All Chapters of The Last Blueprint: Chapter 51
- Chapter 60
95 chapters
The First Appointment
The OB-GYN clinic waiting room was designed to be calming—soft blues and greens, nature photography on the walls, magazines about parenting scattered across side tables. Ethan sat in one of the cushioned chairs, checking his phone every thirty seconds, trying to look anywhere except at the door.When Isabelle walked in, his breath caught despite himself.She looked fragile. Thinner than she should be, dark circles under her eyes suggesting she hadn't slept in days. She wore a loose sweater that didn't quite hide the fact that she was carrying his child.Their eyes met across the room."Hi," Isabelle said softly."Hi." Ethan gestured to the chair beside him, then immediately regretted the proximity. She sat anyway, leaving a careful six inches between them.They didn't speak. Just sat in painful silence while a pregnant woman across from them chatted happily with her husband about nursery colors. The contrast was unbearable."Isabelle Harrington?" A nurse appeared in the doorway with a
DEREK'S GUILT INTENSIFIES
Ethan stared at the message, thinking about that tiny flickering heartbeat. About seven months from now when everything would change. About whether he'd ever be able to trust Isabelle again, or if they'd spend the next eighteen years navigating this painful distance.Derek hadn't slept in three days.He stared at the ceiling of his apartment, watching the shadows shift as headlights passed on the street below. It was 3:17 AM. He'd been lying here since midnight, his mind replaying that night with Isabelle on an endless, torturous loop. Her grief. His grief. The whiskey. The way she'd looked at him like he was Ethan, just for a moment, just enough.He rolled over and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. The screen's blue light burned his eyes as he typed the same search he'd entered a dozen times this week: can you get pregnant during your period.The results loaded. He scrolled past the top answers—the ones that said "unlikely" and "rare"—and dug deeper. Medical journals. Forum thre
FOUNDATION CRISIS DEEPENS
The email arrived at 6:47 AM.Isabelle stared at her phone screen, still half-asleep, and felt ice spread through her chest.Subject: Final WarningMs. Harrington,Since you have chosen to ignore my previous communications, I am left with no choice but to escalate. Attached you will find a sample of correspondence from your grandfather's private archives—letters that reveal financial irregularities during the Foundation's early years.I will release the full collection to the press in 72 hours unless you resign from all positions within the Harrington Foundation, effective immediately.Consider this your final opportunity to preserve what remains of your family's reputation.— Catherine MontgomeryIsabelle's hands shook as she opened the attachment. The letter was from 1987, written in Marcus's careful handwriting, discussing a loan restructuring that skirted the edge of legal compliance. It wasn't damning on its own, but taken out of context, spun the right way by someone like Cather
UNLIKELY ALLIANCE
Ethan arrived at the Foundation offices at seven PM, after most of the staff had gone home. The building felt hollow in the evening light, all glass and empty corridors. He found Isabelle in Marcus's old study on the third floor, surrounded by file boxes and legal documents.She looked up when he knocked on the open door. "You came.""You asked me to." He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "And you were right. We need to figure this out."Isabelle gestured to the chair across from her desk. Between them sat Catherine's acquisition proposal, flagged with sticky notes and annotations. "I've been going through her offer. It's worse than I thought. If we accept, the Foundation dissolves within eighteen months. Everything Marcus built gets absorbed into her institute, rebranded, repurposed."Ethan leaned forward, scanning the document. "There's no preservation clause?""None. She's not interested in continuing his work. She wants to erase it." Isabelle's voice was tight. "This is
VICTORIA'S FIRST APPEARANCE (PREGNANCY ERA)
Isabelle was halfway through her second cup of ginger tea when her phone rang with an unknown number. She almost didn't answer—journalists had been calling nonstop since Catherine's takeover announcement went public. But something made her pick up."Isabelle Harrington," she said cautiously."Ms. Harrington. This is Victoria Sterling."Isabelle froze, the mug halfway to her lips. She knew the name. Everyone in the architectural world knew the name. Victoria Sterling—former wife of Catherine Montgomery's business partner, now one of the most celebrated architects on the East Coast. The woman who'd won the award for the skyscraper Ethan had designed.The woman who'd been married to Ethan."I'm sorry," Isabelle said carefully. "How did you get this number?""That's not important." Victoria's voice was smooth, controlled. "What's important is that I've been following the news about the Harrington Foundation. Catherine's making her move."Isabelle's jaw tightened. "If you're calling to glo
ETHAN'S DILEMMA
Isabelle found Ethan at the estate, measuring window frames in what would eventually become Marcus's library. He looked up when she entered, wiping dust from his hands."Hey," he said. "I wasn't expecting you today.""We need to talk." She closed the door behind her, and something in her voice made him set down his measuring tape."What happened?"Isabelle took a breath. "Victoria Sterling called me yesterday."The name landed like a physical blow. Ethan went very still, his expression shifting from confusion to something harder. "What?""She saw the news about Catherine's takeover attempt. She called to offer help.""Help." Ethan's voice was flat. "Victoria wants to help us.""She has evidence, Ethan. Financial records proving Catherine embezzled funds, committed grant fraud, evaded taxes. Years of documentation." Isabelle pulled out her phone and opened the encrypted files Victoria had sent. "I've been through it. It's real. It's enough to destroy Catherine's credibility completely.
THE THREE-WAY MEETING
The hotel conference room was aggressively neutral—beige walls, generic landscape paintings, a long table that could seat twelve. Isabelle arrived first, choosing a seat in the middle so she could act as buffer. Her hands were shaking slightly as she set down her bag.Ethan arrived three minutes later. He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, his jaw set in a way that made him seem carved from stone. He sat two chairs away from Isabelle without saying anything."Are you okay?" she asked quietly."No." He didn't look at her. "But I'm here."The door opened.Victoria Sterling walked in like she was entering a boardroom she owned. Tailored black suit, heels that clicked precisely against the tile, her dark hair pulled back in a way that made her look both elegant and severe. She was beautiful in that untouchable way some women mastered—perfect posture, perfect makeup, nothing out of place.Isabelle felt suddenly aware of her own appearance—the slight swell of her stomach hidden
SECOND TRIMESTER BEGINS
The waiting room was quieter this time. Fewer couples, more women alone with magazines they weren't reading. Isabelle sat with her hands folded over the small swell of her stomach, now visible enough that she'd started wearing looser clothing. Fourteen weeks. The second trimester. The doctor had said this was when things got easier—less nausea, more energy.She didn't feel easier. She felt terrified.The door opened and Ethan walked in. He spotted her immediately, nodded once, and took the seat beside her. Not close enough to touch, but closer than last time."How are you feeling?" he asked."Tired. But okay." She glanced at him. "You?""Same." He looked like he meant it. The past two weeks since the meeting with Victoria had been brutal—coordinating evidence, preparing statements, fighting Catherine on multiple fronts while pretending everything was fine. "Have you heard from Victoria today?""Three emails this morning." Isabelle kept her voice low. "She's relentless.""That's one wo
DEREK'S BREAKING POINT
Derek saw her through the coffee shop window before she saw him.Isabelle was ordering at the counter, one hand resting absently on her stomach. The bump was visible now—unmistakable under her fitted sweater. Not large, but present. Real. A life growing inside her.Derek's chest constricted. He stood frozen on the sidewalk, his hand on the door handle, staring at that small curve of her belly.What if that's my child?The thought hit him like a punch. He'd been pushing it down for weeks, burying it under work and denial and desperate late-night research. But seeing her pregnant—actually, visibly pregnant—made everything visceral in a way it hadn't been before.His vision blurred at the edges. The street sounds became muffled, distant. His heart hammered against his ribs so hard he thought it might crack through.Breathe. Just breathe.Derek forced himself to push through the door. Isabelle turned at the sound of the bell, spotted him, and waved. She looked tired but okay—better than t
CATHERINE'S COUNTERMOVE
Derek was reviewing structural plans in his office when his assistant knocked on the door."There's a Catherine Montgomery here to see you. She doesn't have an appointment, but she says it's urgent."Derek's pen stopped mid-stroke. "Catherine Montgomery?""Should I tell her you're busy?"Every instinct screamed yes. But curiosity—and something darker, closer to dread—made him shake his head. "No. Send her in."Catherine entered like she owned the building. Charcoal suit, pearl earrings, silver hair swept back in a style that probably cost more than Derek's monthly rent. She closed the door behind her without asking permission."Mr. Hayes. Thank you for seeing me."Derek stood, not offering his hand. "I don't think we've ever met.""Not formally." Catherine settled into the chair across from his desk, crossing her legs with practiced elegance. "But I know quite a bit about you. Ethan Cole's best friend. Talented architect in your own right. Loyal to a fault.""What do you want?"Cather