Introduction

The cold screen of my phone cast a harsh glow on Olivia' s smug, made-up face-my art school rival-her latest post a candid, unflattering photo of me.

Then, I saw the caption: "Some people will do anything for money.

Here's Scarlet, a little fuller these days.

Wonder if she finally landed a big fish.

Or maybe it' s just a little goldfish she' s carrying?"

The comments exploded, branding me a gold-digger, a woman using a baby to trap a man.

Nausea churned in my stomach, not just morning sickness, but pure panic.

Just as the world narrowed to the poison spreading online, a new notification flashed: a press release from the Sterling Corporation.

My heart pounded as I clicked, expecting another blow.

Instead, it was an announcement from the notoriously reclusive tech mogul, Liam Sterling: he confirmed he was the father of my unborn child and vowed legal action against any defamation.

The world tilted.

Liam Sterling?

The legendary, untouchable genius from college?

It was impossible.

I had never even spoken to him.

How could he be the father of a child conceived in a transaction with a nameless stranger in a dimly lit hotel room-a desperate mistake made to save my dying grandmother?

It made no sense.

The public shaming felt insignificant now, overshadowed by a terrifying reality: my quiet, desperate life had just collided with a world of unimaginable power.

I was trapped, a pawn in a game I didn' t understand.

I had signed a contract for survival, and now I was paying the ultimate price.