Page 46 of The Billionaire’s Betrayal (Billionaires of Paris #2)

TRISTAN

I spent Sunday in a daze.

Eva was pregnant.

I was going to be a father.

This truth hit me in successive waves, between terror and wonder.

And I had almost destroyed everything.

Because of my mistakes, the woman carrying my child slept alone in a cold, impersonal hotel room, while I dragged my guilt through a penthouse whose emptiness screamed her absence.

She had tried to reach me to announce her pregnancy, a call erased from my phone.

The doubts gnawing at me returned with force.

Had Audrey dared delete that message? After those long days together at the office, had she managed to discover my phone's passcode?

Since I'd seen her true face at the opening party, nothing seemed impossible.

What was just a suspicion transformed into near certainty.

With my mind in turmoil, I went to Sunday lunch at my parents'. I tried to maintain a serene facade, but the storm brewing within me threatened to explode at any moment. A single thought hammered my mind, as terrifying as it was intoxicating: I was going to be a dad.

Lily showed unusual tenderness, as if she sensed the turmoil inside me.

Even my mother had softened, making the meal almost peaceful.

It seemed she was finally beginning to understand that Eva wasn't simply the woman sharing my life, but truly the center of my universe.

It was, however, too early to share the good news with them.

After lunch at my parents', I took Lily to the movies. It had been a long time since we'd done that together, and I promised myself to repeat the experience more often and not let time slip away. I had learned in the worst way how dearly negligence can cost us.

It was 6 PM when I returned home. No sooner had I closed the door than the intercom crackled.

"Yes?" I answered.

"A young woman named Audrey Deprez asks to see you. She says she has important information for you. Should I let her up?"

I stiffened. Information? What information? What was she plotting now? After a long silence weighing my options, I agreed.

"Yes, send her up. Thank you, Karl."

I opened the door, an unreadable expression on my face.

"I have information," Audrey announced without preamble. "I know who's behind the cyberattacks against Community Pilot."

I studied her for a few seconds before stepping aside to let her in.

Her gaze swept through our home, lingering on the photos of Eva and me on the walls.

A bitter gleam crossed her eyes, but she kept silent.

I guided her to the living room where she settled with practiced nonchalance in one of the leather armchairs.

"I need a drink," she declared as if we were old friends.

I clenched my jaw, annoyed by her audacity.

"Whiskey?" I offered in a flat voice.

"Perfect."

I headed to the bar and took out two crystal glasses, pouring the alcohol mechanically. I had barely handed her the glass when she added:

"Ice?"

Her smile was meant to be alluring but now left me indifferent.

Suppressing a sigh, I set my glass down and went to the freezer.

I took out a tray, removed some ice cubes into a bucket, and grabbed tongs before returning.

Audrey held out her glass, her gaze never leaving me.

I placed an ice cube in her glass then in mine before sitting across from her.

She took a sip, her shoulders relaxing imperceptibly.

I imitated her, waiting for her to decide to speak.

"As I told you, I know who's behind the cyberattacks," she repeated.

The silence stretched.

"I assume you want something in exchange for the information," I guessed, observing her.

An icy smile stretched her lips.

"I want to run the Hope Foundation."

I laughed joylessly. Her audacity truly had no limits.

"You can't be serious. That's out of the question. It's Eva's decision who runs that project. Why are you so fixated? You've never shown genuine interest in this project, so why?"

She remained silent, staring at me with disturbing intensity. And suddenly, everything became clear.

"Why are you targeting Eva? What has she done to you?" I asked, my voice betraying my growing anger.

Audrey pursed her lips, her gaze charging with hatred.

"Why?" she spat. "It's because of that little Miss Perfect that you constantly reject me, and you still dare ask why?"

Her voice trembled with contained rage. I took another sip to give myself time to think.

"What's your problem, Audrey? Daddy abandoned you, so now you can't handle a man saying no?" I mocked.

Her face collapsed for a second before fury and humiliation inflamed her gaze.

Damn, I had hit the mark.

"It doesn't matter what you believe, Tristan. Either you give me control of the foundation, or I let Aron Capital dismantle Community Pilot, brick by brick."

So it was indeed Aron Capital pulling the strings.

"What proof do you have?"

"Lazarus approached me and I recorded our conversation. On the tape he admits being behind the cyberattacks, but you'll only get this recording in exchange for the foundation."

I looked at her with barely contained contempt.

"There's something you don't understand, Audrey. I love Eva more than my own life. For her, I'm ready to risk Community Pilot if necessary. Companies, I can rebuild. But Eva... Eva is everything to me."

She stared at me, eyes sparkling with hatred mixed with an emotion I couldn't decipher. Suddenly, my vision blurred. The room oscillated around me, the contours becoming fuzzy. I squinted, trying to regain my balance.

"Tristan? Are you feeling alright?"

Her voice seemed tinged with artificial concern.

"I..." I articulated with difficulty. "What's..."

I tried to straighten up, but a strange torpor numbed my limbs. My mind was fogging. The room slowly tilted around me. I stepped back, my legs giving way.

"You should have chosen me, Tristan," she whispered, rising with calculated slowness. "But since you didn't, I'm going to destroy what's most precious to you."

I tried to fight against the wave of torpor rising within me, but my body no longer obeyed me. My vision darkened further, my eyelids becoming heavy.

"What... what did you do to me?" I stammered, my tongue thick.

She leaned over me, her face lighting up with an almost tender smile.

"Nothing, for now," she breathed, placing her hand on my chest before pressing her lips against mine.