Chapter 2

Inside the conference room, I watched Chloe and David exchange subtle, flirtatious glances.

I tilted my head and asked pointedly, "Chloe, how can you be so certain the baby in your belly belongs to Ethan, and not your dear lawyer friend here?"

Chloe’s expression twisted in panic. "What kind of filthy rumors are you spreading?! I am carrying the future heir of the Sinclair empire! How dare you slander me!"

[Holy crap! Nora is sharp! She figured it out just like that?]

[Honestly, Chloe's done way dirtier stuff than just sleeping with the lawyer!]

[Ethan's entire salary went straight into Chloe's account. She even manipulated him into embezzling corporate funds to buy her a luxury sports car and a suburban house!]

Hearing that, a chilling realization struck me.

Whenever Ethan had made catastrophic mistakes at work, resulting in multi-million-dollar deficits, I had assumed he was simply out of his depth.

To protect his fragile male ego, and to prevent him from facing criminal charges, I had quietly dipped into my personal accounts to cover the losses every single time.

Over time, those deficits had ballooned.

Just recently, another massive shortfall had appeared on the books—amounting to thirty million dollars.

I had originally planned to wire the thirty million into his account today and personally mentor him through the mess.

Now? He dug that grave. He could lie in it.

Turning around, I saw Ethan gently stroking Chloe's stomach, gazing at her with sickening tenderness. "Don't worry, Chloe. I would never let her drive a wedge between us."

"As soon as we're done here, we're going mansion hunting! You just focus on resting and giving me a healthy baby boy."

"Once I bring my newborn heir home, my position as head of the Sinclair family will be carved in stone!"

I didn't trust David for a second, so I had already instructed my assistant to bring in top corporate legal counsel.

Just as the paperwork was being finalized, my aunt Ashley walked into the office.

Though she was technically my aunt, she was only seven years older than me, feeling more like an older sister.

The moment she read the terms I had provided to the attorney, she rushed over and grabbed my hands, her eyes brimming with heartache.

"Ethan, are you even human?! Nora gave up everything to build you up, and you cheat on her? You use her until she has nothing left to give, and then you throw her away like garbage?!"

To cover Ethan's past financial messes, Ashley had helped me secure funds and resources on numerous occasions.

Whenever lucrative investment projects crossed her desk, she always threw them Ethan's way, all so he could gain leverage and respect in the corporate world.

Thanks to her generosity, he had pocketed millions in bonuses.

Yet now, facing Ashley's fury, his sneer only deepened. "Oh, look at you, Nora. Pretending you wanted a lawyer, but you secretly called your aunt in as backup!"

"Playing the emotional card because you can't bear to let me go? How pathetic can you get? Are you that desperate for money?"

"If you're dying to marry into wealth, just wait until I take over my billionaire family. Maybe I'll introduce you to a few rich guys. Though, considering you're barren and can never be a proper wife, being someone's side piece is about all you're good for."

[Birds of a feather really do flock together. Ethan is just as vile as Chloe!]

[The only reason Nora never got pregnant during all those years together is because he refused to wear condoms, so he secretly slipped birth control and hormone blockers into her daily water!]

[Dosing her like that for years ruined her reproductive health! Of course the fertility clinic gave her a bad prognosis!]

My eyes stung with furious tears as I stared at him in utter disbelief.

Ashley couldn't contain her rage any longer. She lunged forward to slap him across the face.

Ethan didn't hesitate. He raised his foot and kicked her violently in the abdomen.

Ashley collapsed to the floor with a sickening thud. Within seconds, a dark crimson stain bloomed across her beige trousers.

Ashley and her husband had been married for ten years.

After countless rounds of IVF and years of heartbreak, she had finally managed to conceive this baby.

"Ashley!" Panic seized me as I scrambled toward her, desperate to get her to a hospital.

Ethan grabbed my arm in an iron grip, refusing to let me take a single step. "Sign the damn papers first!"

The legal team was still reviewing the fine print.

Ashley didn't have time to wait!

"I'm not running away! I have to get her to the emergency room right now!" I screamed, thrashing against his grip.

In response, Ethan kicked me viciously in the stomach, sending me crashing onto the marble floor.

"You don't leave until your signature is on that line! Who knows if you two are putting on a dramatic act to screw me over? If I let you walk out that door, you might refuse to sign later!"