Miss Lia… so that's her name.
My heart was beating
This beautiful woman standing in his house… was she the one claiming him?
I swallowed hard. "I… I don't understand. Richard and I… it was only one night. I didn't plan this."
"Shut up," Lia said sharply. She stepped closer, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. "You think you can come here with your little belly and take my Richard? Many girls have tried to come between us before. None of them stayed."
Ma'am Lucy stood there, looking worried but silent. I looked at her, begging with my eyes, but she looked down.
"I'm not trying to take anyone," I said quietly. My hand went to my stomach without thinking. "I didn't even know who he really was until recently. He… he stopped them from removing my baby."
Lia laughed — loud and mean. "Oh, how sweet. Big brother Richard playing the hero again. But let me make this clear, little girl." She came closer until I could smell her expensive perfume. "That baby in your belly? It's a problem. It's a mistake. In this family, mistakes don't stay."
My body felt cold. "You can't just…"
"I can do anything I want," she hissed. "Richard has been mine since we were young. This house, the company, everything I grew up here with him. He will see that I'm the right one. You are just a small distraction from one stupid night. A night that should have disappeared."
I stepped back until I hit the sofa. "If he wants you so much, why isn't he here telling me to leave? Why did he bring me to his house instead?"
For one second, pain flashed in her eyes, but it disappeared quickly. "Because men get confused sometimes," she said. "He thinks he is protecting you. But he will wake up. He always comes back to me. I'm his sister. I'm family."
She grabbed my wrist suddenly, her nails digging into my skin. "Get rid of that baby. Quietly. I can even pay you. Name your price. Just leave before he starts to care about you."
I pulled my hand free. Anger filled me now. "No. This baby is mine. And Richard said…"
"Richard says many things when he feels guilty," she whispered coldly. "But guilt fades. When it fades, you will just be a small memory that caused trouble."
The door clicked open. We both froze. Heavy footsteps came closer.
Richard appeared in the doorway, still in his suit, tie loose, face hard. He looked from Lia to me, then back to Lia. The air felt thick.
"What are you doing here, Lia?" His voice was low and dangerous.
Lia stood straight and flipped her hair. "I came to see the girl you are hiding. She… she's trying, I guess. Like a charity case."
Richard's jaw tightened. "Leave."
"What?" Lia's smile shook a little.
"I said leave." He stepped between us, standing slightly in front of me. "You have no right to come here and harass my guest."
Lia's eyes narrowed. "I have every right! You know I love you, Richard. Since we were children. I grew up here. The Coopers adopted me. I want to marry you. You are supposed to marry me not this… this outsider!"
My stomach dropped. She wanted to marry him? But he saw her only as a sister?
Richard didn't move. "You are my sister, Lia. My adopted sister. That is all you will ever be. I don't see you that way. I will never see you that way. Stop this."
Lia laughed, but the sound was broken. "You will change your mind. You always protect family. I am family!"
"Family does not mean forced marriage," he said coldly. He turned to Ma'am Lucy. "Show her out. Now."
Ma'am Lucy nodded quickly and moved toward Lia. Lia's face twisted with anger and tears. She pointed at me. "This is not over. You think you have won because he is standing up for you today? Wait. I will make sure you regret coming into this house."
She turned and walked out, her heels hitting the floor hard. But at the door, she stopped. "And you, Richard," she said, her voice shaking, "you will regret treating me like this. I won't let her take you from me."
The elevator doors closed. Silence filled the room.
I looked at Richard. My chest rose and fell fast. "She… she wants to marry you? But you see her as a sister?"
"Yes," he said simply. He turned to face me fully. His eyes softened a little when they met mine. "She grew up here after we adopted her. But there is no love like that from me. Never. She doesn't want to accept it."
"But she believes it can happen."
"She believes what she wants." He let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I should have told her clearly a long time ago. I didn't expect her to come like this." He stopped. His eyes dropped to my stomach.
"You didn't expect me," I said quietly.
"No." He stepped closer. "But I don't regret that you are here."
My heart jumped. "What happens now?"
Richard lifted his hand. He paused for a second, then gently touched my hair, pushing one strand away from my face. "Now? We protect what is ours."
He didn't say "the baby." He said "what is ours." Right there, with Lia's perfume still in the air and the city lights shining far below, I realized this was no longer just about surviving. It was something that could break hearts or build something real.
After that day, I didn't see Richard the whole month. Same with Lia. I only heard from his secretary that Richard was on a business trip.