Chapter 5: The Threat That Breaks
Lila Harper jolted awake to the sound of glass shattering, her heart slamming against her ribs. A brick lay on her apartment floor, surrounded by shards from her broken window, a note taped to it in jagged scrawl: Stop digging, or the baby pays. It was 3 a.m., the city outside her rundown building eerily quiet, but the threat screamed loud enough to drown out everything else. Lila's hands shook as she grabbed the note, her eyes darting to the dark street below. Nobody. Just the flicker of a busted streetlight. Her stomach churned—she was 28, pregnant, and alone, with no family, no money, and now someone out there wanted her kid harmed.
She stuffed the note in her pocket, her mind racing back to the X post from last night: a video of her telling Ethan she was pregnant, now trending with thousands of likes and vicious comments calling her a gold-digger.
Derek Voss, Ethan's slimy rival, was behind it, working with Tina, his backstabbing assistant, to tank Ethan's merger and Lila's life. Claire, Ethan's sister, had given her proof—a folder tying Voss to the leaks—but going public meant exposing her pregnancy to the world, and now this brick said that choice could cost her everything.
Lila swept up the glass, her hands trembling but her jaw set. She wasn't telling Ethan about this—not yet. He'd already denied their baby, pushed her into a fake relationship to save his image, and she didn't trust him to handle a threat like this without bailing. She called Maya, her best friend, who answered on the first ring, voice groggy but sharp.
"Lila, what's wrong?" Maya said. "It's the middle of the damn night."
"Someone threw a brick through my window," Lila said, her voice low. "With a note. They're threatening the baby."
"Jesus," Maya said, fully awake. "You okay? Where are you?"
"My place. I'm fine, but this is bad, Maya. It's Voss—or someone he's working with. They know I've got Claire's proof."
"Don't do anything stupid," Maya said. "Call the cops, and tell Ethan. He's an asshole, but he's got resources."
"No cops," Lila said, pacing her tiny living room. "They'll ask questions, and I can't risk this getting out. And Ethan… he'll just run."
Maya cursed. "You're not alone in this, Lila. Come to my place. Now."
Lila hung up, grabbing her bag and the folder from Claire. She wasn't running to Maya's—she was done hiding. If Voss was coming for her, she needed to know who was behind him. Claire's proof pointed to Richard Holt, a Kane Enterprises board member with a shady past. Lila had to confront him, alone, before the next leak destroyed her.
By morning, Lila was back at Kane Enterprises, the office humming with whispers and stares. The X video was everywhere, and her desk still had faint Sharpie marks from Tina's "gold-digger" stunt. Tina wasn't there—Ethan had fired her yesterday after Claire's proof exposed her as Voss's mole—but the damage was done. Lila's phone buzzed with a text from Ethan: Press conference at noon. Be there. We're going public.
Her stomach twisted. Going public meant admitting the pregnancy to the world, killing the gold-digger rumors but painting a bigger target on her back. The brick's warning echoed: Stop digging. She hadn't told Ethan about it, and she wasn't going to now. He'd made it clear he wasn't ready for this—his past with Sarah, the college girlfriend he'd abandoned, proved he'd bolt when it got hard.
Lila found Ethan in his office, pacing, his tie loose and his eyes bloodshot. "You look like hell," she said, shutting the door.
"Thanks," he snapped, running a hand through his hair. "Voss is meeting with the board today, trying to kill the merger. That video's got them spooked. We go live at noon, say we're together, admit the baby's mine. It's the only way to take back control."
Lila's chest tightened. "And if it backfires? X is already ripping me apart. You saw the comments."
He stepped closer, his voice low. "I know it's rough, Lila. But we've got no choice. Voss is playing dirty, and the board's ready to pull the plug. You want to keep your job? This is it."
She wanted to scream—he was still thinking about his company, not her, not their kid. But before she could argue, her phone buzzed. An X post, fresh and trending: a grainy video of Lila at 18, shoplifting at a convenience store, her estranged mother egging her on. The caption read: Kane's 'girlfriend' has a criminal past. Trustworthy? The comments were brutal: Thief and a gold-digger. Nice catch, Kane.
Lila's face burned as she showed Ethan the phone. "This just dropped. It's Tina. She's hitting back."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his eyes scanning the video. "She's desperate. Voss must've cut her loose after I fired her."
"Then why's she still coming for me?" Lila said, her voice shaking. "This is my life, Ethan. My past. I was a kid, and my mom was a mess. Now it's out there, and I'm done."
He grabbed her shoulders, his grip firm but not harsh. "You're not done. We stick to the plan. Press conference, we own the narrative. I've got your back."
She pulled away, her eyes hard. "You don't get it. Someone's threatening my kid. I can't just smile for cameras while they're out there."
Ethan froze. "Threatening? What are you talking about?"
She hesitated, then pulled the note from her pocket. "This came through my window last night. 'Stop digging, or the baby pays.'"
His face darkened, a flash of something—fear, maybe anger—crossing his eyes. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"
"Because you'd run," she said, her voice sharp. "Like you did with Sarah. Like you're doing now."
He flinched, and for a second, she saw the crack in his armor. "I'm not running," he said, his voice low. "But you should've told me. We're handling this together."
Before she could argue, Claire burst in, her face grim. "You two need to see this. Now." She shoved her phone at them—an email from Richard Holt to Voss, leaked on X: Get the assistant out of the picture. She's a liability.
Lila's blood ran cold. "Holt. He's the one behind the brick."
Ethan's hands clenched into fists. "That bastard's on my board. He's been playing me this whole time."
Claire nodded. "He's got dirt on your family, Ethan. Something about your dad's old deals—shady stuff from before you took over. He's using it to control Voss and sink the merger."
Lila's mind raced. Holt wasn't just a board member—he was the new player pulling strings. She grabbed Claire's arm. "Where is he? I'm done waiting."
"Lila, no," Ethan said, stepping in front of her. "He's dangerous. Let me handle it."
"You've handled enough," she snapped, brushing past him. "I'm talking to him. Today."
Lila found Holt's office in the financial district, a sleek tower that screamed old money. She'd slipped out during lunch, leaving Ethan to prep for the press conference. Her heart pounded as she walked in, the folder of Claire's proof tucked under her arm. Holt was in his sixties, silver-haired, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Ms. Harper," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Bold move, coming here alone."
"I know you're behind the leaks," Lila said, tossing the folder on his desk. "You and Voss. And the brick through my window? That's low, even for you."
Holt's smile didn't budge. "You're in over your head, girl. You think you can take me down with a few emails?"
"I think I can try," she said, her voice steady despite the fear. "What do you want? Why go after my kid?"
He leaned forward, his eyes cold. "You're a distraction. Ethan's weak with you around, and I need him focused. Or gone. Kane Enterprises was my domain before he took over, and I'll have it back."
Lila's stomach dropped. "You're using Voss to ruin him."
"Voss is a tool," Holt said. "And you're collateral damage. But since you're here, let's talk about your mother. Angela Harper. Junkie, thief, left you to fend for yourself. I know her well."
Lila froze, her breath catching. "What the hell does my mom have to do with this?"
Holt's smile turned cruel. "She worked for me, years ago. Ran errands, if you catch my drift. I know things about you, Lila—things you don't even know. Like who your father really was."
Her heart stopped. Her mom had never talked about her dad, just said he was a deadbeat who left before Lila was born. "You're lying," she said, her voice shaking.
"Am I?" Holt said, standing. "Back off, or I'll make sure the world knows your real story. And trust me, it's uglier than a shoplifting video."
Lila's vision blurred, her hands trembling as she backed toward the door. Holt's words were a knife, cutting deeper than any X post. She'd come to confront him, but now her own past was a weapon, and she had no idea how to fight it. As she stumbled out, her phone buzzed—a text from Ethan: Where are you? Press conference in one hour.
She ignored it, her mind spinning. Holt knew her mom. He knew her dad. And whatever he was holding could destroy her fight for her baby before it even began.