Chapter 141 141. Pregnant Visitor
I was quite disappointed as they led me down the corridor. Maybe Maya came back, or Seraphina wanted to say something she couldn't in front of everyone else. The officer opened the door to interview room two, and I stopped in my tracks.
'Okay, not what I was expecting.'
A pregnant woman sat at the metal table, her head completely bald, glasses perched on her nose. She was chewing gum with an aggressive rhythm that somehow felt familiar. When she looked up and removed the glasses, my stomach dropped.
Nadia Grey.
"What are you doing here?" I stayed by the door, every instinct telling me to leave. "Come to gloat?"
"Sit down." Her voice was ice and authority. That commanding tone that reminded me of when I'd first met Lucien.
"I'd rather stand."
"How did it happen?" She ignored my response, still chewing the gum aggressively.
"Why do you care?"
"How. Did. It. Happen." She enunciated each word like I was slow.
"It doesn't matter." I swallowed my pride and moved to the empty seat, crossing my hands on my chest defensively. "I committed a crime, now I pay for it. That's how justice works, right?"
Nadia's eyes narrowed. "Was it Ronan?"
"What?"
"Did Ronan leak the video? Because I switched everything. I made sure he had no leverage against you. So either I missed something, or someone else got their hands on that footage."
"That stalker," she continued, watching me carefully. "The one sending you messages. R, you called him. I told Lucien you might have another enemy. Did you ever figure out who that was?"
My mind wandered off briefly Rhys. Surely he was a tech genius, but why the hell would he take it that far? The only person who'd had access after that was sitting right in front of me.
"You had access to it," I said slowly. "After we deleted everything, you were the only one left with copies and-"
Nadia cut me off with a sharp laugh.
"You think I leaked it? Please. I don't like you, Sterling. Never have. But I also have nothing against you. My business was with Ronan, and only Ronan. He's sitting in maximum security right now with Victor Hayes, waiting for sentencing. Why would I care what happens to you?"
The logic made sense, but I couldn't shake the suspicion. "Then why are you here?"
"Because something doesn't add up." She resumed chewing her gum. "I'm methodical. I don't leave loose ends. If that video got out, someone found a way around my systems, and that's a big ass problem for me."
I studied her face, looking for any sign of deception. All I saw was cold calculation and a hint of professional pride being wounded.
She shifted her weight, her pregnant belly pressing against the edge of the table. I looked at the bump, then back at her face.
"Is it Ronan's?"
The change in her face was instant. Her jaw stopped moving. Her eyes blew wide. Then she started laughing. Not a small chuckle, but a full, body shaking laugh that went on so long a tear actually rolled down her cheek.
"Why would I ever keep that bastard's child?" She wiped her eye, still laughing.
"Really?" I tilted my head. "Because from where I'm sitting, the timing seems perfect.."
"It is mine!" Nadia roared, her palms slamming onto the table with a force that made me jump in my seat. Her eyes flickered with a deep-seated rage. "I am the mother and the father of this child. Do not mention that man's name in the same breath as my baby."
"Okay, okay." I held up my hands. "I just meant that accidents happen. It's not like you planned to-"
"Accidents?" Her voice rose. "You think my baby is an accident?"
"Well, I mean, if you and Ronan were ever-"
"Did you just call my baby a mistake?" She was standing now, leaning over the table.
"That's not what I-"
"Keep it down!" The officer in the corner stood up from his chair. "This is your only warning."
"I didn't raise my voice," I protested, looking at the officer. "She's the one who-"
"I don't care who started it. Keep. It. Down."
Nadia glared at the guard, her chest heaving, but she fell silent. I looked away. Why was she getting so mad? I hadn't raised my voice. I was just stating the obvious. The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on, a toxic mix of her anger and my despair.
Suddenly, the heavy steel door at the back of the room swung open, and the air shifted.
A chill swept through the cramped space, followed by the heavy, power-filled scent of cedar. My entire body went rigid.
Nadia slowly sat back, her expression shifting from rage to something resembling wariness.
I couldn't turn around. My heart stopped beating for a full second before it started again in a frantic, uneven rhythm. A lump formed in my throat, and a violent flutter erupted in my belly.
It had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the man standing behind me. That distinctive sound of expensive leather shoes on linoleum kept coming closer till it stopped directly behind me.
Heat radiated from him, a warmth that made the hair on my arms stand up. I slowly turned my head, my breath catching in my chest.
"Lucien?"