Winona remained silent for several moments. “The last resort would be telling John about Serena’s pregnancy.”“No! No way!” Sophia would not agree to that.“Tell him that Serena will never have children again if she goes through an abortion. No matter how cruel he is, he’s not going to let his daughter live the rest of her life all alone.”“He’s not going to believe this lie!”“This isn’t a lie. It’s true.”Winona heaved a long sigh. “There’s something I’ve been keeping from you. As a matter of fact, it’s not easy for Serena to conceive in her condition, which is why I suggested IUI instead of the natural way. Actually, I didn’t have high hopes about this operation, but fortunately, luck is on her side this time. She’ll never be able to have children again if she goes for an abortion.”Therefore, it was mandatory that Serena gave birth to the two babies.Sophia was stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”“What could you do about it?” Winona smiled bitterly. “Serena was p
Christina turned to look at John upon hearing this. She felt sorry looking at the tuft of gray hair on his head. She walked over to the man and picked up the gifts he bought for Travis. “Let’s go inside.”Francis was out. Christina made a cup of tea for John and placed it in front of him. “Good boy, will you go play on the side?” she said to Travis.He nodded, carried the toys gifted from John, and left to play alone on the side. “You make the best tea,” John sipped on the tea and exclaimed meaningfully. She refused to comment. Parents always placed their children first. Had she been too harsh on the man?“Christina, I’ve requested Miss Laura to set up a children’s room for Travis right next to your bedroom. You should move in with the boy! It’s easier to look after one another that way.”She shook her head.It was natural that John liked Travis, but the same affection was not guaranteed from Sophia and Serena. The mother and daughter were not the kindest people in the world. Th
“Christina, I made a mistake and I’ve been regretting it all my life.”John explained, “It’s exactly because I’ve experienced this that I understand not being able to be with the person you truly love is the biggest torture in the world. I hope you’ll forsake the past and get together with Michael again.Christina laughed coldly. She could not hear accept any of it.“You still have a long time ahead of you and I don’t want you to live with regrets. You should give him another chance even if it’s for the sake of the child.”She remained silent. Her brain was teeming with a whole tangle of emotions that she could barely sort out. She did not know how to choose.John had said the same thing as Ariel. The two of them only wished what was good for her. However, she found it hard to believe that both Serena and Michael were framed by Suzy.“I’ll think about this. You should go.”After she coaxed Travis into bed later that night, she fell into deep thought by the bedside. Serena and Mi
“Does that mean the child has been dealt with?” John appeared relaxed.“No.”“Why not?” His face fell.“Serena’s body doesn’t allow it!” Sophia handed over a medical report to him. “The doctor said her body is not in good shape. She won’t be able to have any more children if she aborts this one, so…”He did not even look at the report. His cold glance simply swept past the mother and daughter.John was clear about his daughter’s desire to be with Michael. She would definitely try her best to keep the man’s child. All that talk about her poor condition was only an excuse to go against his suggestion.He smiled internally. Although they were both his daughters, he felt like he owed Christina more in comparison. It was also his fault that Christina had to suffer like this. He would never let history repeat itself.He tried hard to suppress his emotions. “Serena, stop crying. I’ll bring you to the hospital for another check-up.”This sounded like a thoughtful comment, but Sophia kn
Several hours later, the car came to a halt at the entrance of a major hospital in C Town. John, Sophia, and Serena walked into the hospital together. He led them toward the department of gynecology and obstetrics. His old friend, Nick Cordon, was the director of the aforementioned department. He directed Serena toward the examination room right away upon their arrival. Not long later, he came to John while looking solemn. “Something went wrong during her previous abortion which affected her health condition poorly.”“What kind of effects?”“Well, technically, she couldn’t have conceived in this condition, so this pregnancy is really a miracle. If she goes through another abortion, she might not be able to have children again in the future.”John was stunned as he did not think Sophia was telling the truth earlier.“There’s something else. The CDI scan shows that she’s expecting twins.”He could not be bothered if she was expecting twins. All he was worried about was the side ef
Serena never planned to go abroad. Sophia already thought it through and came up with a plan for her to stay in the country.Besides, with today’s advanced technology, as long as she delivered the children, she could leak the news to Christina no matter where she was.That would diminish every possibility between Christina and Michael, given her stubborn personality.“Serena, I’m only agreeing to keep the children upon considering your health. You’d better not be scheming against Michael again!”“Dad, don’t worry. I know what to do. I won’t pester him again.”“Besides, your pregnancy should remain an absolute secret from Christina. I won’t be kind if the two of you dare to leak it out!”He finally felt reassured after both the mother and daughter swore to secrecy.Miss Laura had already finished preparing dinner. The three of them had dinner in silence. Even Miss Laura felt a strange tension amidst the quiet atmosphere in the living room.After dinner, Serena excused herself to
Several moments later, the commotion downstairs only got louder. A frown formed between Michael’s brows. His mother seemed to be getting annoyed at Judy more often lately.Michael walked out of the study and looked down from the second floor. He saw Heather shouting from the couch. Judy was kneeling on the ground whilst cleaning the floor. He was about to say something when a furious expression flashed across Judy’s face.He was rather surprised to see the normally good-tempered Judy pulling an angry face at his mother behind their back.He deliberately came down the stairs loudly.The rage on Judy’s face vanished instantly the second she heard the noise and was replaced with deference. This astonished Michael. He even suspected if he was mistaken earlier.“Mom, what is it this time?”“I asked for some crystal sugar collagen but she made it overly sweet. Does she want me to get diabetes?” Heather huffed.“Aren’t you overreacting a little?” He frowned.“This is such a simple tas
Heather was incensed. “That’s not the reason I’m friends with Winona. Gratitude is the best attitude. She’s been kind to me in the past, so it’s natural that I repay her with kindness. As for Serena, she’s a good person by nature who has never done any bloody atrocities that cry to heaven. Her mother’s a homewrecker, but she can’t be blamed for that.”It was true that a person did not need any reason to love or hate someone. Michael already expected she would protect Serena like that.He did not intend to change his mother’s view of Serena in a short time. He was not ready to expose his intentions this early.Serena was a great actress who had even deceived himself, not to mention his mother. He would gradually tear down that woman’s pretense one by one.After advising his mother to take an early rest, he returned to his own room as well. Logan rang as he walked out of the shower. “President Larson, John brought Serena and Sophia to a hospital in C Town today.”“So far away?”“Th
In fact, Matthew was the one who planned this entire thing. He had been keeping a close eye on Rachel since she returned.He could let bygones be bygones if she was willing to settle down. However, the woman did not learn from past mistakes and once again partnered up with Serena to plot against Christina.Matthew went along with their plan. He even found someone to set this up to lure them into the trap.Christina’s due date was approaching after Rachel and Serena were taken care of. Michael began making preparations for Travis’ transplant operation.He hired the best hematologist and gynecologist before arranging for both Christina and Travis’ operation to take place in the same hospital.The delivery went smoothly. Christina gave birth to a baby girl, and Heather was over the moon.Everything had gone well, and it was about time to start on Travis’ operation. Christina was accompanied by Matthew and Rachel whereas Heather stayed close by the baby’s side. Michael comforted Chri
Besides, even if the plan failed, intentionally causing a pregnant woman to miscarry was not considered homicide by the country’s criminal law. The punishment was less serious as the behavior would be categorized as an assault occasioning bodily harm.Assault and criminal homicide were two completely different crimes.Rachel agreed to the suggestion. Scarface was indeed a ruthless man. He came up with this vicious revenge that would put Christina in pain forever.Upon agreeing on the details of the plan, Scarface and his friends from the streets proceeded to kidnap Christina. Rachel and Serena were told to sit tight and wait for the good news.Scarface had a well-thought-out plan and got his hands on Christina before long. Her head was covered with a black cloth as they forcefully pushed her into the van.Serena and Rachel were already at the agreed-upon location when Scarface instructed Christina to step out of the vehicle. The latter’s belly was round, and both of her hands were
Serena lost everything. She had no choice but to work as a bargirl to survive.Scarface was the person in charge of the bar she worked at. The ruthless man had pretty much slept with every woman who worked at his place. Naturally, Serena could not escape from that fate either.Serena was different from other bargirls. She came from a prestigious family and was highly educated. Even in dire straits, she still maintained a certain grace that made her stand out from the crowd.Scarface spotted her on her first day at the bar. He ordered his men to drag her into the private room and tortured her the entire night.She resisted in the beginning. However, without anyone to depend on, she had no choice but to give into Scarface’s tyrannical abuse.Several times later, he found himself attracted to her. Every night, he would ask for her instead of other women.Serena, who could not escape from him, gave in eventually. She even ended up becoming his lover.By doing so, she found someone t
“Just a little while ago.” Sean came closer. “Christina, we need to talk.”She nodded and followed him to the garden. He helped her to get comfortable on the bench. “Do you believe in fate?”She shook her head, unsure where this was leading. “I didn’t either as I’m a firm believer that hard work always pays off. But now I do.”He looked her in the eye. “I’ve been lost and struggled a lot since that incident, unsure how to face you. After considering this seriously for the past few days, I’ve finally mustered enough courage to meet you again.”A sigh escaped her lips. “Sorry, Sean. It’s all my fault.”“No! It has nothing to do with you, Christina. It’s my fault that my love is not strong enough. I discovered that Suzy is really great after spending the past few months with her. She’s just like you. She’s gentle, kind, pure, and adorable. I realized I’ve fallen in love with her.”This was not what he really thought.He loved Christina since the beginning of time and believed he
“That’s old history. We think Michael is actually pretty good.”“We? Who do you mean?” Christina teased.Ariel and Matthew had been spending a lot of time together lately. Christina went through that herself and understood the passion in her friend’s eyes. This silly girl was actually in love. She could not be happier for her.“Who else? Matthew, of course!” Ariel glared at Christina.“I say whatever’s on my mind, unlike you, who always keep everything to yourself and get stuck in dilemmas. Every good opportunity slips past you because of your indecisiveness!” “How can I not be? I promised to marry him but I’m now trying to convince him to marry someone else. Is this really the best thing for him? Will he be happy?”Ariel questioned after a brief silence, “Christina, let me ask you this. Who do you care for more? Michael or Sean?”Christina asked herself the same question too. She naturally cared more about Michael in the past, but she also started to develop a strong feeling f
The following morning, Serena hurried to the police station to file a report.The police treated this with high importance and warned her to be careful of Darren Cain as he was a vicious gang member who had served over a decade in prison.She became more frightened after hearing that. Immediately, she moved out of that house and rented a place somewhere quiet. As she was terrified, she stayed indoors for the next few days.Much of Christina’s stress was relieved without having to deal with Serena’s pestering.“Christina, John was at the last stage of cancer. It was lucky enough that he lasted until he did. This is his fate, so try not to get too upset.” Francis comforted the dispirited woman. It did not make any difference even though he was not the real Francis. He had long adapted to the identity after assuming it for so many years. Most importantly, Christina was still willing to treat him like a real uncle even after finding out the truth.“Don’t worry, Uncle, I’m fine.”
The harassment continued after the funeral. Serena went around spreading accusations and threatened Christina to give her money. Otherwise, she would report John to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for private corruption.If reported, the antique art collection would be seized and no one could get it!Christina became more frustrated after hearing that.She never expected John’s leniency toward Serena would cause her such a big problem. Matthew was infuriated by Serena’s unreasonable behavior. He suggested they could shut the woman up by teaching her a lesson. Sean shook his head. “That’s not going to solve the problem. Serena must’ve come prepared if she dares to stir up trouble. This is a lawful society. We can’t do as we wish.”“Are we actually going to pay her off then?” Ariel asked, “I think giving her money isn’t going to put an end to this. She’s certainly going to keep threatening for more!”Michael scoffed. “Why should we give her money? She can go
“I will, Dad, don’t worry. I’ll listen to Sister,” Suzy replied.“Christina.” John grabbed Christina’s hand in his own. “My greatest regret in this life is failing to take good care of you and your mother. I’m going to meet your mother soon. I hope she’ll forgive me!”Tears rolled down Christina’s cheeks. Men would speak kindly in the presence of death. She was unsure if Molly would forgive him, but she had long forgiven her father.He strained to pull Suzy and Christina’s hands closer together as he looked at them with pleading eyes. “The both of you must live peacefully together. Suzy, listen to your sister, and Christina, you must take good care of her on my behalf.”Christina looked at Suzy before nodding quietly. Then, John shifted his glance to Michael.“I’ve done many wrongs in this life. I betrayed my wife and disappointed my daughter. I hope you’ll do better than me. I’ll hand over Christina to you now. I’ll come back to haunt you as a stubborn ghost if you dare to wr
Suzy felt guilt-ridden and knew she was not in the position to demand anything from Christina. However, her mother had gone mad. She did not wish to see Christina continuing the fight with her mother.At a loss for what to do, she cried her heart out while in Christina’s arms.Sean felt a heavy feeling in his chest. He knew Christina too well after all the years they spent together. She was a soft-hearted person behind her stubborn facade. Seeing others in sorrow was her greatest weakness.There was no doubt she would choose to forgive Suzy and accept her as her sister.If that was the case, then the marriage between them was destined to fail. Christina would reject him for the sake of the child in her sister’s belly.At this moment, he was thinking of how everything was falling apart at this moment even after he had consistently pursued her all these years. He stood there in a daze for a long time before finally heaving a sigh.Perhaps this was their destiny. Suzy cried for a