# Chapter 4: A Desperate Distraction
The television screen illuminated the dark corners of the penthouse.
Bianca Vale stood before a cluster of microphones.
Her champagne gown glittered beneath the camera flashes.
She looked perfectly composed.
“It is a tragedy, really,” Bianca told the cameras.
“Adrian Cross is a brilliant man, but he is being manipulated by an employee.”
Bianca wiped away a fake tear.
“She is using a tragic pregnancy to secure a payday from the Cross estate.”
Evelyn felt sick.
She reached for the remote and turned the television off.
“I am going to destroy her,” Adrian said.
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
He began typing rapidly on his phone.
“Adrian, stop,” Evelyn said.
“I am calling legal,” he replied without looking up.
“We will sue them for defamation.”
“No,” Evelyn said firmly.
She pushed herself out of the chair.
“If you sue them, this becomes a public spectacle.”
She walked toward him.
“That is exactly what Charles Vale wants.”
Adrian stopped typing.
He looked at her.
“Why would he want a scandal?” Adrian asked.
“Because a scandal about a fake marriage and a baby distracts the press,” Evelyn reasoned.
She pointed to the broken locket on the coffee table.
“It distracts them from whatever secret he is trying to hide.”
Adrian slowly lowered his phone.
“You think Charles told Bianca to do this?” he asked.
“I think Charles Vale is terrified of what happens if people start digging into the past,” she said.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through Evelyn’s abdomen.
She gasped and doubled over.
Adrian dropped his phone.
He caught her before her knees hit the floor.
“Evie!” he yelled.
The pain flared again, sharper this time.
“Something is wrong,” Evelyn whimpered.
May you like
She looked down.
A dark stain was spreading across the gray fabric of her uniform skirt.
