179
The energy in the penthouse had been bright and noisy all warmth, laughter, and the easy glow of a family settling into each other. The shift that came next was instant and apocalyptic.
Danielle lifted her phone like Simba at the cliff edge of Pride Rock.
"GUYS. I just did something SO CUTE."
The room collectively inhaled like a bomb was ticking under the table.
Amanda felt her pulse behind her ears. She wasn't drunk anymore.
Ericka's jaw tightened a millimeter enough to signal this would be bad.
Danielle's smile widened, oblivious.
"I just posted a picture of me and Ericka on my Instagram. Her little baby bump was showing a teensy bit and I captioned it..."
She proudly read from her phone:
"'MY SISTER IS PREGNANT!!! ??? I'M GONNA BE AN AUNTIE ??????'"
Silence.
H A R D silence.
Like the whole world muted.
Amanda stopped mid-sip, frozen like she'd been unplugged.
Ericka's water bottle paused halfway to her lips.
Samantha blinked rapidly.
Ericka's dad's eyebrows shot UP.
Her mom's hand flew to her mouth.
Amanda and Ericka locked eyes at the same time.
A shared thought:
Oh no. Hell no. Absolutely not.
Ericka's voice came out low, steady... but dangerous.
"Danielle. Take. It. Down."
Amanda chimed in immediately, trying not to scream:
"Yes. DELETE IT. DELETE. IT."
Danielle waved them off, swaying from her shots.
"Guys, relax! No one even knows you're my sister! I barely post!"
Ericka closed her eyes slowly, like she was re-evaluating her entire bloodline.
"Danielle... people absolutely know you're my sister.
They tagged you when I became CEO. Multiple news outlets posted childhood pictures. Your handle is literally 'DanielleMathews_'."
Danielle blinked, frozen. "Oh."
Amanda took a full shot straight from the bottle without breathing, slammed the glass down, and said to the room:
"Everyone get ready for us to disappear for a minute. PR is about to call any—"
RIIIIIING.
Ericka's phone lit up on the counter:
PR TEAM — URGENT CALL
Amanda whispered, "Called it."
Ericka grabbed the phone, already rubbing her forehead.
"We'll be right back."
Amanda pointed at the entire family like a general commanding a battlefield.
"DON'T move. DON'T post. DON'T breathe weird. Just—stay."
She and Ericka disappeared into the office, closing the door firmly.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Danielle turned to Samantha with wide, terrified eyes.
"...Is it really that bad?"
Samantha laughed once short and dark.
Then she dropped into "let's be real" mode.
"Oh, sweetheart... it's worse than anything you can picture."
Danielle sat down like her knees gave out.
"Explain. Now."
Samantha got comfortable in her chair, crossed her legs, and began listing like she was reading classified intelligence:
"Okay. First disaster: Sierra. Amanda's ex. She ran into Amanda at a café Monday."
Danielle made a face. "Ew."
"It gets worse," Samantha said.
"She texted Amanda after. And sent... a full-body nude."
Danielle gasped so loud the neighbors probably heard.
"Oh my goodness!"
"Then," Samantha continued, "Sierra decided to show up at their job yesterday. In person. With lunch."
Danielle clutched her chest. "Oh no she didn't."
"She DID."
Ericka's dad shook his head. "That's bold even for today's youth."
Samantha leaned forward dramatically.
"And THEN Sierra posted old photos of her and Amanda yesterday. Made them look recent. Captioned them with 'wish things didn't end the way they did.'"
Danielle's eyes went huge. "She's delusional!"
"Yes she is," Samantha said proudly.
"And THAT caused a mini media meltdown. Reporters... blogs... fan edits... speculation everywhere."
Ericka's mom whispered, "Dear Lord..."
"And NOW," Samantha concluded, pointing at Danielle's phone like it was a weapon of mass destruction,
"You dropped the PREGNANCY BOMBbefore they had ANY damage control done."
Danielle let out a slow, horrified whisper.
"Oh shit..."
Everyone nodded at the SAME TIME.
Ericka's dad patted her shoulder gently. "We still love you. But yes... you messed up, kid."
Danielle covered her face with both hands.
"Oh my gosh, they're going to KILL me."
Samantha patted her back.
"No, they won't. They love you. But PR might ban you from the internet."
Danielle whimpered. "Not Instagram..."
Samantha nodded sympathetically.
"Yeah... probably Instagram."
Just then, the office door opened.
The moment Amanda and Ericka stepped out of the office, the atmosphere shifted.
Ericka's parents sat quietly on the couch, pretending they weren't worried. Danielle and Samantha were standing near the kitchen island like two kids waiting to see if they were grounded.
Amanda scanned the room once, locked eyes with the two culprits, and her tone dropped into "CEO of the situation" mode.
"Danielle. Samantha. Office. Now."
Both froze, wide-eyed.
Samantha whispered, "Oh, we're dead."
Danielle whispered back, "You started it—"
"Now." Amanda repeated, pointing.
The two shuffled toward the office like school kids headed to detention.
Then Amanda turned to Ericka softening instantly, the tension leaving her shoulders as she stepped toward her wife.
"Baby," she said gently, smoothing her hand over Ericka's arm, "don't worry about any of this. We got it. Me, Sam, and Dani we're gonna handle everything."
Ericka looked tired. Overwhelmed. Hormonal. She nodded slowly.
"Amanda..."
Amanda cupped her cheek. "You just try to relax, okay? I mean it."
Ericka's parents exchanged a warm look you could see how much they adored this bond.
Amanda kissed Ericka's forehead softly before following Samantha and Danielle into the office.
The moment the door closed, Amanda planted her hands on her hips.
"Alright. Listen. We have to rework EVERYTHING."
Danielle and Samantha straightened like soldiers.
"Guys — we need to finish the dress TONIGHT."
Samantha nodded immediately. "Yep."
Danielle pushed her hair behind her ear. "I can sew sober OR drunk, but sober is probably smarter."
Amanda continued, pacing slightly.
"The PR team wants proposal photos ASAP. That means the proposal has to happen TOMORROW, not Saturday."
Both girls froze.
"Tomorrow?" Samantha repeated.
"Yes," Amanda stressed. "We need to move fast. So here's the plan:
I'm gonna tell Ericka we're going out for a few hours to run errands. You two head down to the studio and finish prepping everything."
Samantha gave a sharp nod. "Done."
Danielle held up both hands. "I'll work. I promise. No posting. No chaos. Girl Scout honor."
Amanda sighed. "Please... just no more announcements."
They nodded, united.
"Okay team," Amanda said, pointing toward the door dramatically.
"Let's go."
Samantha saluted. "Operation Fix Everything."
Danielle whispered, "And save my life."
The door opened and the three filed out.
Samantha and Danielle went straight to the elevator, heading down toward the fashion studio.
Amanda stayed behind.
She walked back toward the living room — and went straight to Ericka.
"Hey," Amanda murmured, brushing her fingers down Ericka's arm. "Come with me for a second."
Ericka let her lead her to their bathroom, confused.
Amanda opened the door steam lightly filling the air.
A warm bath was already running, lavender bubbles gathering on the surface.
Ericka blinked, touched. "Amanda..."
"I ran you a bath," Amanda said softly. "So you can relax while we handle everything. You've been carrying the whole world today."
Ericka's mom stood behind them in the hall, smiling warmly.
"We'll stay with her, sweetheart. Make sure she's okay."
Amanda nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I just... I want her to rest."
She turned back to Ericka, cupping her face gently.
"I'll be back in a couple hours, okay?" she whispered.
Ericka nodded tired but comforted. "Okay."
Amanda leaned in and kissed her soft, slow, full of meaning.
Then she pressed a kiss to Ericka's forehead, whispered, "I love you," and slipped out, heading for the elevator.
The moment the doors closed around her, Amanda inhaled sharply...
Game face back on.