Alex stared at the phone in his hand, the words "If you think this child will save you, think again" echoing in his mind. His fingers tightened around the receiver, fury building with each second that passed.
Could it be that Emma's child is not his? It seemed impossible, but the doubt gnawed at him like a parasite.
Slamming the phone down, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. His mind churned with the information, and he needed answers - Now.
Alex grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and stormed out of his apartment, his movements quick and mechanical. His driver barely had time to react before Alex yanked the door open, and slipped into the back seat. "Take me to the office," he snapped, his voice cutting through the quiet of the car like a knife.
The ride was short but the thoughts racing through his mind were endless. The gnawing suspicion, the rage, the betrayal - it was all bubbling beneath the surface, barely contained. If Emma was hiding something from him, he would find out. He always did.
As soon as the car came to a halt, outside his building, Alex threw the door open, stepping out without waiting for the driver to escort him. He strode into the building, his coat billowing behind him like a storm.
His secretary tried to approach him with some documents in hand, but he brushed past her without a word, his eyes focused on his office door.
"Mr Cardwell, there's an issue with..."she began, but her voice was cut short by the sharp slam of the door behind him.
Inside his office, Alex's jaw clenched as he threw his coat onto the chair, pacing the room like a predator in a cage. He picked up his phone, his fingers hovering over the screen. Mark.
Mark was the one who could dig up the truth. And Alex needed the truth more than ever now.
He grabbed the phone again, this time with more control, dialing Mark's number. The phone rang a few times before the informant answered, his voice laced with anxiety, as if he could sense Alex's growing impatience.
"Mark, it's me," Alex said, his voice clipped and icy. "I need you to tell me something. Have you seen any man around Emma recently?"
There was a slight pause on the other end. "Man?" Mark echoed, clearly thrown off by the question. "No, sir. I mean, I've kept my eye on her, like you asked, but I haven't seen anyone unusual around her. Mostly, it's just been her visiting her mother at the hospital."
Alex's jaw clenched. His frustration was bubbling over, and he hated feeling this out of control. "Think harder, Mark. Someone must have been close to her. A man. Anything suspicious."
Mark's nervous breath crackled through the line. "No, sir. Nothing like that. The only people around her have been the hospital staff. I swear, I've been watching. There's no one."
The answer wasn't good enough for Alex. His mind was already spinning with worst-case scenarios. Could Emma have been hiding something from him? Could she have had another man in her life - someone he didn't know about?
"Keep an eye on her," Alex snapped. "Find out if there's anyone else. I don't care how small the detail is. And if you miss anything - if I find out you've been slacking again, Mark, you'll regret it."
"Yes, sir," Mark stammered, clearly rattled. "I'll keep watching. I'll find out everything."
Alex hung up without another word, his mind racing. His emotions swirled - rage, betrayal, confusion. How had he lost control of the situation so completely?
As he paced his office, The city stretches out beneath him as he settles behind his desk, the skyline a kingdom he's determined to hold on to, and now cracks are starting to show.
Grabbing the phone again, he dialled his pilot. "We're meeting in Paris," he said, his voice clipped and efficient. "Make sure the jet is ready. I'm not taking any chances on this deal."
He's about to end the call when a knock at the door interrupts his thoughts. A flash of annoyance crossed his face. Who dares interrupt me.
"Come in," Alex barks, impatience dripping from every word.
The door creaked open, and Mark stepped inside, his eyes darting around the room as though he were afraid to meet Alex's gaze.
"What is it?" Alex demanded, leaning back in his chair, his gaze sharp and unyielding.
"It's …. It's about her," Mark stammered, finally looking up. "Emma Parker."
At the mention of my name, Alex's heartbeat quickened, but he kept his expression neutral. "Go on."
"She… she hasn't been to work for days," Mark said, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "I did some digging and found that her mother has been in the hospital for a while now, and her condition… it's critical."
A muscle in Alex's jaw ticked as he tried to process the information. "What's wrong with her?" He asked, his tone dangerously calm.
"I… I don't know, sir," Mark admitted, his voice trembling. "I tried to find out, but they wouldn't tell me. I think it might be something serious… but I don't have the details.
Alex's patience wore thin. "You don't have the details?" He repeated slowly, the threat in his voice unmistakable. "You were supposed to find everything, Mark. Every. Single.Detail."
Mark swallowed hard, the fear evident in his eyes. "I'm sorry, sir. I… I did my best, but…"
"But it wasn't good enough," Alex said angrily, his voice cold and cutting. Rising to his feet, he towered over Mark, the fury he felt from the morning's argument now fully focused on the man before him. "I don't tolerate incompetence, Mark. You had one more job."
Without warning, he reached into his drawer and pulled out a stack of cash. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the bills at Mark's feet. The money, scattered across the floor.
"Take this," Alex snarled. "And don't come back until you have something useful to report. If you fail me again, it'll be the last mistake you ever make"
Mark scrambled to pick up the cash, stammering out apologies as he backed out of the room, leaving Alex with his thoughts.
But those thoughts weren't just about power and control - they were about me, the tension of the whole thing tightening like a noose around his neck.
Alex sat back in his chair, running a hand through his hair, frustration gnawing at him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this isn't just another problem to solve. It's something he can't quite put his finger on, but something that's starting to consume him.
As he pondered over the implications of the information he just received, his phone buzzed on the desk. He glanced at the screen, seeing an unfamiliar number flash across it. Hesitating for only a moment, he picked it up, his heart beating a little faster. "Hello?" He answered, his voice cautious.
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a voice he never expected to hear again. "We need to talk, Alex. It's about Emma… and the possibility that she's pregnant with someone else's child."
His breath caught, and for the first time in years, Alex felt a chill of fear crawl down his spine.
His mind spun out of control, anger rising like a storm.Who could it be? And what if the child isn't mine?
The uncertainty was unbearable, and Alex knew that this changed everything