Chap 1
The Imperial Crown Hotel stood above the city like a palace of glass.
Its Royal Suite occupied the entire top floor.
Politicians.
Royal families.
International billionaires.
Only the world's elite ever crossed its golden doors.
Tonight...
The suite had been reserved for a private anniversary celebration.
Damien Blackwood had planned everything himself.
Fresh white orchids.
Crystal chandeliers.
A violin quartet.
A private dinner overlooking the skyline.
Most importantly...
Tonight was supposed to be the evening he finally announced to the world that he and his wife were expecting their first child.
The future heir to the Blackwood Empire.
Instead...
The celebration became a nightmare.
Earlier that evening...
Sophia Blackwood stood alone inside the suite.
Seven months pregnant.
She gently rested one hand on her stomach while smiling at the tiny pair of baby shoes she had secretly wrapped as Damien's anniversary gift.
She had waited weeks for this moment.
She wanted to surprise him.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Sophia smiled.
"Damien?"
She opened the door.
Standing outside...
Was Scarlett Vale.
The woman everyone believed was merely Damien's executive assistant.
She wore a stunning strapless crimson gown.
Diamond earrings sparkled beneath the hallway lights.
She smiled politely.
"I came to help prepare the room."
Sophia welcomed her inside.
She never noticed the hatred hidden behind Scarlett's smile.
Minutes later...
The atmosphere changed.
Scarlett quietly locked the suite door.
Sophia frowned.
"What are you doing?"
Scarlett slowly removed her evening gloves.
"You know..."
"I've waited years for tonight."
Sophia looked confused.
"I don't understand."
Scarlett laughed softly.
"You really don't."
She stepped closer.
"Everything Damien built..."
"The Blackwood fortune."
"The company."
"The legacy."
"It should have been mine."
Sophia shook her head.
"Scarlett..."
"You're scaring me."
Scarlett's expression turned cold.
"No."
"You should be terrified."
Without warning...
Scarlett shoved Sophia violently backward.
The pregnant woman crashed against the marble coffee table.
Crystal champagne flutes shattered across the floor.
Sophia cried out, instinctively protecting her unborn child.
"My baby..."
Scarlett kicked the wrapped baby shoes across the room.
"There won't be any baby."
"There won't be any heir."
Sophia struggled to crawl away.
Scarlett grabbed her by the hair.
"You ruined everything."
"I spent five years earning Damien's trust."
"And then..."
"You appeared."
Sophia screamed for help.
The soundproof walls swallowed every cry.
Meanwhile...
Several floors below...
Damien's motorcade entered the underground garage.
His meeting overseas had ended two days early.
He wanted to surprise Sophia.
As he stepped into the private elevator, his chief of security received an emergency call.
"Sir..."
"We've lost contact with Mrs. Blackwood."
Damien's smile disappeared.
"What do you mean?"
"The suite cameras went offline twenty minutes ago."
His instincts immediately screamed that something was wrong.
"Call hotel security."
"No..."
He corrected himself.
"Call the police."
The elevator shot upward.
Straight toward the Royal Suite.
Inside...
Sophia lay curled across the carpet.
Her white gown stained with blood and spilled champagne.
She clutched her stomach.
Please...
She whispered through tears.
"My baby..."
Scarlett stood over her.
Victory filled her eyes.
"By tomorrow..."
"Everyone will believe you fell."
"And Damien..."
"He'll need someone loyal to help him recover."
She smiled.
"I'll be waiting."
At that exact moment...
A deafening explosion echoed through the hallway.
BANG!
The reinforced suite doors burst open.
Armed officers flooded inside.
Behind them...
Damien Blackwood stepped into the room.
His tuxedo still immaculate.
His expression completely frozen.
His eyes landed on Sophia.
Time stopped.
The wrapped baby shoes.
The shattered glass.
The blood.
May you like
His pregnant wife trembling on the floor.
His world collapsed in one heartbeat.
