Chapter242 Are You Pregnant?
Miranda kept her professional smile in place until Governor Ava's car pulled out of sight. Then she let it go.
That afternoon, once she finished the rest of her work, she drove to the hospital with the good news.
Christian was propped up against his pillows in the VIP suite, looking considerably better than before. The medication was doing its job. His leg nerves were recovering faster than expected, and the doctor had told him that in about a month he could start trying to walk again.
Miranda sat beside him, peeling an apple and giving him a light, easy rundown of everything that had happened.
Christian listened without interrupting. His dark eyes were full of pride.
His little sister had always been exactly like this. No matter what was thrown at her, she found a way through on her own terms.
"You did well," he said, and he meant every word.
Miranda cut the apple into small pieces, put a toothpick through one, and held it out to him. But when she saw the unguarded pride sitting in his eyes, the smile on her face went quiet.
Something heavy settled in her chest.
She was quiet for a moment. Then she made up her mind.
"Christian, there's something I need to tell you."
He caught the shift in her expression and let his smile fall.
"What is it?"
"Mom knows about Dominic and Evelyn."
She kept her voice low. The words themselves carried enough weight.
Christian's hand stopped in midair, the apple on the toothpick forgotten. He stayed perfectly still.
"Mom and I both agreed to keep things quiet for now. We have proof of the affair, but there's a lot tied up in the company and other assets that needs to be sorted out properly first. If she files for divorce after we've done the groundwork, she'll be in a much stronger position."
The room was almost completely silent. Just the faint sounds of the medical equipment.
It took Christian a moment to find his voice.
"Alright," he said. "That's the right call."
But the moment the words left him, a wave of helplessness and guilt crashed through him without warning.
Miranda was out there running a company alone and holding off attacks from every direction. Their mother had been betrayed by her husband and her own sister and was holding herself together through sheer will.
And he was lying in a hospital bed. Unable to do a single thing when they needed him most.
Christian dropped his eyes to his legs and tightened his fists.
"Christian." Miranda saw it happen and felt her throat tighten. She reached over and covered his hand with hers. "Stop. Don't do that to yourself."
She drew a breath.
"The accident was because of me. That's the truth."
Christian looked up sharply. His eyes went wide.
Miranda didn't look away. She gave him the short version of what Celeste had done.
She expected anger. Maybe shock.
What came out of his mouth first was neither.
"What about Clifton? How is he treating you?"
No fury in his voice at all. Only concern for her.
Lancaster was nowhere near Prescott's level, and he was afraid Miranda was the one paying the price for that gap. Celeste was Clifton's cousin. Would Clifton really turn on his own family for Miranda's sake?
Miranda's chest went warm.
"Don't worry." She blinked back the sting behind her eyes and pulled out a reassuring smile. "Clifton said he'd handle it and give me an answer. He's just tied up with something else right now. It'll take a little time."
Christian's shoulders finally loosened.
Clifton taking Miranda's side was what mattered. That was enough.
He went quiet, his gaze dropping to the bandaging around his legs, something moving behind his eyes.
Then he looked up directly at her.
"Miranda. Tell Mom about the accident."
She blinked. Then, in an instant, she understood exactly what he was suggesting.
Christian smiled slowly, and something calculated crept into those usually gentle eyes.
"We're already going to fight for everything Mom is owed. Might as well put my legs to work too."
Dominic was still their biological father. There was no way he could pretend his own son's serious accident had nothing to do with him.
The moment he showed even a flicker of guilt or concern, they could turn it into leverage and walk away with more than they came for.
"Deal." Miranda nodded immediately. "I'll go tell her now."
It would also give their mother a perfectly legitimate reason to move out of that house and into the hospital. Staying under the same roof as Dominic, seeing him every day, the risk of him noticing that something had changed was real.
Miranda left the hospital and drove straight to the Lancaster residence.
Her mother was exactly where she expected, in her room.
Arabella's tired face brightened when she saw Miranda walk in.
"Miranda, you're here."
"Mom." Miranda closed the door behind her, took her mother's hands, and sat with her on the edge of the bed. Her expression was serious. "I need to tell you something. Promise me you won't panic."
Arabella looked at her daughter's face, read the gravity in it, and then something entirely different sparked in her eyes. She grabbed Miranda's hands and lit up completely.
"Are you pregnant?"
Miranda stared at her.
She opened her mouth. Nothing came out for a full second.
Her mother's mind had leapt an extraordinary distance.
She shook her head slowly, somewhere between amused and baffled.
"No."
She caught the brief flicker of disappointment cross her mother's face and quickly moved on.
"It's about Christian. He hurt his leg. He's in the hospital."
Arabella's breath left her in a rush.
"But don't panic!" Miranda added immediately. "The doctor said he's almost recovered and there won't be any lasting damage. He'll be completely back to normal."
Arabella pressed a hand to her chest and let out a long, shaky breath.
Once the relief settled, Miranda laid out the plan she and Christian had worked out together.
Arabella listened in silence. When Miranda finished, a long pause followed.
Then the exhaustion in her eyes gave way to something firm and clear.
She looked at her daughter and smiled.
"I'm with you both. Whatever you need."
She had spent the last two days dreading the moment Dominic came home and she had to face him. Now, her son's accident had handed her a reason to leave that no one could question.
Once the decision was made, Arabella went to the master bedroom and arranged things to make it look like she had been sleeping there, just in case anyone checked.
When she was done, Miranda took out her phone and called Dominic.
At that moment, across the city, Dominic was sitting across from Evelyn at one of the finest restaurants downtown, candles lit, a string quartet playing softly in the background.
His phone buzzed on the table.
Evelyn glanced at it and frowned. She tugged at his arm, her voice sliding into a pout.
"You finally had an excuse to come see me, and now you're going to answer your phone? Don't you dare."
Dominic barely glanced at her.
If it had been Arabella calling, he would have ignored it without a second thought.
But the name on the screen was Miranda.
Miranda. Prescott's daughter-in-law. And the billion dollars that was practically within reach.
He picked up before the second ring.