Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 43

Chapter 43 Blackmailing the Arrogant Elite CEO

The scent of bleach and iodine filled my lungs. I opened my eyes. White acoustic tiles stretched across the ceiling. A rhythmic beep

echoed in the sterile room.

I turned my head. An IV fine pierced the back of my hand. Clear fluid dripped into my vein. My heavy, swollen stomach rested under a thin cotton blanket. The panic from the warehouse returned, a sharp spike of pure terror. I reached down. I pressed my palm

against my abdomen.

“The child is stable.”

Eduardo Valdez sat in a plastic chair near the window. He leaned his hands on his wooden cane. His dark eyes watched my face.

“What happened?” I asked. My voice sounded rough.

“A partial rupture of the membranes, Eduardo explained. “The doctors halted the contractions with medication. You remain on strict bed rest. If you stand, the labor will begin.”

I let out a breath. I kept my hand anchored over my child. We survived another day.

Eduardo reached into his tweed overcoat. He pulled out a sleek silver tablet. He stood up and placed the device on the rolling tray

next to my bed.

“The board formalized the paperwork an hour ago, Eduardo stated. “Sienna Navarro is removed from the corporate registry. Your name replaces hers. You are the Director of Operations for Valdez Elegance. The salary increase takes effect today.”

I looked at the silver tablet. I achieved the goal. I possessed a title. I possessed power. But the victory felt precarious. I lay trapped in a hospital bed, eight months pregnant, hiding from a billionaire who wanted to erase my existence.

“We face an immediate threat,” Eduardo continued. He stepped back and gripped his cane. “The news of Sienna’s termination leaked. Theodore Hawthorne heard the rumor. He is the CEO of Hawthorne Cosmetics. His boutiques account for thirty percent of our regional distribution.”

I knew the name. Hawthorne Cosmetics formed the backbone of our subsidiary.

“Theodore is furious,” Eduardo said. “Sienna fed his ego. She gave him preferential delivery windows. He threatens to pull his entire contract by noon. He demands a meeting.”

“Tell him the routes remain active,” I said.

“He refuses to speak with me,” Eduardo countered. “He demands an audience with the new Director. He wants to assess the person handling his supply lines. He is waiting in the hospital lobby right now. He bribed the nursing staff to find your room number.”

A man like Theodore Hawthorne did not accept delays. He smelled blood in the water. He wanted to leverage the leadership change to secure cheaper rates. He intended to intimidate the new Director.

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Chapter 43 Blackmailing the Arrogant Elite CEO

“Send him in, I commanded.

Eduardo frowned. “You are hooked to a fetal monitor, Minerva. You are wearing a hospital gown. He will look at you and see

weakness. He will tear your contract to shreds.”

“Send him in, Eduardo.”

I pressed a button on the side of the bed. The mattress whirred. The top half raised, lifting me into a sitting position. I adjusted the thin cotton blanket. I ignored the dull ache in my lower spine. I needed my mind, not my legs.

Eduardo gave a single nod. He turned and walked out the door.

Two minutes later, the door swung open.

Theodore Hawthorne stepped into the room. He wore a tailored pinstripe suit and a silk tie. His silver hair sat slicked back from his forehead. He carried the arrogant posture of a man accustomed to absolute compliance. He surveyed the small, sterile hospital room

with open disgust.

His gaze landed on me. He took in the IV line. He took in the heart monitor. He looked at my swollen stomach beneath the blanket.

A cruel, mocking smile stretched across his face.

“This is a joke, Theodore said. He did not introduce himself. He stopped at the foot of my bed. ‘Eduardo Valdez replaced his top executive with a bedridden data clerk. Sienna mentioned you. The little stray from the capital. I expected a professional. I find a

pregnant liability.”

“Take a seat, Mr. Hawthorne, I offered. I kept my voice flat.

“I prefer to stand, Theodore snapped. He crossed his arms. “I will make this brief. Sienna Navarro understood my business. She gave my boutiques priority loading. You fired her. You disrupted my peace of mind. I am pulling my contract effective midnight.”

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