The Comments Said My Baby Was Worth A Billion-Dollar Empire Chapter 04

The Comments Said My Baby Was Worth A Billion-Dollar Empire Chapter 04

I didn’t dare pick up. Victor glanced at me.

“Scared of your own family?”

I jutted my chin out. “I’m not scared.”

The ringing cut out. Almost instantly, it started again.

Dad this time. If I dodged another call, both my parents would show up at Vance Enterprises in person.

I took a breath and picked up. Mom’s voice blasted through the phone.

“Chloe, where are you?”

I shot Victor a look.

“Shopping.”

“Shopping? On the top floor of Vance Enterprises?”

My stomach dropped. Julian. He’d sold me out.

Mom confirmed it in the next breath. Julian had told them I’d gone to Victor with an ultrasound.

I pulled the phone away from my ear. Her voice climbed higher.

“Are you pregnant?”

Victor’s grandmother was already leaning in.

I closed my eyes. “Yes.”

A heavy beat of silence passed on the line. Then Mom started crying.

“Have you lost your mind? You’re too young for this, and what exactly is going on with you and Victor?”

Victor took the phone out of my hand before I could answer.

“Mrs. Sterling. I’ll handle this.”

The line went quiet. Then Dad’s voice replaced hers.

“Victor, let Chloe come home.”

Victor’s eyes flicked to me. I shook my head.

“She’s staying here for now,” Victor said.

Dad’s voice went sharp. “You don’t get to keep my daughter.”

Victor didn’t flinch. “I’m not keeping her. She can leave whenever she wants.”

I grabbed his sleeve. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Something shattered on the other end of the line.

Mom’s voice shook. “Chloe, this isn’t over.”

The line went dead.

I buried my face in the blanket. Dead. I was dead.

His grandmother patted my hand. “Don’t you worry. You’re a Vance now. We take care of our own.”

I stared at her. “Just moments ago, you wanted to pack me off to the estate for a paternity test.”

His grandmother opened her mouth and closed it again. Victor cleared his throat.

“Let’s head to my place.”

I knew Victor lived well. Everyone did. But I still wasn’t prepared for the car pulling through the gates. My spirits lifted instantly.

“Victor, I could definitely survive being pregnant here.”

He tugged his tie loose. “You’ll take the master bedroom.”

I pulled a throw pillow into my lap and settled onto the couch. “And where are you sleeping?”

“Guest room.”

I frowned. “That’s too far. What if I get hungry in the middle of the night?”

Victor looked at me. “Where do you want me to sleep?”

I pointed toward the master bedroom. “There’s plenty of room in that bed.”

Something shifted in his eyes. “Chloe. Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

I shut my mouth.

I woke up starving sometime after midnight and padded barefoot to the kitchen. The fridge was stocked like a five-star kitchen, and I couldn’t cook a single thing in it.

I found a carton of strawberries and bit into one. Victor’s voice cut through the dark behind me.

“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

I jumped so hard the strawberry slipped out of my hand.

He crossed the kitchen, lifted me onto the island, and crouched down to slide his own slippers onto my cold feet. Every motion was careful, almost tender.

I watched him from above, his lashes low, his focus entirely on my feet, and my pulse stumbled.

The comments flashed across my vision.

[Friendly reminder: Julian is downstairs.]

[And he brought the whole Sterling family with him.]

The doorbell rang.