Tessa's POV
The woman returned with a delicate crystal bowl filled with ice cream, setting it on the table between Ian and me with the same composure as if she were serving a glass of wine at a five-star dinner.
I hesitated for a moment before picking up the small spoon and taking a bite. The cold sweetness melted on my tongue, and before I could stop myself, a soft, satisfied sound escaped my lips. A moan.
I froze.
The spoon hovered halfway to my mouth as I glanced up—only to find Ian watching me.
His gaze was unreadable, but the intensity of it sent heat curling down my spine. I cleared my throat and set the spoon down, embarrassed. "Sorry."
Ian's lips curved slightly. "For enjoying your food?"
I shifted uncomfortably. "For… making that sound."
His brows lifted slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I don't mind."
I exhaled, shaking my head. "Of course, you don't."
His amusement remained as he leaned back in his chair, watching me as if I were the most interesting thing in the room. "If you like it that much, I can have my assistant stock your freezer with an unlimited supply."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't need an unlimited supply of ice cream."
"You sure?" He arched a brow. "You looked like you were having a moment with that bite."
I scoffed. "I was not—"
"You were," he interrupted smoothly. "But don't worry, it was entertaining."
I grabbed the spoon again, deciding to ignore him, and took another bite. This time, I kept my expression neutral.
Ian let the silence linger before speaking again. "I meant what I said earlier."
I set the spoon down carefully. "About the money?"
He nodded. "And more. If you agree, I'll make sure you're protected. You won't have to worry about your husband interfering in your life ever again."
I huffed out a short laugh. "That's nice and all, but my husband isn't some powerful man with endless resources."
Ian studied me for a moment. "No?"
I hesitated, then shrugged. "If he were, at least I could've enjoyed some of the perks of that."
It wasn't entirely a lie. Tyler wasn't exactly poor, but he was an assistant manager at one of Ian's local branches—not someone with the power to threaten a billionaire like Ian Banks. Still, I wasn't going to tell Ian that.
He tilted his head slightly, considering my words. "Then why stay with him?"
I sighed, pushing the bowl of ice cream aside. "Because leaving isn't always as easy as people think."
Ian didn't respond right away. He simply watched me, his gaze sharp. "It could be."
I let out a humorless laugh. "For you, maybe."
"For you too," he said simply. "If you let me help."
I shook my head. "You don't even know me."
"I don't need to."
I frowned. "Then why offer this?"
"Because you're carrying my child."
His tone was calm, but there was something underlying it—something possessive.
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. "I… I'll think about it."
Ian's eyes remained locked on mine. "That's all I ask."
I nodded, pushing myself up from the couch. "I should go."
Ian stood at the same time, moving with that same effortless grace, and walked toward his desk. I watched as he tore a check from his book and scribbled something onto it. Then, he walked back to me, holding it out.
"You seem to enjoy ice cream a lot," he said smoothly, his voice deep and unreadable. "Consider this a way to take it whenever you want."
I stared at the check but didn't take it. "This doesn't mean I'm saying yes."
"I know."
The confidence in his voice sent a strange shiver down my spine.
After a long pause, I finally took the check, gripping it tightly as I turned to leave. The woman who had brought me in was already waiting by the door, ready to lead me out.
It wasn't until I was back in my car, the city lights flickering outside my windshield, that I finally glanced down at the check.
And my breath caught in my throat.
Twenty million dollars.
My fingers trembled as I held the piece of paper, my heart pounding.
What the hell had I just gotten myself into?
-
Tessa's POV
The moment I stepped through the front door, I felt it.
That heavy, suffocating tension that only ever meant one thing—trouble.
Tyler was already home.
I heard him before I saw him. His voice carried from the kitchen, sharp and accusing. "Where have you been?"
I ignored him, shutting the door behind me and slipping off my shoes. My heart was still racing from what had happened at Ian's office, my fingers clutching my bag a little too tightly. I needed a second to think, to breathe. But of course, Tyler wouldn't let me.
He appeared in the hallway, arms crossed, his eyes scanning me with suspicion. "Tessa."
I walked past him without a word.
"Are you serious right now?" he snapped, following me.
I didn't respond. I just headed straight for the bedroom, hoping—praying—that I could lock myself in before he pushed further.
But I wasn't that lucky.
The moment I stepped into the room, I stopped short.
Because I wasn't alone.
Tyler's mother sat on the edge of the bed, her heavily altered face twisted into a smirk.
"Finally," she said, standing as if she had been waiting for me all day.
I swallowed a groan. Just what I needed.
Her face—if I could still call it that—barely resembled the one she used to have. Too many botched procedures had left her skin stiff and unnaturally tight, her lips overfilled to the point of absurdity.
"What are you doing in my room?" I asked flatly.
She gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "Your room? My dear, you forget whose son pays for this house."
I almost laughed at that. But I didn't. I was too tired to argue.
Instead, I moved past her and set my bag down on the bed, ready to just ignore whatever nonsense she was about to spew.
But then it happened.
The check slipped out.
I didn't even see it fall. But she did.
Her eyes widened as she snatched it up before I could react.
For a moment, she just stared at it. Then her lips parted, her voice sharp with disbelief. "Twenty million?"
My breath caught.
Before she could read the name, I ripped it from her hands.
"Stop snooping," I snapped, shoving it back into my bag.
But it was too late.
"Tyler!" she shrieked.
Oh, for the love of—
Tyler stormed into the room, already irritated. "What now?"
His mother whirled to him, her face alight with triumph. "She's cheating on you!"
Tyler sighed heavily. "Mom—"
"I found a check!" she interrupted, her voice growing more dramatic by the second. "A check for twenty million dollars! Given to her by some old man after she slept with him!"
I rolled my eyes. "Are you even listening to yourself?"
She ignored me, turning fully to Tyler. "This is proof! I told you she was no good! And you wonder why she hasn't gotten pregnant yet? She's probably been getting rid of her pregnancies behind your back!"
I clenched my fists. "That's enough."
She scoffed. "Oh, did I hit a nerve?"
Tyler, to my surprise, remained silent. He just stood there, watching, his jaw clenched.
His mother, of course, took his silence as permission to continue.
"She doesn't deserve you, Tyler," she spat. "She never did. She should leave this house—"
That did it.
I turned sharply, eyes blazing. "This is my house."
Tyler's mother flinched. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," I said, my voice deadly calm. "This house? The one you so proudly claim your son pays for? I bought it. And I only signed it over to Tyler's name because I was stupid enough to love him."
Her nostrils flared. "Well, either way, the house is ours now," she hissed. "And I have every right to throw anybody out if I don't want them here."
I exhaled sharply, willing myself to stay calm. "You do realize how insane you sound, right?"
Tyler finally spoke. "Mom, just stop."
She turned to him, shocked. "You're taking her side?"
"I'm not taking anyone's side," he muttered.
But his lack of outrage toward me only made her more furious.
"I should kick her out right now," she seethed. Then, with a satisfied smirk, she added, "But I won't. Not yet."
I narrowed my eyes. "Oh? And why is that?"
She smirked. "Because of the child."
For the first time all night, my blood ran cold.
She tilted her head, watching me with something disturbingly smug. "If you are pregnant, you'll be back in two days, begging to come home."
I stiffened.
She took a step closer, her voice lowering to a whisper. "Because let's be honest, Tessa. No man will ever want a ruined woman like you."
Silence.
Thick. Suffocating.
I didn't even realize I was trembling until I felt my fingers clenching at my sides.
And then I laughed.
A quiet, humorless sound.
Tyler and his mother both looked at me, confused.
I met her gaze head-on. "You're wrong."
She scoffed. "Oh, am I?"
I smiled, slow and sharp. "Yes."
Because she had no idea.
No idea that, just hours ago, one of the most powerful men in the country had offered me a way out. That he had given me something neither she nor Tyler ever could.
A choice.
And I intended to take it. Not now but when things gets a bit too suffocating.