Two weeks had passed since that evening on the hilltop, and Mia felt like she was living in a completely different world.
Ryan had moved her into his penthouse—"for safety," he'd said, but Mia knew it was because he wanted her close. They spent every evening talking, learning about each other, making up for three years of lost time.
Emma visited often, usually bringing food since Mia's pregnancy cravings were getting intense.
"Pickles and ice cream?" Emma asked, making a face as Mia devoured her latest snack.
"Don't judge me," Mia said, laughing. "Your nephew or niece wants what they want."
Ryan walked in from his home office, smiling at the scene. "I bought more pickles. Three jars."
"My hero," Mia teased.
Ryan kissed her forehead, and Mia's heart still did a little flip. She couldn't believe this was real sometimes.
But it was. Ryan came home every night. They had dinner together. He asked about her day, her feelings, the baby. He'd even started reading pregnancy books, highlighting important parts to show her.
It was everything Mia had dreamed of.
Which is why the fear in the back of her mind kept growing.
It felt too perfect. Too easy.
And Mia had learned that nothing in her life came easy.
---
**At Blake Enterprises...**
Ryan sat in a board meeting, barely paying attention. His mind kept drifting to Mia at home, probably napping on the couch with her hand on her growing belly.
"Mr. Blake?"
Ryan snapped back to attention. "Yes?"
The board member repeated his question about quarterly projections.
Ryan answered automatically, his mind still elsewhere.
When the meeting finally ended, Tom approached him carefully.
"Sir, there's something you should know."
Ryan recognized that tone. "What's wrong?"
"I've been investigating the leaked documents—the ones claiming your wife planned everything. I traced them back to a law firm that your mother uses frequently."
Ryan's jaw tightened. "So it was definitely her."
"It appears so. But sir, there's more. The same law firm has been making inquiries about your wife's company, Alvarez Innovations."
"What kind of inquiries?"
"Looking for legal vulnerabilities. Checking for any violations, unpaid taxes, anything they could use against her."
Ryan's eyes narrowed. "My mother is trying to destroy Mia's business."
"It seems that way, yes."
Ryan grabbed his phone. "I'm going to end this."
He called his mother. She answered on the first ring, her voice syrupy sweet.
"Ryan, darling—"
"Stop what you're doing," Ryan said coldly.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Yes, you do. Leave Mia alone. Leave her company alone. If you don't, I'll cut you off from every Blake family asset. You'll get nothing."
Jessica's voice turned icy. "You can't do that."
"Watch me. I'm the CEO. Grandpa Samuel supports me. You have no power here."
Silence. Then: "You'd choose that woman over your own mother?"
"I'm choosing my wife and child over your manipulation. Yes."
Jessica laughed, but it was a cold, bitter sound. "You think you've won? You think this is over?"
"It better be."
"Oh, Ryan. You have no idea what's coming."
She hung up.
Ryan stared at his phone, a chill running down his spine.
"Sir?" Tom asked nervously.
"Double Mia's security," Ryan ordered. "And I want someone watching my mother twenty-four seven. If she so much as looks at Mia wrong, I want to know about it."
---
**Meanwhile, at a luxury hotel across town...**
Jessica Blake sat in a private suite, across from a man in an expensive suit.
Marcus Vance. Ryan's biggest business rival.
"So," Marcus said, swirling his wine, "you want my help destroying your son's marriage?"
"I want my son back," Jessica corrected. "That woman has bewitched him."
"From what I hear, she's actually quite impressive. Beat Ryan at his own game."
Jessica's eye twitched. "She's a nobody who got lucky."
Marcus smiled. "And you think I can help because...?"
"Because you want Blake Enterprises. You've been trying to acquire it for years."
"True," Marcus admitted.
"If Ryan is distracted by a messy divorce, a scandal, a business collapse... he won't be able to protect his company the way he normally does."
Marcus leaned forward, interested. "What exactly are you proposing?"
Jessica pulled out a folder. "Mia's company, Alvarez Innovations, has several contracts with smaller firms. I've arranged for those contracts to be broken. She'll lose money, lose credibility."
"That won't destroy her," Marcus said.
"No. But it will stress her. And stress is very dangerous for pregnant women."
Marcus's eyes narrowed. "You want to cause her to lose the baby."
"I want nature to take its course," Jessica said carefully. "If she happens to have... complications... Ryan will blame her for not taking care of herself. The marriage will fall apart."
"And if it doesn't?"
Jessica's smile was cold. "Then we move to Plan B."
"Which is?"
"That's where you come in. You're going to offer Mia a deal she can't refuse. A buyout of her company for an enormous amount of money. When she accepts—and she will, once her business starts failing—you'll add a clause."
"What kind of clause?"
"One that requires her to relocate to Paris for two years to oversee the transition. Away from Ryan."
Marcus laughed. "And you think she'll agree to leave her husband?"
"She will if I make Ryan's life here unbearable for her. I'll make sure every society wife in the city snubs her. Every business deal Ryan makes will be whispered about—did his wife help him? Is he using insider information? The scandal will never end."
"You're willing to damage your own son's reputation?"
"Temporarily," Jessica said. "Once Mia is gone, things will calm down. Ryan will move on. And I'll introduce him to Victoria Chen, who will make a proper wife."
Marcus considered this. "What's in it for me?"
"While Ryan is distracted by his failing marriage, you'll have the perfect opportunity to acquire Blake Enterprises' subsidiaries. I'll even help you from the inside."
"You'd betray your own son?"
"I'm saving him," Jessica said firmly. "From a mistake that would ruin his life."
Marcus stood up, walking to the window. "This is quite the plan."
"Do we have a deal?"
Marcus turned back, smiling. "We do. But I have one condition."
"What?"
"If this falls apart, you take all the blame. I won't be connected to any of this."
Jessica nodded. "Agreed."
They shook hands.
Neither of them noticed the waiter who'd been serving their drinks.
The waiter who worked for Tom.
---
**That evening, at Ryan's penthouse...**
Mia was cooking dinner—or trying to. The pregnancy had made her sense of smell so strong that half the ingredients made her nauseous.
"Why did I think I could make pasta?" Mia muttered, covering her nose.
Ryan came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Let me help."
Together, they finished making dinner, laughing when Mia accidentally added salt instead of sugar to the sauce.
"We'll order pizza," Ryan decided.
"Good idea."
While they waited for the pizza, they sat on the couch. Ryan's hand rested gently on Mia's belly.
"I felt the baby kick today," Mia said softly.
Ryan's eyes lit up. "Really? Can I feel?"
"You can try. The baby's shy around you."
Ryan placed both hands on her belly, waiting patiently.
After a minute, there was a small flutter.
Ryan's face broke into the biggest smile Mia had ever seen. "I felt it! Our baby!"
Mia laughed at his excitement. This was the Ryan no one else got to see. Soft, loving, genuinely happy.
"I love you," Ryan said suddenly.
"I love you too."
They kissed, and for a moment, everything was perfect.
Then Ryan's phone rang.
It was Tom, and he sounded urgent.
"Sir, I need you to come to the office. Now. It's about your mother."
Ryan's expression changed. "What did she do?"
"I'd rather explain in person. And sir... bring Mia. She needs to hear this too."
---
**At Blake Enterprises...**
Ryan and Mia sat in his office while Tom showed them the recording from the hotel.
They listened to Jessica's entire conversation with Marcus Vance.
Mia felt sick, and not from the pregnancy.
"She wants to destroy my company," Mia whispered. "Make me lose the baby."
Ryan's face was white with rage. "I'm going to kill her."
"Sir," Tom said quickly, "we need to be smart about this. If we confront her directly, she'll deny everything."
"Then what do we do?" Mia asked.
Tom smiled slightly. "We beat her at her own game."
He pulled up some documents on his computer.
"Marcus Vance doesn't know we have this recording. He thinks his involvement is secret. So we let him proceed with his plan to buy out Alvarez Innovations."
"Absolutely not," Ryan said. "I won't let him take Mia's company."
"You won't have to," Tom said. "Because Mia won't sell."
Mia caught on. "But Marcus will think I'm going to sell. He'll proceed with his plan."
"Exactly," Tom said. "And when he realizes it's a trap, he'll turn on Jessica to save himself."
Ryan looked between them. "You want to use Marcus to expose my mother?"
"It's the only way to prove what she's been doing," Tom explained. "If we confront her with just the recording, she'll claim it's fake or taken out of context. But if Marcus admits to the conspiracy..."
"She'll have nowhere to hide," Mia finished.
Ryan was quiet for a long moment. "She's my mother."
"She tried to make Mia lose our baby," Ryan said, his voice hard. "That's unforgivable."
Mia took his hand. "Are you sure? Once we do this, there's no going back."
Ryan looked at her, at the woman who'd been through so much because of his family, and made his decision.
"Do it," he told Tom. "Set the trap."
---
**Three days later...**
Mia sat in her office at Alvarez Innovations, pretending to look stressed.
Her assistant—who was actually one of Tom's people—knocked on the door.
"Ms. Carter, there's a Mr. Marcus Vance here to see you."
Mia took a deep breath. "Send him in."
Marcus walked in, all charm and smiles. "Ms. Carter. Thank you for seeing me."
"Mr. Vance. What can I do for you?"
"I'll get straight to the point. I want to buy your company."
Mia pretended to be surprised. "Alvarez Innovations isn't for sale."
"Everything is for sale at the right price," Marcus said smoothly. He pulled out a contract. "I'm offering fifty million dollars. More than double what your company is worth."
Mia looked at the contract, letting him see her hesitation.
"That's... very generous. But why?"
"I admire what you've built. And I think with my resources, we could take it to the next level."
Mia flipped through the contract, stopping at the relocation clause.
"You want me to move to Paris?"
"Just for two years. To oversee the transition. After that, you can return to New York."
Mia pretended to consider it. "I'll need to think about this."
"Of course," Marcus said, standing. "But don't think too long. This offer expires in seventy-two hours."
After he left, Mia immediately texted Ryan.
**Mia:** He took the bait.
**Ryan:** Good. Now we wait.
---
**That night, at Jessica's mansion...**
Jessica paced in her study, her phone pressed to her ear.
"What do you mean she's considering it?" she demanded.
"She asked for time to think," Marcus said. "She'll accept. I'm sure of it."
"She better. I'm paying you a fortune for this."
"Speaking of which, I'll need the first payment tomorrow."
Jessica's eyes narrowed. "You'll get it when the job is done."
"That wasn't our agreement."
"The agreement changed. Don't like it? Walk away."
Silence. Then: "Fine. But if this falls apart—"
"It won't," Jessica said firmly.
She hung up and smiled.
Everything was going according to plan.
Soon, Mia would be gone.
And Ryan would be free.
What Jessica didn't know was that every word of her conversation had been recorded.
And Ryan was listening to it in his car outside her mansion, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.
Tom sat in the passenger seat, watching his boss carefully.
"Sir, are you okay?"
"No," Ryan said honestly. "But I will be. After this is over."
He started the car.
It was time to end this once and for all.