Yes?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm Mr. Hawthorne," he said.

"Mr. Blackwood's assistant."

Her heart dropped.

"He asked me to ensure you left safely," Hawthorne continued.

"And to deliver this."

He handed her an envelope.

Serena stared at it.

"Is he here?"

"No," Hawthorne replied.

"He had an emergency meeting."

Of course he did.

She opened the envelope.

Inside was a black card and a neatly written note.

Last night stays private.

This covers any inconvenience.

-L

Her breath caught.

The card was heavy.

Platinum.

Her fingers trembled.

"You think I slept with him for money?" she asked sharply.

Hawthorne's smile faded.

"No, miss."

"Then why this?" she demanded.

"Because Mr. Blackwood doesn't repeat mistakes," he said carefully.

"And he ensures loose ends are tied."

Her chest burned.

"Tell him I'm not a loose end," she said.

Hawthorne nodded.

"I will."

She walked out before she said something she couldn't take back.

The city felt louder than usual.

Serena boarded a bus, gripping the pole as it jerked forward.

Her mind replayed the night in fragments.

His voice.

His hands.

The way he'd looked at her like she mattered.

Liar.

She pressed her forehead against the window.

"Never again," she whispered.

Lucas Blackwood stood at the top floor of Blackwood Holdings.

The glass walls revealed the city he owned.

"Find out everything about her," he said.

Hawthorne hesitated.

"Sir-"

"I said everything," Lucas snapped.

Hawthorne nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Lucas loosened his cufflinks.

Sleep had been impossible.

She'd left an imprint on him.

That annoyed him.

"She shouldn't matter," he muttered.

Yet her eyes haunted him.

Not demanding.

Not impressed.

Just tired.

His phone buzzed.

Unknown Number: You don't get to decide what last night meant.

His jaw clenched.

Serena reached her apartment just after noon.

The building smelled like old paint and fried food.

It grounded her.

"You're back early," Eli said from the couch.

She forced a smile.

"Work canceled."

He studied her face.

"You okay?"

"Just tired," she replied.

He didn't push.

He never did.

Serena locked herself in her room.

Her phone buzzed again.

Unknown Number: We need to talk.

She stared at the screen.

Serena: There's nothing to talk about.

The reply came fast.

Unknown Number: You're wrong.

Her fingers hovered.

Then she typed.

Serena: I don't belong in your world.

Seconds passed.

Unknown Number: Neither do you think I belong in yours.

Her chest tightened.

She threw the phone onto the bed.

"I won't be pulled back," she said aloud.

The nausea started that evening.

At first, she blamed stress.

Then the dizziness came.

Serena gripped the sink, breathing slowly.

"This is nothing," she told herself.

But it happened again.

And again.

She sat on the bathroom floor, hugging her knees.

A memory surfaced.

Her mother.

Sick.

Scared.

"No," Serena whispered.

Lucas arrived at his penthouse later that night.

The silence welcomed him.

Too warmly.

He poured a drink he didn't want.

Hawthorne's voice echoed in his mind.

"She's not after anything."

That was the problem.

His phone buzzed.

Hawthorne: She works two jobs. Supporting her brother. No record of scandal.

Lucas stared at the city lights.

"She should have taken the card," he muttered.

Yet relief stirred at the thought she hadn't.

Serena sat on her bed, staring at the pregnancy test.

Her hands shook.

"One line," she whispered.

"Just one."

The stick didn't care.

Two lines appeared.

Clear.

Unforgiving.

Her breath left her in a sob.

"No," she cried softly.

"This can't be happening."

She pressed a hand to her stomach.

A life.

From one night.

From him.

Her phone buzzed.

Lucas: I need to see you.

She stared at the message, tears blurring her vision.

She typed with trembling fingers.

Serena: Stay away from me.

She dropped the phone.

The test slipped from her hand, clattering onto the floor.

Two lines.

Still there.

Her world tilted.

Outside, her phone buzzed again.

She didn't look.

Because she already knew.

Lucas Blackwood would never walk away from a claim.