Dr. Aaron Ellis was waiting inside the examination room. The doctor smiled at Chloe, then saw Leo standing near the window and immediately forgot how smiling worked.

“Sixteen weeks,” Dr. Ellis said as he prepared the ultrasound machine. “Let’s see how everything is progressing.” Cold gel touched Chloe’s stomach. She stared at the ceiling.

The pregnancy had begun with an agreement she still did not know how to name. Four months earlier, Danny had stolen eighty thousand dollars from a betting operation controlled by one of Leo’s associates.

He’d lost the money before realizing whom it belonged to. Chloe had gone to Leo’s private casino to beg for her brother’s life. She’d expected threats.

Instead, Leo had offered terms.

The old families supporting his organization were growing restless. Leo had no wife, no child, and no clear successor. He wanted an heir, but he refused to enter a marriage built on a political bargain.