Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44 Breaking Point in the ER

The laughter died in Theodore’s throat. His arms dropped to his sides.

I turned the tablet around. I faced the screen toward him.

“Route eighteen,” I stated. “Your flagship boutique in the commercial district. For the past six months, Sienna logged your cosmetic shipments under a generic bulk freight code. She bypassed the luxury transit fees. She billed Hawthorne Cosmetics/the standard rate, and you deposited a ten percent cash incentive into an offshore LLC registered under her sister’s name.”

Theodore turned pale. His eyes locked onto the spreadsheet.

“It is tax fraud, Mr. Hawthorne,” I continued. “It is corporate embezzlement. If you pull your contract, I am legally obligated to submit these findings to the regional tax authority to balance our own ledgers.”

“You faked those numbers, Theodore hissed. He took a step toward the bed. “You are trying to extort me.”

Eduardo shifted in the corner of the room. He tapped his wooden cane against the linoleum floor. The sharp sound stopped

Theodore in his tracks.

“The server data is verified by an independent auditor,” I lied. I did not blink. I stared right through his expensive pinstripe suit. “The numbers are absolute. You underestimated the person sitting at the rusted desk, Theodore. Sienna lacked the intellect to hide her tracks. You lacked the intellect to realize she was a fool.”

Theodore’s jaw clenched. The arrogant executive evaporated. The reality of the trap closed around his throat. I held the keys to his business reputation and his personal freedom.

“What do you want?” Theodore asked. The fight drained from his voice.

‘I want the revised contract signed,” I demanded. “The generic freight codes are gone. You pay the premium luxury transit rate. You pay a five percent surcharge for priority loading. And you never speak Sienna Navarro’s name in my presence again.”

He stared at me. He looked at the pale woman in the hospital gown with an IV in her hand. He realized the gown meant nothing. He realized the predator in the room sat in the bed.

Theodore reached into his jacket. He pulled out a gold pen.

I handed him the tablet and a digital stylus.

He did not argue. He signed his name on the electronic document. He tossed the stylus onto the tray.

“You play a dangerous game, Miss Hayes, Theodore warned. His eyes burned with humiliated rage.

I play to win,” I replied. “Have a productive afternoon.”

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Chapter 44 Breaking Point in the ER

Theodore turned his back. He marched out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him, rattling the acoustic tiles in the

ceiling.

I locked the tablet. I set it back on the tray. My hands trembled, but I forced my fingers to remain still. I executed my first major

executive decision. I secured thirty percent of our distribution network from a hospital bed. I drew blood in the open, and I won

Eduardo walked toward the bed. He looked at the closed door. He looked back at me.

“He will hate you for the rest of his life, Eduardo noted.

“Let him hate me,” I said. “His checks will still clear.”

A rare, genuine smile broke across Eduardo’s weathered face. He picked up the silver tablet. “You secured the supply lines. You

stabilized the firm. I will return to the warehouse and implement the new contract.”

“Keep the dockworkers on schedule,” I instructed.

“Rest, Minerva, Eduardo commanded. His tone softened. “You fought your battle for the day. Protect the child.”

He turned and left the room.

I was alone. The adrenaline faded, draining from my bloodstream like water from a cracked vase. The crushing exhaustion of the past seven months crashed over me. I leaned my head back against the stiff hospital pillow. I closed my eyes.

I placed both hands over my swollen stomach.

“We are safe,” I whispered to the dark. “I will never let them touch you.”

A sharp, electric jolt sparked at the base of my spine.

I gasped. My eyes snapped open.

The jolt morphed into a vicious, tearing cramp. It wrapped around my lower abdomen. The pain was absolute. It eclipsed the ache from the warehouse. It stole the oxygen from my lungs. I gripped the metal side rails of the hospital bed. My knuckles turned white.

The fetal monitor beside the bed shrieked. A harsh, continuous alarm filled the small room.

The pain receded for a single, terrifying second. Then it returned, twice as strong. A warm rush of fluid soaked the hospital sheets

beneath me.

The medication failed. The labor was starting.

“Help! I screamed. My voice tore through my throat.

The door burst open. Dr. Vargas rushed into the room, followed by two nurses in blue scrubs. Their faces were tight with panic.

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Chapter 44 Breaking Point in the ER

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