Chapter 1 of My Fiancé Chose His Pregnant Mistress Over Our Dynasty
I stared at Alexander's phone, my finger frozen mid-swipe. The device had been carelessly left on the marble countertop of our shared kitchen while he showered. I hadn't meant to pry—I'd simply reached for what I thought was my own phone when the screen lit up with a notification.
*I miss your touch already. Last night was everything.*
The message from Isabella Hayes glowed accusingly on the screen. My stomach twisted into a tight knot as I unlocked his phone—he'd never bothered changing his passcode from my birthday, an irony that wasn't lost on me now.
What I found made my carefully constructed world crumble. Dozens of messages, each more intimate than the last. Photos. Plans. Promises.
*You understand me in ways she never could.*
*I've never felt this way about anyone before.*
*When can I see you again?*
I scrolled through their conversations with mechanical precision, my Wall Street training kicking in—analyze the data, assess the damage, formulate a response. But beneath my methodical exterior, something was breaking.
The shower stopped running. I heard Alexander humming, the sound of cabinet doors opening and closing. I placed his phone exactly where I'd found it and retreated to the living room of our Central Park penthouse, the floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of the park that suddenly seemed meaningless.
I took a deep breath and tapped my index finger against my temple, a habit I'd developed during high-stakes negotiations. This was just another negotiation, I told myself. The most important one of my life.
When Alexander emerged, hair still damp and dressed in the cashmere sweater I'd bought him last Christmas, his smile faltered at the sight of me sitting perfectly still on our Italian leather sofa.
"Victoria? Is everything alright?"
I met his gaze steadily. "Your phone received a message while you were showering."
The color drained from his face so quickly it was almost comical. His hand immediately went to adjust his non-existent tie, then to his cufflinks—his nervous tell.
"I—I can explain," he stammered, all charm evaporating.
"Can you?" My voice remained even, controlled. "Can you explain why you've been telling Isabella Hayes that she understands you in ways I never could? Or why you're making promises to her that directly contradict the ones you've made to me?"
He took a step toward me, then stopped, as if hitting an invisible wall. Behind him, the portraits of our families—the Sterlings and the Blackwoods—seemed to watch with cold judgment. Generations of power and prestige, witnessing this unraveling of a carefully orchestrated alliance.
"It's not what you think," he said, the most predictable response possible. "Isabella is troubled. She needs someone to talk to, and things just... escalated."
"Escalated," I repeated, the word tasting bitter. "Is that what you call it?"
I stood up, smoothing the front of my dress. The penthouse suddenly felt suffocating despite its expansive space.
"I'm only going to say this once, Alexander." I kept my voice low, forcing him to lean in slightly to hear me. "End all contact with Isabella Hayes. Immediately and permanently. Or our engagement is over."
His eyes widened. We both knew what was at stake—not just our relationship, but the merger of our families' empires, his position as heir to the Blackwood fortune, his acceptance into Harvard Business School that my family had helped secure.
"Victoria, please." He reached for my hand, but I stepped back. "It was a mistake. A moment of weakness."
"Those messages span months," I said. "That's not a moment. That's a choice. Made repeatedly."
He ran his hands through his hair, his composure cracking. "What do you want me to do?"
"I've already told you. Cut all ties. If you want any future with me, with the Sterling name behind you, Isabella Hayes cannot be part of your life."
He paced the room, adjusting his cufflinks again. Finally, he stopped in front of me.
"I'll send her to London," he said. "I have connections there. She's been talking about wanting a fresh start. I'll make arrangements immediately."
I studied his face, searching for sincerity in those eyes I once thought I knew so well.
"Do we have an understanding?" I asked.
"Yes," he nodded emphatically. "It's over with her. I promise."
As he pulled out his phone to presumably begin these arrangements, I turned away, looking out at the park below. Something in his too-quick agreement, in the way his eyes couldn't quite meet mine, left me with a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature.
I'd given him his chance. But as I watched his reflection in the window, frantically typing on his phone, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd just lit the fuse on something that would explode in ways none of us could predict.
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