Billionaire's Pregnant Wife Returns for Divorce, Unexpected Labor Reveals Hidden Baby and a Twisted Family Scheme.
The isolation inside the Reed mansion grew colder with each passing day. The staff, usually discreet and polite, now seemed to move with a palpable tension around me. Mrs. Albright’s eyes, whenever they accidentally met mine, held a flicker of suspicion. Even the gardeners avoided my gaze.
Julian noticed it too. “It’s like walking on eggshells,” he observed one morning, watching the butler avoid eye contact as he served coffee. “Corina’s whispers are everywhere.”
I felt like an unwelcome guest in my own home, a feeling that clawed at the old wounds of my past. It mirrored the feeling of being judged, of being seen as less than, which I had desperately tried to escape.
Olivia Reed, Julian’s younger sister, arrived unexpectedly that afternoon. She was a whirlwind of energy, her sharp eyes missing nothing.
She hugged Julian warmly, then turned to me, her expression softening as she took in Nova, nestled securely in my arms.
“She’s gorgeous, Elara,” Olivia said, her voice genuine. “A real Reed.”
Her warmth was a stark contrast to the frosty atmosphere, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of hope.
We sat in the sun-drenched conservatory, Nova gurgling happily on a blanket. Julian and I recounted the recent events, the fake messages, the canceled invitations, the staff’s strange behavior.
Olivia listened, her brow furrowed in concentration. She picked up one of the printed messages Julian had shown me, scanning it with intense focus.
“This smells exactly like Corina,” Olivia stated, her voice firm. “The subtle digs, the twisted half-truths. She’s always been an expert at planting seeds of doubt.”
Julian nodded. “Her targets have always been internal. She never goes for outright attacks, just erosion.”
“I remember when she was cut off from the foundation,” Olivia mused, a faraway look in her eyes. “Suspicious financial irregularities. She was always trying to find a loophole, a way to benefit herself.”
She turned to me. “She’s been overly solicitous around here lately, hasn’t she? Popping up unannounced, offering ‘help’ to Julian with… well, everything.”
I nodded. “She even offered to help me with the nursery. Said she was ‘just so worried about Julian and his new baby.’”
Olivia snorted. “Worried about Julian, perhaps. But not in the way you think.”
She had always been pragmatic, with a keen sense of justice. Now, seeing her brother and his new family under attack, her resolve seemed to harden.
“I’m going to start looking into her,” Olivia announced, her gaze resolute. “Quietly, of course. She won’t see it coming.”
Julian looked at his sister, a relieved expression on his face. “Thank you, Liv. Any help would be appreciated.”
Olivia pulled out her phone. “First, I’ll check some old family records. See if there’s anything in the foundation’s archives about her previous… creative accounting.”
She paused, a thought striking her. “And her online footprint. Corina’s always been a little too fond of leaving digital trails, even when she tries to cover them.”
I felt a sliver of relief, but the pervasive sense of dread remained. Corina was cunning. She wouldn’t make it easy.
The social isolation continued to tighten its grip. Another invitation arrived, then was swiftly rescinded. It was for a small, intimate dinner with Julian’s childhood friends.
“They cited ‘unforeseen circumstances’,” Julian said, his jaw clenching. “But I know what it means. Corina’s gotten to them.”
I saw the hurt in his eyes. This wasn’t just about me; Corina was turning his entire world against him.
To make matters worse, strange things started happening around the estate. Small, unsettling incidents that, on their own, seemed insignificant, but together, painted a clear picture.
One morning, a priceless antique vase in the sitting room was found shattered. Mrs. Albright immediately blamed me, implying I was careless, or perhaps even… unstable.
“I saw her near it, Mr. Reed,” she’d reported to Julian, her voice filled with thinly veiled accusation. “She seemed quite agitated.”
Julian, however, looked at the scene with a different eye. The security camera in that corner had conveniently malfunctioned overnight.
A few days later, a batch of rare orchids, Julian’s prized collection, mysteriously wilted and died. Again, fingers pointed at me.
“I heard Mrs. Reed asking about them yesterday,” one of the gardeners muttered, just loud enough for Julian to hear. “Said she found them ‘too fussy’.”
Ben Carter, the head of Reed Family Security, a man of few words but sharp instincts, started to observe Corina more closely.
He was highly loyal to Julian, but also acutely aware of internal threats. His deep-seated loyalty could sometimes blind him, but the recent escalation of “accidents” was too much for him to ignore.
One evening, Ben approached Julian and me in the library, his face grave.
“Mr. Reed,” he began, his voice low. “I’ve been monitoring the internal network. There’s been an unusual amount of activity.”
Julian leaned forward. “Unusual how?”
“Small data packets, Mr. Reed,” Ben explained. “Outgoing. Disguised as routine system maintenance. But they’re not. They’re being routed through a secure, off-site server.”
My blood ran cold. Corina was moving information. What kind of information? And to whom?
“And I found this,” Ben added, holding up a small, ornate silver box. “It was tucked behind some old linens in the staff pantry.”
He opened the box. Inside was a collection of expensive jewelry, some of it quite old, clearly belonging to Julian’s mother.
And next to it, a handwritten note, in shaky script that mimicked mine: *“Found these. Maybe I’ll sell a few for some extra cash. Julian won’t notice.”*
It was a blatant attempt to frame me as a thief, to further erode my standing with the household staff and Julian’s family. The note was poorly forged, but the intention was clear.
Julian’s face darkened with rage. “Corina,” he breathed, his fists clenching. “She’s escalating.”
Ben nodded. “I believe she’s attempting to manipulate the staff, Mr. Reed. Plant evidence to discredit Mrs. Reed and sow discord.”
He looked at me, his gaze serious. “You need to be careful, Mrs. Reed. She’s getting desperate. This could get ugly.”
I knew he was right. Corina was closing in, twisting every aspect of our lives. But somewhere, out there, Olivia was searching, a glimmer of hope in the suffocating darkness.
I just prayed she would find something before Corina destroyed everything.
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