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
Mrs. Scott, suppressing her anger, cut Laurence off without giving him a chance to speak. "Dr. Zahn told me she saw you and Zoey at the hospital."Laurence hadn't planned on his mother finding out about this matter. Since he could no longer hide it from her, there was no point feigning ignorance."Yeah.""Are you at the obstetrics and gynecology department?""Why bother asking me if you already know?"Mrs. Scott was livid. Laurence had been very opinionated since he was young, and no one could change his mind. She hurriedly asked the driver to rush to the hospital, not knowing that Zoey was already in the operating room. "Is Zoey pregnant?"The more Laurence kept quiet, the more she was sure of her assumption. She recalled that Zoey almost vomited when they had dinner together a few days ago.She felt elated; she'd been hoping for the two of them to have kids of their own. "How can you not tell me something so important? I can't believe I found out from someone else instead. You shou
“This has nothing to do with her,” said Laurence. After a slight pause, he added, “We’re both not mature enough to handle raising a child. She shouldn’t be bogged down with a child at this age. Mother, please respect our wishes.”Mrs. Scott was powerless against her son. There was nothing she could do even if she was raging mad.“You’re hopeless. I’m done talking to you.”The light above the operating room dimmed, and out came the doctor.“She just needs some rest. She can be discharged after some observation.”That meant the surgery had been successful, and the child was no more. Mrs. Scott’s eyes reddened; she’d just found out about the existence of her grandchild, and now the child was gone. Everybody envied her because she had a good son who wasn’t a worthless rich heir or an underachieving loser. He’d become the head of their family at a young age and was the youngest amongst the leaders of the affluent families of Northwell. Being as capable and decisive as he was, he’d grasped
The cries coming from the ward were heartbreaking. The sadness that she’d suppressed was released bit by bit as she cried her heart out. Zoey wasn’t as strong as she appeared on the surface; she just didn't want to cry so pitifully in front of Laurence.Laurence’s body stiffened a little. Zoey’s suppressed sobs caused his eyes to redden a little in response. It wasn't until the crying gradually stopped that Laurence opened the door again, holding the lunch sent from the hotel in his hand. “You should have some food first.”Zoey’s voice was extremely hoarse, and her eyes were clearly more swollen now. Her hand was still attached to an IV drip. She looked thin and feeble.Laurence helped her set up the small table on the bed. “I'll feed you.”Zoey didn’t want to accept any gesture of kindness from him anymore. She lowered her head, her hair pressed against her cheek from the cold and sweat. Pursing her lips, she replied, “No need.”She stretched out her hand, but Laurence pushed it back