CHAPTER 12

Franco sat in his dimly lit office, his fingers tapping idly against the smooth mahogany of his desk. The space was eerily silent except for the distant hum of the city beyond the glass windows. Piles of paperwork sat untouched, his laptop screen cast a dull glow, yet his mind was elsewhere—caught in an endless loop of thoughts he couldn’t silence.

The weight of everything pressed against his chest.

Athena. The child she carried. The company he no longer owned.

And Celine.

His throat tightened at the thought of her name. He had spent the past few months convincing himself that she didn’t matter anymore. That her betrayal, her coldness, had erased whatever was left of his feelings.

But the truth had always been the same.

Celine had never been easy to forget.

A sharp knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He straightened, forcing his expression into something neutral.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open, and Athena stepped inside. She looked tired—her makeup barely concealing the exhaustion in her eyes, her dress hanging a little looser around her body. Pregnancy had softened her once-sharp features, but Franco could barely bring himself to acknowledge it.

“I was waiting for you at home,” she said, her tone laced with quiet accusation.

“I had work,” he replied flatly.

Athena crossed the room, placing a hand on his desk as she studied him. “Work?” She let out a small, bitter laugh. “You don’t even own this company anymore, Franco. You sold it to her.”

His jaw clenched. “I know.”

“Then why are you still here?”

Franco exhaled sharply, pushing back his chair and standing. He towered over her, his presence cold, detached. “What do you want, Athena?”

Her lips parted slightly, as if the question had caught her off guard. “I wanted to see you,” she admitted. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

He didn’t deny it.

Athena swallowed, her fingers gripping the desk. “You don’t even touch me anymore.”

Franco let out a humorless laugh. “You’re pregnant, Athena.”

“That didn’t stop you before.”

Silence stretched between them.

She was right.

Before, he would have at least made an effort. Played the part of the devoted husband. But now, every time he looked at her, all he saw was doubt. The nagging question in the back of his mind that refused to be silenced.

Was the child even his?

Athena took a slow breath, her voice quieter now. “Are you still thinking about her?”

Franco stiffened.

Athena let out a hollow chuckle. “Of course you are. You always do.” She stepped closer, her perfume cloying, suffocating. “Franco, you’re my husband.”

“And yet, we both feel like strangers.”

Athena flinched as if he had struck her.

For a moment, she seemed to debate whether to say something else, but then, without another word, she turned on her heel and walked out, the door clicking shut behind her.

Franco exhaled heavily, rubbing a hand over his face.

His marriage was already a wreck.

And he wasn’t sure if it had ever been anything else.

A Chance Encounter

Celine ran a hand through her hair as she stepped into the café, the rich aroma of coffee filling the air. She had barely slept, her mind buzzing with thoughts she refused to entertain.

She had finally won.

The company was hers.

So why did it feel so... unsatisfying?

She placed her order and leaned against the counter, staring absently at the street outside.

And then—

“Celine.”

Her breath hitched.

She turned slowly, and there he was.

Franco.

He stood just a few feet away, his expression unreadable. He looked tired—more exhausted than she had ever seen him before. His suit was sharp as always, but there was something different in the way he carried himself.

Something defeated.

Celine’s fingers curled against the counter. “What are you doing here?”

He hesitated for a fraction of a second before stepping closer. “I needed coffee.”

She scoffed. “Right. Because out of all the places in the city, you just happened to end up here.”

Franco didn’t respond.

The tension between them was suffocating.

When the barista called her name, she grabbed her coffee and made a move to leave, but Franco’s voice stopped her.

“Celine.”

She didn’t turn around.

“Are you happy?”

Her grip on the cup tightened.

For a long moment, she didn’t answer.

Then—

“Yes.”

A lie.

And she knew he heard it.

But instead of calling her out on it, Franco only let out a slow breath.

“Good,” he murmured.

She walked away before he could say anything else.

Because if she stayed, she wasn’t sure what she’d do.

Harvey’s Warning

That evening, Celine sat across from Harvey at an upscale restaurant, swirling her wine in its glass.

Harvey was talking, but her mind was elsewhere.

Still back in that café.

Still back with Franco.

“Celine?”

She blinked, snapping back to the present. “Hm?”

Harvey smirked. “You weren’t listening.”

She sighed. “Sorry. Just... a long day.”

Harvey studied her for a moment, then leaned back in his chair. “You ran into him, didn’t you?”

Celine stiffened. “Who?”

“You know who.”

She didn’t respond.

Harvey’s expression darkened. “He’s going to try to come back.”

Celine frowned. “I don’t think so.”

“You underestimate him.”

She scoffed. “I bought his company, Harvey. He walked away without a fight. I think it’s safe to say he’s done.”

Harvey shook his head. “You don’t know him like I do.”

Something in his tone made her pause.

“Franco doesn’t just give up. He may have walked away, but that doesn’t mean he’s accepted it. He’s waiting.”

“For what?”

Harvey’s gaze was sharp.

“For the right moment.”

Celine swallowed.

But before she could say anything else, her phone buzzed.

She glanced down.

A message.

From an unknown number.

“We need to talk. – Franco”

Her breath caught.

When she looked up, Harvey was watching her.

And the warning in his eyes was unmistakable.

Celine’s grip tightened around her phone as she reread Franco’s message.

“We need to talk.”

Her heartbeat quickened, but she kept her expression neutral. She could feel Harvey’s eyes on her, sharp and assessing, waiting for her reaction.

She exhaled slowly and locked her phone, setting it face down on the table.

“Who was that?” Harvey asked, his voice casual, but the tension beneath it was unmistakable.

Celine met his gaze, her lips curling into a smirk. “No one important.”

Harvey raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Is that so?”

She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her wine. “Why? You don’t trust me?”

Harvey chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “I trust you, Celine. It’s him I don’t trust.”

Celine said nothing.

Because the truth was, she didn’t trust Franco either.

Not with her company.

Not with her heart.

And definitely not with the secret she had kept from him for six years.

Harvey reached across the table, his fingers brushing over her hand. “Just promise me one thing.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

“If he tries to come back into your life—if he tries to manipulate you—don’t let him.” His voice was firm. “Don’t let him break you again.”

Celine’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“I won’t.”

But as she sat there, swirling her wine, she couldn’t help but feel that it was already too late.

A Late-Night Meeting

Franco sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he waited outside the dimly lit park.

He wasn’t sure if she would come.

Hell, he wasn’t even sure why he had asked her to.

But when he saw her familiar silhouette approaching, his breath hitched.

Celine.

She was wearing a fitted blazer and high heels, her hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. The sight of her alone was enough to stir something deep inside him—something he had tried to bury.

She stopped a few feet away from his car, arms crossed.

“This better be good,” she said coolly.

Franco stepped out, his eyes never leaving hers. “It’s been a while.”

Celine scoffed. “Don’t act like this is some casual reunion, Franco. You asked me to meet you. So talk.”

He exhaled sharply.

She had always been like this. Guarded. Unyielding.

But he knew her better than anyone.

She wasn’t as indifferent as she pretended to be.

“I need answers,” he said finally.

Celine arched an eyebrow. “About what?”

He took a step closer. “Why did you buy my company?”

She tilted her head. “Because it was a good business move.”

“Bullshit.” His voice was sharp. “You didn’t do it for business, Celine. You did it for me.”

Her jaw clenched. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

But Franco wasn’t letting this go.

“I know you, Celine,” he said, his voice quieter now. “You wouldn’t waste your time on something unless it meant something to you.”

Celine’s fingers curled into fists at her sides.

She wanted to deny it.

Wanted to tell him he was wrong.

But the truth was, she had bought the company because of him.

Because deep down, despite everything, she had wanted to see him again.

To prove that she had won.

To prove that she didn’t need him anymore.

But standing here now, looking into his eyes, she wasn’t sure who had really won.

Franco stepped even closer, his presence overwhelming. “Tell me the truth, Celine.”

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding.

Then—

“I did it because I wanted to watch you suffer.”

A flicker of something crossed Franco’s face—pain, maybe. But it was gone in an instant.

He nodded slowly. “I see.”

Celine turned away before he could say anything else. “We’re done here.”

But as she walked away, she heard his voice one last time.

“You may have taken my company, Celine, but you haven’t taken everything from me.”

She didn’t turn back.

Because deep down, she was afraid he was right.

A Bitter Realization

Franco sat in his office, staring at the ceiling.

Celine’s words still echoed in his head.

“I did it because I wanted to watch you suffer.”

He let out a bitter laugh.

He should have expected it.

Should have known that she still hated him.

But for some reason, it still hurt.

A soft knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Athena stepped inside.

She looked hesitant. Worried.

“Franco.”

He didn’t look at her. “What is it?”

Athena hesitated before walking closer. “I went to the doctor today.”

Franco’s grip tightened on his pen. “And?”

She swallowed. “They confirmed the due date. The baby is coming sooner than we thought.”

His chest tightened.

For months, he had been avoiding the truth.

Avoiding the nagging suspicion in his head.

But now, it was staring him in the face.

If the baby was coming earlier than expected—

Then maybe it wasn’t his at all.

He finally looked at Athena, his expression unreadable.

“Athena.”

She bit her lip. “Yes?”

His voice was cold.

“I want a paternity test.”

Her face paled.

And in that moment, he knew.

He already had his answer.