Pregnant?

Kingston Stone stood frozen in place.

Memories flooded back—last year, when Raven Sullivan had been pregnant. He remembered the euphoria, his palm pressed against her still-flat stomach, tracing the outline of a future that felt guaranteed. Then, a flu had swept through; he had burned with a high fever and slipped into delirium. When he woke, he was told the baby was gone. She had been so casual about it, claiming it was a biological failure, a pregnancy that simply wasn't meant to be.

He hadn't believed her. He had scoured her medical records, but everything seemed normal. He had fueled his own suspicion and rage, convinced she still held a flame for Hector Barnes and simply didn't want to bear his heir.

Only now did the truth cut through the haze. She hadn’t wanted his child because that pregnancy was never part of her blueprint. From the very beginning, she had been orchestrating a grand design. He had been nothing more than a pawn in her game, foolishly daydreaming about their future.

How pathetic. How agonizingly tragic.

He felt an exhausting heaviness settle into his bones. He turned, his gaze landing on Alison Hayes. She was looking at him with a look of pure, unadulterated dependency. He reached out, pulling her into a desperate embrace, clutching her like a piece of driftwood in a storm.

"You love me the most, don't you?" he murmured into her hair. "You’ll carry this child to term. We’ll be a family. A real one."

Alison trembled in his arms. She could sense it—he was looking through her, speaking to someone else entirely. But the taste of victory was too sweet, washing away the sting of her own insignificance. She clung to him, her voice ringing with feigned resolve.

"Yes! I love you more than anything, Kingston. I’ll keep this baby. We’re going to be so happy."

The following day, every tabloid in The City exploded with the same headline: Kingston Stone, scion of the Stone family, was set to marry an ordinary college student named Alison Hayes. The wedding was scheduled for just one week away—a frantic, rushed affair. Word was that the elder Stones were dead set against it, going so far as to cut off his funding. Unbothered, Kingston drained his own savings, swearing to give Alison a wedding that would dwarf any other.

Raven received the notification from Kingston that same afternoon:

*I’m remodeling the villa in Kowloon into a wedding suite. Your things are still there. Come get them.*

Raven arrived at the house they had once shared that afternoon. She pushed the door open to find Kingston sitting on the living room sofa. She didn't offer a word, heading straight upstairs. She looked at the luxury clothes and jewelry he had once showered upon her, but she didn't touch a single item.

She packed her own belongings into a single suitcase and walked back down. As she passed him, she pulled a five-million-dollar check from her bag and laid it silently on the coffee table.

"This is the five million back. I only took it in the first place to keep you from getting suspicious. I never should have accepted it."

The check lay there on the table, a thin piece of paper acting as a silent, jagged fault line between them. Kingston’s eyes were pinned to that paper, the corners of his eyes turning a raw, angry red. The mask of indifference he’d been wearing finally shattered. He lunged, grabbing her wrist with a grip that bordered on bruising, his voice trembling.

"Raven Sullivan... what is this? What am I to you? Just someone you discard when you're done? You won't even take a cent of compensation? Is this how badly you want to cut ties with me? From start to finish, what the hell was I to you?"

Raven lowered her lashes, letting out a soft sigh. A thousand unspoken words choked her throat, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Kingston, I..."

Just then, his phone chimed. The screen flashed with the name *Alison*.

Kingston hung up without a second thought, his fingers still biting into her wrist. She pulled away, her voice returning to a steady, icy calm. "You're getting married to Ms. Hayes soon. Don't let her down."

He stared at her hollow expression for a long silence. Finally, he spat out, his teeth gritted in agony, "Fine. Don't worry. I won't. I'll be very happy with her."

A week later, their wedding was held at the most lavish hotel in The City. Kingston was determined to prove to Raven that he was better off without her. But as the wedding march began to play, the ballroom doors were shoved open by a squad of officers.

"Ms. Alison Hayes, you are under arrest in connection with the Hector Barnes investigation."

Alison clawed at Kingston’s sleeve. "They're framing me! Kingston, for the sake of the baby, don't let them take me!"

Kingston stepped in front of her, shielding her. "Officer, there must be a mistake. She’s a student at Gateway University. How could she possibly be linked to a criminal like Barnes?"

"Mr. Stone, here is the evidence we’ve gathered. Ms. Hayes has been using her status as a student to systematically lure young women into Barnes's operations for payment."

Kingston took the file, scanned the pages, and felt the blood drain from his face.

"No... it's not true... I was forced into it! Kingston, you have to believe me!" Alison wailed, her fingers digging into his arm.

But the evidence was damning. Kingston’s throat moved in a painful swallow. He ripped his arm away, letting her fall toward the officers.

Alison was dragged away. The ballroom descended into chaos, but Kingston was beyond caring. In that moment, his mind wasn't on his ruined wedding; it was on Raven. He whispered to the empty room, "Was this part of your plan, too? Watching me make a fool of myself? Are you happy now?"

He sat in the silent, empty ballroom for the entire night. By dawn, he drove to the police station. He told himself he only wanted to bail her out—for the sake of the child she carried.

But when he arrived, the officers handed him a report. Alison Hayes’s medical file. It contained one definitive line: *No sign of pregnancy detected.*

"Impossible!" Kingston barked, snatching the report, his eyes darting across the lines in disbelief.

The officer looked at him with pity. "Mr. Stone, according to our intel, your meeting with Ms. Hayes was never an accident."

Kingston’s brow tightened. "What are you talking about?"

"Hector Barnes tried to pull you into his inner circle repeatedly. When that failed, he tasked Ms. Hayes with grooming you. The goal was to manipulate you and secure back-door access to your business interests."

Kingston felt a surge of bile rise in his throat, his vision flickering black at the edges.

Alison, Raven... one after another, these women had deceived him, played him like a fool!

He walked out of the station in a daze. The sun was scorching, yet he felt as if he were freezing to death. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He answered with stiff, robotic movements. Alison’s sobbing voice echoed from the other end.

"Kingston, I'm so scared... when can you get me out? I know I messed up..."

Rage roared in his chest, hot and violent. He wanted her to rot in a cell, to vanish from the face of the earth. But rotting in jail was far too merciful for a snake like her. He clenched his jaw, swallowing his hate, and forced his voice to sound gentle.

"I'm working on it. Just hang tight."

Alison sobbed with relief. "Kingston, I'll be waiting for you!"

He couldn't stand another second of it. He slammed the phone shut, then whipped it against the concrete with enough force to shatter the screen.

*Alison. Just you wait.*

If you want to play me, you’ll pay the price in blood.