The Billionaire Helped a Pregnant Stranger — Unaware She Would Become His Greatest Love
Chapter 2
Ethan drove Claire to one of his private guest properties.
It wasn’t a hotel.
It was a quiet house on the outskirts of the city, usually used for visiting executives.
A security team monitored the exterior.
Nobody came there without Ethan’s permission.
Claire looked through the window.
“Where are we?”
“Somewhere safe.”
She frowned.
“That’s not an address.”
“You don’t need an address tonight.”
He helped her out of the car.
The rain had stopped.
She looked around cautiously.
“You said there would be no questions.”
“There won’t be.”
“You’re asking one now.”
“What?”
She touched her stomach.
“I said there wouldn’t be questions.”
Ethan smiled.
“Fair.”
Inside, he called a private physician.
Claire immediately protested.
“No.”
“You need to be checked.”
“I’m fine.”
“You were having contractions.”
“They stopped.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re fine.”
She looked at him.
“You really don’t take no very well.”
“I do.”
“When?”
“When the answer isn’t keeping someone safe.”
She stared at him.
The physician arrived forty minutes later.
After the examination, she smiled.
“Everything looks stable.”
Ethan exhaled.
Claire visibly relaxed.
The doctor looked at Claire.
“You’re very close.”
“How close?”
“Possibly a few days. Maybe sooner.”
Claire nodded.
The doctor left.
Silence filled the room.
Ethan brought her tea.
She looked at him.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I told you.”
“Because I’m pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t know me.”
“No.”
“And you’re still helping.”
“Yes.”
Claire looked down.
“I’ve met men like you before.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
“Men who drive black cars?”
“Men who think money fixes everything.”
“I don’t think that.”
“You own half the city.”
“Not half.”
She almost smiled.
“Close enough.”
Ethan sat across from her.
“Money doesn’t fix fear.”
She looked up.
He continued.
“It can buy a locked door.”
“But it can’t make someone feel safe behind it.”
Claire became quiet.
“You understand?”
“More than you think.”
He stood.
“You can stay here as long as you need.”
Claire stared.
“What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
“That isn’t true.”
Ethan smiled faintly.
“Okay.”
“What?”
“I want you to tell me when you need help.”
She looked away.
“That costs me nothing.”
“Exactly.”
The next morning, Claire woke early.
She expected the house to feel empty.
Instead, she smelled coffee.
She followed the smell to the kitchen.
Ethan was standing at the counter.
“You cook?”
“Barely.”
He placed toast on a plate.
“I make three things.”
“What are they?”
“Eggs.”
“What else?”
“Eggs differently.”
Claire laughed.
It was the first time Ethan had heard her laugh.
The sound surprised him.
He smiled.
“Sit.”
She did.
They ate in silence.
Then Claire noticed a framed photograph on the counter.
A young Ethan standing beside an older man.
“Your father?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“He died when I was eighteen.”
Claire softened.
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
He picked up the photograph.
“My mother died two years later.”
Claire looked at him.
“So you were alone.”
“For a while.”
“How did you manage?”
“I worked.”
“What kind of work?”
“Anything.”
He smiled faintly.
“I’ve been broke.”
She stared.
“You?”
“Very.”
She didn’t believe him.
Ethan understood.
“People see the company.”
“They don’t see what came before.”
Claire looked down.
“Maybe I understand that.”
Before Ethan could ask, her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face went pale.
No caller ID.
She didn’t answer.
The phone stopped.
Then a message appeared.
WE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE.
Ethan saw her expression.
“What happened?”
She locked the phone.
“Nothing.”
He knew she was lying.
And now the mystery was no longer just about a pregnant stranger.
Someone was looking for her.
And somehow, they had found her.
