Chapter 10 Chapter 10
~TEN~
Declan immediately pushed me behind him, his body tense.
"Stay here," he whispered. "Lock the door after I leave."
"No, don't go out there—"
But he was already moving toward the living room, his phone in his hand ready to call the police.
I stood in the doorway, my heart hammering, listening to the sounds of struggle.
Then I heard a familiar voice that made my blood run cold.
"Where is she? Where's Anita?"
It was Jake.
I ran out despite Declan's warning to find Jake standing in the middle of the living room, a baseball bat in his hands. The window behind him was shattered.
"Jake, what are you doing?" I screamed.
"Coming to get what's mine," he was clearly drunk, swaying on his feet.
Declan stepped between us again. "Put down the bat and leave while you still can."
"Or what? You'll call your fancy lawyers?" Jake laughed bitterly. "I'm not scared of you."
"You should be," Declan's voice was ice.
Jake raised the bat, and everything happened so fast.
Declan moved forward, grabbing the bat and twisting it out of Jake's hands in one smooth motion. But Jake swung wildly, his fist connecting with Declan's jaw.
Declan stumbled back, and Jake lunged toward me.
I screamed, backing away, but my foot caught on the broken glass and I fell.
Pain shot through my side as I hit the ground.
"Anita!" Declan's voice seemed far away.
The last thing I saw before everything went black was Declan tackling Jake to the ground, and the sound of sirens in the distance.
~°~
I woke up in a hospital bed, bright lights making me squint.
"Easy," a gentle hand pressed my shoulder. "Don't move too fast."
I turned to see Declan sitting beside my bed, his jaw bruised and swollen, his shirt stained with blood.
"The baby," I gasped, my hand flying to my stomach.
His hand covered mine. "The baby's okay. You're both okay."
Relief flooded through me, and I started crying.
"Jake?" I asked.
"Arrested. Charged with breaking and entering, assault, and harassment," Declan's voice was hard. "He won't bother you again."
I nodded, still trying to process everything.
"You said the hospital called. About my blood work," I remembered. "What was it?"
Declan's expression shifted, becoming serious.
"The pregnancy—it's high risk," he said carefully. "Because it's twins."
I stared at him, sure I'd heard wrong.
"Twins?" I whispered.
He nodded. "The doctor wants to see us first thing tomorrow morning to discuss it. You need to be monitored closely."
Twins. I was having twins.
The room started spinning again.
"Anita, breathe," Declan's voice cut through my panic. "Look at me."
I focused on his dark eyes.
"We'll handle this together," he said firmly. "Whatever comes, we'll face it together."
"This is too much," I said, tears streaming down my face. "I can't do this. I'm not strong enough—"
"Yes, you are," he interrupted. "You're stronger than you think. And you're not alone."
A knock on the door interrupted us.
A police officer entered. "Miss Blake, we need to ask you some questions about the incident."
I nodded, wiping my tears.
After giving my statement to the police, I was finally alone with Declan again.
"What about Victoria's email?" I asked, remembering the threat.
"Handled," Declan said. "I had my lawyers send her a cease and desist. And I made some calls. The email never went out."
"What did you threaten her with?"
His expression was grim. "The truth. That her company's been involved in some shady land deals. I have evidence that could sink them. She backed off immediately."
I should have felt relieved, but I was too overwhelmed.
"I need to tell you something," Declan said after a moment. "About why I've been so adamant about protecting you."
"Because of your inheritance clause," I said.
"That's part of it," he admitted. "But there's more. My mother died giving birth to me. Complications. My father blamed me for years before he finally let it go. When I found out you were pregnant, all I could think about was not letting history repeat itself."
I saw the pain in his eyes and understood.
"I'm not your mother, Declan," I said softly. "And these babies aren't you."
"I know," he said. "But the thought of something happening to you—it terrifies me."
I reached out and took his hand. "I'm scared too. But we'll get through this."
He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it gently.
"There's something else I need to tell you," he said.
Before he could continue, the door burst open.
Mr. Ricardo stood there, his face pale.
"Declan, we have a problem. A big one."
"What is it?"
"Your uncle Richard just called an emergency board meeting. He's claiming you're unfit to run the company and that he should take over immediately."
Declan's hand tightened around mine.
"On what grounds?"
Rick glanced at me, then back at Declan.
"Someone leaked information about the pregnancy. About Anita being your employee. They're claiming sexual harassment and abuse of power."
My heart sank.
"Who leaked it?" Declan demanded.
"We don't know yet. But the board is meeting tomorrow morning. If you can't prove these accusations are false, they might vote to remove you as CEO."
Declan stood up, his jaw set.
"Then I'll prove it. Anita and I will face the board together and tell them the truth."
"Declan, that could make things worse," Rick argued.
"Or it could make things better," Declan countered. "I'm tired of hiding and playing games. It's time for the truth."
He turned to me. "If you're willing."
I thought about everything we'd been through in the past 48 hours. The fear, the threats, the chaos.
But I also thought about the way Declan protected me, stood by me, made me feel safe.
And I thought about the two tiny lives growing inside me—his children, our children.
"I'm willing," I said. "We do this together."
Declan smiled, and despite everything, I felt hope.
But then Rick's phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen and his face went white.
"What is it?" Declan asked.
"It's a message from the board. The meeting's been moved up to tonight. In one hour."
"Tonight?" I gasped. "But I'm in the hospital—"
"The doctors cleared you to leave. It's now or never," Rick said.
Declan looked at me. "You don't have to do this. I can face them alone."
I shook my head. "No. We're in this together, remember?"
He helped me out of bed, and Rick handed me clothes to change into.
As we headed to the car, my phone buzzed one final time.
A text from an unknown number:
Congratulations on the twins. It would be a shame if something happened to them. Drop the harassment accusations against my son, or face the consequences. - Patricia Turner
Jake's mother.
I showed the text to Declan, and I saw something snap in his eyes.
"That's it," he said quietly. "No more threats. No more games. Tonight, we end this. All of it."
As we drove toward Norex for the emergency board meeting that would determine our future, I realized that the next few hours would change everything.
Eit
her we would come out of this together, stronger than before.
Or we would lose everything we'd fought for.
And with Jake's mother now threatening my babies, I knew the biggest battle was still ahead.