Pregnant and Spoiled by the Billionaire – Episode 35
Leo spoke about losing control of Preston Group with calm that did not deceive Amelia. The company was more than wealth. He had built its renewable-energy division from a failing inheritance into work that employed thousands and funded projects he genuinely believed mattered.
“You should not sacrifice it for me,” Amelia said. Leo answered that refusing to profit from crimes committed against her was not sacrifice; it was the minimum standard he expected from himself. If the board removed him for that choice, their values had already become incompatible.
Amelia respected the principle but rejected the idea that he must face the vote alone. The leaked records had made her central to the dispute, while keeping her invisible would allow hostile directors to describe her however they wished. She asked to address them remotely, presenting herself not as Leo’s fiancée but as the person whose stolen information created their supposed opportunity. Speaking carried risk, but silence carried a cost she now understood.
Her doctor approved a short video appearance if she remained seated and stopped at any sign of strain. Leo worried the questioning would become hostile. Amelia reminded him that shielding her from difficult words would not erase their effects.
Derek prepared evidence connecting Ian to the short trades, forged note, and payment network. Regulators had not yet filed final charges, which allowed hostile directors to call the case speculation. The timing of the vote was designed to precede legal certainty.
Matilda contacted longtime shareholders who remembered the company before Leo’s leadership. She did not ask them to support her son from loyalty. She documented every conversation and avoided promises that could resemble vote-buying. She asked whether they wanted a corporation willing to purchase stolen medical files whenever the price looked attractive.
On the morning of the meeting, Amelia dressed in a simple blouse and positioned her camera before a plain wall. She removed every visible sign of luxury except the engagement ring she chose to wear. The babies shifted restlessly as if sensing her tension.
The board chair opened by questioning whether Leo had used corporate resources for personal security and legal retaliation. Financial records showed those costs came from his private accounts, while cooperation with regulators protected Preston Group from securities fraud. Compliance officers also confirmed that Leo had recused himself from decisions directly involving damages owed to Amelia. The accusation weakened under documentation rather than outrage.
Ian appeared by video through an allied shareholder. He portrayed himself as the victim of Leo’s vendetta against Jason and claimed the medical leak came from independent journalists. Derek’s documents contradicted him, but Ian dismissed them as incomplete.
Amelia joined when invited. Several directors looked uncomfortable facing the person they had discussed as liability. She described how the stolen file contained counseling notes, medical fears, and the location where five vulnerable children would receive care.
“If you purchase Wallis Enterprises now, you tell every employee and customer that intimate information is a negotiable asset,” she said. “The question is not whether you like me. It is whether consent remains valuable when violating it becomes profitable.”
A director asked whether her relationship with Leo influenced business decisions. Amelia answered honestly that it did, just as every leader’s values and relationships shaped judgment. Leo had become more cautious about privacy, coercion, and the human cost hidden beneath convenient numbers. The proper safeguard was transparent governance, not pretending executives became ethical only when they felt nothing. Influence could improve judgment when it remained visible and accountable.
Her response shifted the meeting away from scandal. Employees watching through an authorized internal feed began sending messages opposing the acquisition. Several institutional investors notified the board that buying Wallis would violate their governance standards.
Ian interrupted with an accusation that Amelia had manipulated public sympathy. Leo muted his feed after the chair warned him twice. The act deprived Ian of the confrontation he wanted and exposed how little actual evidence he possessed.
The vote proceeded by verified ballot. Directors rejected the Wallis acquisition by a decisive margin, then defeated the motion to remove Leo. Institutional shareholders issued statements supporting stronger governance and an independent review of every Wallis-related transaction. Two members who supported Ian resigned before compliance investigations could examine their communications, though resignation would not prevent subpoenas.
Relief swept the estate, but Amelia ended her connection before celebration exhausted her. Leo found her in the sunroom with both hands beneath her stomach, breathing through a wave of tightness.
The nurse checked her blood pressure and called the specialist. The contraction eased, yet the doctor ordered immediate assessment because quintuplet pregnancies could change quickly. An ambulance was prepared despite Amelia’s insistence that the sensation had passed.
Leo knelt to help with her shoes, his victory in the boardroom already irrelevant. Amelia apologized for joining the meeting. He refused the apology. Her voice had mattered, and medical risk did not make her responsible for other people’s wrongdoing.
At the hospital, imaging showed the babies remained stable, but Amelia’s cervix had shortened earlier than expected. The specialist recommended strict activity limits and possible hospitalization if the condition progressed.
Then the monitor recorded another contraction. The doctor looked at the tracing and said Amelia would not be returning to the estate that night. At barely twenty-four weeks, the pregnancy had entered a new danger: her body might be preparing to deliver far too soon.