Chloe's pupils contracted in sudden terror, her face filled with fear.Vanya firmly grasped her shoulder, exerting an immense pressure that rendered her immobile with practiced ease."Don't do anything stupid. Are you not worried about your friend?" she remarked, clapping her hands. At that moment, Icarus was brought in, bound and gagged, with a gun pressed against the back of his head.Chloe took a sharp breath, and cold sweat formed on her forehead. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice trembling."Strip." Vanya's eyes gleamed mischievously. "I want you to take off all your clothes."She bit her lip, unable to hesitate in the face of life and death. With trembling hands, she slowly removed her coat and shirt. However, when it came to her underwear, the overwhelming sense of shame overwhelmed her, freezing her in place. Her eyes reddened with a mixture of fear and humiliation, but tears stubbornly refused to fall.Icarus' heart ached as if being torn apart. He struggled and s
Chloe was stunned. “Why is it important?""In the past decade, a group of outlaws has emerged in the gray zone primarily controlled by Ameria, with Cloude as their secondary base. Their leader’s nickname is Serpent, and his trusted associates often sport a snake tattoo on their feet. However, they seldom engage in activities within Aesper. Can you recall who you've had recent conflicts with recently?"Chloe did not respond immediately but asked another question, "Have you managed to retrieve any fingerprints from the fruit knife?""Yes, I have some prior engagements today, but I plan to deliver the results to Joseph tomorrow," Tyson replied."Could you please show them to me first?" Chloe requested.Tyson nodded, instructing his colleague to take Icarus outside. He then placed a file before Chloe. "After conducting comparisons, the fingerprints belong to a man in his thirties with a criminal history. Most importantly, he was one of the individuals involved in the kidnapping incide
Joseph was caught between tears and laughter. "Xavia doesn't have that kind of power. I haven't said anything, so please don't assume what I’m thinking."Chloe gazed at him intently. "It's not about her personal capabilities, but the people behind her. Besides, she's incredibly beautiful. What man doesn't desire a beautiful woman? They’re attracted to her beauty, and she’s enticed by their power.""If that's the case, would they allow Xavia to bear my child?" Joseph questioned.Chloe fell into silence, unsure of how to respond. Joseph's reasoning made sense. Moreover, even though he did not explicitly say anything, he was clearly troubled by the fact that Xavia was carrying his child.The more Chloe pondered the situation, the more distressed she became. Deep down, she vehemently resisted the idea of her baby and Xavia's child sharing the same father. If that were the case, she would rather not have the child. She could just find another man with a clean background, marry him, and
Joseph's face darkened. "You just need to cooperate with the investigation. Why the fuss?""What do you mean, 'Why the fuss?'" Xavia said, her voice trembling as she began to cry while covering her face. "I was taken away by the police in front of so many people during my concert. How will my fans see me? How will the audience see me? Grandpa already had a poor opinion of me, and now with this incident, I'll never gain his approval."Chloe frowned, finding Xavia’s crying voice grating. "Even without today's incident, you still wouldn't have gained Grandpa's approval."You reaped what you sowed. If Xavia had ever cared about Toto in the first place, none of this would have happened."I didn't..." Xavia's voice cracked, her eyes turning red around the rims. "The police have already proved my innocence. Why are you still so harsh with me? You just want Joe, right? I'll give him back to you. I just want our child to be born safely. Please stop making things difficult for me."In just
The firefighter looked at him seriously and asked, "Are you a family member or a friend of hers?"But before he got an answer, he quickly added, "Regardless of your identity, your main purpose is to calm her down. Don't say anything that might upset her, understand?"Joseph furrowed his brow and nodded."By the way, can you swim?""Yes.""Good. Go ahead."Step by step, Joseph walked toward the sea. The water soaked his suit, clinging to his well-built physique, emphasizing his broad shoulders and long legs. Despite being drenched, he and Xavia exuded an air of elegance and nobility as if they were a pair of fallen celestial beings.One of the people live-streaming with their phone said to Chloe, "I have to admit. Even when all drenched, they make a really good couple.”Chloe felt a sense of discomfort but remained silent."Forget me, Joe. I'm just a cancer patient. You have a long life ahead of you, so don't let me and the child hold you back." Xavia smiled faintly. "If there'
When Xavia heard Chloe’s words, she revealed an indiscernible but arrogant smile. The next second, she went limp and fell into Joseph's arms, who quickly brought her to the ambulance.Chloe clutched his arm and glued her gaze to him. "If I'm pregnant, will you send Xavia to someplace else?"Joseph knitted his brows. "What do you mean? Do you want me to send her child to someplace else too?"Chloe shook her head. "I don't know. I don't want to harm the innocent child, but I just don't want to see her again." She was greatly disgusted and upset with the oath she had just sworn.Joseph patted the back of her hand. "Listen. I can't just ignore my child. I hope you can understand."Chloe stared at him in a trance. ‘That’s true… From Joseph's angle, regardless of who the mother was, the children would call him father…’When the ambulance was ready to leave, Joseph gave her a peck on her tender cheek. "Call Lucas and ask him to pick you up. I'll find you after I've dealt with this."Ch
The doctor shook his head. "We have to wait until at least the sixteenth week, which is around four months. The patient isn't like an ordinary person. Being pregnant is a huge burden on her. We can only do the amniocentesis at month four at the fastest. If the situation isn't optimistic, we have to wait until month five or six."Joseph frowned deeply and left the doctor’s office. When he was back at the ward, he found Xavia had woken up at some point. Her eyes were red and swollen, casting an image of feebleness."Go home to Ms. Chloe. I'm fine. I'm sorry for losing control tonight.""Why did you deliberately cause such a scene?"Joseph's eyes were extremely dark and gloomy.Trembling, Xavia boldly met his gaze and said agitatedly, "Chloe got the police to investigate for no reason. Joe, I'm a public figure. Reputation is of utmost importance to me. I wanted to protect myself and stop those groundless rumors from tarnishing my innocence. And of course, I wanted to protect my baby!
After a brief pause, Chloe shook her head. "Forget it. I'll call him back when my phone is charged. It's probably nothing urgent.""Okay. Which unit do you stay at?""Fifth. How about you?""Sixth. Hey, our units are next to each other."Chloe slowly widened her eyes. "It really is written in the stars. I thought your university was at Docwood.""Yes, I studied my undergraduate course there, and I'm about to start my postgraduate soon. I chose to study in Aesper."Enlightenment dawned on Chloe. Postgraduate students started their semester around September and it was already August. If he had no plans to stay at the university, he would have to rent a place and must have gotten a unit in Oceanic Residence.They chatted with each other casually and said goodbye when they arrived at their respective units.When Chloe got home, she charged her phone and called Joseph back. "My phone battery died when you called me. I just charged it."Joseph's unique and magnetic voice came to her