Daddy’s billionaire step-brother
Chapter 44: Disappointment

Richard looked at the doctor as if he hadn't even registered the medical information. He was stuck on one fact: his daughter was pregnant. The doctor excused himself, leaving them to "talk," but Clara knew this wasn't going to be a calm

conversation.

As soon as the door clicked shut, the storm broke.

"Nine weeks?" Richard snapped, his voice rising in fury. "You're nine weeks pregnant? Clara, how could you how could you let this happen?"

Clara's tears spilled over, her hands trembling as she tried to find something, anything, to say. "Dad, I-I didn't mean for this to happen. I"

"You didn't mean for it to happen?" His voice was filled with disbelief and anger. "You've ruined everything! How could you be so careless? Who-who's the father?"

The words hit her like a punch. She couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't admit it was Adrian.

"I" Clara stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Richard looked at her as if she were a stranger, his expression hardening with each passing second. His eyes widened in disbelief at Clara's words, his face frozen in shock. The tension in the air was suffocating as Clara lay there, trembling, her heart pounding against her chest. She felt her world crumble as she waited for her father's reaction.

"You don't know who the father is?" Richard's voice was low, filled with a bitter, disbelieving rage. "My own daughter, acting like a worthless slut behind my back?"

Clara gasped, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. "Dad, no-please, I'm not "

"You're not?" Richard interrupted, his face turning red as his anger mounted. "Then explain to me how you got yourself into this situation!"

Clara sobbed, her hands trembling. "I... I'm not a slut. Please don't say that, Dad."

Richard's eyes narrowed, his fury boiling over. "Don't lie to me, Clara. I know you know who the father is. So, who is it? Who?"

Clara's heart ached. She knew there was no way out, no more hiding the truth. He wouldn't stop until she gave him an answer, and the thought of his reaction made her feel sick to her core.

"Tell me!" Richard shouted, stepping closer, towering over her as Clara broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably. The room felt like it was spinning, her head light with fear and guilt.

Clara sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm so sorry."

Richard paced the room, his hands running through his hair as he tried to process what was happening. His daughter-his perfect, carefully planned-out daughter was pregnant, and everything he had worked for, everything he had set up for her future, was falling apart.

"This can't be happening," he muttered, almost to himself. "This is not how things were supposed to go."

Clara wiped her tears, trying to steady her breathing, but the weight of the situation was crushing her. She didn't know what to do, how to fix this. She had wanted to keep it a secret, to figure it out on her own, but now it was out in the open, and her father's rage was more than she could bear.

Richard stopped pacing and turned to face her. "We'll fix this," he said, though his voice was still laced with anger. "I don't know how yet, but we will fix this."

Clara felt her heart sink. Fix this? What did that mean? She was pregnant, there was no "fixing" it. This wasn't something that could be undone.

Clara shook her head, fresh tears streaming down her face. "Dad, please, just listen-"

"No, Clara, you listen," Richard interrupted, his eyes flashing with anger. "You've made a mess, but I won't let you destroy everything I've worked for. You're going to fix this, and you're going to do exactly what I tell you. No arguments." The door opened again, and the doctor peeked in, his expression concerned. "Is everything alright in here?"

Richard straightened, putting on a façade of calm. "We'll need a moment. Thank you, doctor."

The doctor nodded and closed the door again, leaving them in the thick silence.

Clara wiped at her tears, trying to find some semblance of strength. "Dad, please... I didn't mean for this to happen, but it's happening. I'm pregnant, and I-”

Richard cut her off. "I don't care what you think, Clara. Your only job was to behave, to be a respectable girl, to hold the reputation of our name while I worked hard to rebuild our fortune. You only had to keep your legs shut and you couldn't even do that! But we'll fix this."

Clara's heart shattered at his words. He wasn't going to listen to her. He wasn't going to care about what she wanted. In his eyes, this was just another obstacle to be managed. Another part of his plan for her life, twisted into something he could control.

Richard's pacing had turned frantic, his mind racing as he struggled to find a solution. The tension in the room was suffocating. Clara sat in silence, still crying, unsure of how to face what was coming next. Every nerve in her body was telling her to hold it in, but the pressure from her father was unbearable.

"Clara, you need to tell me who the father is," Richard said, his voice cold and sharp. "Is it Henry? One of those other boys you've been seen with? Or is it someone else?"

Clara couldn't take it anymore. She had held on as long as she could, but she felt cornered. There was no way out. Her father wasn't going to stop until he had the truth. "It's not Henry," Clara whispered, barely audible.

Richard stopped pacing. His back was to her, but she could see the tension in his shoulders. Slowly, he turned to face her, his expression hardening. "Then who?"

"I can't," she cried. "Please, Dad, I can't."

"Enough of this nonsense!" Richard roared, slamming his hand against the wall. "I raised you better than this, Clara. I gave you everything. And this is how you repay me? By disgracing this family with some random man's child?" Clara shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper, trembling as she spoke. "It's not random."

"Then who?" Richard demanded. "Who is the father?"

Clara swallowed hard, her chest tight with fear and regret. She had no choice now. There was no turning back.

"It's Adrian," she whispered through her sobs.