The Billionaire's Secret Bump

Clara told me everything. The private talks, the way your eyes follow her across the room. Do you think I’m blind? Do you think I’m stupid?"

Martin raised a hand, his voice low and controlled.

"Let’s not make a scene here, Katherine. Let’s go to my office."

They made their way to Martin’s office in tense silence.

The elevator ride up to the 45th floor felt suffocating. Katherine kept her posture perfect, chin high, but her hands were clenched at her sides. Martin stared straight ahead, jaw tight.

When they reached his office, Martin closed the door behind them with a soft click.

The room was quiet, the city skyline visible through the large windows.

Martin turned to face her.

His voice was calm but carried a heavy finality.

"Just because I am quiet doesn’t mean I don’t see. The reason I am quiet is for this wedding to just happen and be over with. I told you already — I can’t love you. But you insisted on having the elders handle this issue, so be it."

Katherine’s face paled, but she didn’t interrupt.

Martin continued, his tone steady but laced with exhaustion.

"As for Fiona... don’t you dare mess with her. She has nothing to do with our issues."

Katherine stared at him, her perfect composure cracking further.

Her voice trembled with a mix of fury and pain.

"So that’s it? You’re defending her now? In front of me? After everything our families have planned? After I’ve spent my entire life preparing to be the wife you need?"

Martin’s expression was pained but resolute.

"I’m not defending her to hurt you. I’m telling you the truth. I love her. I’ve tried to fight it for the sake of the merger, for my father, for the company. But I can’t keep pretending".

Katherine’s eyes filled with tears — real ones this time.

She took a shaky breath, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You’re choosing her? Over everything? Over our families? Over the future we were supposed to build together?"

Martin looked at her with genuine regret.

"I’m sorry, Katherine,but this is my truth".

Katherine stood there, trembling, her perfectly manicured hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as the weight of his words crashed down on her. The wedding she had been meticulously planning — the flowers, the orchestra, the extravagant reception she had dreamed of since she was a girl — was slipping away right in front of her.

Her voice, when it finally came, was low and venomous, laced with barely contained rage.

"You think you can just try to walk away? After everything? After I’ve smiled through every dinner, every event, every expectation? You think you can humiliate me like this and I’ll just accept it?"

She took a step closer, eyes blazing.

"I won’t let her win. I won’t let that woman take what is mine. If you try to end this, I will make sure she pays for it. I will make sure her life at this company becomes hell. I will make sure everyone knows exactly who she is and what she’s done."

Martin’s jaw tightened, but he held her gaze.

"Katherine... don’t."

She laughed bitterly, tears now streaming down her cheeks despite her efforts to hold them back.

"Don’t? You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore. You’ve made your choice. Now I’ll make mine."

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her with a force that echoed down the hallway.

Martin stood alone in the silence, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on him like a vice.

The engagement wasn’t over yet.

But the war had just begun.

Katherine left the Voss building furious .

She stormed through the lobby, heels clicking sharply against the marble floor, her cream blouse still bearing the faint coffee stain she hadn’t bothered to hide. Her perfectly styled hair was slightly disheveled from the force of her movements, and her face — usually a mask of serene grace — was tight with barely contained rage.

She didn’t wait for her driver.

She pushed through the revolving doors and stepped into the late afternoon air, the cool breeze doing nothing to calm the fire burning in her chest.

How dare he?

How dare Martin stand there and defend Fiona — that woman — right to her face? How dare he tell her not to mess with her, as if Fiona was some fragile thing he needed to protect? How dare he admit, in so many words, that his heart was with someone else while she was supposed to be his future wife?

Katherine’s hands trembled as she pulled out her phone and called her driver.

"Pick me up. Now."

She paced on the sidewalk, ignoring the curious glances from passersby.

Her mind raced with dark thoughts.

She had spent her entire life preparing for this role — smiling through every arranged dinner, every strategic event, every expectation placed on her shoulders. She had never once embarrassed her family. And now, because of one low-level employee, everything was crumbling.

No.

She wouldn’t allow it.

If Martin wanted to end this, she wouldn’t go down quietly.

She would make sure Fiona paid for it.

Meanwhile, inside the building, Fiona saw the way Katherine stormed out.

She had been walking toward the elevators when she caught a glimpse of Katherine pushing through the lobby doors, her posture rigid, her face flushed with anger. Fiona paused for a second, watching the scene unfold from a distance.

She felt a flicker of something — not satisfaction, not joy — just a quiet acknowledgment.

Katherine was furious.

And Fiona knew exactly why.

But she chose to ignore it.

She turned away, lifted her chin slightly, and continued on with her day.

Riley ran to Fiona the moment she saw her walking back toward her desk.

"Did you see how she walked out? Soo crazy!"

Riley’s eyes were wide with disbelief, her voice a hushed but excited whisper as she caught up to Fiona in the hallway. She was practically bouncing on her toes, still clutching a half-empty coffee cup from the cafeteria.

Fiona slowed down, a tired but genuine smile tugging at the corners of her mouth despite everything.

"I saw," she said quietly. "She looked furious."

Riley leaned in closer, lowering her voice even more.

"I mean, I heard the whole thing from the break room. Katherine was practically yelling at that poor intern. ’Do you know who I am?’ ’You couldn’t afford to touch my clothes!’ Girl, the entire cafeteria went silent. It was like watching a soap opera live. And then she stormed out like the building was on fire. I’ve never seen her lose it like that before."

Fiona let out a small, weary laugh.

"She’s been on edge all day. The wedding planning, the merger pressure... and now Martin’s distant attitude. I think the spilled coffee was just the final straw."

Riley shook her head, still amazed.

"But the way she went off on that girl? That was next level. Katherine always acts so perfect, so poised. Today she looked ready to explode. And the way she looked at you earlier in the hallway... I swear she was plotting something. You need to be careful, Fi. With her around the office every day, things are getting bad.

"I know. I’m trying to keep my head down and just get through the event. But it’s getting harder. Every time I turn around, she’s there — smiling, watching, making little comments that feel like daggers."

Riley linked her arm with Fiona’s as they walked the rest of the way to their desks.

"Well, if she tries anything else, I’ve got your back. We can handle Katherine Thorne together. And honestly? After today, I think even some of the team are starting to see through the perfect fiancée act. The way she spoke to that intern... that wasn’t cute. That was mean."

Fiona sat down at her desk, letting out a long breath.

"Thanks, Riley. I really needed to hear that. Today has been... a lot."

Riley gave her a quick side hug before heading back to her own desk.

"Anytime. And if you need to vent later, my place or yours — ice cream is on me."

Fiona smiled softly as Riley walked away.

Later that afternoon, as she was wrapping up her tasks, her phone buzzed with a text.

**Caleb:**

Hey Fi. I know today was probably tough. Let me take you out for dinner tonight. Nothing fancy, just good food and good company. You definitely need that. I’ll pick you up at 7?

Fiona stared at the message for a moment.

A small, tired smile touched her lips.

She needed that.

She needed a night away from the office, away from Martin’s pleading eyes, away from Katherine’s fury.

She typed back quickly.

**Fiona:**

Yes. I’d like that. See you at 7.

She slipped her phone back into her bag and continued working, feeling a tiny spark of relief....