Why So Crazy About CEO?

A driver Adrian had hired and paid in cash had brought me here.

The gate guard recognized me despite everything.

"Miss Vivian?"

"I need to see my grandfather. It's urgent."

He let me through. The house staff stared as I wadded up the front steps. Harold was in his study, reviewing documents. He looked up as I entered, his expression surprised.

"Vivian."

"Grandfather." I closed the door behind me. "We need to talk."

"I heard you escaped the hospital. Derek is looking everywhere for you. Why would you run away from your husband?"

"Derek is having an affair with Claire, Grandpa. They switched my eggs during IVF. These babies aren't mine genetically. They're using me as a surrogate. They locked me in a nursery. They're planning to take the babies and have me committed to a mental institution." The words rushed out. "I need your help."

Harold set down his papers slowly. "Vivian…" he called my name softly. “Why are you so crazy about the CEO position?”

"What? I'm not lying! I have evidence. Or I will have evidence once the babies are born and we can do DNA tests."

"Why would Derek do this?"

"Because he married me for access to the company. Because he's been with Claire for ten years. Because-" I stopped. "You don't believe me."

"I believe you're upset. Pregnancy hormones can-"

"Don't you dare." My voice shook with rage. "Don't you dare dismiss me like I'm hysterical. I know what happened. I know what they did."

"Listen to me, daughter. Derek will be an excellent CEO-"

“You are truly making him the CEO? You, Grandpa Harold, are handing your billion dollar company to a pauper you've despised since day one?” I scoffed. “What's he blackmailing you with?”

Harold's face went white. “What? I am a clean man.”

“Yeah, right. Derek's threatening your legacy, your reputation. So you betrayed your own granddaughter."

"Vivian-" Harold stood, his expression hardening. "You're being dramatic. Derek has been nothing but dedicated-"

"He's sleeping with Claire. He locked me in a room. He's stealing my children… and you only care about saving your fucking self!"

"Enough! Don't you dare raise your voice at me ever again. Go back to your husband, Vivian. Work out your marital problems.”

"I'm not going back." I stepped toward his desk. "I'm going to fight this. I'm going to expose all of them—Derek, Claire, Patricia. And if you stand with them instead of me, I'll expose you too. I'll tell everyone you are a serial killer, a sexual assaulter, a rapist, every damn thing on this earth. I'd rather destroy Lancaster industries than leave it for undeserving bastards."

"You would destroy your own family's legacy out of spite?"

"It's not spite. It's justice." I turned toward the door. "When I'm done, remember that you chose them over me."

“I'll make you the CFO.” Harold's voice stopped me. "You'll be an executive and you'll find a way to kick them out without destroying Lancaster industries or making grave accusations against me. Go back to Derek."

He pressed a button on his receiver and three seconds later, the door opened before I could reach it.

A grim looking man stepped in. Harold called him Alex.

“Take her to Derek.”

I looked back at my grandfather—the man who'd raised me, who I'd spent my life trying to impress, who was supposed to love me.

"You were supposed to protect me," I whispered. "And be on my side."

"I am protecting you by encouraging you to accept reality. You married poorly. You made mistakes. But Derek is willing to forgive you if you cooperate. Take the executive position and don't do anything stupid."

Maybe he was right. Deep down in my heart, I knew I needed that position to destroy Derek. Making accusations against Harold would do nothing except validate claims that I was mentally unstable.

So, I let the man take me. He gripped me tightly, but I didn't resist. He shoved me into the backseat.

"Seatbelt," he ordered, his eyes watching me through the rearview mirror as he started the engine.

We'd been driving for maybe ten minutes when the pressure on my bladder became unbearable.

"I need to stop," I said. "Bathroom."

"Not falling for that, Mrs. Morrison."

"I'm eight months pregnant. I actually need to pee."

His assessing eyes met mine in the mirror. "Only if you give me consent to follow you into the bathroom. Or you can pee right there on Mr. Lancaster's leather seats. Your choice."

"You can't be serious."

"I'd be stupid to trust you, Mrs. Morrison. You run, I lose my job. Maybe worse. So either I watch you pee, or you hold it until I get you home."

My hands clenched in my lap. I needed him to stop the car.

"Fine," I whispered, reaching under my dress to slip off the cotton shorts I wore underneath. I balled them in my fist. "Just... stop at the next gas station."

He grunted, pulling off the highway five minutes later. The filing station was small, mostly empty. He killed the engine and turned in his seat. "Don't try anything stupid."

"I won't."

The moment he turned back around to open his door, I pressed the balled shorts over his nose and mouth from behind, my other hand bracing against the headrest for leverage.

He thrashed immediately, hands flying up to grab my wrists. But I held firm, leaning my weight forward despite my pregnant belly. Just cutting off air until his brain gave in to sleep.

His movements grew frantic, then weakened. His hands fell away from my wrists.

I counted ten more seconds, then released him. His head slumped forward. I checked quickly, and he was still breathing. I took his phone from the center console, pushed open the door, and ran.

It was humiliating how the pee gushed out my bladder as I ran, but I didn't stop.

Back at Adrian’s, I cleaned myself up and slumped onto the couch.

“Grandfather was part of the plan. Derek is blackmailing him.”

Adrian glanced at me. "Then we do this alone."

"I can't fight them all. They're too powerful."

"You're not alone anymore. I'm with you, and we're about to have help. Two little ones who'll give us all the evidence we need."

That night, I went into labor.