Chapter 01

"Clarice, congratulations, you're two months pregnant!" The doctor exclaimed with excitement, but Clarice just stared at the white wall, completely unresponsive.

Pregnant? What do you mean? By him?

"Are you sure, doctor?" She asked, feeling her heart pounding in her throat.

"Absolutely certain. When you described the symptoms you were experiencing, I had no doubt," he replied, and Clarice felt her world crumble. She couldn't be pregnant; she didn't have the financial stability for it. Moreover, she had to take care of her younger brother.

She left the doctor's office with the envelope in her hand and walked slowly to her job. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the father of her child was her boss. After all, she worked as a governess in the house of Nicholas Murray, a man who was unknown to her until recently. He had been giving her money in exchange for sex, but what was meant to be a casual arrangement had become something dangerous. Now, she had nowhere to run, and she had to tell the truth.

For two years, Clarice had been a prostitute, selling her body for money, until she met Nicholas, the wealthiest man in the country, a name found in all the business magazines and gossip tabloids as the "stone-hearted tycoon." He was captivated by her, and she became his regular woman. One day, he offered her a place in his house. They couldn't define their relationship, so he invited her to be his governess, allowing them to stay together.

And now, she was pregnant, but she didn't know how to tell him. Despite being his supposed "governess," she didn't do any actual household work, and he even forbade her from cooking for fear that she might get hurt. With the arrival of this new child, could she finally become Mrs. Murray? She never wanted his money; she just wanted to belong to him.

"Clarice, you're back!" Sonia said when she saw me enter the house, walking toward me. "Mr. Murray was looking for you; it seems he has something serious to discuss."

Sonia was much older than Clarice and had practically raised Nicholas when he decided to leave home due to constant fights with his mother. That's why Nicholas always called her his second mother, and it made her smile, especially since she could never have children. She clearly knew about Clarice and Nicholas, understanding the dangerous nature of their relationship.

"Thank you, Sonia; I'll go look for him," Clarice replied, hiding the paper in her bag. "Is he in his office?" she asked, and Sonia nodded, finding Clarice a bit too nervous.

Clarice climbed the stairs, and when she reached the office door, she knocked twice and heard a voice say, "Come in."

"Nicholas, you were looking for me," she was about to say when she saw him with another woman, smiling. At first, she didn't understand, but she forced a smile and, when Nicholas saw her, he became completely disoriented.

"Mary, can you wait for me in the living room? I'll be down in a moment," he said to her, and she nodded.

"Hi, you must be Clarice, Nicholas's governess?" the woman named Mary said, and Clarice just nodded. "Nice to meet you; I'm Mary, Nicholas's fiancée. I think we'll be seeing a lot of each other here since the wedding is approaching."

When the words "Nicholas's fiancée" came out of Mary's mouth, Clarice felt her whole world collapse. Even though she didn't know what to do, she could only smile and excuse the woman.

"Well, I'll wait for you in the living room. Excuse me!" Mary said, and then closed the door behind Clarice, who didn't know how to react.

"Clarice, I..." Nicholas started to speak, but Clarice just held back her tears and looked at him, unresponsive. She had always been good at hiding her feelings.

"Were you planning to tell me that you were engaged?" she asked without looking at him. She didn't have the strength for it. "Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend? I thought I was the only one in your life. And you made me believe that."

"You are the only one, but my history with her goes beyond just me and you, and it's not what you think."

"And where do I fit into this story, Nicholas?" Clarice asked, taking a step back when Nicholas tried to approach her.

"I would give you everything you want: a house, money, comfort, everything, and I will always be by your side," he said firmly. "Because I truly love you, Clarice, and I need you to be patient for a while and trust me."

"Are you saying I'll be your mistress? Is that it?" she wanted to laugh. "Patience? Nicholas, I've been patient with you for three years."

"Yes, I can give you all that, but I can't give you my last name now. But if you have patience and can wait a little, I promise I'll give you the world, just not now."

"I don't need that, Nicholas Murray. I never wanted your money," Clarice practically spat those words in Nicholas's face, who stared at her without showing any emotion. "I'm leaving."

"You're not going anywhere, Clarice," he said authoritatively.

"Why? Are you my owner now?"

"Don't do this, Clarice, please," he looked at her seriously and held her arm.

"Let go, Nicholas, you're hurting me," Clarice tried to free herself but without success.

"Go upstairs to our room and wait for me there. Let's not make a scene in front of Mary, please," he whispered in her ear. "We'll talk about it, but you won't leave me."

Nicholas let her go, took a deep breath, while Clarice just held back the tears and left the room without looking at him.

Idiot! Jerk! How could you do this!

Clarice knew she could never be Nicholas's wife, but she never thought he would marry someone else and suggest that she become his mistress. She might have sold herself for money, but she would never accept being anyone's mistress.

Clarice went up the stairs to her room, threw herself on the bed, and locked the door. She let out everything that was in her throat. She needed to be strong because now another life depended on her strength.

"Mommy promises she'll take care of you, even if daddy can't be here. I swear I'll be everything that they weren't for me," Clarice said as she caressed her belly.

After lying down for a while, she ended up falling asleep and woke up again when everything was dark. She got up, opened the door, and didn't hear anyone's voices. The only person she found was Sonia, who was cooking dinner.

"Miss, you've awakened," Sonia said, coming over. "I've just prepared dinner, and Mr. Murray should be arriving soon. Please, sit and wait for him." As soon as Sonia finished speaking, a familiar low voice came from the entrance.

"I'm back!" A familiar low voice sounded in front of her, and as she raised her head, she saw Nicholas's tall and upright figure standing right in front of her, his handsome face bathed in the room's light. And for some reason, the moment Clarice saw him, she felt her nose tingle, and all the complaints in her heart immediately surfaced.

"Sonia, can you leave us alone?" he asked, and the woman nodded. Then, Clarice rushed in front of him, clenched both hands into fists, and raised them to pummel his chest wildly, crying as she hit him.

"It's all your fault! Why did you bring me here? Why should I get involved in your mess? Do you know how I'm feeling? My brother is studying abroad, and I still owe you a lot of money. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? I hate you, Nicholas!"

Nicholas didn't dodge; he just reached out and pulled her into his warm, wide embrace and looked at her face, allowing her to vent. Clarice was tired and cried sorrowfully as she lay against his chest, as if she wanted to release all the complaints and pain she had suffered in the last few hours with the news of his wedding. His hug was very comforting, giving others a reassuring feeling.

When Clarice had cried enough, she suddenly realized that her actions had gone too far, and she quickly raised her head and struggled to break free from his embrace. Her teary, sparkling eyes fell on his deep, black eyes, and she instantly felt the cold aura radiating from his body, making her shiver.

What had she just done? She was so angry that she was shaking her fist at him. She turned away, not daring to look at his face again, and prepared to leave, but her hand was firmly grabbed by a large palm, pulling her from the door to the wall.

"Who told you that you can turn around and leave after hitting someone?" Clarice was extremely frightened by this sudden action, and he pressed her back against the wall and looked at the somber man in front of her with her teary eyes. She didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Seeing her aura receding and her gaze becoming somewhat shy, the thin, kind-looking lips once again opened his eyes. His gaze became a little gentler. Clarice opened her mouth, wanting to apologize, but she was still a little reluctant in her heart. Wasn't he the one who had involved her and set this snowball rolling? Shouldn't he be the one apologizing? Moreover, even though she had hit him a few times, she hadn't used much force. As a man, shouldn't he be less petty?

Raising her head, she bit her lips and looked at him stubbornly.

"So, what do you want, Nicholas?"

Nicholas thought she would back down but never thought she would actually have the courage to argue with him. Surprise passed through his eyes, and the aura around his body became even colder than before. His two beautiful, thick eyebrows furrowed, his lips slightly lowered, and he pursed his lips tightly without saying a word.

"I don't hit women!" After a long time, Nicholas opened his mouth, releasing her hand from the wall.

"What... you..." Clarice spoke as she saw him approach, and she immediately became nervous. His speed was very fast, but Nicholas was blocking her way, so, without any warning, her forehead struck his broad back directly, making her eyes shine with pain.

"Although I don't hit women, if you keep provoking me like this, Miss Savas, I will still be rude to you," the man who had been struck turned around and looked at her with a displeased expression.

Clarice rubbed her head, which hurt from the impact, and her little face looked very sad as she muttered, "I didn't do it on purpose; I was provoked!" As she spoke, she sat on the couch beside him, with her two long legs crossed over each other, making her look like a guest.

She had never seen such a handsome and dominating man in her life.