Unexpectedly Expecting || BWWM

(Short chapter)

He practically ran out the door, slamming it behind him and leaving me standing there in this ridiculous lingerie his mother practically forced me to buy. "Something to make Dean see you as a wife," she'd said, as if seducing him into bed was going to make him fall at my feet. I should've known better.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the white T-shirt Dean had thrown at me like I was some stray dog he didn't want in his house. Anger flared in my chest, but it wasn't because he rejected me. Oh, no. Dean Keller wasn't exactly my type to begin with, despite his good looks. This wasn't about love or lust—it was about power.

And right now, Dean thought he held all of it.

He's going to ruin everything—the business deal, the marriage, the carefully laid plans his mother and I had built together. His stubborn insistence on taking some moral high ground was laughable. He didn't realize the power I had over him. Not yet.

I looked at my phone and scrolled through the photos I'd taken earlier that day. There they were—Dean and the woman, her, walking into the ultrasound clinic. The woman was clearly pregnant, her swollen belly impossible to miss. And Dean... he wasn't just there. He was with her. They looked like a couple, like something out of a sick fairy tale.

I zoomed in on his face. He was smiling. Smiling.

My jaw tightened, and I swiped away the image.

If he thought he could make a fool of me, he had another thing coming. Dean Keller didn't get to walk away unscathed, and that woman—whoever she was—needed to know her place.

I pulled up a contact in my phone—Eli, a reporter who owed me a few favors. He picked up on the second ring.

"Vanessa," he said, his voice dripping with curiosity. "What've you got for me?"

"I have some pictures I'm going to send you," I replied coolly, inspecting my nails. The baby pink polish was chipping, and I made a mental note to book a manicure tomorrow. "I need this published by morning."

"What's the story?"

I smirked, leaning back against the headboard. "Dean Keller seems to be hiding a pregnant woman. She's probably trying to baby trap him. It's not his kid—can't be—but he's too stupid to see it. Make a story out of it. Spin it however you want, as long as she comes off as a manipulative gold digger."

There was a pause. Eli knew how these games worked. He wasn't a good man, but he was reliable when I needed him.

"You're sure about this?" he asked cautiously. "This could blow up—"

"I don't pay you for your opinions, Eli. I pay you to do what you're told. Got it?" My voice was sharp enough to cut through his hesitation.

"Yes, ma'am," he said quickly.

"Good. I'll send the photos now."

I ended the call before he could say another word. My heart raced with anticipation as I attached the photos to a message and hit send. Dean would have quite the surprise waiting for him when he woke up tomorrow. The world would know exactly what kind of mess he'd gotten himself into.

I stood up and crossed to the mirror, peeling off the lingerie and tossing it onto the bed like the useless rag it was. I slid back into my blouse and pencil skirt, smoothing the fabric down with steady hands. Dean's rejection didn't sting nearly as much now that I had a plan in motion.

He thought he could walk away from me, but he didn't realize I was always one step ahead.

—-

The next morning, I woke up to a flurry of notifications. My phone buzzed relentlessly, lighting up with texts, emails, and social media alerts. I smiled lazily as I unlocked it, scrolling through the chaos I'd created.

The headline splashed across every gossip site and entertainment blog made my chest swell with satisfaction:

"Dean Keller Spotted with Mystery Pregnant Woman—Secret Love Child?"

The photos were everywhere—Dean holding the door open for her, walking beside her with that stupid grin on his face, even a shot of him with his hand barely hovering near her back like he was protecting her. It was laughable, really, how easy this had been.

The comments on the articles were already rolling in.

"Dean Keller? A dad? No way!"
"Who's the girl? She looks like she's about to pop."
"This has to be a publicity stunt. Dean doesn't even date."
"Wow, imagine baby-trapping a guy like Dean Keller. Some women will do anything."

Perfect. Exactly the kind of narrative I wanted.

I opened a message from Dean's mother, who was clearly awake and panicking.

Claudia: Vanessa, have you seen the news? Call me immediately.

I ignored it. She'd get over it eventually.

Let Dean come running back, trying to clean up the mess. He'd have no choice but to face the truth: he couldn't get rid of me.

Not now. Not ever.