Chapter 2
1286 Words
Mira woke up wrapped in a velvet silk sheet in a large room she couldn’t recognize.
She froze. The memory hit her in full force. The ballroom. Adrian Donovan. The kiss. That impossible, controlled kiss. The intimate moment after . Her stomach tightened. Her heart throbbed
“I can’t believe that just happened”.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Mira reached for it, fingers trembling slightly.
Her assistant: “Where are you? ” 10 missed calls hours before from her
“s**t” she cursed under her breath. She looked around and noticed she’s the only one in the room.. Regrets filled her as she put on her dressings before she will have any encounter with anyone
“Hey Mira” her assistant called out when she finally reached the hall, disengaging a conversation from a staff that was flirting with her
She gave her a mindful glance “All things packed? , we need to get going”
Trailing down her rumpled dress”Mira are you sure you’re good?” she asked
“Yes.. tell others to meet me outside” she ordered sighting her heels where she left them hours ago, she walked briskly to it and left the hall
Morning came fast, the sun sparing into her temple. The room smelled coffee she’d took last night
Last night. Her mind drifted to last night, as she grabbed her head in embarrassment.
“Be Calm. Don’t lose it”
The truth was, she didn’t want to lose it. Not entirely. She hated the way her chest had fluttered when he’d looked at her. Hated that she’d lingered too long after the kiss. Hated that she even wanted to think about him.
She swung her legs off the bed and rubbed her temples. Mira was supposed to be a competent, adult, responsible businesswoman. Not some girl melting over a billionaire with a reputation for ruthlessness.
But she was. And that terrified her.
She showered quickly, dressed in her usual “professional but not flashy” attire, and forced herself to eat something before leaving. The streets of the city felt colder than usual, as if the universe had conspired to remind her that her life was never going to be simple, not after last night.But life needs to be lived. She’s finally happy…her debt will be cleared, her business is back and she’s happy. At least that was what she used to soothe herself
Mira tried to keep moving forward.
Days passed. Meetings resumed. Emails stacked. Orders shipped. Smiles were worn like armor. Her future no longer gasping for air From the outside, everything looked aligned again and she told herself that was all that mattered.
But her body knew before her mind was ready to listen.
Mira stared at it in the quiet of her bathroom, the world narrowing down to two unmistakable lines. Her reflection looked calm, almost detached, but her chest felt too tight to breathe.
Pregnant.
She sat on the edge of the tub, one hand pressed to her mouth, the other resting unconsciously against her stomach. Fear came first, sharp and immediate. Then logic followed, steadying her pulse.
She could handle this.
She had built a business from ashes. She had survived debt, betrayal, humiliation. She could survive motherhood too. But survival wasn’t the only thing at stake. A child needed more than strength. More than love scraped together between invoices and sleepless nights.
A child needed an identity. A future that wasn’t constantly fighting for space.
And whether she liked it or not, there was one man whose name would follow this child for the rest of their life.
Adrian Donovan.
The thought of him made her stomach flip again, and not from nausea this time. He hadn’t seen her since that night. Not a call. Not a message. As if the kiss..no, everything that happened that night had been filed away as a moment of weakness he’d already erased.
By the time she arrived at the Donovan Empire, the receptionist was already expecting her.
Earlier She’d requested an appointment to see the heir which took days to be approved
“Ms. Johnson,” she said politely. “You’re on time,he just stepped in.”
“Thank you ma’am “
Ushering herself upward in glass elevators that reflected her tense expression back at her.
Adrian’s office was exactly as she remembered..expansive, cold, immaculate. He stood by the window when she entered, sleeves rolled up, city stretched beneath him like a conquered kingdom.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said without turning.
She swallowed. “I wouldn’t be if this wasn’t necessary.”
That got his attention. He faced her then, eyes sharp, unreadable. Silence stretched between them, heavy with everything they hadn’t said since that night.
She didn’t sit. She didn’t soften her voice.
“I’m pregnant.”
Adrian didn’t falter but his eyes darkening as if recalculating an entire future in seconds. He crossed the room slowly, deliberately, stopping a few feet from her.
“How sure are you?” he asked.
Mira lifted her chin. “I wouldn’t be standing here if I wasn’t.”
The silence that followed was different. Dangerous. Adrian turned away, hands braced on his desk, shoulders rigid. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm like a man who had never been denied control.
“You should have told me earlier.”
“I’m not here to trap you, Adrian. I can raise this child. I know that. But I won’t pretend your name doesn’t matter. Or that your resources wouldn’t change everything, because sooner or later you’ll find out and you’ll find me.”
He turned back to her then, eyes cold, calculating.
“And what is it you want from me, Mira? Remember you don’t get to dictate terms,” he said quietly. “Not with my child.”
Her heart pounded, but she didn’t step back. “Then tell me what you’re willing to offer.”
Adrian studied her like a board he was about to dominate. Then he spoke, his words were precise. Ruthless.
“I’ll give you two options,” he said. “And you’ll choose one.”
Mira’s breath caught.
“Marry me,” he continued evenly, “and this child will have my name, my protection, my world. He’ll never struggle. He’ll never stand alone.”
Her stomach twisted.
“Or,” he went on, voice lowering, “give me my heir and walk away. The child will be raised as a Donovan. You will not be part of his life.”
The words landed like a blade.
Mira felt tears burn behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She straightened, one hand instinctively pressing to her stomach as if shielding the life inside her.
“You think this is a business deal,” she said softly. “But this is a child. My child.”
“Our child,” Adrian corrected.
She laughed then uttered bitterly, disbelieving. “You don’t even know if it’s a boy.”
A pause. The corner of his mouth curved slightly. “A Donovan heir always is.”
Mira shook her head, heart splintering under the weight of the choice being forced upon her. She had come here prepared to fight. She hadn’t come prepared to be erased.
“I won’t decide today,” she said firmly.
Adrian’s gaze followed her as she turned toward the door. “Forty eight hours,” he said. “Because whether you like it or not, Mira… our lives are no longer separate.”
She stopped, hand on the door, one look at the ruthless man in front of her, she stormed out of the premises
- Writer
