In an instant, Zoey’s blood ran cold.She held her breath and raised her trembling eyes to glance carefully at the paper in his hand.A gray image was printed on the white paper.The bezels were also clearly visible.Zoey stood stiffly in her spot. Her feet seemed to have been nailed to the ground and filled with lead, feeling so heavy that she couldn't even lift a foot.At that moment, she hardly dared to look at Laurence's expression.Zoey had shredded all the documents from the hospital to get rid of the evidence. The only thing she’d kept was the ultrasound image because she was reluctant to discard it–which she’d hidden in the drawer.She didn't even know how Laurence discovered the truth.Zoey forced herself to calm down, trying to convince herself that maybe it belonged to him and wasn’t hers.With clenched fists, she waited until her quivering breath stabilized before walking over slowly.Then, she started changing her clothes as if nothing had happened.Laurence didn't make a
The sharp edge of the paper nearly cut Zoey’s skin.She was caught off guard. The secret she’d been concealing for up to a month had been exposed so blatantly.Zoey took the paper from Laurence. She didn't read it but quietly put it away.After a long silence, she looked at him and said, "Yes, I'm pregnant."Alas, despite having hidden it for so long, the truth still had to see the light of day.In the past few days, she was constantly afraid that Laurence would discover her traces and that she would face his ruthlessness any second.Surprisingly, Zoey only felt peace now that he’d finally learned the truth.The heavy burden on her shoulders was put down at last.Zoey tasted bitterness on the tip of her tongue. While she didn't know what would happen next, she predicted that the consequences would be awful.It was impossible to have everything she wanted.All that was left were more broken relationships.She could vaguely discern the stern outline of Laurence’s profile in the dark. He
Crying helped Zoey release her pent-up emotions. Her eyes were completely red as she raised them to meet Laurence’s disinterested ones. “I’d planned to tell you about this in a few more days.”They were both adults, so they shouldn’t be childish and impulsive in making decisions. The child was innocent. A new life had been brought into this world because of her carelessness. Even if Zoey wanted the kid, she would still have to discuss things with Laurence. The life of a child born in a single-parent family wasn’t as rosy as what was depicted in television dramas. Zoey wouldn’t be able to provide her child with a comfortable life financially. On top of that, no matter how close of a relationship she had with her child, she couldn’t replace the role a father played in a family. Although Zoey had thought long and hard about all those factors, she wouldn’t force Laurence to fulfill his duties as a father. She would still raise the child alone if he wanted nothing to do with it.Laurence
Laurence sounded like a kind teacher who patiently and tactfully reminded her of the rules of the game, but in reality, he calmly and callously told her she’d breached the agreement between them. He expressed his disappointment at her lack of integrity without reserve.A buzzing sound filled Zoey’s ears. She took some time to process what Laurence had said.“A marriage contract, huh? He’s right. We were only ever bound by a contract. It was not love that led to our marriage. I guess he just thinks of me as a collaborator who ticks his boxes,” Zoey pondered.She took a deep breath and tried to speak. However, she only managed to open and close her mouth a few times, unable to find the words. Laurence simply took out a cigarette and lit it up in front of her. A crisp click came from the lighter as it produced a flickering flame. Ever since he came into power, he rarely smoked. He took a drag, and the bitter taste of tobacco filled his mouth. Zoey coughed twice upon inhaling the smoke.
“I don’t think of it that way,” Zoey explained.Laurence looked at her coldly. “Do you know the responsibilities parents have to bear?”His tone wasn’t aggressive. In fact, he sounded quite reasonable, and this made Zoey seem like the immature one.“I know.”“If so, why are you still holding on to unrealistic fantasies?” Laurence felt a little irritated, but at the same time, he thought he shouldn’t feel that way. “I’ll give you two choices. Talk to my lawyer yourself tomorrow.”Zoey nodded. “I know I shouldn’t be emotional but be more like you and deal with this calmly and rationally. But I’m a human, and humans have feelings,” she rambled, sounding like she was choking back tears.Indeed, humans can feel love and pain and cry when they feel sad. Not everyone could be like Laurence. She lifted a hand to wipe away her tears when she finished speaking her mind. “I’m going to sleep now,” said Zoey. After a slight pause, she added, “You should get some rest too, Mr. Scott.” She didn’t b
Laurence did give her two choices, after all. However, he used the most simple and direct way to deal with this matter. He was well aware that she couldn’t afford the damages for breaching the contract. Forget 80 million dollars, even 800 thousand dollars was an astronomical sum for her.Zoey fell silent.Damien was very patient. He didn’t urge her to make a decision immediately. After a while, he pushed the signed contract toward her, trying to negotiate with her. “Miss Jenner, based on what’s written here, your action constitutes a breach of contract.”Lawyers tended to look serious when they worked, but Zoey thought Damien looked mean. He was looking down on her condescendingly but concealing his arrogance discreetly. “Mr. Scott doesn’t intend to pursue the matter of your breach. It’s best for both parties to take a step back.”Zoey couldn’t really hear what Damien was saying; she could only see his mouth moving. Despite that, she knew what he’d just said was nothing good.Damien to
He glanced at Laurence after he said that. Unexpectedly, Laurence wasn’t as angry as he’d expected, just a little apathetic. He asked Damien to give him the contract he’d drafted. Before the working hours ended, Laurence invited Zoey to his office.“Are you free tonight?” he asked impassively.Zoey contemplated for a moment and nodded. “Yes.”“Shall we talk?” Laurence raised an eyebrow.She didn’t reject his request. Staring at him calmly, she replied, “Sure.”…Zoey chose an expensive restaurant that had fewer customers. Laurence disliked crowded places, so they opted for a private room.It was dinner time. Laurence sat opposite Zoey leisurely with his legs crossed. “Go on and order. We’ll talk after you’ve eaten.”Without hesitation, Zoey ordered all of the signature dishes the restaurant offered. However, she had a poor appetite, so she stopped eating and put down her fork after a few bites. On the other hand, Laurence didn’t touch the food. Instead, he poured some water for himself
Laurence was very efficient. In the evening, he made an appointment for Zoey at a private hospital owned by the Scott family for the following day. She didn’t even need to line up or wait for her turn to undergo surgery.Zoey thought she’d be going alone. Unexpectedly, Laurence pushed back his work for the day and drove her to the hospital himself.When they stopped at a red light, Laurence tapped his thumbs and asked casually, “Did you bring your medical records?”“Yes.” Zoey turned her head in the passenger seat and looked out the car window silently.“What about the previous health check reports?” Laurence asked meticulously.Zoey had torn all her past medical reports to pieces and tossed them down the drain. She said after a slight pause, “I forgot where I put them.”“It’s alright. You can just do another health check today.”“Sure, Mr. Scott,” Zoey replied detachedly as if she was doing something that didn’t concern her.…The moment Zoey stepped into the hospital, the smell of di