"What are you hesitating for?" Ryan Gilbert stepped into view, his jaw tight. "The doctor is here. She's tied up. All we need is your order."
Matthew said nothing.
Ryan's teeth ground together audibly. "You think you're helping her? How is a single woman supposed to survive with a child?"
"Besides—" He jabbed a finger in my direction. "Aria's been lurking around the company for days. She's clearly planning to sabotage us during the audit. Even if you don't care about yourself, think about the Group. Think about Georgia."
The manipulation landed exactly where it was meant to.
Matthew approached the table. Tears shimmered in his eyes.
*Crocodile tears.*
"Aria, I'm doing this for your own good." His voice trembled with feigned nobility. "Once you get rid of that thing inside you, you'll still be my sister. I'll make you Georgia's assistant. I'll make sure you're fed and clothed."
He stared down at me—but he wasn't explaining anything to me.
He was brainwashing himself.
His hand rose, beckoning the doctor forward.
I summoned every ounce of strength left in my body.
"Bring me my phone."
My voice came out raw. Steady.
"Or you'll regret this for the rest of your life."
Matthew froze mid-gesture.
Georgia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That broken Nokia? We threw that trash away ages ago."
"Is that so?"
The corner of my mouth quirked up.
"Then you're finished."
The words hung in the sterile air.
"I set a dead man's switch on that phone. If I don't enter a password every twelve hours, it automatically sends a file to Jason Fox at Blackstone Capital."
The color drained from their faces like water from a cracked basin. The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
"What file?"
