Chapter 9 - EMERGENCY AT THE ESTATE
Before Ethan could answer, Claire suddenly gasped softly, her hand clutching the side of her pregnant stomach as a sharp pain flared through her lower abdomen. The tea cup slipped from her fingers, shattering against the stone patio floor.
Ethan’s instinct took over as he surged forward, reaching out to catch her. "Claire! What's wrong?"
"Don't touch her!" Marcus yelled, drawing his sidearm and stepping forcefully between Ethan and the pregnant heiress.
Claire leaned heavily against the outdoor pillar, her face turning pale as she breathed through a sudden, intense contraction. The emotional stress of the past twenty-four hours had triggered early labor two months before her due date.
"Get the medical team to the driveway now!" Marcus shouted into his tactical radio as two female security officers carefully guided Claire toward the waiting estate ambulance.
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Ethan tried to follow the stretcher, but two federal agents grabbed his arms, shoving him back onto the wet gravel driveway.
"Ethan Sterling, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit grand larceny and corporate fraud," the agent announced, slapping handcuffs onto his wrists while the ambulance red lights faded into the rain-soaked highway.
