Chapter 10 THE DEAL

Chapter 10 THE DEAL
The black SUV pulled through a set of imposing iron gates, revealing a long, winding driveway that led to a sprawling, modern mansion of glass and steel. Annabella’s stomach twisted into a tight knot. She was no longer in control of her life; she was a passenger on a gilded rollercoaster she never asked to get on.
The car stopped, and Silas opened her door. “Welcome to the Astor estate, Miss Evans.”
She stepped out, her eyes widening at the sight of the house, which looked more like a museum than a home. And there, on the sprawling patio, were the two men who had turned her life upside down.
Luciano was on his feet in a flash, striding towards her, his face a mask of concern. “Annabella, are you alright? I saw what happened on the news. I told you this would happen. Are you hurt?” He took her hands in his, his touch gentle and reassuring.
“I’m fine, Luciano,” she said, her voice still shaky. “Just… shocked. It was… a lot.”
Killian stood a few feet away, his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. “I apologize for the methods, Annabella,” he said, his voice as cold as ever. “But we had to get you out of there. The media frenzy was out of control.”
“Methods?” she retorted, pulling her hands from Luciano's grasp. “You sent your goons to kidnap me from a grocery store. What was I supposed to do, wave goodbye to my loaf of bread?”
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Killian’s lips. “It was necessary. You are a liability, Annabella. But you are also carrying a child that may be mine. I cannot have you running around, getting accosted by the press.”
“And I,” Luciano interjected, stepping between them, “want to make sure you’re okay, regardless of whose child it is. You and the baby are my priority.”
Annabella looked from one man to the other. Luciano, with his warm, open demeanor, and Killian, with his intense, guarded one. Both men, for all their differences, were now claiming her and her unborn child.
“I don’t understand,” she said, her voice softer, more vulnerable. “Most people would run from this. They would demand an abortion. They would want nothing to do with this mess. Why are you both so… invested?”
Killian’s gaze was unflinching. “Because the child is mine,” he stated, his tone brooking no argument. “And therefore, so are you.”
Luciano’s jaw tightened. “The child is ours, Annabella. It’s a part of me, no matter what that test says.” He turned to Killian, his voice low and dangerous. “And she is not yours to claim, Astor.”
Annabella threw her hands up in exasperation. “Stop it! Just stop! This is what I’m talking about. You’re acting like I’m a possession, a prize to be won. I’m a person. I’m a woman. I’m an accountant, for goodness sake! I am not a toy for you two to fight over!”
The two men fell silent, their anger-filled gazes fixed on her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
“Look,” she began, “I don’t know who the father is yet. I don’t know who I can trust. But I do know that I cannot have my child’s life ruined before it even begins. The media is already speculating. They’re calling me a gold-digger, a fling… It’s going to get worse.”
She looked at Killian, then at Luciano. “The public will not like this. They’ll hate it. But it’s better than having my child be called a… a bastard. An accident. So, I have a proposition for you both.”
Killian raised a skeptical eyebrow. “What is it?”
“I’m going to stay with one of you,” she said, her resolve solidifying as she spoke. “I don’t know who the father is, but the public needs to believe that this isn’t a one-night stand, that this is a relationship. We will pretend to be a couple. We will be seen together. We will sell the lie that this is a love story, not a scandalous secret.”
Luciano’s eyes lit up. “Annabella, that’s brilliant. You and I, we could make this work. We already have a connection. We can pretend to be in love, and maybe, just maybe…”
“Hold on,” Killian cut in, his voice sharp. “If this is about my child, she stays here. With me. Where she will be safe and protected. Where the media will see that the heir is being raised by his rightful father.”
“And what about what Annabella wants?” Luciano challenged. “You’re just going to dictate her life like you do with your employees?”
“This is the most logical solution,” Killian insisted, turning his attention back to Annabella. “You will have the best of everything. My home is a fortress. My staff is the best in the world. You and the baby will have everything you could possibly want or need.”
Annabella shook her head. “This isn’t about logic, Killian. This is about what feels right. About who I can trust.” She looked at Luciano, her heart aching with the confusing pull she felt towards both of them. “Luciano, you’re… you’re everything I ever thought I wanted. Kind, charming, compassionate. You’re a good man.”
Luciano’s face softened, a hopeful light in his eyes. “Then come with me, Annabella. My estate is more private. We can be a family, away from all of this.”
She turned to Killian, and a different kind of pull, a raw, undeniable magnetic force, drew her in. “And Killian,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, “you’re… different. You’re intense, and you’re difficult. But there’s something about you… something that I can’t explain.”
He didn't move, just watched her, his expression a mixture of surprise and something else she couldn’t name.
“The media wants a love story,” Annabella continued, her eyes welling up with tears. “They can have it. I’ll make my decision after the paternity test. I will choose which one of you I want to form a fake relationship with, and the other one will have to accept it. For the sake of the baby. We’ll tell the world the truth, but with a happy ending, a love story. No matter what the outcome of the paternity test is, we will do this for the child.”
The two men looked at each other, the animosity between them palpable. But for the first time, it was laced with a new understanding, a shared goal. They were not just rivals anymore; they were potential fathers, and their child’s future was at stake.
“Fine,” Killian said, his voice tight. “But you are not leaving this estate until we have the results. You will be safe here.”
“I’ll be waiting for your call, Annabella,” Luciano said, his voice soft, almost a whisper. “Whatever you decide, I’ll be here for you and the baby.”
Annabella watched as the two men, one after the other, walked away. She was left standing alone in the middle of a beautiful, terrifying garden, with two billionaires, two men, two possibilities for a future she never imagined. She had made her choice, and now, the most difficult part was waiting. Waiting for the results that would determine who she would have to pretend to love, and who would be left behind.