Chapter 10 - THE FAKE PREGNANCY
They didn’t give Daniel the real key.
Marcus had a duplicate.
Lenora had hidden the original inside the lining of an old suitcase.
Audrey took the duplicate.
Julian grabbed her arm.
“You’re not going alone.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No.”
“Daniel wants me.”
“He wants leverage.”
“Exactly.”
Julian lowered his voice.
“Audrey, I already lost you once.”
She stared at him.
“You didn’t lose me.”
His face tightened.
“I threw you away.”
“That’s closer.”
“I thought you were cruel.”
“I was cruel.”
“And I thought I was protecting my mother.”
“You were.”
“I also humiliated you.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
Audrey looked at him for a long moment.
Then she said, “I need you angry at me.”
Julian frowned.
“What?”
“In public.”
“Why?”
“Because Daniel knows we’re working together now.”
“So?”
“So we change that.”
Audrey took out her phone.
Ten minutes later, she posted a statement online.
THE ENGAGEMENT IS OVER. JULIAN MERCER AND I HAVE NO FUTURE TOGETHER. I ASK FOR PRIVACY.
Julian read it.
“Fine.”
Audrey added another sentence privately into a text she sent only to him.
There’s something else.
Julian looked at her.
“What?”
Audrey took a breath.
“If Daniel thinks you still care about me, he’ll use you.”
“Okay.”
“So I’m going to give him another reason to underestimate us.”
She typed a message to Julian.
I might be pregnant.
Julian stared at the screen.
Then at her.
“What the hell?”
“It’s fake.”
His face went blank.
“You’re pretending to be pregnant?”
“For Daniel.”
“And my mother?”
“For anyone listening.”
Julian looked angry.
“You could have warned me before sending it.”
“I just did.”
“No, Audrey. You sent the message first.”
She stepped closer.
“I need your reaction to look real.”
“My reaction is real.”
“Good.”
“This is sick.”
“So is kidnapping my father.”
He looked away.
Audrey’s voice softened.
“Julian.”
He met her eyes.
“We need Daniel to think you have a personal reason to come back to me. If he thinks we’re reconnecting because of Harbor Street, he’ll know we’re planning something.”
Julian understood.
He hated that he understood.
“You want me to act like I want you back because of a baby.”
“Yes.”
“And Daniel thinks I’m greedy.”
“Yes.”
“Great.”
Audrey held his gaze.
“Can you do it?”
Julian laughed bitterly.
“I was almost your husband. Now I’m pretending to be the father of my half-sister’s fake baby.”
Audrey sighed.
“When you say it like that, it sounds weird.”
He stared at her.
She almost smiled.
Almost.
Then Julian’s phone buzzed.
A notification.
A gossip account had somehow obtained a screenshot of Audrey’s private message.
PREGNANCY BOMBSHELL: BELLAMY BRIDE MAY BE EXPECTING MERCER HEIR.
Audrey’s face changed.
“I sent that only to you.”
Julian looked at his phone.
Then at Audrey.
Neither spoke.
His phone was compromised.
Daniel had access.
Which meant Daniel had probably seen everything.
Including the messages about the fake key.
Julian whispered, “We have to move.”
Audrey’s phone rang.
Daniel.
She answered.
He laughed.
“That was almost clever.”
Audrey closed her eyes.
Daniel continued.
“Bring the real key now.”
“Or what?”
A gunshot exploded through the phone.
Audrey screamed.
Then silence.
“Dad?”
May you like
Daniel’s voice returned.
“Twenty minutes.”
