A contract for his heir

Zara stared at the pregnancy test in her trembling hand. Two lines. Two tiny lines that had somehow managed to turn her entire world upside down. “No…” Her voice came out barely above a whisper. She blinked several times, hoping the second line would disappear. It didn't. She looked away. Then looked back. Still there. Two lines. Her stomach twisted. Just that morning, she had been standing behind the hotel restaurant counter when a sudden wave of nausea hit her. She barely made it to the restroom before she became violently sick. It had been happening for days. The weakness. The dizziness. The nausea. At first, she had blamed it on exhaustion. Working long hours at a five-star hotel wasn't easy, especially when her salary barely covered her rent, food, and transportation. But this morning had been different. She had felt so weak that she almost collapsed. And now she knew why. Her hand moved instinctively toward her stomach. “I'm pregnant.” The words sounded strange coming from her own mouth. She sat on the closed toilet seat, staring at the floor. Pregnant. Her mind immediately went back three months. Two months ago. One night. One terrible, unforgettable night. She had been working late that evening at the hotel. A guest had asked her to deliver something to a private suite. She had only been doing her job. She never expected that one simple assignment would become the beginning of her nightmare. Adrian Green. Even before that night, everyone in the hotel knew his name. Billionaire. Business tycoon. Cold. Untouchable. The kind of man who could buy the hotel she worked in without blinking. That night, he had been drinking, though he was still aware of what was happening around him. Zara had never imagined that she would end up spending the night with him, she wakes up naked . She had left the room the next morning with a promise to herself. Forget it. Forget him. Go back to work. Continue living. She had believed she could. Apparently, life had other plans. A knock suddenly sounded on the restroom door. “Zara!” She jumped. “Zara, are you in there?” Her manager. She quickly wiped her face and stood. “Yes, sir.” “You've been gone too long. Customers are waiting.” “I'm sorry. I'm coming.” She shoved the pregnancy test into her handbag and opened the door. Her manager was standing outside with an irritated expression. “What is wrong with you lately?” he demanded. Zara lowered her eyes. “You've been slow. You're making mistakes. Yesterday you served the wrong table, and today you disappeared during your shift.” “I'm sorry.” “Sorry doesn't fix anything.” “I wasn't feeling well.” “You're always not feeling well lately.” His voice became louder. “This is a workplace, Zara. If you cannot do your job properly, then perhaps you shouldn't be working here.” Her heart sank. She wanted to explain. She wanted to tell him that she had just discovered she was carrying a child. But somehow, the words refused to leave her mouth. Instead, she whispered, “I'll do better.” He stared at her for a moment. “You'd better.” Then he walked away. Zara remained standing there. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag. She was pregnant. She was broke. And now she was apparently about to lose her job too. “What else?” she whispered bitterly. She walked back toward the staff room. Every step felt heavier than the last. When she reached her locker, she opened it and stared at the few belongings inside. A spare uniform. An old cardigan. Her purse. That was almost everything she owned. She sat down. Tears filled her eyes. “This can't be happening.” She covered her face. How was she supposed to survive? How was she supposed to pay rent? How was she supposed to buy food? How was she supposed to take care of a baby? And most importantly… How was she supposed to tell the father? Adrian Green. Even thinking his name made her angry. She pulled out her phone and searched his name. His face appeared immediately. A photograph from a business magazine. Perfect suit. Expensive watch. Cold expression. He looked completely untouched by the chaos he had left behind. Zara stared at the screen. “You.” Her voice trembled. “You ruined everything.” She knew it wasn't fair to blame him for every decision she had made. But she was angry. So angry. At herself. At him. At that night. At the circumstances that had brought them together. She dropped the phone onto her lap. “I should have never gone to that room.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I should have just walked away.” She remembered how different her life had been before that night. It wasn't perfect. But it was hers. She had a job. A tiny rented room. Plans. Now she had a pregnancy test hidden inside her handbag and no idea what tomorrow would look like. She laughed bitterly through her tears. “Of all the things that could have happened…” She pressed a hand against her stomach. “Why this?” Her phone suddenly rang. She looked at the screen. It was her manager. Her heart sank. She answered. “Hello?” “Zara, come to my office.” Her stomach tightened. “Sir?” “Now.” The call ended. She slowly stood. Something told her this wasn't going to be good. She walked toward his office with trembling legs. When she entered, her manager didn't ask her to sit. Instead, he placed a paper on the desk. “We're letting you go.” Zara froze. “What?” “You heard me.” “But sir—” “You've been absent-minded, you're getting sick during shifts, and your performance has dropped.” “I can improve.” “I've already made my decision.” Zara stared at him. She wanted to beg. She wanted to tell him she needed this job. But pride stopped her. She swallowed hard. “Okay.” She took the paper. Her hands were shaking. “Thank you for the opportunity.” She turned around before he could see her tears. The moment she stepped outside the office, they fell. She hurried to the staff room, changed out of her uniform, collected her belongings, and walked out of the hotel. The glass doors closed behind her. And just like that… She was unemployed. Zara stood on the sidewalk with her small handbag pressed against her chest. Cars passed. People walked by. The city continued as though nothing had happened. But her life had changed. She looked down at her stomach. “You're really here, aren't you?” A strange mixture of fear and tenderness filled her chest. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how she would survive. She didn't even know whether the child's father would believe her. But one thing was certain. She couldn't hide the truth forever. Her eyes returned to the photograph of Adrian Green on her phone. The man who didn't even know he was about to become a father. The man who had disappeared from her life. The man whose name she had promised herself she would never say again. Zara took a deep breath. Then another. “Fine.” She wiped her tears. “If you want to destroy my peaceful life, Adrian Green…” She looked toward the towering buildings in the distance. “…then maybe it's time you knew what you left behind.” But there was one problem. She didn't know where to find him. And she had no idea how a broke former hotel waitress was supposed to walk into the office of one of the most powerful billionaires in the country. Zara looked at her empty purse. Then at her phone. Then at the city ahead of her. For the first time, a terrifying thought crossed her mind. What if Adrian Green refused to believe her? What if he denied the baby? What if he thought she was only after his money? And worse… What would she do if the billionaire who had everything decided he wanted nothing to do with his own child?