Unplanned Picture

Unplanned Picture
Diane's POV

At Henderson Corp.

The moment I heard that voice, I froze.

“Lance.”

It was his father. The same man who had always carried that calm but commanding tone that could make anyone stop mid-sentence.

Lance turned almost instantly. I did too, forcing a polite smile on my face. The cameras were everywhere, flashing and clicking nonstop, the noise mixing with the hum of reporters whispering among themselves. I could already tell they had noticed me stepping out of the same car as Lance. This was going to be all over the news by noon.

“Diane,” Richard said warmly, walking towards us with open arms. His smile looked genuine, the kind that could melt away tension, but at that moment, it only made my heart race faster. “It’s so good to see you again.”

He stopped right in front of me, taking my hand before I could even react. He looked from my face to my stomach, and that was when I realized… this man was about to say something that would put me out for people to talk about. This child hasn’t even been confirmed to be his son. This was going to mess things up.

“And how’s the little one doing?” he asked with a soft chuckle, patting my hand like a proud father-in-law talking to his daughter.

I blinked, my throat going dry. The little one? My stomach? Oh no.

That was all the confirmation the paparazzi needed.

“Is she pregnant?” one shouted.

“Mr. Henderson, is that true?” another asked, already lifting his camera higher. “Is your son expecting a baby with Mrs. Diane?”

I felt my heart jump to my throat. The air changed. Reporters pushed closer. I could hear the clicking of cameras like gunfire, one after another.

Richard looked confused by their reaction, glancing between me and Lance, clearly not realizing what he had just started.

Before I could even say a word to clear things up, Lance’s voice came through, cold, and loud enough to silence everyone.

“That’s enough.”

The way he said it made the entire area go quiet for a second. His jaw was tight, his eyes dark. He didn’t wait for anyone to say anything else before grabbing my wrist firmly… not hard, but enough to make my breath hitch.

“Let’s go,” he said.

The reporters tried shouting more questions as we walked off, but Lance didn’t even turn his head. He held me steadily, and moved like a flash. The flashes followed us all the way until we stepped into the company lobby, and the glass doors finally closed behind us.

For a moment, I just stood there, catching my breath. I could still hear the faint noise of the crowd outside. Lance released my wrist slowly, his hand falling to his side like he didn’t just drag me out of chaos in front of half the city.

He didn’t say anything, and neither did I.

I stared at him, still processing everything. Lance Henderson, the man known by everyone here as the coldest CEO in the building, had just publicly defended me and pulled me out of a media mess. His employees must have seen that. He knew they did. I could see it in the way he avoided my eyes now.

“Thanks,” I finally said, my voice quiet.

He looked at me then, his expression unreadable. “It was getting out of hand,” he said simply.

That was so typical of him. He couldn’t admit it was more than that. His tone was calm, but his eyes betrayed him. There was a flicker of concern there, the kind that didn’t match his usual stone-faced self. I could tell he was as surprised as I was by what he did.

He straightened his tie like nothing had happened. “You should go to your office. I’ll handle whatever they post online.”

“Lance…”

Before I could finish, a voice stopped us.

“Not so fast, you two.”

We both turned at the same time. Richard was walking toward us again, smiling like the chaos outside had never happened. Two security guards and a few reporters trailed behind him, holding their cameras lower this time.

“Dad,” Lance said, his tone calm but firm. “What are you doing?”

“I told you earlier,” Richard said, stopping right in front of us. “I granted them an interview about the company’s growth. I wanted to tell the story of how Henderson Corp. started from scratch and how you’ve built it to what it is now.”

He looked at both of us with a proud smile. “And of course, how you met your missing rib.”

I froze again. Lance did too.

“Missing rib?” I repeated, my eyes wide.

Richard nodded, completely serious. “Yes. That’s what you are, Diane. You’re part of this family now. I thought it would be nice to show that side of the story. You two look wonderful together.”

For a second, I couldn’t even breathe. Reporters who had followed him in were already raising their cameras again, waiting to capture whatever came next.

“Dad,” Lance said tightly, “you should continue your story about the company. Diane’s not feeling well.”

That was his calm way of trying to get us both out of there. I was thankful, but my face stayed neutral, trying not to show it.

Richard gave a light laugh. “Oh, I see. Well, fine. We’ll continue without her. But first…” He gestured to one of the cameramen. “Let’s take a picture together. We can use it for the company’s art exhibition room. Family means everything to this company, after all.”

Lance’s shoulders tensed. “That’s not necessary.”

“Yes, it is,” his father said firmly. “Just one picture. That’s all.”

I didn’t know what to say. The last thing I wanted was another round of questions from the media, but refusing his father would look bad. So, I nodded weakly. “It’s fine. Just one.”

Richard clapped his hands once, pleased. “Good! That’s the spirit.”

The cameraman adjusted his lens while we stood side by side. I could feel Lance’s discomfort even without looking at him. His posture was stiff, his jaw tight. I tried to smile, but I wasn’t sure if I was pulling it off.

“Perfect!” Richard said, looking at us through the camera’s screen. “But you two look like coworkers, not husband and wife, not even lovers. Add some life to it. Smile, show some emotion. You’re supposed to be the perfect couple!”

Lance’s brow furrowed slightly. I was about to step aside and say we could retake it later, but then he moved.

Without warning, his hand reached for mine. He grabbed it firmly, his fingers intertwining with mine like it was the most natural thing in the world.

My heart skipped a beat.

His hand was warm. He didn’t even look at me, but I could see from the way his jaw flexed that he was holding back a lot of emotion… maybe frustration, maybe something else.

The camera flashed.

I couldn’t move. My pulse was loud in my ears. I knew it wasn’t real, that it was just for the picture, but my heart didn’t seem to care. The way his fingers stayed locked with mine felt too real, too intimate.

Richard smiled proudly. “That’s more like it! Now that’s a picture of power and love.”

Lance finally let go of my hand after the second flash. The air between us shifted again, awkward but still intense.

I tried to hide my shaking fingers by folding them in front of me. He noticed. I could tell because he glanced down, then back up, his expression softening just slightly before he looked away again.

“Thank you, kids,” Richard said cheerfully. “You two should head up now. I’ll finish the interview myself.”

“Sure,” Lance said. His voice was clipped but polite.

I scoffed. I couldn’t believe this was the man I thought bites.

We turned toward the elevator. The doors opened, and as we stepped in, the silence was strong enough to choke on.

I didn’t know whether to say thank you or pretend the entire thing didn’t happen. My hand still tingled where he had held it.

When the doors closed, I finally looked at him. He was staring straight ahead, his expression… that I couldn’t figure out.

“You didn’t have to hold my hand like that,” I said quietly.

He looked down at me, his eyes calm but showed no emotion. “You heard my father. He wanted emotion.”

“That wasn’t emotion,” I said, trying to sound calm even though my heart was still racing. “That was… something else.”

He didn’t reply. He just looked at me one last time, and for a second, I saw it… the same softness I’d seen in the car that morning, the one he tried so hard to hide.

Then the elevator dinged, and he stepped out first.

I stayed there for a moment longer, staring at my reflection in the metal door before it closed again. My heart was still beating fast.

Something was changing. I could feel it. And no matter how much Lance tried to hide it behind that cold face, I knew he felt it too.

And I was afraid it was changing for me too.