Mira stayed on the bathroom floor longer than she realized, leaning back against the cool tile while Livia hovered nearby, torn between panic and big-sister protectiveness. The pregnancy test still lay on Mira's palm, two unmistakable lines staring back at her, quiet and impossible to ignore. The shock hadn't worn off; it had only settled deeper, creating a tight ache in her chest each time she tried to breathe.
Livia kept glancing at her, as if afraid Mira might crumble without warning. "You don't have to talk right now," she said gently. "Just sit. I'm here."
Mira didn't answer. She wasn't sure she could. Her mind replayed the past hours in blurry fragments, the tension at the private dinner, Cassian's unreadable expression, the interruption that cut everything short, and the hollow emptiness that followed when he left. None of it prepared her for this.
Her phone buzzed on the counter.
Livia's eyes widened. "Someone's calling you."
Mira didn't move at first, but Livia got up and checked the screen. She froze. "It's Cassian."
Mira's breath stalled. "What?"
Livia handed her the phone, and Mira saw it, five missed calls, several messages, and a new one that had arrived seconds ago. Cassian's tone through text was unmistakably sharp, clipped, and urgent.
TEXT :
Where are you?
We need to talk.
Come meet me. Not at the estate.
I'll send the address.
Come alone. Avoid the media.
Her heart fluttered in a way that didn't feel pleasant. "I think… I think something happened."
"No kidding," Livia muttered. "The whole world is talking about him right now."
Before Mira could gather her thoughts, another message appeared, an address and simple instructions.
Use the back entrance. No cameras. No one should see you.
Mira closed her eyes briefly. She didn't want to face him like this, with her hands shaking and her stomach twisting in fear, but she had no choice. She couldn't hide something this serious from him. She also knew Cassian well enough to understand he wouldn't stop until he got answers.
"I have to go," she said quietly.
Livia exhaled hard, then nodded. "Fine. But call me the moment you're done. And for god's sake, don't faint dramatically on him."
"What makes you think I'd do that?"
"You're pale, shaking, pregnant, and dealing with a Draymond," Livia replied dryly. "You're a danger magnet today."
Despite everything, Mira almost smiled.
She didn't feel brave, but she had to move.
Leaving the Serrano Estate unnoticed required more effort than Mira wanted to exert that morning. She slipped into simple jeans and a cap, tying her hair back to minimize attention. The estate hallways felt longer than usual, each step echoing louder than she liked. The guards barely glanced at her when she used the smaller side exit, something usually reserved for deliveries. She kept her head down until she reached the discrete black car Cassian sent.
The ride was silent, tense, and oddly suffocating. Mira kept replaying the two pink lines in her mind, each repetition making her more anxious. She knew Cassian needed to know soon, but the thought of saying the words out loud made her palms sweat.
The car finally stopped in front of a quiet, glass-fronted building, a private Draymond Group office rarely used by the public. There were no reporters, no lingering paparazzi, and no hint of the storm brewing outside.
Ryan Hale was waiting at the entrance.
"Ms. Serrano," he said with a small nod, "he's inside. He requested no interruptions."
Mira nodded. "Thank you."
Ryan stepped aside, and she walked through the doors, her pulse picking up speed with each step down the hallway. She found Cassian standing near a sleek desk, sleeves rolled up, his expression carved with frustration and control. It looked like he had been pacing before she arrived.
The moment their eyes met, a flicker of relief, followed by irritation, crossed his face. "You didn't pick up."
"I wasn't near my phone," she replied softly.
He didn't respond to that. Instead, he picked up his tablet and turned the screen toward her. "This is why I called."
The headlines blinking across the screen made Mira feel like the floor shifted under her feet.
BREAKING: Cassian Draymond & Mira Serrano Seen Leaving Private Dinner Forbidden Romance or Strategic Alliance?
#DraymondSerrano Trends Worldwide After Gala Encounter
Insiders Claim Rising Tension Between Heirs Turned into Something More
Mira read the lines twice before her pulse steadied enough to speak. "I… didn't know it spread this fast."
"It wasn't supposed to spread at all," he said. There was no anger in his tone, just a tight frustration. "Your family and mine are already preparing their responses. I needed you to hear this from me."
She let out a slow breath. "There's something I need to tell you too."
Cassian didn't move closer, but the shift in his posture made it clear she had his full attention. "What is it?"
Mira hesitated, trying to summon the courage she thought she had. But when she tried to speak, the words tangled in her throat. Her hand drifted unconsciously to her stomach. She didn't even realize it happened until Cassian's eyes followed the movement.
He stepped forward immediately, closing the distance. "Mira," he said quietly, his voice steady but intense, "what's going on?"
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I… I'm pregnant."
Cassian stilled, as if every thought in his head had abruptly collided. He didn't speak, didn't move, just looked at her with an expression she couldn't interpret, shock layered with something heavier.
"And it's yours," she added, barely above a whisper. "I'm sure. And I'm keeping it."
Several seconds passed before Cassian finally exhaled. His jaw tightened, but not in anger, more like he was wrestling with thoughts he didn't want her to see.
"I understand," he said finally, the calmness in his voice almost startling. "And I'll take responsibility for this. For you. For the child."
"It's not about responsibility-"
"It is for me," he said, not unkindly. "Let me handle the media. Let me handle everything for now. Just… go home and rest."
Mira nodded, too overwhelmed to argue.
As she turned to leave, Cassian spoke again. "We'll talk properly soon. I mean that."
Something in his tone made her believe him.
The relief of leaving the Draymond office didn't last long. The moment Mira entered the Serrano foyer, she knew something was wrong. The atmosphere was stiff, as if the entire house had been holding its breath.
Regis Serrano stood near the staircase, hands resting on his cane, eyes cold and sharp. It wasn't the look of a concerned father, it was the look of a man who believed he had been betrayed.
"Where were you?" he asked, without greeting.
Mira stopped walking. "I stepped out."
"With whom?" There was no curiosity in the question, only accusation.
She hesitated, and that was enough.
"So the rumors were true," Regis said. "You were with Cassian Draymond."
Mira's throat tightened. "I can explain-"
"I'm not interested in excuses," he cut in. "The Serrano name is being dragged through the mud because of you. Reporters are blocking our gates. Our associates are calling nonstop. And you were nowhere to be found."
Her mother, Elena Serrano, appeared behind him, concern carved across her features. "Regis, please, let her-"
"She disobeyed me," Regis said, ignoring his wife. "I told her to stay away from that family. I told her the consequences. And still she chose to embarrass us."
Mira felt a wave of helpless frustration. "It wasn't intentional. I wasn't trying to cause a scandal."
"But you did," he replied sharply. "And a Serrano who cannot uphold the family's reputation does not deserve the position of heiress."
Mira stared at him, stunned. "What are you saying?"
Regis didn't flinch. "You are no longer the successor of this family."
Her breath caught. "You're disowning me?"
"I'm giving you the freedom you apparently want," he said. "You will leave this house tonight."
Elena gasped softly. "Regis.. she's our daughter."
"And she made her choice," he replied.
Livia rushed down the stairs, eyes wide with disbelief. "Dad, that's insane! You're throwing her out over rumors? You don't even know what happened!"
"It doesn't matter," Regis said. "She aligned herself with our enemy. That decision alone is enough."
Mira felt something inside her collapse; not dramatically, not loudly, just a quiet ache that spread through her chest. She had always known her father cared more about legacy than affection, but she never imagined he would cast her aside this easily.
Her mother was the first to reach her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You're stronger than this moment," Elena whispered against her hair. "You will be fine. You always find a way."
Livia wrapped her arms around both of them, her voice thick. "We'll figure everything out together. You're not alone, Mira."
For the first time since seeing those two lines, Mira allowed herself to breathe, shaky, uneven, but real.
She wasn't sure what her future was supposed to look like now, but she knew one thing with absolute certainty:
Everything had changed. And there was no going back.