Chapter 2 The results, positive

Elena Ramirez stared at the bathroom mirror, her face pale and drawn, her eyes wide with disbelief. In her trembling hands, the pregnancy test still displayed the one word she couldn't escape.

Positive.

"No," she whispered, the word barely audible over the hammering of her heart. Her knees buckled, and she gripped the sink for support. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not like this.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. She didn't move to check it. The world had shifted beneath her feet, leaving her frozen in place.

One reckless night.

A single night of escape after a bad day at work too many cocktails, and a stranger with piercing gray eyes who had looked at her like she was the only woman in the world. For once, she had felt seen truly seen. No expectations. No past. Just two strangers in the quiet hum of a hotel bar, drawn together by the ache of loneliness and the comfort of anonymity.

And now?

She was pregnant.

A harsh sob escaped her throat as she dropped the test into the trash. Her hand moved unconsciously to her stomach

What did this mean?

She didn't even know the man's last name. Just Damian. He hadn't offered more, and she hadn't asked. She hadn't wanted to. It had felt freeing at the time liberating, even.

But now?

The night played in her mind like an old film reel: the dim lighting of the bar, the soft laughter between drinks, the heat in his gaze, the way he touched her like she was something precious. Then the hotel room his warmth, his whispered promises of nothing more.

And she had agreed.

She'd tried to forget it. Tried to throw herself back into work late nights sketching out floor plans, client meetings that blurred into one another, coffee-fueled days chasing perfection in minimalist textures and color palettes.

But now she is pregnat

A baby.

Her throat tightened as she snatched her phone off the counter and hit speed dial.

"I need you," she said the moment her best friend picked up.

I'm on my way," Nina said instantly, without questions.

Fifteen minutes later, Nina burst through the front door of her apartment, eyes wide with concern. Elena barely made it to the couch before the tears came.

"I'm pregnant," she sobbed into her friend's shoulder.

Nina blinked, trying to process. "What? Are you serious?"

"I took the test. It's positive."

Nina slowly sat beside her, wrapping her arms around her. "Oh my God. Are you sure it's... his?"

"I haven't been with anyone else in months."

"Okay, okay..." Nina pulled away slightly, wiping tears from Elena's cheek. "Do you know anything about him?"

"Just his first name. Damian. Tall. Intense. Gray eyes. Wears expensive suits like they were stitched onto his body."

Nina blinked. "Wow. That sounds like the start of a billionaire romance novel."

"This isn't a book," Elena groaned. "It's my life. And it's a mess."

Nina looked serious now. "Do you want to keep it?"

"I don't know..." Her voice cracked. "I didn't think I'd be making this decision alone."

The days that followed passed in a haze. Elena forced herself to show up to work, to act normal. But her mind drifted constantly toward the future, toward the child growing inside her, and toward him.

The man she had no way of finding.

No last name. No number.

But fate had a twisted sense of humor.

It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon when her boss, Mr. Keller, called her into his office. He was already seated, a folder waiting on his desk.

"Elena," he said, sliding the folder across to her. "We've been selected to redesign the lobby of damian Lancaster Enterprises."

Her breath caught. Damian?

"Yes. Damian Lancaster. Billionaire CEO. Apparently a fan of modern minimalist design."

Damian. Could it be him?

Her fingers trembled as she took the folder. "He'll be expecting you tomorrow. Ten sharp," her boss added.

She nodded, and left the office

The next morning, Elena stood in the gleaming lobby of Lancaster Enterprises, nerves crackling beneath her skin. She had chosen her sharpest blazer, applied her makeup twice, and still felt like a fraud in heels.

The receptionist on the top floor gave her a polite nod. "Mr. Lancaster is expecting you."

She stepped through the glass doors into a sleek, masculine office and froze.

He was there.

Damian.

The man from that night.

He looked up, eyes meeting hers instantly. His gray gaze sharpened, and something flickered across his face.

"Elena," he said slowly, as if testing the name on his tongue.

"You remember me," she said, barely breathing.

"Of course I do," he replied, standing

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"And yet, here you are. In my office." He gave a small, unreadable smile. "Working for me."

"This is just... a coincidence," she murmured.

He said nothing,

"Elena," he said, voice suddenly sharp. "What aren't you telling me?"

She flinched.damian sorry Mr Damian there is something I will want to tell you,the last time we met and the one night stand we had lead to something,hmm I'm she starmmed I'm pregnant I did the test and it was positive

He stepped closer, his eyes boring into hers. "Is it mine?"

Silence fell between them.

"You're pregnant," he said flatly.

"Yes," she whispered.

He ran a hand through his hair, stepping away as if needing distance. "Damn it."

"I didn't plan this," she said quickly. "I didn't even know your last name. I wasn't going to tell you, but when I saw your name on that folder..."

"Well, now you know," he said, turning back to her, eyes steel.

"I'm not asking for anything," she added quietly. "I just thought you deserved to know."

He studied her in silence. Then he spoke.

"I don't walk away from my responsibilities."

Relief washed over her until he added:

"But I don't trust easily. Especially not when the woman carrying my child is Victor Ramirez's daughter."

Her heart stopped. "What?"

"I did my research the moment you walked in. You're his daughter."

She staggered back as if he'd struck her. "You... you know my father?"

He nodded, face cold. "Oh, I know him well. He's the man who ruined my family's life. Stole contracts, bankrupted my uncle's firm, destroyed our name in the industry."

Elena's lips parted, shock flooding her system.

"You're the daughter of the man who destroyed everything I worked for," Damian said, voice like ice. "And now you're carrying my child.