“Whoever has a child first, either you or your sister, will inherit the Benson Group. ”
That was my grandfather’s rule. And I would rather die than let my sister Kathleen run our family’s company. So, despite every instinct screaming against it, I went to that exclusive agency, sat through their presentations, and chose a man based on genetics and pedigree.
It was supposed to be a transaction. Nothing more. But the man I picked did more than talk that night. He left me stunned, and he left me pregnant.
I didn’t know his real name then. I thought he was just a sharp-tongued escort I’d hired for a single night. I told him not to get greedy when he acted smug the next morning. I had no idea I was delivering those words to Elliot Palmer, the reclusive CEO of the Palmer Group, the most powerful man in the city.
My sister Kathleen had her own plans. She flaunted her boyfriend Xander everywhere, convinced the Palmer family connection would secure her inheritance. She mocked my single status and my so-called “good-for-nothing” boyfriend. What she didn’t know was that Xander wasn’t a Palmer at all.
He was the son of the Palmer family’s driver, a scammer who’d changed his name to fake his way into our lives. When we both showed up to pitch for the same Palmer Group project, Kathleen spilled coffee on my dress at the pre-bid conference, trying to humiliate me into leaving. Instead, Mr. Palmer’s secretary offered me a fresh outfit.
I was led to a private room, and when I came out, I came face to face with the man who had spent that night with me. He didn’t admit who he was then. He played games, acting like I was the one who needed him, letting me believe I’d somehow attached myself to a rich guest at the event. I accused him of being a con artist trying to impress me.
He let me walk away without correcting me. When I found out Kathleen was about to marry into the Palmer family, I panicked and nearly booked another escort to secure my baby’s father. He interfered, quietly outbidding everyone, leaving only himself available. Even then, I didn’t realize it.
Then my grandfather’s birthday arrived. I had to bring a boyfriend to save face, and he agreed to play the part. He made up an identity as a young entrepreneur. We even bought a rare vintage wine as a gift.
But Kathleen, who had been told the truth by a gossip, exposed that I’d bought the wine with my own money. She was about to ruin everything, until an even more expensive gift arrived, a limited-edition watch worth millions. I claimed I’d had it made as a fake, spending eighty thousand dollars. Or maybe I should have said eight hundred.
The truth didn’t matter. I had to look like I could afford him, even if I couldn’t. But the real blow came when my sister introduced her fiancé to my grandfather. She claimed Xander was Elliot Palmer’s nephew.
I knew better. I’d done my research. That man was a fraud. But I kept the secret, waiting to see how high they’d climb before they fell.
Kathleen pushed me further. She announced her pregnancy, a golden ticket in my grandfather’s eyes. The Benson Group, I later learned, was on the verge of financial collapse, and my grandfather had pinned all his hopes on a Palmer marriage saving us. When I finally saw the truth, he offered me to the Jenkins family as a substitute bride.
I agreed, ready to sacrifice myself to save my mother’s legacy. I didn’t tell anyone I was pregnant. I didn’t tell anyone the father was the man I’d been fighting with all along. At the Jenkins engagement party, Liam Jenkins joked about our separate lives.
Then I dropped the bomb: I was pregnant. He laughed it off, saying my boldness matched the gossip. He didn’t know the father’s identity. He didn’t know I was carrying the heir of the family he was about to marry into.
That’s when Elliot Palmer walked in. Mr. Palmer cut all business ties with the Jenkins family right then, in front of everyone. When Liam demanded an explanation, Elliot didn’t mince words: “Your future wife is the mother of my child.
”
The room exploded. Kathleen fumed, watching everything she’d built crumble. She accused me of ruining her life, of stealing her chance at the Palmer family, of wrecking her inheritance. She didn’t see that she’d been the one faking her way through it all.
Elliot, furious, tried to expose Kathleen for her lies. He brought in Xander, the scammer, and revealed the truth. Kathleen wasn’t pregnant. She never was.
She couldn’t have children. The entire pregnancy was a trick to grab control of the Benson Group. She had been embezzling from the company for years. My grandfather watched in horror as the police arrested his beloved granddaughter.
She screamed, begged, and pleaded, but no one believed her anymore. Not after everything she’d done to me. Later, alone in my room, Elliot found me. He told me he knew everything.
He’d known for months. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to say the words. He wanted an apology.
I wanted him to realize that every cruel thing he’d said to me had been a test, one I kept failing without knowing why. I told him I was sorry. He asked if that was all I had to say. I hesitated, then finally admitted that every kid deserves a dad.
If he wasn’t up for the responsibility, I’d manage on my own. He went quiet for a moment. Then he said, “I’m going to be the best dad in the world. ”
The next day, I faced the press as the new CEO of the Benson Group.
My grandfather had stepped down after witnessing Kathleen’s crimes. I promised to restore our family’s legacy. Then I introduced the man beside me. “This is my husband,” I said.
“And the father of my child. ”
Elliot Palmer, the man who once stood in a corner, unlined, refusing to bow to my whims, smiled at me. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel alone.
