Harlow’s subordinate looked at where he was pointing at.In the photo, Melanie and Yelena had just stood up from the bench in the garden and were turning to walk back to the base. In the subsequent photos that were shot, Melanie’s jacket did little to cover up her swollen belly.Her belly was growing fast.“Is it…Jeffrey Morgan’s child?” his subordinate asked in surprise.In his memory, Melanie always had a slender figure. That was why when he first got the photos, he didn’t even consider the possibility of her being pregnant. He simply thought that her clothes were overly-sized, and it was an issue of the camera angle and the wind puffing her dress up.Now that he took a second look, it didn’t look like an issue of the camera angle at all.“Who cares whose child it is!”Harlow flung the stack of photos on the coffee table. “If it really is Jeffrey Morgan’s child, I’ll expose this secret and let Morgan Group continue being unstable! If it isn’t Jeffrey Morgan’s…hmph! That’d be
The moment Jeffrey’s hand landed on Melanie’s belly, they felt a strong kick from the fetus.It was as if the fetus, that wasn’t yet six months old in the stomach, knew the touch of his father and was jumping and dancing for joy in his mother’s womb.Melanie and Jeffrey looked into each other’s eyes. She noticed him swallowing hard and the tears glistening in his eyes.“He’s kicking me,” Jeffrey said hoarsely, in a voice soaked with happiness.Melanie felt her heart going soft at that moment. She thought it was the sweetest thing she heard, filled with the love a father had for his child.She couldn’t bear to push his hand away, and allowed him to greedily caress her belly. The fetus in her womb continued kicking away happily as Jeffrey moved his hand to wherever the fetus was kicking, and the father-child pair continued interacting with each other.Suddenly, the baby kicked Melanie hard.Melanie couldn’t help but wince. “Ouch!” Jeffrey immediately pulled his hand back. “Does
The sight of the woman before him looking like a deer caught in headlights made Jeffery smirk. “Am I that scary?”“What do you think? Hooligan,” Melanie chided him, and quickly buttoned up her collar.“I just want to tell you that your suspicions might have something to do with this birthmark,” Jeffrey gently poked the birthmark behind the shoulder through her shirt.“You mean…”“I’ve asked the professor. He said there might be some kind of advanced gene technology implanted in your birthmark, resulting in gene mutation. That is why the DNA test was unable to pick things up.”“Are you sure about that?”“The professor wanted to conduct some tests on you, but you became pregnant and have to avoid radiographic testing,” Jeffrey explained.Melanie nodded. “I’ll do the tests in a few months.”“This kid will be out in a few months’ time,” Jeffrey said with a smile. He couldn’t help but reach out to caress her belly.Two hours passed, and Melanie gave Annie a call.Annie said that t
William swiftly had dinner served in the living room.Professor Turner was already seated. He made no secret about it as he asked Jeffrey and Melanie, who had just entered the living room, “Done washing up?”Melanie’s face turned a bright red. Professor Turner’s suggestive choice of words embarrassed her thoroughly.“What are you doing just standing there? Come over for dinner, quick!” Professor Turner urged.Melanie looked down, not wanting to have dinner in such an awkward atmosphere. “I’m still not hungry. You two go ahead.”“If it weren’t for your pregnancy, I wouldn’t have needed to accompany you for your regular meals. I wouldn’t have gotten hungry so easily,” Professor Turner said, displeased. “Just ask him: who would dare to rush me to eat when I was busy?”Jeffrey said with a smile, “He’s not exaggerating. Professor never called anyone to eat. He himself didn’t have regular meals.”“Quick, eat it while it’s hot.”Professor Turner saw how embarrassed Melanie still was,
“Come and check up on me a few more times,” Jeffrey said, still trying his luck.“Is your condition that severe?” Melanie said as she glanced at him.“Don’t you know best whether my condition is severe or not?” Jeffrey said in half-seriousness.Melanie rolled her eyes. The only thing she knew was that he was strong enough to have to curb his strength in order not to hurt her!“Again, let’s not see each other so often before my mom recovers,” Melanie reminded him ruthlessly. Jeffrey’s eyes dimmed. She still didn’t trust him.However, the situation was tricky and precarious right now. He could understand why she was so jumpy and cautious.He finally agreed to it. “I’ll see you at the Yorks’ banquet, then.”Melanie acknowledged his statement in silence before turning to leave with Professor Turner.However, that night, William reported to Jeffrey, “President, we didn’t receive an invitation for the birthday banquet…”Jeffrey’s eyes flashed.How could that be? The Yorks had alw
Upon seeing Melanie arrive, Yelena approached her and said, “They told me they had a surprise for me. I didn’t know the party was going to be held outdoors.”Yelena knew Melanie was pregnant, as they stayed in the research base together.She was smart enough to guess that Melanie was hiding her pregnancy from the Yorks for a particular reason.Although Yelena was a member of the Yorks, she hadn’t yet regained her memories. She wasn’t as close to the Yorks as she was to Melanie, and she therefore sided with Melanie whenever something happened.“It’s fine. My skirt hem is thickened. See, this is made of leather. Even if the wind blows my way, it’ll still remain poofy and conceal my stomach,” Melanie said.Yelena heaved a sigh of relief and nodded. “I’ll have them bring out more air-conditioning units. This dress looks too thick.”Very soon, Melanie saw Yelena instructing the servants on-site. “I feel rather warm. Bring in a few more air-conditioning units and cool down the place.”
Just then, another hand reached out to pull her aside.“Harlow, today is Yelena’s birthday banquet. There’s no need to blow things out of proportion and make everyone upset, is there?” Leo stepped forward to intervene.All the relatives of the York family quietened down as they focused their attention on the commotion.Leo never openly opposed Harlow in front of others. To think he stepped forward to challenge Harlow for Melanie Jones! What an exciting turn of events this was!“I was just inviting her to an opening dance. How am I making everyone upset?” Harlow said as he straightened out his suit.“If Melanie is upset about it, others will naturally be upset. How about letting me dance the opening dance with her and you take a break, Harlow?” Leo said.Everyone was mumbling under their breaths. Melanie looked on with her brows furrowed.She thought Leo had come to save her from the situation. As it turned out, he was here to invite her to dance as well. That surprised her.Har
Jeffrey looked over lazily and saw Leo walking toward them and sitting down unceremoniously with a glass of wine in hand.“This is between the two of us. There’s no need for you to fret over it, Mr. York,” Jeffrey said coldly.“Melanie and I have known each other for a while. I admire her talent, appreciate her personality, and even see her as my sister. I do fret over some of her affairs,” Leo retorted.Melanie blinked in confusion. See her as a sister?Did Leo say that carelessly or deliberately?“In that case, Mr. York, how did you know that I don’t have all that prepared?” Jeffrey replied, unperturbed. “Melanie has been staying overseas recently. I’ll give her everything she wants the moment she returns home.”“I don’t really care about status,” Melanie said. “After all, I didn’t give him an official status, too.”Melanie and Jeffrey exchanged smiles.Leo pushed his glasses up his nose bridge to hide his awkwardness. He knew that there was no way to push his agenda with thi
Pleasantly surprised, Melanie turned around to see the man she had been looking for. She never stopped saying his name in her head. He stood right behind her.At that moment, she stopped thinking completely.Without even hesitating, she ran toward him and dove into his arms."Ughh."Jeffrey groaned in pain. He did not dare to press against her stomach. Instead, he arched his back to hold her."Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how I…" She cried so much that she could not speak."Alright, alright. Good girl. Don't cry. I've come back."Jeffrey kept rubbing the back of her head. "Eagle was too neurotic. I've nearly gone mad from dealing with him. I finally got him to regain some of his sanity today… That's how I had the chance to find you…""How did you know where to find me?" Melanie asked."Today is the day of Nathan's trial. I know you'd definitely be in the courtroom," Jeffrey said confidently.Melanie finally calmed down a little. After letting go of him,
"We're not together…"Kenneth's facial expression changed as soon as he saw Melanie.Melanie noticed there was a hint of guilt in his eyes. This was an unsettling feeling for her. "Then where is he? What happened to you guys?"Noticing that she was shaking, Annie and Carson, who had accompanied her to court, rushed forward to assist her."Eagle had a prior arrangement with Nathan. Once Nathan and Leo's plan at the York family's residence was thwarted, Nathan would press a button. Eagle would then receive a code to detonate a bomb. He'd blow us all up," Kenneth explained."Jeffrey was the one who noticed Eagle wasn't in the right state of mind. That's why he informed me to leave with Mr. Oliver. He… Stayed behind to persuade Eagle…" He added."What happened then?" Melanie's voice was shaking."All I knew after that was that the hotel blew up. I waited for him to contact me but he never did. Mr. Oliver and I have been on the run from Nathan's shadowy pursuits. I only managed to sn
Three days later, the trial was officially in session.Leo's attorney was practically defenseless because the York family's allegations of him poisoning Joseph had been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Leo was directly sentenced to life in prison.Nathan's attorney, on the other hand, was clever. They tried everything they could to deflect Nathan's allegations.After the presiding judge evaluated the case, he looked up. "Does the plaintiff have any more evidence that the defendant, Nathan, intentionally killed someone?"Hank sat silently at the plaintiff's table.They could only provide evidence of the time when Nathan had tried to murder Hank. However, they had no evidence of Nathan being involved in the explosion on the island this time.Hank looked at Melanie in the audience. She was also frowningThe presiding judge's implication was well understood. Without more evidence, Nathan would not receive a life sentence…"The plaintiff simply does not have sufficient evidence to
Carson sighed. It was time to explain everything to Hank…Although Carson had spent a lot of time in Hank's hospital as Professor Marshall, and he would also tend to their men's wounds, as well as discuss a variety of topics with Hank, they had never acknowledged their relationship…Besides, Carson knew Hank hated him.Hank hated him for being heartless to his grandmother back then. That was why Hank changed his last name to Castillo instead of Yule…"Let's take Melanie back to rest. I'll explain the rest to you myself," Carson said. Hank had already figured out half of it."Grandpa, I'm not going back. I'll wait for the news here," Melanie said firmly.There was no sign of Jeffrey's corpse yet. She would wait until the rescue team confirmed that they could not find any corpse.She wanted a clear answer."Okay. I'll get the trailer ready for you. You can lie down inside. You can't afford to hurt your body anymore than you already have. I checked your pulse earlier. It's not loo
Buzz!Melanie's vision turned black. She began falling backward."Melanie! Melanie!"Carson propped her up and called the doctor over.However, Melanie opened her eyes after a few seconds and tried to stand up. "I'm fine… Grandpa, take me there… I want to go to the scene of the explosion…""You're in no state…""I'm fine. I can hold up," Melanie promised."If you don't let me go and see it with my own eyes, I'll be even more paranoid," she added.Carson knew his granddaughter too well. He sighed and frowned before requesting for a ride. He met up with Hank. The two of them accompanied Melanie to look for Jeffrey.Jeffrey, Kenneth, Mr. Oliver, and Eagle waited at the drop-off point near the York family's residence. Nathan had instructed them to not do anything rash.Mr. Oliver and Eagle were still useful to Nathan.Once Nathan acquired Joseph's signature, he would meet up with them.However, the small hotel they were waiting at was already in ruins. There was smoke everywher
'Chief… Frankie?'Leo turned around in surprise. Nathan did the same. They saw Chief Frankie and several Interpol agents walking out from behind a screen in Joseph's room.Melanie was a part of that group!"Aren't you… dead?" Leo pointed at Melanie in shock."Thanks to you, I'll live a long life." Melanie sneered.Chief Frankie waved his hand. The police behind him charged forward to put handcuffs on Leo and Nathan. Leo narrowed his eyes and quickly pressed a button on the remote in his hand."We'll all die together!" He shouted.However, no matter how hard he pressed, nothing happened in the room."What's going on here… Eagle?" Leo's voice was trembling.His hands were cuffed, and the remote control was confiscated by the police."Leo, you are suspected of poisoning Master York and attempting to murder Melanie and others on the island. We are arresting you for premeditated murder!" Chief Frankie uttered calmly."No… No…" Leo struggled but to no avail. He had no idea what wa
At the same time, Melanie and Carson were on a plane with Professor Turner. They soon arrived at Medonia.Carson contacted Hank ahead of time and asked him to pick them up with his men.After the exhausting journey, Melanie's face was pale. She seemed to be in very poor condition. "I've already contacted the maternity hospital for you. You can go there and wait for your delivery. Leave the rest to me.""No…"Melanie shook her head. "I have to go back."Jeffrey was still in Nathan's hands. She would not be able to wait peacefully if she went to the hospital.Carson knew his granddaughter well enough. "Let her go. Professor Turner and I will be with here. We'll be ready for anything."Carson was still disguised as Maximilian. Hank did not know he was Carson. Hank nodded in agreement.“Mr. Castillo, there's something I need to trouble you with.” Melanie said."I heard from Professor Marshall that you're on good terms with the chief of Medonia's Interpol. Can I trouble him to be a
"Wait a minute! Isn't Jefford actually Jeffrey?" Leo asked while running after Nathan.Nathan ignored him and continued to walk forward.Leo did not give up and followed Nathan closely. "Who exactly is Jeffrey to you?""Are you being unreasonable right now? Why are you still so unsure at this point?" Nathan glanced at Leo contemptuously."I'm dealing with serious business. Don't get in my way with your petty romantic affairs!"After saying that, he glared at Leo and exited the cabin.Leo felt chills in his heart, but he could not make Nathan stay…-Jeffrey was tied up on the deck all this time. His body was freezing, and his lips were turning purple from the cold."Hey, President Morgan, fancy seeing you like this!" Nathan laughed grimly when he saw the miserable state Jeffrey was in."Thanks to you, I've been more miserable than this on many occasions. This is nothing." Jeffrey made it sound like a walk in the park."Hehe." Nathan sneered."I know. You've had strong willp
Lynette seemed stunned. She could not help but stand up with the help of the railing on the speedboat. Her eyes turned red as looked at the island burning in the distance. There was a look of disbelief on her face…If they had not evacuated five minutes ago…By now…She would not have even been able to breathe and think…The explosion sent shockwaves across the ocean's surface. The ride became even more bumpy. With sea water splashing against them, they had all become wet."Are you alright?" Carson protected Melanie. He was worried she would not be able to take it.Her stomach did feel awful, but she braced herself and tried not to tense up. Her emotions would affect her baby.When Lynette heard the voices behind her, she turned around to look at Melanie. Her gaze had become much softer than before. "You're not going to give birth on the boat, are you? I'm a woman, but I don't know how to be a midwife!""I won't give birth now. There are still things left to do," Melanie said.