The message glowed ominously on the phone screen, each word more suffocating than the last.
"Your child's life depends on your next move."
Amelia's hands trembled as she held the phone, her vision swimming with panic.
The weight of those words pressed against her chest like an invisible hand, squeezing the air from her lungs.
Her knuckles turned white, her breathing sharp and ragged.
Damian burst into the room, his sharp eyes immediately locking onto her pale, frozen face.
"Amelia! What's wrong?"
She slowly turned the screen toward him.
His jaw clenched as he read the message, his eyes darkening with raw, murderous rage.
"He wouldn't dare…"
But even as the words left his lips, a second message popped up.
"You have 24 hours. Step down from your empire. Publicly. Or I'll make sure you lose more than just your company."
Tears burned behind Amelia's eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
She pressed her hand protectively over her belly, her heart screaming with fear, but her mind…
Her mind was already calculating.
If I step down, everything I fought for will be gone. But if I don't… will he really hurt my child?
The room seemed to shrink around her, the walls closing in like a noose tightening with every second that passed.
Damian crouched before her, his strong hands gently covering her trembling fingers.
"We're not giving in to this bastard. I'll find him. And when I do…"
The darkness in Damian's eyes promised retribution so severe it sent a shiver down Amelia's spine.
But was that enough?
Could she risk everything… including the life growing inside her?
Her lips parted, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"He's forcing me into a corner, Damian… and I'm afraid this time, there's no way out."
Damian shook his head, his voice hard as steel.
"There's always a way out, Amelia. And this time… you won't face it alone."
Just as he finished speaking, the estate's power flickered—once, twice—then cut out completely.
The lights died.
The house fell into complete darkness.
And in that suffocating silence…
The shrill cry of a baby echoed faintly from somewhere deep within the estate.
But it couldn't be.
There was no child in the house.