Chapter 92

Chapter 92
Garrett's POV

I sat back in my chair, the blue glow from my laptop reflecting faintly across my face. I pressed my phone against my ear, my voice as low as it can get.

“Tell me you’ve got something. Anything from our last talk. I don’t care if it’s a scrap, a document, whispers in the wind, I just need proof. I need her lie exposed for what it is.”

On the other end of the line, my contact breathed heavily, a muffled sound of papers being shuffled followed. “I’m working on it, Garrett. These things don’t just fall from the sky, you should know that.”

“I know, I know, but my patience is running out,” I breathed into the phone, fraustration thick in my tone. “Put yourself in my shoes for a bit, it's— it's suffocating.”

“Sure, that's why I'm working tirelessly on this. Vivian covers her tracks better than most. But I’ve got a lead, a man who worked closely with her a year ago. He might talk. There's claim that he knows about the child.”

I closed his eyes, tension rippling down my neck. “Might isn’t good enough. I need him to talk. Secure him, offer him things, lure or bribe him, torture him if it comes down to it, whatever it takes. I want this settled before it spreads further than it already has.”

“Woahhh, slow down there... I can't go into bribery and stuff ’cause of this.”

I leaned forward, about to say more but a faint ping cut through the air in the room. My eyes flicked to the laptop screen, catching a notification at the corner, an email.

I frowned, already not liking my focus being interrupted.

“Hold on,” I muttered into the phone before shifting my attention to the computer. My inbox opened and a new message popped up when I clicked it. The subject line mentioned the list I had submitted days ago.

My jaw tightened as I scrolled through.

The neat structure of names I had worked on carefully was now altered. Entirely altered.

More names were added, more complications thrown into what had been a controlled move. I wanted to curse out loud but I just kept shut and read through them slowly, each one making my frown deepen. I didn't read the entire thing, just the names I didn't recall adding.

Tristan.
Mara.
Declan
Jose
Vivian

And others I didn’t even recognize.

“What the hell…” I whispered under my breath, my grip tightening on the phone still at my ear. I barely heard my contact’s voice asking if I was still there.

I pulled the phone away and cut the line without another word, dropping it on the desk angrily.

For a second I sat here, staring at the names. My chest burned with frustration. This wasn’t part of the agreement. This wasn’t what I had sent. Who had made these changes without first consulting me, and why?

Without hesitation, I grabbed my phone again and tapped through my contacts, my eyes landed on the chairman contact and I clicked.

The line picked up slower than I wanted, his calm voice sliding through. “Garrett. I suspect you're calling because you’ve seen the list.”

“What the hell is this?” I snapped before he could say anything else, my fist hitting my desk. “I gave you my lists. My approved names, venue and everything. Now I’m seeing what, people who were never included in the first place? What do you take me for?”

The chairman’s sigh was heavy, like he had expected this from me. “It was discussed over, Garrett. Decided. The board agreed that expanding the list would create balance across the uhh..... Listen, we can’t afford to appear one sided, Garrett. You knew this could change.”

“No,” I shot back, anger curling through my voice. “We agreed on something already. I gave you what you needed. And now you’re telling me I don’t have a say anymore?”

“It’s not about you having a say. It’s about what’s best for everyone. This list stays. We can’t change it now, and you’ll have to accept that.”

My fist tightened against the desk. The urge to keep fighting burned hot, but I knew from the chairman’s tone, it was useless.

More than anything, I hated being disrespected, I hated my opinion being disregarded like it meant nothing. But the decision was already buried too deep to dig out. They cornered me with this, and what's worse, they called it final.

“Fine,” I said sharply, though the word nearly choked me. “Have it your way.”

The line went dead a moment later, and I tossed the phone down, leaning back into my chair. My chest rose and fell unevenly.

I wanted to rage out, to throw something across the room, but I knew better that it wouldn't solve anything, instead I forced myself to breathe.

The storm would have to wait.

My eyes lingered on the names once more, before finally closing the laptop. “This was annoying as hell...” I rubbed my forehead, trying to push away the tension.

Suddenly, the sound of the door clicking open drew my attention.

“Garrett?”

My gaze lifted, and there she was—Lila. She stepped into the room, her presence soft yet grounding. She had a faint glow about her, one that hadn’t been there before, and in her hand, a folded piece of paper, probably from the doctor.

“You’re back,” I said, my voice softening automatically.

She nodded, her lips tugging into a smile as she moved closer. “I just came from my appointment.”

I immediately straightened, searching her face. “And?”

Her smile widened, almost trembling with the weight of what she was holding back. “Everything’s fine. Better than fine, actually. The doctor said I’m making amazing progress. He said…” Her voice cracked, then rose with excitement. “He said our baby is strong. The baby will be fine in the end.”

Her joy came like a spark, sudden and overwhelming.

I felt the tightness in my chest melt away at once, replaced by something rawer, purer.

Relief.

I stood up quickly, closing the distance between us in only a few steps.

“Lila…that's amazing” I breathed, pulling her close.

She laughed lightly, tears glimmering at the edge of her eyes. “Can you believe
it? After everything, after all the stress and the scares… the baby's okay. Our baby is okay.”