Chapter 4
THE MISTAKE
Daisy had never imagined that creating a life could involve so much paperwork.
Consent forms.
Medical questionnaires.
Legal agreements.
Financial disclosures.
By the time she finished signing the last document, her wrist hurt.
The fertility coordinator smiled.
"Congratulations."
Daisy looked up.
"For what?"
"For taking the first step."
The simple statement made her stomach flutter.
For the first time, everything felt real.
This wasn't an idea anymore.
It wasn't a plan.
It was happening.
The coordinator handed her another folder.
Inside were treatment schedules, medication instructions, and appointment dates.
A roadmap to motherhood.
Daisy stared at the papers.
Her future suddenly felt tangible.
Reachable.
She couldn't stop smiling.
Across town, Anthony Green was having a much worse day.
"Cancel it."
His assistant blinked.
"Sir?"
"The charity gala."
"You've spent three months planning that event."
Anthony loosened his tie.
"I don't care."
The assistant hesitated.
"Is this because of yesterday?"
Anthony didn't answer.
The silence was answer enough.
The humiliation from the family dinner still lingered.
Marcus's words had replayed in his head all night.
Imagine inheriting billions with nobody to leave them to.
The worst part?
Anthony couldn't even argue.
Because Marcus was right.
What good was a legacy if it died with him?
The thought made his chest tighten.
"Leave the files."
The assistant quietly placed the documents on the desk and exited.
Anthony stared out the window.
Thirty-five floors below, the city moved normally.
People rushed to work.
Parents walked children to school.
Families existed everywhere.
Except in his life.
His phone buzzed.
A text message appeared.
From his uncle Victor.
Dinner this weekend? Family only.
Anthony immediately deleted it.
Lately, even looking at his relatives irritated him.
Especially Victor.
There was something about the man's constant sympathy that felt false.
Like an actor playing a role.
Anthony couldn't explain it.
But the older he got, the less genuine it seemed.
Meanwhile, at the fertility clinic, chaos was quietly brewing.
The laboratory technician from the previous day sat staring at a screen.
Her coffee had gone cold hours ago.
The records still didn't make sense.
She opened the donor database again.
Anthony Green.
Everything looked normal.
Until she compared timestamps.
Then her blood ran cold.
"Oh no."
A transfer authorization had occurred.
One she never approved.
One that shouldn't exist.
Her hands trembled as she reviewed the logs.
The sample had already been processed.
Already assigned.
Already used.
The realization hit her like a truck.
Someone's procedure had already happened.
Someone's future had already changed.
"Please tell me I'm wrong."
She checked again.
And again.
The answer remained the same.
She wasn't wrong.
A mistake had been made.
A catastrophic one.
The door suddenly opened.
The laboratory director entered.
"What are you working on?"
The technician swallowed.
Hard.
For a moment she considered telling him everything.
Instead she hesitated.
That hesitation would become one of the biggest mistakes of her life.
Because the director's expression changed the moment he saw the file.
Anthony Green.
The name meant something.
The director quickly masked his reaction.
But not quickly enough.
The technician noticed.
"Do you know him?"
The director smiled.
"Everyone knows Anthony Green."
Then he calmly walked closer.
"What seems to be the issue?"
The technician explained.
Every detail.
Every discrepancy.
Every concern.
The more she spoke, the paler she became.
By the time she finished, silence filled the room.
The director stared at the screen.
His face unreadable.
Finally he spoke.
"Delete it."
The technician froze.
"What?"
"The records."
"I can't do that."
"You're mistaken."
"No, I'm not."
The director's expression hardened.
For several seconds neither spoke.
Then he lowered his voice.
"Do you understand what would happen if this became public?"
The technician stared at him.
"A patient deserves to know."
"A patient deserves a successful procedure."
The director closed the file.
"Which they received."
Her eyes widened.
"You can't be serious."
"The procedure worked."
The technician felt sick.
"This is fraud."
"It's survival."
The director stood.
"The clinic's reputation would be destroyed."
"So we're lying?"
"We're protecting everyone involved."
Including ourselves.
The unspoken words hung in the air.
The technician looked at the file again.
A terrible feeling settled over her.
Something was deeply wrong.
Not just the mistake.
The cover-up.
The speed with which the director wanted it buried.
As though he wasn't surprised.
As though he expected it.
As though he was protecting something bigger.
Or someone.
Weeks later, Daisy sat inside her penthouse bathroom staring at a small white stick.
Her heart hammered violently.
She looked away.
Then looked back.
The result hadn't changed.
Two lines.
Positive.
For several seconds she couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Then tears filled her eyes.
Happy tears.
The kind she hadn't cried in years.
A trembling laugh escaped her lips.
"Oh my God."
She pressed a hand against her stomach.
There was no baby bump yet.
No visible sign.
Nothing to indicate her life had changed forever.
And yet everything had.
A child.
Her child.
Her future.
Her family.
The dream she had barely dared imagine was finally becoming real.
She reached for her phone.
The first number she called was Sophia.
The moment her friend answered, Daisy burst into tears.
Sophia panicked instantly.
"Daisy?"
"I'm pregnant."
Silence.
Then screaming.
Very loud screaming.
Daisy laughed through her tears.
For the first time in a very long time, she felt genuinely happy.
Completely unaware that somewhere else in the city, a billionaire who believed he could never become a father had unknowingly just become one.
And fate wasn't finished with either of them yet.
