Page 29 of Forbidden Boss
He kills people. He launders money. He kidnaps employees and forces them to live with him. He won’t want a child. It doesn’t fit into his world in any way. I can’t even imagine how he would react to this kind of news.
My head sinks between my knees as I focus on my breathing and consider my options. I could end this pregnancy quietly and tell no one. I could have the baby and pretend it’s someone else’s. All of that is less terrifying than telling him I’m pregnant with his child.
When my breathing is back under control, I get up, go back to work, and try to pretend nothing is wrong.
At two, I’m in a glass conference room for a scope meeting with Lev and Legal. He walks in last, and it’s hard not to notice just how good he looks. His sleeves are rolled up and he’s wearing a dark-blue shirt that makes his icy blue eyes pop. He looks at me once, quickly, and I almost fold right there. If nothing else, our baby will probably be gorgeous.
Legal drones on about some new procedure that I couldn’t care less about. The whole time, I sit there with my hand pressed against my flat stomach and try not to vomit.
This is real. I’m really pregnant and there isn’t much time to figure out what I’m going to do next, because there is a clock on this kind of thing.
Lev corners me after the meeting.
“You good?” he murmurs as heads bow over printouts. “Yuri told me you left during lunch.”
“I just needed to buy some shampoo,” I answer smoothly, because it isn’t entirely a lie.
He nods once, studying me for half a beat longer than necessary. He starts to say something, but I turn on my heel and walk fast back to my office. I can’t keep this news to myself. I need to talk to my best friend.
After work, I tell the driver to take me to Susie’s. Lev won’t be happy about it, but he really shouldn’t have given me so much freedom if he didn’t expect me to use it. The guard posted downstairs clocks my face and straightens. He says something into his wrist, and I know he’s informing her that I’m on my way up. She opens the door before I even knock, but her smile drops when she sees my face.
“What happened?” she asks.
“Not here,” I say hurriedly, grabbing her wrists and pulling her inside.
“What the hell is going on, Mari?” she asks, eyes widening. “Did that asshole hurt you?”
“Nothing like that,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m… fuck, I don’t even know how to say this.”
“Don’t tell me you’re pregnant.” She laughs, but she immediately sobers up when she sees my face. “Shit, Mari, seriously?”
“I took two tests this afternoon,” I say. “Both of them were positive.”
She falls back on the couch, shock evident on her face. “There’s no chance they were false positives?”
“You’re the nurse, you tell me,” I quip.
She just nods and looks at her hands, thinking.
“I’m late,” I continue. “Only a week, but it’s enough. I’m on the pill, but I know that’s not one hundred percent…” I trail off.
She squeezes my hand. “Okay. Okay. We’ll figure it out.”
“I haven’t told him,” I say.
“That’s okay.” She nods. “You just found out. You need to get it confirmed before you go to him. Are you going to keep it?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. But I can’t tell him, Suze. I just can’t.”
“You have to, Mari,” she says gently. “He’s the father. He has a right to know.”
“He’ll think I did it on purpose,” I say, voicing my biggest concern. The words taste like tin. “He’ll go cold. He’ll ‘protocol’ me into a room with no windows and call it protection. Any freedom I have now will be gone.”
“He could surprise you,” she says, ever the optimist.
“He won’t,” I respond, completely certain. “He’s not a good guy, Susie. He’s dangerous. His anger is dangerous.”
“What are you going to do?” she whispers.