10

"What are you trying to do?" She tried to get away, but they stopped her right away. "Don't—don't come near me. Please release me!"

One of them grabbed her off her feet and flung her over his shoulder as he darted away before she could say anything. The others trailed in close behind.

What the people in the waiting room witnessed astounded them. They were unable to ascertain what was happening.

•••

"Mr. Conrad, there is finally news from the hospital."Joseph  hurried into his  office to break the news, not giving the other person in the room a second thought.

Clarence was first annoyed by Joseph’s  interruption as he was conversing with a very significant customer. But his tense eyebrows dropped when he heard what Joseph  had to say.

"There's finally news?"

Joseph gave Clarence  a sidelong glance and then gave a solemn nod.

Clarence gave the man in front of him an icy look as he spoke. “I apologize, Mr. Webb, but I must attend to some pressing affairs. I'll make plans for someone else to carry on our discussion."

After his client finished speaking, Joseph  moved forward and wheeled Clarence  out of the room. Clarence’s brows knitted together as he spoke, having just gotten into the automobile. "What's the situation?"

"Mr. Conrad , didn't you ask me to refer men to the hospital? Well, one of my subordinates told me about a suspicious-looking woman in the gynecological department who was dressed weirdly, with a mask, huge hat, and sunglasses. She was alone; nobody else was with her."

Clarence’s narrowed his gaze menacingly at that. That was undoubtedly her!

"We've caught her, and she's now being held at the Blue Skies Villa."

"What on earth are you wanting to do? Set me down, please!" Stella  was struggling the entire while she was being carried on the man's shoulder. The man's movements were so lurching that it was giving her vertigo. She felt like throwing up.

Eventually, to her relief, he threw her down and dragged her into a car. But after a short ride, she was hoisted up onto the man's shoulder once more, and after much pulling, he eventually set her down on the ground.

"Are you taking me hostage? I can assure you that I am carrying nothing valuable, so please don't consider..." She was speaking when she noticed something on the man in front of her. She gave him a bewildered look. Clarence ? What brings him here?

Joseph was standing behind him, staring blankly at her. But Clarence  was radiating an extremely cold aura and had a really chilly look on his face.

He only had to look at her sternly to have her submit. She was forced to droop her head. Fortunately, her face was hidden below her hat, mask, and sunglasses. She was presumably unknown to Kennedy at first. That still didn't explain why he sent someone to find her and bring her to him. Was there a chance he was aware of her pregnancy? Did that imply that he found her existence bothersome?

Her expression turned from one of intelligence to one of utter dread at this realization. Originally, she had simply married into the Conrad family to take Jenna's place.

Clarence would definitely kick her out of the Conrad  family if he found out she was pregnant on top of everything else because he was already furious about that fact.

Upon realizing that, she  pushed the men encircling her aside and fled.

Joseph  screamed right away , "Get her back here."

Clarence took in her small frame and thought back to that tragic night one month ago. As he gave the order, his eyes grew gloomy. "Make sure she doesn't get hurt."

With a nod, Joseph  informed his men of the message. "Take cautious not to get close to her. Keep her safe from harm."

She could never have prevailed over the guys dressed in black. These were skilled lieutenants under Joseph. They quickly apprehended her and returned her with ease.

Her motions were limited, and she was powerless to break free from their hold. Clarence’s somber gaze continued to study her.

Joseph then pushed the wheelchair forward, slightly lifting Clarence's chin in the process. Her heart raced furiously as she stared in shock at the man who seemed to be getting closer to her by the second. It was a complete disaster.

Someone was going to discover her. Even though he was seated in a wheelchair, his bulk made him appear taller than her small stature. He might have simply reached up and pulled at her mask.

She tilted her head away, her eyes widening with horror.  She widened her eyes and tried to sidestep him as his hand slowly came toward her once more.

They were pacing back and forth as though Clarence  were a cat and she was a mouse on the run. He couldn't resist laughing a little, sweet-sounding laugh. "Are you really that fond of playing games with me?"

What was happening? She  gave him a disbelieving look. Was this Clarence still the icy, emotionless man from before? Right now, she was unable to comprehend his kindness.

With no prior notice, he tore off her  mask while she was still dazed.

"Ah!" She  screamed and instinctively reached to put her hands over her face, only to discover that the guys in black were holding her arms in place. She could not possibly hide her face at this point.

Clarence had been radiating kindness before, but as soon as he took off her mask and revealed her face, she was overcome with a sharp cold.

He paused, then questioned with a furrowed expression, "Why are you here?"

For a minute she  was dumbfounded. Did he not know who she really was before he caught her?

"Why do you ask me this? These men were despatched to capture me and bring me here, are you not the one who sent them?”

His  demeanor transformed upon hearing that, as if he had finally grasped the concept. He cast a narrow look at her. "What were you doing at the hospital?"

She felt a lump form in her throat. Though she'd never been adept at lying, she forced herself to tell a wary untruth. "After sleeping on the floor, I developed a cold. I was visiting a hospital physician."

"Oh?" He laughed acerbic laugh and arched his eyebrows. "Are you telling me that you are visiting a physician? in the department of gynecology? Tell me, what was said by the doctor?”

She  did not know what to say. This is not ideal. How could she let this joke go on? She  bit her lip and then, with a sharp flick of her mind, snapped back. "How about you? You had no idea that you were catching me. What made you send your men to bring me here, then?”

He was the next to freeze on the spot, after her  accusation. It could never have happened by coincidence. Though he had anticipated Joseph’s  henchmen to seize her instead, he had been searching for the woman from a month ago.

Moreover, they apprehended her in the gynecological division. His gaze shifted to the "gynecology department," and a menacing expression appeared.

"Tell me, are you pregnant?"

She reacted instantly to his cutting remarks. Her lips quivered and her face went white in an instant. Her eyes widened in shock as she fixed them on him.

"I see. It appears that I'm spot on," Clarence chuckled icily. “It makes sense that you're so keen to marry into the Conrad family and replace your sister Jenna. It appears that you are searching for someone to impose your misery on and that you have baggage with you."

Joseph , who remained standing behind him, became enraged and balled his fists. "How do you perceive Mr. Conrad? It's unbelievable that you're being married into the Conrad family while carrying a child. You have now allowed me to see through your facade, given your suspicious behavior at the gynecological department. You must have never imagined that we would catch you in the act that very moment."

She was ill-equipped to protect herself. She was hoping to wrap things up as quietly as possible, but all of a sudden, some men kidnapped her and dragged her there against her will. She didn't know what was going on until that very moment.

“Stella, that's not correct. You must consider all of this with objectivity. She needed to maintain her composure.”

She stared steadfastly into his eyes, forcing back the fear that threatened to tear her apart from the inside.

"Why do you assume that because I visited the gynecological department, I am pregnant? Since you are fully aware that I am a remarried person, I would like to confirm that I am STD-free. What's wrong with getting a checkup at the hospital?"

Clarence  firmly grasped her chin as soon as she had completed her sentence. He sounded so stern and icy that it seemed like he was reiterating a message from hell. "It seems you'll never learn your lesson."