The video doorbell chimed. Amelia glanced at the screen and saw Kellan standing downstairs.

She reached to decline, but froze when he dangled a familiar silver ring from a thin chain.

Her stomach dropped.

She had searched everywhere for that ring after the gala.

It was the only thing her birth parents had left her.

With no other choice, she went downstairs.

Kellan wasted no time. "The child you're carrying is mine, Ms. Fuller."

Amelia's pulse spiked. She stared at him warily, stunned he had tracked her down so fast.

His voice was ice. "But not just anyone gets to give birth to my heir."

The menace in his tone raised every hair on her body. She instinctively wanted to run.

Kellan read her like an open book and pinned her against the wall in one smooth move.

Trapped, Amelia shielded her stomach and glared up at him. "This is my baby, Mr. Hayes!"

He arched a brow, sharp eyes raking over her. "You're easy on the eyes, I'll give you that. Terrible taste in men, though. Divorce him. Marry me."

Amelia's jaw dropped. She wondered if she had heard wrong.

Seeing her disbelief, Kellan frowned. "What, you plan to let my child call another man Daddy?"

It took her several seconds to process.

He was acknowledging the child.

Still, she refused. "I will divorce Eduardo, but I'm not marrying you. This baby is mine and mine alone."

Something flickered in Kellan's eyes—surprise that anyone dared turn him down. "I'll remind you the child is half mine."

Amelia refused to back down. "I'm the one who's pregnant. I'm the one who'll suffer through labor. You contributed a few seconds of effort you didn't even know about. How exactly is this baby half yours?"

She twisted free, snatched the ring from his hand, and bolted back upstairs.

The door slammed behind her final answer in his face.

Kellan stared at the closed door. No anger, only a darker determination.

Amelia knew he wouldn't give up easily, but she pushed the thought aside and opened the surveillance feed on her phone.

The live stream showed the Wayne Group new product launch.

Eduardo stood on stage, all smiles. "Next, allow me to present a short film that captures the unique charm of our 'Voyager' collection!"

Every guest turned toward the massive screen.

The next second, explicit photos of Eduardo kissing Josie exploded across it.

The Wayne elders turned purple with rage. Josie went deathly pale.

More damning images followed in rapid succession.

Camera flashes erupted like fireworks.

"Mr. Wayne, do you admit to cheating on your wife and abandoning her?"

"Rumors say your marriage has been dead for years. Is this your public confession and divorce announcement?"

From her apartment, Amelia watched the chaos she had orchestrated and finally tasted sweet revenge.

But she sensed something different.

Then the financial alerts started pouring in.

"Wayne Group shares hit limit-down at opening bell after founder scandal."

"Breaking: Largest partner Macro Capital terminates all agreements effective immediately."

"Skyline Group, Far Reach Holdings, and seven other major partners withdraw from Wayne projects simultaneously."

She had only planned to ruin Eduardo's reputation and force the divorce through public pressure.

This was annihilation.

A text lit up her screen. It was from Kellan. "Consider the plunging stock price my small sincerity."

Another message followed instantly. "Someone just delivered a package to your door. Three days from now, come to the investment summit. Watch the show. I think you'll change your mind.

Amelia opened the box. Inside lay a metal badge engraved with a soaring eagle—the pass to the exclusive summit.

Beneath it rested an exquisite pink-diamond necklace clearly custom-made.

A card in bold, commanding script read: Only one-of-a-kind jewels are worthy of you.

Inside Wayne office, the atmosphere had never been grimmer.

"Find out who's behind this! Now!" Eduardo hurled a crystal tumbler against the wall as cancellation notices flooded in. The company teetered on the edge of collapse.

Josie wrapped her arms around him. "Don't worry, darling. I've already found a lifeline. In two days there's an investment summit. My uncle says a powerful overseas fund is looking for new markets. I managed to secure us entry."

Eduardo pulled her close. "You always take care of me."

Nestled against his chest, Josie hid her own panic.

She had burned every favor she had just to get them through the door. Everything now hinged on that single night.

At the entrance of the venue, Eduardo and Josie were straightening their clothes when they spotted Amelia heading straight for the VIP lane.

"Amelia, stop right there! How the hell do you have access to this place?" Eduardo strode over and caught a glimpse of the badge she was pulling out. "So that's why you haven't come crawling back. You've been sneaking around behind my back with another man! That disaster at the product launch—you planned it with him, didn't you! I must have been blind. I actually thought you were some saint."

Amelia felt like a stray dog had just latched onto her ankle.

She only wanted to get away fast.

Before she could, an elegant older gentleman noticed the badge in her hand and hurried over. "Our honored guest invited personally by Mr. Hayes! Forgive me for not greeting you at the door."

Josie, who had been waiting for a good show, stood frozen.

That was the untouchable titan of real estate—she had only seen him once from a distance—and he was bowing to Amelia?

Amelia returned a polite nod and slipped inside.

Kellan took the stage as host of the investment summit and instantly commanded the room.

"Tonight's total fund is two billion dollars. How much anyone walks away with depends entirely on Mr. Hayes's mood."

"They say he's young but terrifyingly capable, and now I believe it."

"His money is deep and his eye is sharper. Anything he backs turns to gold."

Bidding grew ferocious.

Eduardo dragged Josie along, desperate to catch Kellan's attention.

"Mr. Hayes, I hear you've been looking to break into the premium wine market but haven't found the right partner. Wayne Group has decades of expertise and we're actively seeking new capital. We'd be perfect for you."

Kellan offered a faint smile. "I do admire Wayne's technical strengths. Unfortunately, Mr. Wayne, your recent personal scandals are a little… loud. That kind of noise could damage a partnership."

Seeing the deal slipping away, Eduardo grew frantic.

Kellan's tone shifted. "From what I understand, Miss Fuller has already asked you for a divorce. If you sign the papers right here in front of me, I'll clean up the media mess for you, and we can move forward with business."

For profit, Eduardo could discard anything.

He had the divorce agreement delivered on the spot and scrawled his signature.

When the signed papers reached Amelia's hands, she studied Kellan with slightly less wariness.

So far he had shown no hostility toward her.

"The divorce is settled," Kellan said quietly, "but have you thought about what happens when Wayne decides he wants the child and comes after you?"

Amelia fell silent.

He was right. On her own, shaking Eduardo off completely would be nearly impossible—especially if he ever learned the baby wasn't his.

She couldn't predict how insane he might turn.

"Marry me. I'll make that problem disappear. It will be a contract marriage only. I get you away from Wayne, you deliver the heir so I can satisfy my family, we both get what we need."

Kellan watched the storm of emotions on her face. Outwardly calm, inside he felt an unfamiliar tightness in his chest.

He was terrified she would refuse again.

"I'll think about it."

Not an outright no. Kellan exhaled and signaled his assistant with a glance.

Across the room, Josie whispered urgently in Eduardo's ear. His face darkened by the second.

All the leaked photos, all the canceled deals—every disaster suddenly pointed to one man.

Eduardo realized he had been played. Fury propelled him toward Kellan.

At that exact moment, the lights dimmed.

A single spotlight found Amelia.

Gasps rippled through the crowd as Kellan took her hand, dropped to one knee, and opened a velvet box.

Inside gleamed a breathtaking pink diamond ring.

"Ms. Fuller, will you marry me?"

Amelia stood rooted to the spot.

She stared into Kellan's eyes and suddenly felt the sour taste of being cornered.

One second ago he had calmly said she could think about a contract marriage, the next he staged this massive spectacle.

It was impossible not to suspect he wanted the crowd's pressure to force her hand.

Sure enough, after the initial gasps, the room detonated with gossip.

"I never realized Mrs. Wayne had that kind of pull. Husband caught cheating one day, billionaire proposing the next."

"That pink diamond was bought by a mystery bidder at Sotheby's for an insane price. Turns out it was Mr. Hayes. The man's wealth is terrifying."

"Doing this right in front of Mr. Wayne—he's deliberately humiliating him."

Heads swiveled toward Eduardo.

His face was thunder as he stormed over, rage clearing a path through the crowd.

"Kellan Hayes, you bastard! You tricked me! You dangled that partnership just to make me sign the divorce papers so you could steal my wife? The president of Hayes Global stoops to such filthy tricks. Disgusting!"

Josie caught Eduardo's signal and hurried forward, gazing at Amelia with practiced disappointment. "Amelia, how could you… The ink on the divorce isn't even dry and you're already accepting another proposal. Were you two involved long before tonight?"

She sighed theatrically and shook her head, letting everyone fill in the blanks.

Amelia swept her gaze over their faces and felt a dark thrill of satisfaction.

Josie's eyes burned with jealousy. Eduardo, meeting her stare, actually looked like he wanted her back.

Kellan never spared them a glance. He kept his eyes on Amelia, open and earnest.

Her heart stuttered, then steadied.

For the baby's sake, she still needed him.

And this public proposal was perfect cover to cut Eduardo out of her life forever.

"I do." The moment the words left her mouth, something soft flooded Kellan's expression. He couldn't hide his smile.

He slid the pink diamond onto her ring finger with deliberate tenderness.

"Amelia! You're this desperate for a man?" Eduardo completely lost control and shouted. "I never imagined you'd be this shameless. Pregnant and still chasing other men. I wondered when I saw you flash that VIP badge, but now it's obvious. You and him planned everything! I only signed those papers because I was thinking of our child. And this is how you repay me—conspiring with another man to ruin me!"

The word "child" rippled through the crowd like a shockwave.

Eduardo doubled down. "Kellan Hayes, let me warn you—she's carrying my baby!"

Josie seized the chance. "No wonder Mr. Hayes defended her at the last gala. They've been involved for ages. She dares call Eduardo unfaithful when she's the one who cheated!"

She stepped closer to Kellan, pretending concern. "Mr. Hayes, don't let this promiscuous women fool you."

A single murderous glance from Kellan shut her up instantly.

He curved his lips and answered with devastating calm. "As long as Ms. Fuller agrees to marry me, I don't care about rumors."

Josie nearly choked on jealousy.

She had wanted to destroy Amelia's reputation, not watch Kellan shrug it off.

How could a woman Eduardo just discarded land a man this powerful and handsome?

Kellan cut her off before she could try again. "Besides, when it comes to the pregnancy, Miss Fuller is the victim here."

He slid a possessive arm around Amelia's waist.

The room went dead silent. Amelia caught his cue perfectly. "Exactly. Eduardo tricked me into IVF, then secretly swapped my eggs for Josie's so I would carry their child for them. Too bad his sperm was useless, so the plan failed. I stayed quiet out of respect for our years together. But since he insists on announcing it in public, I won't cover for him anymore."

Kellan gave her an approving look and continued smoothly. "That day, after Ms. Fuller learned the truth, she was so devastated she nearly walked into traffic outside the hospital. I steadied her. That was when I fell for her at first sight."

The revelations hit like bombs. Even the skeptics saw Eduardo's bloodless face and knew it was true.

"He forced his own wife to be a surrogate for his mistress? That's inhuman!"

"If he'll betray the woman who built his empire with him, imagine what he'd do in business. I'm out."

"And he dared play the victim minutes ago! I can't imagine what Ms. Fuller would have suffered if she hadn't met Mr. Hayes!"

Public opinion flipped completely.

Eduardo and Josie, pale and wordless, fled under a storm of disgusted stares.

Amelia slid into Kellan's car amid envious whispers. As soon as the door closed he handed her a folder with a grin. "Your taste in men is terrible, but your brain works fast. I like working with smart women."