Tania paced around her lavish living room, a smug smile plastered across her face as she ran a hand over her stomach. “The divorce won’t mean anything,” she muttered to herself. “As long as I have you, my little ace,” she said, glancing down at her belly. The pregnancy was her trump card, a final means to ensure Ethan’s attention and more importantly, his financial backing. She’d make sure he wouldn’t be able to escape her, no matter what it took.
Satisfied with her plan, Tania reached for her phone and dialed Fred, her loyal informant. “Anything new on Ethan’s side? Any sign of him slipping up?” she asked, her voice tense yet controlled.
Fred’s reply came through the speaker. “Nothing yet, Tania. Ethan’s been keeping a low profile, probably trying to keep the divorce clean. I don’t think he suspects you have another card up your sleeve.”
“Perfect,” she replied, her confidence growing. “Let’s keep it that way. If I play this right, Ethan won’t know what hit him until it’s too late.” But despite her careful planning, she knew there was still one loose end she had to manage Fabian. Her grip on her phone tightened as she thought of him finding out about the pregnancy. The complications would be endless if he got wind of her plan, so keeping him in the dark was crucial.
Once the call ended, Tania leaned back, her mind racing. I’ll deal with Fabian if it comes to that, she reassured herself. Her priority was winning the divorce and securing Ethan’s assets.
Meanwhile, Fred had another mission for the day. He arrived at Fabian’s apartment to give him an update and push for more information on Derek. Fabian, however, looked exhausted and unyielding as he sank into his couch, arms crossed.
“I’m not doing it, Fred,” he said flatly. “I’ve been watching Derek, and there’s nothing there. He’s a good man who’s only trying to help. I’m done with that life, and I refuse to ruin another innocent person just because Tania’s feeling paranoid.” He paused, then glanced at Fred with an uncharacteristic look of determination. “I need to start pulling myself together… for my daughter’s sake.”
Fred raised an eyebrow, shocked. “Daughter? Since when did you…..”
Fabian cut him off, a faint sadness lacing his words. “Grace. Tania’s daughter… mine. She’s out there, and whether or not I can be part of her life, I want to be someone she could be proud of.” His tone shifted, fierce but low. “Tania may still be pulling your strings, Fred, but I’m out. I’ve had enough of her games.”
Fred stood in stunned silence, absorbing Fabian’s revelation. He’d worked with Fabian for years, seen him carry out the darkest tasks, yet here he was, looking more resolved than Fred had ever seen him. It unsettled him to think that Fabian, who’d always been so willing to do Tania’s bidding, had finally had enough.
“I don’t have anything more to give you,” Fabian finished, nodding toward the door. “And I suggest you start thinking about where this path is taking you too, Fred.”
Fred nodded slowly, walking away as Fabian closed the door behind him, both men left with new questions they hadn’t considered before.
As Fred walked down stairwell of Fabian’s apartment building, a whirlwind of questions spun through his mind. He tried to make sense of what he’d just learned, but the pieces weren’t fitting together. Grace was Fabian’s daughter? How had he never known this before? And why would Tania keep such a powerful detail hidden from everyone, especially from Fabian?
Fred had worked alongside Tania for years. He knew her ruthlessness, her drive, but he’d always seen her as more ambitious than heartless. He’d assumed her schemes were simply part of her strategy to survive and thrive in a world that often didn’t favor women. But Fabian’s revelations hinted at something darker. Keeping a child away from her father, manipulating Fabian’s life with such painful secrets was Tania truly capable of that level of cruelty?
The crisp night air hit him as he stepped out onto the street, but it did little to clear his mind. He remembered the first time he’d worked with Tania. Back then, she’d seemed intelligent, driven, and resourceful. But over time, the favors she demanded grew more questionable. He’d brushed off the growing suspicions, reasoning that power always came with sacrifices. But after today’s encounter with Fabian, Fred wasn’t so sure anymore.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts. Tania’s name flashed on the screen, and he hesitated for a moment before picking up. “Tania,” he greeted, trying to keep his voice steady.
“Fred,” Tania replied, her tone casual but with an undercurrent of impatience. “How did your visit with Fabian go? Did he give you anything useful?”
Fred thought of how to answer, sensing that the truth would likely be met with anger. “Not much,” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “Fabian seems… distracted, even more so than usual. I think he’s dealing with some personal issues.”
There was a pause on the other end, and when Tania spoke again, her voice was tinged with annoyance. “Fabian always was too sentimental for his own good. Whatever personal issues he’s dealing with aren’t our concern. I need him focused on Derek, and if he can’t handle it, I’ll find someone who will.”
Fred’s jaw clenched. Her dismissive tone grated on him. How easily she cast people aside, as though they were just pieces in her game. “Understood,” he replied, keeping his voice flat. He wanted to challenge her, ask her about Grace, but he knew better. Confronting Tania directly would only make things more complicated and dangerous.
“Good,” Tania said briskly. “And remember, if anything comes up on Ethan’s side, I expect you to let me know immediately. The divorce hearing is in just a few days, and I need every advantage I can get.”
“Of course,” Fred replied, though his mind was now churning with doubt. The call ended, and he slipped his phone back into his pocket, lingering on the sidewalk for a few moments longer.
His loyalty to Tania was beginning to wear thin. In the past, he’d seen her schemes as mere business an exchange of services for the promise of shared benefits. But this new side of her, one that kept a child’s identity secret and manipulated Fabian’s life in such a way, made him feel complicit in something far more sinister than he’d bargained for.
As Fred walked back to his car, a new determination took hold. Maybe it was time for him to reevaluate his own loyalties, to weigh his choices and consider what kind of person he wanted to be. Fabian’s words echoed in his mind: I’ve had enough of her games.
Meanwhile, back in her living room, Tania was already plotting her next move. She reviewed the legal documents piled neatly on her coffee table, each one reinforcing her plan to make Ethan’s life difficult. The divorce hearing was fast approaching, and she was certain she’d emerge victorious. She smirked as she recalled the leverage she held over him the pregnancy. She would use it to twist the situation to her advantage, securing not just financial support, but control over Ethan’s life, at least in part.
Sinking into her velvet armchair, she allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. She’d learned long ago that life was a game of strategy, and those who failed to adapt were left behind. Ethan, Fabian, even Fred she saw them all as pawns in her grand design. Fabian’s recent attitude shift irked her, but she’d worry about that later. For now, she focused on the upcoming court hearing.
“Once Ethan sees the terms I’m setting, he’ll realize there’s no escaping me,” she murmured, rubbing her belly with a sense of entitlement. Her unborn child was a key element, a bargaining chip that would bind Ethan to her, whether he wanted it or not.
Her mind drifted back to Fabian, though, the one variable she couldn’t fully control. Fabian had always been loyal, but lately, he seemed to be pulling away, resisting her influence. She frowned, knowing that if he learned about the pregnancy, he might react unpredictably. His growing attachment to the daughter he barely knew made him a liability, and liabilities had no place in her carefully curated life.
Across town, Fred sat alone in his car, the weight of his decision looming over him. Fabian’s words had struck a chord, and now, he felt as if a shadow had been lifted from his eyes. The path he’d chosen was filled with deceit, and he’d become a part of something darker than he ever intended. Maybe, he thought, it was time to walk away from Tania’s shadow and, for once, reclaim his own life.