Shanaya paced the lavish living room of her father's estate, her heart pounding in her chest as her plan began to take shape. She knew that Luca had never been easy to manipulate—his loyalty and stubbornness had always been his defining traits. But this time, she had to go further, darker. If Luca wouldn't choose her willingly, then she would force his hand. And what better way than to create a scandal that he couldn't walk away from?

Her mind churned, spinning a web of lies that would bind Luca to her forever. It was time for the final move—claiming that she was pregnant with his child.

Luca sat in his office, his head resting in his hands, staring at the stack of reports he hadn't touched in hours. Every second that Elena was missing felt like a punch to his gut. He had exhausted every possible lead, called in favors, but still, there was no sign of her. The fear of what Shanaya might have done to her gnawed at him constantly. He had always known Shanaya had a dark side, but this? He hadn't thought she'd go this far.

His phone rang, pulling him from the abyss of his thoughts. It was Victor, his father.

"Luca, we need to talk. It's important," Victor's voice was unusually grave, and it sent a shiver of dread down Luca's spine.

"What is it?" Luca asked, trying to sound calm but already bracing himself for the worst.

"Shanaya just came by the house," Victor said, the pause on the line thick with tension. "She claims she's pregnant."

Luca felt the ground beneath him shift. "What? That's impossible. I haven't... that's a lie."

"She says it's yours, Luca," Victor continued, his voice hard. "She's demanding that you marry her."

Luca's grip tightened on the phone, his knuckles turning white. Shanaya had stooped lower than he ever imagined. The fury in his chest burned hotter with each word his father said. This was her last-ditch effort to trap him, to drag him into a lie so monstrous that he wouldn't be able to escape.

Meanwhile, Shanaya sat with her father, her face perfectly composed as she relayed the news. "Dad, I'm pregnant. Luca's the father," she said, her voice calm but filled with feigned vulnerability.

Her father's face lit up with joy at the news. "This is wonderful, Shanaya! The Russo family will have no choice now but to accept you. Luca will be yours."

"That's the plan," she replied, her eyes glittering with triumph. "We'll arrange the wedding as soon as possible. There's no way he'll refuse me now."

Shanaya's father, oblivious to the lie, immediately began making arrangements, calling influential friends, and planning the grand wedding that would unite their family with the Russos'. All Shanaya had to do was keep up the charade long enough to make Luca believe there was no other way out. And she knew Luca—he was a man of honor. Even if he didn't love her, he wouldn't abandon a child that he thought was his.

As her father left to handle the preparations, Shanaya leaned back in her chair, her smile widening. This was her moment of victory. Soon, Elena would be nothing more than a distant memory, and Luca would be hers.

Later that evening, Luca arrived at his father's house, his jaw clenched as he braced himself for the conversation he knew was coming. He hadn't even stepped inside when he saw Shanaya sitting in the living room, her hand resting protectively over her stomach. The sight made his blood boil.

"Luca," Shanaya said softly, her voice laced with fake sweetness, "I didn't want you to find out like this. But I'm carrying your child."

Luca's eyes narrowed, his heart hammering in his chest. "Shanaya, we both know that's a lie. I haven't touched you in months. This isn't my child."

Shanaya's lips quivered, tears welling up in her eyes as she put on her best performance. "Luca, I know this is shocking. But it's the truth. I've been sick for weeks, and when I saw the doctor—"

"Stop it," Luca snapped, cutting her off. "I don't know what game you're playing, but this ends now."

"I'm not lying, Luca!" Shanaya's voice rose in desperation, her eyes darting between him and Victor, who had just walked into the room. "I'm pregnant, and if you walk away from me now, you're abandoning your own child. Is that the kind of man you are?"

Victor stood there silently, his eyes dark with concern. "Luca, if there's any chance that this is true, you have to take responsibility."

Luca shot his father a cold glance. "Dad, she's lying. This is just another one of her schemes."

Shanaya wiped away fake tears from her cheeks. "Why would I lie about something like this? You have to believe me, Luca."

Luca's mind was racing. He couldn't believe the lengths Shanaya was willing to go to, but he knew one thing for sure—there was no way this child was his. He had kept his distance from her for months, and they hadn't been together since long before her supposed pregnancy timeline. But how could he prove it?

The days that followed were filled with chaos. News of Shanaya's pregnancy spread like wildfire, and the pressure on Luca grew heavier with each passing hour. Every time he walked into a room, there were whispers, looks of judgment, and expectations that he would do the "right thing" by marrying Shanaya.

Victor, though conflicted, continued to urge Luca to handle the situation delicately. "You know how this looks, Luca," his father said one evening. "Whether you believe Shanaya or not, the world is watching. The Russo name is at stake."

Luca could barely contain his frustration. He wanted to scream, to expose Shanaya for the manipulative liar she was, but he knew that without proof, no one would believe him. The whole situation was a carefully laid trap, and he was caught in the middle of it.

But amidst the chaos, his thoughts always returned to Elena. She had been missing for days, and every minute that passed without knowing if she was safe tore at his soul. He needed to find her, but Shanaya's fabricated pregnancy was consuming all of his energy.

Shanaya, on the other hand, was reveling in her moment of triumph. She had managed to turn the entire situation to her advantage, and now Luca was stuck in a position where he had no choice but to marry her. The wedding plans were moving forward faster than she could have imagined, and soon, she would be Mrs. Luca Russo, bound to him forever.

She had even started wearing looser dresses to emphasize her "pregnancy," making sure to play the part of the glowing expectant mother whenever she was around Luca's family.

But Shanaya wasn't foolish. She knew Luca didn't believe her, and that meant she had to be careful. If he found any proof that she was lying, it would all come crashing down. So, she made sure to keep the details of her supposed pregnancy vague, avoiding too much scrutiny.

Luca sat alone in his office late one night, the weight of everything crashing down on him. The lies, the manipulation, the pressure—it was all suffocating. But through it all, one thing remained clear in his heart: he loved Elena.

He couldn't let Shanaya win. He couldn't let this lie dictate the rest of his life. And most importantly, he couldn't abandon Elena, wherever she was.

As he leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling, a plan began to form in his mind. He wasn't going to let Shanaya control him any longer. It was time to fight back, to uncover the truth, and to get Elena back. Whatever it took.

The war between Shanaya and Luca was far from over, but Luca knew one thing for certain—he wasn't going down without a fight.