“I’m not laughing.”
Another pause.
“I’m here with Chloe,” he added. “She’s pregnant, Olivia. You can’t just—”
I turned my chair slightly, looking out over the city.
“You already did,” I said.
Silence.
“We need to talk.”
“No.”
“Olivia—”
“No.”
And I hung up.
Thirty minutes later, he was in my office.
Not alone.
Chloe stood beside him.
She looked different.
Less confident.
More uncertain.
The receptionist’s voice came through the intercom. “They’re here. Should I send them in?”
“Yes.”
I wanted this.
I needed this.
They walked in together.
Daniel looked exhausted. Chloe avoided my eyes.
I remained seated.
Calm.
Composed.
Untouchable.
“What did you do?” Daniel asked again.
“I sold the house.”
Silence.
Chloe’s head snapped up. “What?”
“Forty million,” I added. “It sold quickly.”
Daniel stepped forward. “That’s my house.”
I met his eyes.
For the first time… without anything soft left in me.
“No,” I said. “It never was.”
He pulled out his phone. “I’m calling my lawyer. This is illegal.”
I gave a small shrug. “You should do that.”
Chloe spoke then, her voice quieter.
“Olivia… we didn’t want you to find out like this…”
“But I did.”
She swallowed.
“I’m pregnant,” she said, almost defensively.
“I know.”
Silence.
“Congratulations.”