The courtroom was suffocatingly silent.
Not even the sound of breathing seemed to exist in that moment.
All eyes were on Amelia White as she stood tall before the judge, her figure a vision of elegance in a snow-white tailored dress that hugged her fragile-looking body, a sharp contrast to the storm brewing in her chest.
Her hands rested protectively over her swollen belly, fingers trembling ever so slightly despite her calm exterior.
Each heartbeat echoed painfully against her ribcage, like a trapped bird desperate to escape a gilded cage.
Across from her sat Ethan Blake.
The once proud, untouchable king of the corporate world now looked like a fallen god—disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, his designer suit wrinkled and stained with the bitter taste of defeat.
But even now, seated in the ruins of his empire, his storm-gray eyes never left Amelia.
Eyes that once held desire now burned with a dark, twisted obsession.
A need to reclaim what he thought was his.
Her.
The child.
His legacy.
The judge cleared his throat, about to bring down the gavel and close the case once and for all when—
"Objection, Your Honor!"
The courtroom doors slammed open with a deafening crack.
The shockwave of the moment rippled through every spectator.
Gasps.
Whispers.
Then a stunned silence as the man everyone thought was dead walked into the room.
Lucien Blake.
His tailored black suit was immaculate despite the chaos he'd caused in the shadows.
A crimson silk tie hung loose around his neck, his dark eyes gleaming with the same dangerous amusement that haunted Amelia's nightmares.
Lucien's lips curled into a slow, poisonous smile.
"Apologies for the dramatic entrance," he drawled, his voice smooth as silk, hiding daggers beneath every word.
"But I believe the final decision about the Blake legacy… still involves me."
Amelia's heart dropped to her stomach.
Her knees threatened to buckle, but she locked them in place.
She would not fall.
Not again.
Not in front of him.
Lucien strode confidently to the center of the courtroom, pulling a sleek black USB from his jacket.
He placed it directly on the judge's bench with a flourish.
"Play this, Your Honor. And let's see if the queen of this little drama is still standing afterward."
The screen behind the judge flickered to life.
Images.
Videos.
Signed documents flashed before everyone's eyes.
A secret will.
One that none of them had ever seen.
The final testament of the Blake patriarch, hidden for years in the depths of a private vault only Lucien knew existed.
Amelia's breath came in shallow gasps as the final line of the will burned across the screen.
"If Amelia White survives to bear a child, all Blake family assets and legacy shall transfer solely to her heir."
The entire courtroom exploded into chaos.
Reporters jumped from their seats, camera flashes lit the room like a lightning storm.
Ethan shot to his feet, his face twisted with rage and disbelief.
"This is a lie! That can't be real!"
But deep down… he knew.
The will was genuine.
He had just lost everything.
Amelia's eyes filled with tears—not from sorrow, but from the overwhelming weight of survival.
Everything she'd endured.
The humiliation.
The betrayal.
The nights she cried herself to sleep, whispering promises to the child growing inside her.
It was all for this moment.
She stood, her spine straight, her chin lifted like a true queen.
Her voice rang clear, silencing the chaos.
"The Blake name dies today. And it dies with dignity stripped away by the very men who thought they could own me."
Lucien chuckled darkly.
But before he could offer another venom-laced retort, Amelia's phone vibrated in her palm.
A new message.
Her blood ran cold as she read the sender's name:
Unknown Number — "You may have won the battle, but the child is still mine. — L"
Her heart clenched painfully, her knees finally buckling.
But before she fell, Damian was there—arms strong and steady, catching her as she gasped for air.
His voice was low and urgent against her ear.
"Amelia… this isn't over."