The next morning, Nathan didn't go to the office.
He went straight to his father's study.
The estate was quiet, but tension lingered in the air like an approaching storm.
His father looked up from behind the desk as Nathan entered without knocking.
"You're early."
"We need to talk," Nathan replied.
His father closed the file in front of him.
"This is about the maid."
"Mira."
His father held his gaze.
"I was informed you visited her residence."
Nathan's jaw tightened slightly.
"You had me followed?"
"I had the estate protected," his father corrected calmly. "There's a difference."
Silence.
"Is she pregnant?" his father asked.
The question came like a blade.
Nathan didn't look away.
"Yes."
The room stilled.
"And you are certain?"
"I saw the clinic documents."
His father leaned back slowly.
"And what exactly do you intend to do?"
Nathan stepped closer to the desk.
"I'm going to marry her."
The words fell heavy.
Not strategic.
Not rehearsed.
Definitive.
His father's expression did not change but something sharpened in his eyes.
"You have eight days," he said evenly. "And you choose a former maid?"
"I choose the mother of my child."
"Or you choose convenience?"
The accusation lingered.
Nathan's patience thinned.
"This isn't about convenience."
"Everything in your life has been about convenience."
The statement hit harder than expected.
"You've never fought for anything emotionally," his father continued. "You acquire. You negotiate. You secure."
Nathan's voice lowered.
"This is not a business deal."
"Then why are you standing here declaring it like one?"
Silence crashed between them.
Because maybe part of him was still negotiating with himself.
His father stood slowly.
"If this is about reputation, we can manage it quietly."
Nathan stiffened.
"She's not a problem to manage."
"She is a liability if this leaks."
Leak.
The word echoed.
Nathan frowned slightly.
"What do you mean 'leaks'?"
His father walked to the side table and picked up a tablet.
He turned it toward Nathan.
A headline.
Minor blog site.
But dangerous.
"Olivero Heir Involved in Late-Night Encounter with Domestic Staff?"
A blurred photograph.
Nathan leaving Mira's apartment building.
Taken last night.
His pulse dropped.
"How?"
"You are not as discreet as you think," his father said calmly. "And people enjoy watching heirs fall."
Nathan's jaw tightened.
"This will escalate," his father continued. "Especially if pregnancy is involved."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
"If you marry her quietly, the story dies."
"If I deny it?" Nathan asked.
His father's expression hardened.
"Then she becomes a scandal."
The implication was clear.
Character assassination.
Whispers.
Damage control.
Mira's name dragged through gossip columns.
Nathan felt something shift inside him.
Protective.
Fierce.
"You will not touch her," he said quietly.
His father's brow lifted.
"I protect this family."
"And I protect her."
The words surprised even him.
His father studied him carefully.
"Are you certain this is love," he asked calmly, "or guilt?"
Nathan didn't answer.
Because the truth was complicated.
Later that afternoon, Mira's phone rang.
Unknown number.
She hesitated before answering.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice replied smoothly.
"Miss Mano? I'm calling from Olivero Holdings Public Relations."
Her heart dropped.
"What about?"
"There are circulating articles involving your name. We would like to discuss a statement."
A statement.
She felt the walls closing in.
"I don't have anything to say," she replied.
"I would advise you to reconsider. These matters can become unpleasant."
The line went quiet.
Then the call ended.
Mira stood still in her small apartment.
Fear crept up her spine.
She wasn't afraid for herself.
She was afraid for the life growing inside her.
She grabbed her bag.
She needed air.
She needed space.
She needed.....Her phone vibrated again.
Nathan.
She stared at the screen.
Then answered.
"Did you see it?" he asked immediately.
"Yes."
"I'm handling it."
"You said you weren't calculating."
His breath slowed slightly.
"I'm not."
"Then what is this?"
"Damage control," he said honestly. "For you."
Silence.
"They called me," she whispered.
His jaw clenched.
"I'll deal with it."
"How?" she asked.
A pause.
Then...
"By making it official."
Her breath caught.
"Official?"
"Meet me tonight."
"Nathan!"
"Trust me."
The word hung heavy.
Trust.
The one thing she wasn't ready to give.
That evening, Olivero Holdings hosted a last-minute press event.
Unscheduled.
Unexpected.
Journalists gathered quickly.
Rumors had already begun spreading online.
Nathan stood backstage in a tailored black suit.
Calm exterior.
Storm inside.
Eight days left.
Scandal rising.
Inheritance at stake.
And her face in his mind.
His father stepped beside him.
"Once you do this," the older man said quietly, "there is no reversal."
Nathan adjusted his cufflinks.
"I know."
"Is this strategy?"
Nathan looked toward the stage entrance.
"No."
"It's choice."
He stepped out.
Flashbulbs exploded.
Microphones lifted.
Voices overlapping.
"Mr. Olivero! Is it true....Are you involved with a former employee..."
"Is there a pregnancy....."
Nathan raised his hand.
Silence fell gradually.
He spoke clearly.
Controlled.
But different than usual.
"I will not entertain rumors."
A pause.
"But I will clarify one thing."
Cameras leaned forward.
He inhaled once.
And said:
"I am engaged."
Gasps rippled through the room.
"To whom?" a reporter shouted.
Nathan didn't hesitate.
"To the woman I intend to marry."
"And her name?"
He held their gaze steadily.
"Mira Mano."
The name echoed through the room.
Flashbulbs intensified.
Online feeds exploded.
Somewhere across the city.....Mira stared at the live stream on her phone.
Her heart pounding violently.
Engaged?
He hadn't asked her.
He hadn't warned her.
He had just....
Chosen.
The screen showed him stepping away from the podium.
Calm.
Confident.
Irreversible.
Her phone rang immediately.
Nathan.
She answered.
"What did you just do?" she whispered.
"I protected you."
"You declared something without asking me."
"I know."
"That's not protection. That's control."
His voice lowered.
"I needed to shut it down."
"And you decided my future in the process."
Silence.
Then—
"Meet me," he said softly.
"I didn't agree to this."
"I know."
Another pause.
"But I'm not taking it back."
Her heart raced.
"Nathan…"
"You wanted respect," he said quietly.
"This is me giving you my name."
The words landed heavy.
And terrifying.
The line went silent.
On her phone screen—
The headline had already changed.
"Olivero Heir Announces Engagement to Former Maid."
The world had shifted.
And now, she had to decide.
Was this protection?
Or possession?