Page 58 of Julian's Curse

“I know Julian would be a great dad,” I volunteered. I couldn’t quite tell her why I had health concerns for the baby, though. It still really bothered me that from the beginning, we didn’t give our child the best start.

She gave a knowing nod. “You two really seem like the ultimate power couple. I’ll return shortly with our liquid of accomplishment.” With that, she vanished into the kitchen.

Once the buzz of productivity settled back in, I turned my attention to my email. I began with my personal inbox, knowing that sometimes, even work-related messages found their way there. I spotted a message from my doctor through Scripps about my blood test and immediately opened it.

Lucie, your HCG levels have risen from 5902 to 8952. We’re going to follow up with another test in two days to ensure it’s doubling as expected.

She didn’t provide any other explanation, but it seemed like 8952 was not double 5902, a sign that perhaps I’d need further monitoring.

Doctor Hui, is everything okay with the baby?I asked anxiously. I knew it would likely take her a few hours to respond, so I turned to the internet, hoping for some answers. But all I found only fueled my worries, with information that was far from reassuring.

HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone produced during pregnancy, and its levels can offer valuable insights into the health and progression of a pregnancy.Doubling in Early Pregnancy: In the first few weeks of pregnancy, HCG levels typically double every 48 to 72 hours. This rapid increase is a positive sign of a developing pregnancy.

Should I call Julian? I needed to talk to someone about this new concern, but I hesitated, not wanting to worry him too soon. Instead, I decided to wait for the doctor to confirm whether my lower increase was normal. After all, I still had all my pregnancy symptoms, and the nurse at the clinic had mentioned that starting with an HCG level of around 5000 was a strong indicator of a healthy pregnancy.

Trying to avoid spending the whole day on Dr. Google, I shifted my focus to my work email instead. As usual, there was a flood of emails to sort through. I expected it to be all mundane—just another pile of tasks to tackle. But as I skimmed through the messages, an unusual subject line caught my eye.

Confidential: Ransom Request for Sophie.

The sender’s email address looked suspiciously fake, and I quickly became almost certain this was someone trying to exploit my article about her disappearance. How sick…

Despite the warning bells ringing in my head, I clicked the arrow at the top to expand the email. What if there was a chance it was real?

Hello Lucie,

Bring 10 million dollars in cash, in exchange for Sophie’s life. You will receive the location for the exchange from a stranger at Starbucks downtown, precisely at 7 AM tomorrow.

To confirm the accuracy of our information, your friend mentioned that she left her favorite bracelet in the drawer of her old desk. Please check so you can verify for yourself.

Please remember, come alone. If you tell anyone about this message, including your billionaire boyfriend, you will never find Sophie or us. Enjoy your day, bitch.

I felt a sudden surge of anger, like something had just pushed me into a corner. Without waiting for Kali to return,I yanked open her drawer. At first, it seemed empty—just papers scattered inside. But as I reached toward the back, my fingers brushed against something cold. There it was—Sophie’s bracelet, tucked in the back. Getting access toApogeehad become nearly impossible with all our security, so it seemed like the author of the email was telling the truth.

My first instinct was to call Oliver—handling this on my own felt too risky with little chance of success. But I couldn’t bring myself to dial his number in panic. After all, this wasn’t just a ransom request—it was Sophie’s life that I was supposed to protect here. I briefly considered tracing the email’s IP address but quickly dismissed the idea. The stranger was likely too clever to send it from a traceable location. There was a chance they genuinely only wanted 10 million, and Sophie would be returned unharmed. But what if it wasn’t that simple? Could following their demands save her life, or would it only make her more vulnerable?

“Coffee doctored to your specifications,” Kali reappeared and set the paper cup on my desk. I jolted and closed my Outlook. “Thank you,” I barely managed to reply, hoping she wouldn’t notice the fear on my face.

“Everything okay?” Kali immediately picked up on my sudden shift in mood.

“Yeah, I just got some bad news in my email,” I said, my words automatic, as if I were no longer fully present in my own body. I had already made up my mind—I would go, follow their instructions, and not tell a soul.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She examined me, concern in her eyes.

“No,” I murmured barely above a whisper, my gaze going distant.

“I’m just going to get back to work now.” I slipped Sophie’s bracelet onto my arm, its special meaning grounding me as Iturned away from Kali, who probably felt flabbergasted, but said nothing.

My day got progressively worse.Several hours after receiving the ransom email, I began to feel subtle cramping in my legs. At first, I attributed it to my uterus expanding to accommodate a growing baby, but when I went to use the bathroom, I found blood in my underwear. It wasn’t a heavy flow, but it was definitely bleeding— a frightening sight for any mother-hoping-to-be.

Returning from the bathroom, I quickly sent a follow-up message to my gynecologist, adding something panicked to the subject line. It worked—because her nurse responded almost immediately.

Lucie, Dr. Hui says that bleeding in early pregnancy is quite common. Especially after sexual intercourse. It doesn’t mean that anything is wrong, but let’s repeat the test in two days.She informed me.

After our passionate night with Julian, it was likely the cause. I’d been quite sore, after all. But I couldn’t afford to focus on my health scare now; I had to be strong to follow through with getting the money. After all, I didn’t have 10 million myself, and Julian was the only person who could help me with such an urgent request. But would he suspect something?

Determined, I made my way into the conference room, which was now vacant. “Carolyn, can you put me through to Julian and tell him it’s important?” I called his secretary, knowing he was likely in the middle of a meeting.

“Let me give him the message. Is everything alright, Miss Benton? Do you need help?” She sounded genuinely concerned.

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