"So, have you told him yet?"

"Told him what?" Shelley replies, her mouth full of creamy sweetness.

"That you’re pregnant!" Mabel exclaimed, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, that! No, I haven’t," Shelley sighed, her gaze dropping to her bowl.

"What are you waiting for?" Mabel leaned in, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "Or are you considering... you know, getting rid of it?"

"No! Mabel, I’m definitely keeping the baby. It's just that... I need a little more time to break the news to him."

Mabel takes a sip of her drink before speaking. "I’m sure he’ll be over the moon when he finds out you two are expecting."

Shelley frowns, her expression clouded with worry. “I know he’ll be happy, but it’s the fussing I expect from him that’s holding me back. Plus, the responsibilities this brings—it's overwhelming.”

Mabel reached out and gently placed her hand on Shelley’s. She can sense the fear in her friend despite Shelley being a nurse, someone who’s supposed to understand the changes that come with pregnancy.

"Listen, I get it. You're scared but I promise you everything’s going to be alright. I know you’re nervous about the physical and emotional shifts that pregnancy might bring, but trust me, it will all work out fine." She gives her hand a reassuring squeeze and flashes a warm smile. "If it helps, know that I’m here for you every step of the way."

Shelley smiles back. "Thank you, Mabel. I know I should be enjoying this, but nobody really prepares you for this. You can read all the textbooks you want, but experiencing it firsthand is a different ballgame."

She lets out a sigh. Tucking a loose hair behind her ear. "You’re right; I’m just overthinking everything." She smiles. "I mean, I’m married to an amazing man who’s incredibly supportive and loving. So what’s holding me back?... I’ll find the right moment to tell Ben. He deserves to go through the emotions with me.”

“That’s the spirit!" Mabel nods in agreement, a smile blooming on her face, clearly relieved to see her friend starting to feel more at ease.

Shelley leaned in closer, her expression shifting from concern to excitement.
"Enough about my pregnancy for now. Let's talk about your sister. What's happening with her at the law firm? Is Ben treating her okay?"

"Well... she mentioned that everything is generally fine," Mabel replied, gauging her reaction. "But she did note that he’s pretty demanding about the tasks he assigns. She’d like to get a chance to handle some cases on her own instead of just doing research for him."

Shelley’s brow furrowed, a hint of sadness creeping into her eyes. "That’s tough. I wish I could do something to help her."

"Would you like me to talk to him about giving her more hands-on work?"

Her eyes widened as she shook her head. "Oh no, please don’t! You helped her get the job in the first place. We can’t just hand her everything on a silver platter. If she wants to try her hands on cases, she needs to earn it."

"I suppose you’re right," Shelley said, nodding slowly.

"I know I am," Mabel chimed in confidently. "Besides, Ben has his reasoning for assigning her research tasks. It’s how she’s going to learn the ropes. We need to trust his judgment."

"You're right. After all, he's an attorney and the boss of that law firm."

***

Meanwhile, at MarAdam & Associate Law Firm, Sylvia stood in the middle of Ben's office, nervously shifting her weight as she briefed him on her findings.

"Sir, I’ve come across some concerning information regarding the Hamilton building company,” she began, her voice steady despite the tension.

Ben leaned forward, a serious look overtaking his features. "How concerning?"

"Well, technically, it was Mr. MacLen who initially spotted some discrepancies in their financial records," she admitted, careful with her words.

Ben shot her a sceptical glance.

"Please don’t ask how he got involved, but I’m telling you, if not for his insight, I wouldn’t have gotten this far," she explained, knowing the importance of her source.

Ben’s brows knitted together. "Are you sure about this?"

Sylvia hesitated. "At first, I wasn’t, but after I took Mr MacLen’s advice and asked for more records, they flat-out refused, claiming most of their financial documents are stuck in the storage room, mixed with other files—impossible to retrieve in a single day. So they claim. It felt off to me."

Ben leaned back, running his fingers thoughtfully over his chin. "Suspicious, indeed."

Sylvia took a breath, pushing forward. "When I pressed them further for the records, they suggested I come over to find them myself since they supposedly didn’t have enough staff to help. That raised some red flags."

Ben considered this, weighing her words. "You should definitely make a trip there and check it out yourself. If we leave it to them, they might catch on and hide the evidence."

"Alright, I’ll go right away," Sylvia said, pivoting to leave, but Ben’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

"One more thing: take Mr. MacLen with you. His sharp eye and his knowledge of numbers are what led us to these discrepancies in the first place. I doubt they’ll let you out of there with those records."

Sylvia hesitated, determination flashing in her eyes. "I appreciate the offer, sir, but I can handle this on my own."

"I don't need your brother's help with this."

Ben raised an eyebrow, scepticism casting a shadow over his features. "Really? Yet, when I assigned this research to you, it was his help that brought you this far. And I must remind you, it wasn’t a request, Miss Benson. It’s an order. And in this workplace, refer to him by his name, not as my brother."

"Of course, sir," Sylvia stammered, her resolve wavering as she left his office. Clearly annoyed that Scott has found himself once again in her space.

_

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry, this chapter is short but I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to vote or leave a comment.