Chapter 2
Bennett stared at my uncle like the floor had shifted beneath him.
“Your niece?”
Margot laughed first.
A sharp little sound.
“That’s impossible.”
Dr. Mercer did not look at her.
That made it worse.
Men like my uncle had spent thirty years in operating rooms, boardrooms, and crisis meetings. He did not waste attention on noise.
He reached for my elbow.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay.”
His eyes dropped to my stomach.
“The baby?”
“She moved.”
His jaw clenched.
“Good.”
Bennett stepped forward.
“Adrian, there has been a misunderstanding.”
My uncle finally looked at him.
“Do not use my first name while my pregnant niece is standing on a hospital floor because your mistress shoved her.”
The hallway went silent again.
Bennett’s face tightened.
Margot whispered, “She provoked me.”
I turned to her.
“How?”
“You came here to embarrass us.”
“I came here for my appointment.”
Bennett said, “Tessa, stop.”
I almost laughed.
Stop.
I had stopped for months.
Stopped asking why he came home smelling like Margot’s perfume.
Stopped questioning late-night calls.
Stopped reacting when his mother called my pregnancy a trap.
Stopped crying when Bennett froze my cards and told me to “learn humility.”
Now he wanted me to stop telling the truth in public.
My uncle turned to the nurse.
“Get obstetrics. Now. Full checkup.”
“Yes, Dr. Mercer.”
Bennett raised his hands.
“That isn’t necessary.”
My uncle’s voice dropped.
“You no longer decide what is necessary for her care.”
Bennett’s eyes flicked toward the camera.
He understood then.
Not all of it.
Enough.
Margot grabbed his sleeve.
“Bennett, tell him she’s being dramatic.”
But Bennett was already calculating.
That was what he did best.
He had not built Halloway Capital by being loud.
He built it by knowing when to change masks.
“Tessa,” he said softly. “I didn’t realize you fell that hard.”
I stared at him.
“You watched.”
“I was shocked.”
“No. You were annoyed.”
A few people looked away.
The truth embarrassed them.
My uncle stepped between us.
“Security will escort them to a private waiting room.”
Margot’s mouth opened.
Bennett caught her wrist.
For once, he was smart enough to keep her quiet.
As two guards approached, Margot leaned close to me.
“You think your uncle scares us?”
I touched my stomach.
“No.”
May you like
Then I looked at the camera.
“Evidence does.”
