My Boss, My Babydaddy

Chapter 68

Jocelyn’s POV

I make it through lunch with Zayden without mentioning Aiden's visit.

The ramen is good. Our conversation flows easily—foundation updates, Mia's upcoming school play, whether we should repaint the kitchen. Normal married couple things.

But the bottle of supplements sits heavy in my purse, and every time Zayden asks if I'm okay, I have to force my smile wider.

By the time we're back at the foundation, my nerves are shredded.

"Conference room, fifteen minutes," Maya catches me in the hallway. "Grant committee follow-up."

I nod, head to my office to drop my bag. But the second I close the door, the weight of keeping secrets crashes over me.

Aiden knows I'm pregnant. He's been in my medical records, he showed up unannounced and made it crystal clear he's watching.

And I'm sitting on this information like it's not a ticking bomb.

I pull out my phone, text Zayden: ‘Can you come to my office? Need to talk.’

His reply is immediate: ‘On my way.’

He appears two minutes later, closing the door behind him. "What's wrong?"

"Your brother came to the foundation today." I say quickly, as if ripping off a band-aid.

The color drains from Zayden's face. "Aiden was here?"

"About an hour before lunch. I found him in the intake area, looking at our medical advocacy materials." I lean against my desk, arms crossed. "He said he wanted to see the foundation. That he's been following our work."

"What did he say to you?" Zayden's voice has gone dangerously quiet.

"That he wanted to reconnect with family. That the foundation was built with Wolfe money that should have been split between you." I pause. "And he made comments about my health. Said I looked tired, run down."

Zayden's jaw clenches. "What kind of comments?"

I can't tell him about the pregnancy supplements without revealing what I'm hiding. So I deflect. "Just pointed observations. Like he's been paying attention to things he shouldn't be paying attention to."

"Did he threaten you?"

"Not directly, but it felt like a threat. Like he was showing me how much he knows, how easily he can access information." I meet Zayden's eyes. "He said medical scheduling systems aren't as secure as people think."

Something dark crosses Zayden's expression. "Fuck."

"What?"

"Aiden worked in healthcare data management for three years. Before he burned that bridge too." Zayden runs his hand through his hair, pacing. "He knows how to navigate those systems. If he wanted to dig into your medical records…"

"That's illegal."

"That's Aiden." He stops pacing, faces me. "Did he mention anything specific? Appointments, diagnoses, anything that would confirm he actually accessed your files?"

My stomach twists. I can't answer that honestly without revealing the pregnancy.

"He mentioned the Medical Family Support Initiative," I say instead. "Asked about the timing of it."

"That's public information." Zayden's thinking, calculating. "But showing up here, making comments about your health... he's sending a message."

"What message?"

"That he can get to you. To us. That we're not as protected as we think." Zayden pulls out his phone. "I'm calling our lawyer. If he's accessing private medical data—"

"Wait." I touch his arm. "Tell me about him first. About why you're estranged. I need to understand what we're dealing with."

Zayden stares at his phone for a long moment, then pockets it. Sits heavily in the chair across from my desk.

"Aiden is Harrison's son from an affair with a woman named Claire Montgomery," he starts. "I was twelve when I found out he existed. Harrison brought him to the estate one Sunday, announced he'd be 'joining the family' for dinners twice a month."

"Jesus."

"My mother was livid. But she couldn't do anything about it—prenup had infidelity clauses that would've left her with nothing. So she smiled through those dinners and pretended everything was fine."

His voice is flat, controlled. "Aiden was six years younger than me. Just a kid. I tried to be decent to him, but Harrison made that impossible."

"How?"

"He pitted us against each other constantly. Compared our grades, our achievements, our worth. Told Aiden he'd have to prove himself twice as hard because he was born 'on the wrong side of legitimacy.'"

Zayden's hands curl into fists. "By the time Aiden was sixteen, he hated me. Blamed me for Harrison's cruelty instead of blaming Harrison."

"That's not fair."

"It's easier to hate your brother than your father." He looks at me. "When Harrison died and the will left everything to me, Aiden sent letters for months. Accused me of manipulating Harrison, of stealing his inheritance, of being the reason he got nothing but a locked trust fund."

"You tried to explain?"

"I tried to give him money." Zayden's laugh is bitter. "Offered to split things more fairly, set up a proper trust he could access. But he didn't want my charity. He wanted vindication. Wanted me to admit I'd stolen what should've been his."

"And when you couldn't?"

"He threatened to expose Wolfe Industries' corruption publicly. Said he had documents, emails, proof of Harrison's criminal activities."

Zayden's jaw tightens.

"Which he probably did—he'd worked summers at the company, had access to files. So I had my lawyers send cease and desist orders. Told him if he went public with anything, I'd prosecute for theft of corporate documents."

"Did he back down?"

"Eventually. But not before calling me every name Harrison ever used on him. Not before making it very clear he'd never forgive me for being the legitimate son." He meets my eyes. "I haven't heard from him in five years. Until today."

The pieces fall into place—why Zayden went so pale at Aiden's name, why this feels dangerous.

"He's here because of the documentary," I say.

"And because we're visible again. The foundation, the media attention, Vivienne's accusations." Zayden stands, starts pacing again. "He sees an opportunity to hurt me. And the best way to hurt me is through you."

My hand instinctively goes to my stomach, then drops when I realize what I'm doing.

"What do we do?" I ask.

"We lock down everything. Medical records, financial information, foundation files. I'll have our lawyers send another cease and desist about the unauthorized access to your medical data."

He turns to me. "And you don't meet with him alone. Ever. If he shows up here again, you call security immediately."

"Zay—"

"I'm serious, Jocelyn. Aiden's not here to reconcile, he's here to destroy whatever happiness he thinks I don't deserve." His voice cracks slightly. "I won't let him use you to do it."

I cross to him, take his hands. "Okay. We'll be careful. We'll protect ourselves."

He pulls me against his chest, and I feel him trembling slightly with suppressed rage.

"I should've warned you," he says into my hair. "Should've told you about him before any of this media attention started."

"You told me the basics. I knew you had an estranged half-brother."

"But you didn't know he was dangerous."

"Is he? Dangerous, I mean. Or just vindictive?"

Zayden's quiet for a long moment. "I don't know anymore. The Aiden I knew was angry and hurt but not cruel. But five years of silence, of festering resentment? People change."

"So do we," I remind him. "We're not the same people we were five years ago either."

"No. We're better."

"Exactly, which means we can handle this."

I say it with confidence I don't entirely feel. Because Aiden knows things about me that even my husband doesn't know yet.