Pregnant with the Mysterious Tycoon's Baby

"No... my baby!"

Juliana Wells lay weakly on the delivery bed, reaching out helplessly, but the nurses whisked her newborn away before she could even see her child. Pain tore through her body like her soul was being ripped apart, piece by agonizing piece. Each contraction brought waves of unbearable agony through her, causing her consciousness to waver.

Through the haze, she heard the midwife's urgent shout.

"“The second baby’s cord is around its neck, and the heart rate is falling. We need to proceed with an emergency C-section! Mrs. Sharp, you need to make a decision!"

But Ashley Sharp's response from outside the delivery room was ice-cold: "Don't bother. Get rid of her and that useless thing in her belly. The Sharp family only needs one heir."

Juliana's breath caught in her throat. She clutched the sheets beneath her with trembling hands, her voice barely a whisper. "...Why?"

A year ago, the Wells Group had been maliciously reported for tax evasion. Overnight, everything collapsed. Her father, consumed by despair, had thrown himself from the company's rooftop. Her mother suffered a cerebral hemorrhage upon hearing the news and died before the ambulance could ever arrived. Juliana hadn't even had time to grieve before creditors descended like wolves, eager to devour what little remained of the Wells family fortune.

That was when Ashley stepped in with an irresistible offer—to bear a child through IVF for the Sharp family’s eldest son, left comatose by a devastating car accident. Give them a son to continue the bloodline. In exchange, Ashley would eliminate all her enemies and clear the Wells family name.

Juliana had believed her. She'd gambled everything, endured ten months of pregnancy, suffered through excruciating labor. But from the very beginning, Ashley had never intended to keep her promise. What a carefully orchestrated trap. What a perfect betrayal. She and her unborn child were nothing but disposable tools.

This humiliation, this stolen child—Juliana would never forget.

Seven years later, Central Airport, Nexus City.

A stunning woman with an almost ethereal beauty stepped off the plane, hand-in-hand with an adorable little boy. Curious stares followed them through the terminal, passersby wondering which celebrity had just arrived. Juliana's naturally pale complexion and slender frame, paired with that exquisite face, turned heads wherever she went. She paid no attention to the gawking strangers, instead looking down at Matthew Wells—her son.

"Matty, still sleepy?"

Matthew's little face remained serious. "Not sleepy. Hungry."

A soft smile broke through Juliana's usual cool demeanor, warmth flooding her eyes as she gently swung their joined hands. "We'll be home soon. Still have those crackers in your pocket?"

At his confirmation, she praised him encouragingly, making the little boy who always tried to act mature blush to the tips of his ears. Mom always liked to tease him, Matthew thought, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

"Good boy, Matty."

But looking at her well-behaved son, Juliana's thoughts drifted to the other child—the one taken by the Sharp family. Her heart grew heavier. The Sharps were powerful. The odds of reclaiming that child were slim, but no matter how impossible it seemed, she would never give up. She'd spent seven years abroad, carefully rebuilding from the scraps of the Wells family fortune, lying in wait. She hadn't come this far just to surrender now.

Her lawyer was still gathering intel on the Sharp family. She couldn't rush this. She had waited seven years—waiting a few more days wouldn’t matter. This trip back was specifically to investigate her other child's situation. How the Sharp family treated her son would determine exactly how she dealt with them.

At the airport exit, Paul, the Wells family's former driver, waited by the car. "Ms. Wells," he greeted respectfully. If Paul hadn't shown up at the hospital that day to spirit Juliana away, she and the baby would have ended up on the streets. With Matthew safe and well, Juliana found a small measure of comfort.

She handed Matthew over with a few gentle instructions, then turned to Paul. "Keep an eye on him for me? I need to make a quick hospital run. I'll catch up with you both later."

Paul's honest face creased into a smile. "Don't you worry, Ms. Wells."

She watched Paul drive away, then headed to a different exit where the hospital's driver was waiting. Turning the corner, Juliana was suddenly bumped by a small, soaking-wet child, their face unnaturally pale.

"Matty?" Juliana instinctively steadied the boy. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you leave with Paul?" She looked him over, alarm rising. "And where did these wet clothes come from? You're drenched! What if you catch a cold?!"

But the 'Matthew' in her arms didn't respond with his usual composure. Small hands desperately clutched her clothes as he buried his face against her, voice breaking with tears. "...I don't want shots... I don't want to see that woman... hide me..."

Juliana went still. Matty wasn’t usually scared of needles—this kind of fear was unlike him. What happened? Her heart clenched as she gently rubbed his back, voice soothing. "Shh, it's okay. Mommy's here. No one's going to make you do anything you don't want to."

Damian Sharp went still in the warm embrace. Somehow, tears welled up in his eyes. Behind him, he could faintly hear bodyguards urgently communicating, still searching for him. Damian held her tighter. Something about this stranger felt instinctively safe, familiar. The word slipped out naturally.

"Mommy—"

The desperate plea melted Juliana's heart. She held him close, voice gentle and intimate. "Sweet boy, Mommy was just worried about you. If you didn't want to leave, you should have told me. Promise me you won't run off like that again, okay?"

A group of men in black suits rushed past, too focused on their search to notice the mother and child tucked in the corner. Damian's heart swelled with happiness. He didn't care whether Juliana was really his mother or not. He'd completely forgotten why he'd snuck away to the airport in the first place.

"Mommy, I'm hungry—"

Juliana tapped his nose playfully. "You were already complaining about being hungry earlier. Let's get you into dry clothes first, then we'll grab a sandwich. After that, you're coming with me to the hospital to meet someone, okay?" Thank goodness she'd packed spare clothes for Matty in her luggage.

Damian accepted his new name without question, completely absorbed in his mommy's gentle care. “New Mommy is good, but the other lady is mean. Grandma is bad, and Daddy is bad too. They never comforted me like this. When he was sick, they just called people in white coats to stick needles in his arm, locked him up, and yelled at him for not listening.

Juliana took the child to the restroom to change. Damian let himself be lifted, looking at his fresh, clean reflection in the mirror with pure delight before turning to plant a kiss on Mommy's cheek. Sitting on Juliana’s shoulder, he gently nudged her toward the sandwiches, excitement in his voice.

Juliana didn’t notice the slight tremble of Damian’s lip when she wasn’t looking—jealous, but more than that, quietly envious. Unlike him, burdened with a cruel woman who merely pretended to be his mother.

Damian got his wish—a simple tomato, egg, and ham sandwich that he devoured with gusto, All traces of his usual pickiness had vanished.

In the security office.

Men in black suits stood in a line, heads lowered, quiet and still. The tall, devastatingly handsome man sat on the couch, watching the monitor footage of his son eating without any semblance of proper manners. His brow furrowed in displeasure.

"I pay you to keep him safe. This is how you do your job?"

The lead bodyguard felt sweat trickle down his neck. "My apologies, sir. This was our oversight."

Lucas Sharp pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted. "Bring him back."

"And... what about the woman?" the bodyguard ventured carefully.

Lucas's deep voice was ice-cold despite its pleasant timbre. "Call the police. Child abduction."