Pregnant With His Heir, He Married The Actress Instead Chapter 02

Pregnant With His Heir, He Married The Actress Instead Chapter 02

When I came out of the bathroom, Zayne was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows in a tailored suit, reading the morning financial paper.

The moment he saw the suitcase in my hand, he set the paper down, glanced at Spud curled up on the couch, and said in a low voice, “Raina, you don’t have to move out so fast. You and Spud can keep living here.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s better to make a clean break. I’ll find another place in the next couple of days.”

Zayne said nothing else and headed downstairs.

By the time I changed and went down, he had already made breakfast.

There was also a steaming bowl of medicinal broth on the table.

“Drink it. The temperature’s been dropping lately, so be careful.”

I froze for a second. I had only thrown out that excuse on the spot, but Zayne had actually believed me.

To keep from giving myself away, I picked up the bowl and took a few sips.

With practiced ease, he reached into a glass jar, took out a lemon drop, unwrapped it, and motioned for me to open my mouth.

The moment I saw the candy, my nose stung.

I hated bitter medicine.

This had always been the reward he gave me after coaxing me to take it.

But now, my tongue couldn’t taste any sweetness at all.

“It’s sour and bitter. It doesn’t even taste good,” I said with a bitter smile.

Zayne’s brow tightened almost imperceptibly.

But only for a second.

He picked up the candy jar, tossed it into the trash, and let out a soft scoff.

“Good. Better to get rid of it.”

“Cassidy doesn’t like candy. The smell alone makes her sick.”

I stared at the jar in the trash, and it felt as if someone had taken my heart and twisted it with all their strength.

It hurt so badly.

He had won that candy wish jar for me at a royal auction in Paris when I was twenty, bidding sky-high to get it for me.

They said that every piece of candy you ate from it added a little more happiness to your life.

And if the opposite was true… the pain would double.

As I was leaving, Zayne called after me and sent me a location pin on WhatsApp.

“Julian Leighton, the younger son of the Leighton Group. He’s into sailing and spends most of his time out on the water.”

“Remember him? He rushed back just to give you that model sailboat on your birthday.”

“That’s where your date is tonight. The paparazzi will be there.”

I understood exactly what he meant.

The Hale family had already publicly announced his marriage alliance with Cassidy.

I had been with him for seven years.

Now he had to remove me, this ticking time bomb, completely and cleanly from his life.

The best way to do that was to link me to another man in the tabloids, maybe even have me get married.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go,” I said.

I turned to leave, but Zayne suddenly caught my wrist. The look in his eyes was dark and unreadable.

“Raina, I’ve slept with you for seven years. I won’t shortchange you. If there’s something you want, tell me.”

I looked up at the tear mole beneath his right eye and smiled faintly.

“I want you to marry me. Can you do that?”

Zayne went still for a moment, then frowned.

Before he could speak, I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and forced a crooked smile.

“I’m kidding.”

“I should get to work. The station’s giving me its Reporter of the Year award today, and I can’t be late.”

At 7:50, my cab pulled up in front of Northstar News Tower.

When I reached the eighteenth floor and stepped into the Broadcast News Division, I saw Cassidy in a red dress walking out of the director’s office with a bright smile on her face.

I was still wondering what was going on when the director’s secretary raised a document and announced loudly, “Everyone, due to operational needs and by decision of senior management, Raina Lane is being transferred to the Digital Features Desk effective today.”

“The prime-time anchor slot she is vacating will be filled by Cassidy. I’m sure Miss Chambers needs no introduction. She’s an Oscar-winning Best Actress.”

I had been reassigned without warning.

My ears roared, and a bone-deep chill shot from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head.

The secretary glanced at me awkwardly before adding, “This was arranged personally by Zayne. And this year’s Reporter of the Year award will also go to Miss Chambers.”

Northstar News, the Hale Group’s flagship media company, was the largest news organization in the entire city.

Seattle Broadcast Network was part of it.

I took a deep breath and fought my emotions hard enough to keep the tears from falling.

Then I set the coffees I was carrying onto a desk and smiled. “Coffee’s on me, everyone. Since I didn’t get the award, let’s call it a transfer celebration instead.”

Normally, my coworkers would have rushed over to grab a cup.

This time, not one of them moved.

Cassidy walked down the steps, a smile curling her red lips.

“Hi, everyone. To better prepare for an upcoming role, I wanted to spend some time experiencing real office life for myself.”

“I brought coffee and desserts for everybody, so I hope you’ll all take good care of me.”

The moment Cassidy started handing drinks out herself, the whole room came alive.

There wasn’t enough room on the tables, so she threw the thirty-two coffees I had bought straight into the trash.

Then she turned around and held out a red velvet cupcake to me.

There was challenge and satisfaction in her eyes.

“So you’re Raina Lane?”

“Sorry for taking your position and your award.”

“I’ve heard cake helps improve your mood. Do you want one?”

My throat felt stuffed with cotton.

It was dry, tight, and suffocating, and not a single word would come out.