SEVEN

The atmosphere in the office was still quiet, especially in the president's room, where only Zaylee was present. She stared at the president's chair and something in her hand with a vacant look. She couldn't think clearly about how to persuade Griffin to take responsibility for her pregnancy.

No mother would kill her own flesh and blood unless she had lost her sanity. Even a lion, known as a fierce beast, wouldn't attack its own cubs.

The door opened, and Griffin walked in, passing by Zaylee, who seemed frozen in place. He didn't acknowledge her presence, instead searching for something at his desk. Shouldn't he be preparing for his engagement party? Why was he still focused on work?

Before long, Dicky entered the room. Instead of approaching Griffin, he went over to Zaylee, who was pretending to be busy with her phone.

"Zaylee, do you have a moment? Come with me to the rooftop for a bit!" Dicky said, causing Zaylee to look at him in surprise.

It was a rare situation; Dicky and Zaylee rarely interacted except for work-related matters. She stood there, willing to accompany Dicky, while Griffin in the corner raised an eyebrow, suspecting Dicky wanted to discuss Zaylee's pregnancy. He was certain, remembering how Dicky strongly opposed Griffin's decision to ask Zaylee to terminate it.

Zaylee walked with her head down, still reluctant to talk much, but Dicky was different. Suddenly, he disappeared. Zaylee glanced around and found he was at the vending machine buying drinks.

"Isn't this situation awkward? Why do you want me to accompany you?" Zaylee asked, curious about Dicky's motive for bringing her up here.

"Zaylee, I won't beat around the bush this time. How far along are you?" Dicky asked directly as they reached the rooftop.

It was still morning, and the sun's rays couldn't reach the place where Dicky and Zaylee sat, blocked by the towering walls of the building. Zaylee was taken aback by Dicky's question, which she hadn't anticipated.

"It's too early for your silly jokes," Zaylee replied with a smile, ready to brush it off as if Dicky were joking.

"You don't have to lie, Zaylee. I know everything; Griffin told me. I brought you here so it would just be the two of us who know about this issue," Dicky said, looking into Zaylee's worried eyes. Perhaps she feared that Dicky would spill the news to their colleagues.

"I'm not sure exactly; I just checked with a pregnancy test," Zaylee finally admitted, looking down and rubbing the drink Dicky had given her as they walked.

"So you haven't been to the hospital?" Dicky asked in surprise.

He felt a bit relieved to talk to one of his colleagues about this; Zaylee hadn't realized that Dicky was the first person, besides herself and Griffin, to know about her pregnancy. Dicky watched as Zaylee stared blankly ahead, avoiding his gaze. He knew she didn't want her heartache to show through her eyes.

"Wait!" Zaylee exclaimed as if something had clicked in her mind. "Did Griffin send you to persuade me to get rid of this baby?" she asked, suspicion written all over her face, remembering that the man beside her was Griffin's friend—the irresponsible jerk.

"No! I wouldn't be so petty as to use my friendship with Griffin that way," Dicky countered, feeling offended by Zaylee's accusation. They had been friends since college, but their attitudes were clearly different.

They fell into silence as if there was nothing left to say. Everything was over, and the fetus should indeed be terminated before it was too late and complicated the lives of two people who used to be lovers.

"You have to force Griffin to take responsibility!" Dicky said, seeing the sad look in Zaylee's eyes that was undeniably honest. Outwardly, she seemed strong, but who could know the heart of a woman? Zaylee truly couldn't accept Griffin's decision; he treated her like a lowly woman.

"Or do you want to comply with Griffin's request to have an abortion?" Dicky asked, intrigued.

Zaylee turned to him, shocked by his words. Apparently, Griffin had shared everything with Dicky without holding anything back.

"I understand that my good intentions may create misunderstandings. But Zaylee, you need to know that even though Griffin and I are old friends, choosing abortion as a solution is still wrong," Dicky said, exhaling deeply as he gazed into the sky while the woman next to him looked down.

Zaylee followed Dicky's gaze, staring at the clear blue sky without a trace of clouds. She was in a huge dilemma: should she follow Griffin's orders to terminate a pregnancy that wasn't even noticeable yet? Then everything would be fine, but she would never forget that she had killed someone, even if it was still just a fetus.

"Isn't it too late for all this, Dicky? Tonight he's getting engaged to Anna," Zaylee said, making Dicky pause to think for a moment. Tonight, Griffin's family would formally propose to Anna as his life partner.