Chapter 4

Liesel held the pregnancy test tightly. "I'm not sure yet."

Her period had yet to come this month, and the retching from before… She suspected something was up.

"What are you going to do if you are?" Chelsea looked at her hesitantly. "Will Jacob accept it?"

Liesel dropped her gaze. Jacob would never want a child she'd brought into the world. Besides, they were already divorced—it was bad for them both if she were to keep the child… even if it was one she'd longed for in the past.

After a long silence, she said, "No, he won't. There's no point in keeping lingering attachments or forcing someone to do something against their will. If I'm pregnant, I'll get an abortion."

She'd waited for a baby that hadn't come over the past three years. Now, it was long past the time for that.

Liesel was in a bad mood, so she didn't do the pregnancy test on the spot. Instead, she and Chelsea had some drinks. Well, she only had a sip or two of a drink with the lowest possible alcohol content.

She only remembered the pregnancy test when she arrived at the company the following day. She headed to the bathroom and did the test. Then, she was dumbstruck when she saw the two lines on it.

She was pregnant… with Jacob's child.

Her face turned pale. Just then, someone entered the bathroom. In her panic, she threw the pregnancy test into the trashcan and clenched her fists.

Was she really going to abort her and Jacob's child? A pang of pain swept past her heart.

Liesel was in a meeting but she was distracted. When it was over, a colleague leaned close to her, looking excited to share gossip. "Did you hear, Ms. Sharp? Someone from our department is pregnant."

The competition within Ford Corporation had always been intense, and pregnancy was something that would easily affect one's career and ascension up the ladder.

The colleague couldn't help saying gleefully, "I wonder who it is. They're being hush-hush about this, aren't they?"

Liesel's heart skipped a beat. She looked up and happened to meet Jacob's cool, calm gaze. He said, "Come to my office, Ms. Sharp."

She clenched her fists. When she entered Jacob's office, he said, "I'll have Jesse take you for a pregnancy examination in a couple of days."

Her heart stuttered, and she blurted out, "It's not me."

"This is just to be safe. I'm sure you don't want any trouble to arise from this."

Liesel couldn't stop him. She could only suppress her panic and say, "Okay."

Natalie came her way when she left the office. The former bit her lip and said uneasily, "What happened last time was a misunderstanding, Ms. Liesel. You won't get mad at me for that, will you? I had no idea Hardin Group would pull such a dirty trick and try to stuff subpar products on us!"

"That's none of my business," Liesel said indifferently. "The company has its system for rewards and punishments. You'll have to bear the consequences of your mistakes. It's as simple as that."

She had nothing much to say to Natalie. Setting aside their relationship, she'd always drawn a clear line between her professional and private lives. There was no need to drag personal grudges into work.

Natalie sighed in relief. "It's Dad's birthday next week, Liesel. He hasn't seen you for so long. How about you come home so we can celebrate as a family?"

Jeffrey's birthday was a week after Heather's death anniversary. Liesel looked at Natalie and said, "I'm not in the mood to scheme and play mind games with you, Natalie.

"If you're not a complete idiot, you'll understand what I mean when I say your father's birthday isn't a good day for me and my mother."

Natalie faltered. Then, her face turned red, and she said, "I know it's only a week after Heather's death anniversary, but you can't revive the dead. We still have to celebrate Dad's birthday since he's alive, right?

"I've never blamed Heather for banishing me to the countryside, so why do you have to keep holding a grudge against Dad?"

"You know very well why my mother sent you to the countryside," Liesel said icily. "If I were to forgive the person who'd caused her death and even celebrate his birthday, it wouldn't prove that I'm generous enough to bury the hatchet. It would just show that I'm heartless."

Natalie blanched. Her eyes turned red as tears welled in them. "I didn't mean anything else by this, Liesel. I just—"

"I don't care what you meant," Liesel interrupted. "When at work, we're nothing more than colleagues. You should focus on your work, Ms. Natalie."

She turned and left, not wanting to play mind games with Natalie. She took the afternoon off to head to the hospital. It didn't even occur to her what Natalie thought of her words.

Unfortunately, it seemed Natalie was more cowardly than she'd expected. The former had been so absent-minded while walking that she'd twisted her ankle. Jacob brought her to the hospital.

"Congratulations. You're six weeks pregnant."

Liesel happened to run into Jacob, who was holding Natalie up, when she was leaving the hospital with her pregnancy report.

The doctor's words reverberated in her mind. "Your body cannot handle an abortion, Ms. Sharp. If you proceed with it, you might not be able to conceive in the future. I'd advise you to think this through."

Liesel felt bitter. She was pregnant with Jacob's child, which was something to be happy and expectant about. But would he allow her to keep it?

Jacob noticed the look on her face while Natalie hesitantly called out to her. "Lie—Ms. Liesel."

Jacob's gaze flitted past her. "What are you doing here?"

She hid her pregnancy report behind her and said softly, "I came for a follow-up check because my cold isn't completely gone yet."

He narrowed his eyes at her. Natalie seemed to notice something and tugged his sleeve. She looked a little glum. "You should have something to discuss with Ms. Sharp, Mr. Ford. I'll head back first."

Jacob frowned but didn't make her stay. "I'll have someone take you back."

She nodded obediently.

Liesel sighed in relief and stuffed the report into her bag. When she and Jacob were in his car, he glanced at her. "Are you that nervous to be around me? The more you act like this, the more I'll think you're pregnant."

She subconsciously wanted to deny it but forced herself to smile. She asked, "What will you do if I really am pregnant, then?"

"Make you abort it," he said without hesitation as he looked her in the eye.

She knew it. A pang of pain swept past her heart, and she shook her head as she said bitterly, "It's just a cold."

Jacob scrutinized her for a while before saying, "I heard you and Nat got into a small fight today, leading to her twisting her ankle while heading downstairs.

"She's young and naive but is kind. She also doesn't get into arguments with others that easily. You should be nicer to her and be more accommodating if anything happens in the future."

Liesel's bitterness bubbled up in her. No one in this world could avoid being more favorable to certain people. She said, "She's not a child, Mr. Ford. There's nothing for me to accommodate."