Chapter 344: Fake Pregnancy

Chapter 344: Fake Pregnancy
[Sarah]

I watched my phone screen intently as Olivia's video call connected, the grainy hotel lobby coming into view. She had transformed herself completely – a golden blonde wig cascaded over her shoulders, heavy makeup accentuated her features, and she wore a stunning designer dress that screamed wealth and sophistication.

"Can you see me clearly?" Olivia whispered into her phone as she strode across the marble floor of the Centre Hotel lobby.

"Perfect," I replied, admiring her commitment to the role. "You look like a completely different person."

The front desk receptionist's eyes widened as Olivia approached, clearly mesmerized by her commanding presence. Without hesitation, she demanded, "I need to see your manager. Now."

The young man behind the desk didn't even ask for identification. Something about Olivia's aura – the way she carried herself, the expensive jewelry glinting under the lobby lights – spoke of serious money. "Of course, ma'am. I'll call him immediately."

Within minutes, a middle-aged man in an impeccable suit appeared, practically beaming at the sight of Olivia. "Good afternoon. I'm Robert, the hotel manager. How may I assist you today?"

Olivia placed a perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder with practiced familiarity. "Let's find somewhere more private to talk, shall we? I have a business proposition that might interest you very much."

"Certainly," Robert replied, his eyes lighting up at the prospect. "Please, follow me to my office."

As they walked through the hotel corridors, I marveled at Olivia's performance. She moved with the confidence of someone accustomed to getting exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it.

Once inside the manager's office, Olivia settled into the leather chair across from his desk as if she owned the place. "I need to see your male staff profiles," she stated without preamble. "The ones with photos, specifically."

Robert's smile faltered slightly. "I'm sorry, miss, but our staff information is confidential—"

Olivia smoothly produced a black American Express Centurion card, placing it deliberately on his desk. The manager's eyes fixed on the prestigious card, and I could practically see the dollar signs reflecting in his pupils.

"This question doesn't align with your professional standards," Olivia said with a knowing smile. "Obviously, I need male staff for... special services. Money isn't an issue." She leaned forward slightly. "Bring me those profiles, and if I find someone suitable, your commission will be extremely generous."

The manager's demeanor shifted instantly. The sight of that black card had apparently dissolved all his professional ethics. "Of course, of course! Please, give me just a moment."

He returned quickly with an iPad, swiping through professional headshots of the hotel's male staff. Olivia held her phone at just the right angle for me to see each photo clearly.

"Let me have my friend help me choose," Olivia explained casually as she photographed each profile. "I can introduce you to many wealthy female clients who might be interested in similar arrangements."

Robert nodded enthusiastically, his earlier hesitation completely forgotten. "That would be wonderful for business."

I studied each photo carefully until one face made my heart skip. "That's him," I texted back immediately, attaching the screenshot. "The one named Ryan."

Olivia didn't miss a beat. "I want this one," she announced, pointing to Ryan's photo. "I need him now."

"Well," Robert said uncertainly, "I'm not sure if he's comfortable providing those kinds of services—"

"Are you questioning my charm?" Olivia interrupted with a raised eyebrow that could have cut glass.

"No, no! Of course not!" Robert backtracked quickly. "Let me call him right away."

Twenty minutes later, a nervous young man appeared at the office door. Ryan looked exactly as I remembered – tall, lean, with dark hair and anxious eyes that darted around the room.

Olivia pulled out a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills, fanning them casually in front of the manager. "If your employee satisfies me, there will be much more where this came from," she promised.

Robert's face lit up with greed. Turning to Ryan, he said, "Ryan, this beautiful and very generous lady has specifically requested your company. You're a lucky man today!"

Ryan's face flushed as he took in Olivia's appearance, clearly assuming this was going to be a very different kind of encounter than what awaited him.

An hour later, we sat in a luxury suite at a different hotel. Ryan's expression had transformed from shy anticipation to complete bewilderment when he saw me waiting in the elegant living room.

"I... I don't understand," he stammered, looking between Olivia and me with growing panic.

I pushed a stack of cash and a small vial across the coffee table toward him. "If you answer my questions honestly, this money is yours," I said calmly. "If you don't cooperate, this little bottle will ensure you never speak to anyone about anything ever again."

Ryan stared at the vial with obvious terror. "What... what is that?"

"A special poison," I replied matter-of-factly. "Ingestion causes immediate death. Completely undetectable by standard forensic analysis."

His face drained of color, and he dropped to his knees. "Ms. Sullivan, please! Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you! But I'm just a server – I really don't know much about what goes on behind the scenes!"

"Good," I said, satisfied by his cooperation. "Now, the night I was tricked into coming to your hotel – who assigned you to serve me? And the woman in that video – have you seen her before?"

Ryan's hands shook as he spoke. "I was just told to bring water to the VIP room. But..." He paused, swallowing hard. "I did see a woman who looked very much like you, Ms. Sullivan."

"Go on," I encouraged.

"I thought it was strange because you were unconscious when I saw you, but later that same evening, I saw this other woman who looked almost identical to you, and she was... she was very much awake and active."

I felt my pulse quicken. "You think the woman in the video was me?"

"No, absolutely not!" Ryan shook his head emphatically. "You were unconscious the entire time I saw you. There's no way you could have done what that woman did in the video."

After giving him the money and extracting his promise of silence, I showed him a photo on my phone. "Ryan, look at this picture. Is this the woman you saw who looked like me?"

His eyes widened with recognition. "Yes! That's her. She really does look remarkably similar to you, but there are subtle differences if you look closely."

"When you saw this woman, was she pregnant?"

Ryan nodded vigorously. "Yes, definitely. She had the same kind of pregnancy bump you do now. At first, I thought she was you, but when I encountered the real you later, I realized they were two different people."

Everything clicked into place. Nora had been impersonating me, using the fake pregnancy to make the deception more convincing. The pieces of this elaborate frame-up were finally coming together.

The next morning, I walked into the gleaming lobby of Pierce Technologies with two security guards flanking me. The receptionist recognized me immediately, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of my obvious pregnancy.

"Ms. Sullivan," she said nervously, "are you here to see Mr. Pierce? He hasn't arrived at the office yet."

"No," I replied coolly. "I'm here to see someone in your PR department."

She hesitated for a moment, then pressed the elevator button for me. "The PR department is on the seventh floor."

"Thank you," I said as I stepped into the elevator. "I can find my way myself."