Chapter 3 His One Mistake

Zane Blackwell never made mistakes.

Every deal, every calculated risk, every business move, he ruled his world with precision. Power wasn't something he inherited; he built it, brick by every bloody brick.

But that night...

That night in the club...

That woman...

She was his one mistake and he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Not her name, he never asked.

Not where she lived, he never cared.

But her eyes, haunted and stormy. The way her body trembled like a woman unraveling. The way she clung to him like he was her last breath.

It wasn't supposed to mean anything.

He hadn't planned on staying. Hadn't expected to linger in that hotel room long enough to watch her sleep, her lashes wet with tears even in her dreams.

He was supposed to disappear before dawn.

And he did. Because if he didn't...

He would've stayed.

And Zane Blackwell didn't do staying especially not when he had a war to win.

...

He stood at the top floor of his skyscraper, city lights sprawling beneath him, the morning sun slicing through glass.

His assistant, Gregory, hovered by the door. "Sir, David Cross's merger with the Easton Group just fell through."

Zane's jaw ticked. "Good. Make sure it stays dead."

"Yes, sir. But there's... something else."

Zane turned, impatient.

Gregory hesitated. "A source from the club identified the woman you were with that night... she might be David's wife."

Zane's body went still.

"What did you just say?"

"She's been seen with him before. There's speculation they were married. Public record is sealed...he must've used legal force to keep it private."

Zane stared out the window, his mind spinning.

David's wife?

That broken, desperate woman who clung to him like the world had ended?

His fingers curled into fists.

That changes everything.

...

Zane and David weren't just business rivals. Their feud ran deeper than corporate takeovers or media headlines.

Years ago, David had humiliated Zane's family, exposed his father's bankruptcy, crushed the company Zane would have inherited, and forced them into ruin.

Zane didn't just lose wealth.

He lost respect.

He swore he'd get it all back and bury David in the process.

He had built his empire in the shadows, quietly becoming the name no one saw coming.

Now fate handed him David's weakness.

His wife or ex-wife, if the rumors were true.

The irony almost made him laugh.

Zane wasn't a man who believed in fate. But this...this was a weapon handed to him gift-wrapped.

...

"Find out everything," he ordered Gregory. "Her name, her past, where she lives. I want eyes on her, but no contact. Not yet."

Gregory nodded and left.

Zane poured a glass of scotch and sat behind his desk.

He could use her, play her, make David bleed where it hurt most, emotionally, publicly.

And he would. That was the plan but as he sipped the drink, her face flashed through his mind again.

The way she looked up at him that night. Not like he was rich. Not like he was a means to an end. Just... a man. Someone to hold onto.

Someone to break with.

Zane had never been needed like that before.

And for one night, he gave her something real...something raw.

It hadn't felt like revenge then. It had felt like escape.

His brow furrowed. She didn't know who he was. She'd walked away without a name. She hadn't even tried to find him.

That should've made this easier.

But it didn't.

...

Miles away, in a quiet room, Alina sat with a trembling hand over her stomach, staring at the soft flicker on the ultrasound screen.

A heartbeat. She hadn't expected it to make her cry but it did.

The nurse smiled gently. "You're about eight weeks along."

"Who knew one night could change things?" She muttered under her breath to herself.

The night and the man...

Alina left the clinic, wrapping her coat tighter as the world spun around her. She hadn't told anyone yet. Not even Maya, who hadn't returned her calls for weeks now.

She was alone again. But this time, it wasn't just about her.

A tiny life fluttered inside her. Someone innocent. Someone hers.

She was willing to fight the world to protect the little life in her.

And no matter how the father disappeared, no matter how confused and afraid she felt...

She wouldn't let this child feel unwanted.

Not like she had not like she still did.

...

That night, Zane stood in the shadows of a building across the street from Alina's apartment. He didn't know why he was there.

Just watching.

She stepped out with a bag of groceries, moving slower than before.

She looked... tired.

She looked pale and beautiful in a way that twisted something deep in his gut.

Gregory's voice came through his earpiece. "Are you sure about this? If she's pregnant, things would get really messy."

Zane's jaw tightened. "I know."

"You could walk away. Still get revenge the usual way. Buy out Cross Tech's partners. Gut his board."

But Zane kept watching Alina.

She dropped her keys. Paused. Pressed her hand to her stomach.

Zane's breath caught.

"She's pregnant! And it's mine."

That truth hit him harder than any business deal.

This wasn't just revenge anymore.

Not just David. This was real and now, he had a decision to make.

...

He turned from the window and spoke coldly into the mic.

"Tell the press: David Cross is having an affair. Leak the story. Let it burn."

"And the girl?" Gregory asked.

Zane stared into the night, voice low.

"She's not ready to know who I am yet. But she will."

He didn't know if he wanted her forgiveness or her fear.

But one thing was clear.

She would never forget him.

And neither would David.