Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 242

Naomi hesitated for a moment before opening the folder. She slipped out a single piece of paper and slid it across the table.

"This is all you get to see."

It was a handwritten report, unmistakably penned by her father, complete with a date and signature.

*The Empyrean Towers Project, Building 3 Structural Integrity Log. July 12th. Third cement truck, designated grade C35. Actual grade of delivered materials: unverified. I requested a secondary inspection but was denied. I urge management to take this matter seriously.*

Willa pushed the paper back across the table. "This report alone isn't direct evidence of anything."

Naomi slid the document back into the folder, her lips curling into a calculating smirk. "I have much more concrete evidence in here. It just depends on whether you're willing to pay the price."

"I don't have five million dollars lying around, and I'm not asking Randal for it."

Willa's tone was ironclad, leaving no room for negotiation. "I'll give you ten thousand right now for the folder, and I'll slowly pay you the rest later. Otherwise, you can keep it and see who else is desperate enough to buy it."

Naomi's expression darkened instantly. "Ten thousand? Willa, are you seriously planning to abandon your own mother?"

"What else do you expect?" Willa retorted icily. "You're using my father's belongings to extort money from me. Do you really think you still have the right to call yourself my mother?"

Beside her, Stella let out a soft, mocking laugh, playing the role of the dutiful daughter while her words dripped with venom. "Don't get upset, Naomi. Willa is with Mr. Yates now. Her standards are too high for the Whitman family."

She tilted her chin at Willa, the malice in her eyes completely unconcealed. "Still, tossing your own mother aside over a little money... It wouldn't look great for your reputation if word got out, would it?"

Willa scoffed, a cynical smirk touching her lips. "Considering your own dirty laundry has been aired out to everyone in our social circle, I'm surprised you have the nerve to talk about reputation. You really have the energy to meddle in my business?"

Naomi's face turned completely stony. She snapped, "I let you come with me so you could behave, not pick fights with Willa! Haven't you caused enough trouble already? Don't humiliate us in public."

"Since you never genuinely intended to hand over the files, we have nothing left to discuss. I don't need these documents that badly anyway."

Willa slowly rose to her feet. "Call me when you actually want to make a deal."

As she stood up, her hip grazed the edge of the table. Instinctively, her hands flew to protect her stomach, causing her to pause.

The fabric of her T-shirt pulled taut, subtly highlighting the unmistakable curve of her lower abdomen.

Stella was too dense to notice, but Naomi, a mother herself, caught it instantly. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Willa, are you pregnant?"