Joseph’s remarks felt like a stomach punch. She could only cast a sorrowful glance downward. "I know..."
It was only after Joseph noticed her change in attitude that he realized his tone was overly serious. "Ms. Radomil, I realize what I'm saying is terrible, but you should comprehend what I'm saying. In any case, you are not allowed to bring this up again. If not, there is nothing I can do to relieve your problems." Joseph finished up, turned around, and walked away.
If Stella was a rational person, she would decide to keep what she heard to herself. After five more minutes of standing still against the wall, she knocked on the door.
"Come in." There was rage tinged with a sense of coldness and indifference in Clarence’s voice.
When she came in, she saw that he was gazing out the French window, enjoying the city views, rather than sat as he typically did behind his desk.
A depressive stillness hung over the room as she crept forward, the coldness in his voice lingering in the back of her mind.
Clarence frowned and swung his wheelchair around, realizing his guest had no intention of striking up a discussion.
Her pale, sickly face was all was seen.
He questioned, his expression frowning, "What are you doing here?"
She looked up into his intense eyes. "I'm, I'm your assistant after all."
Had he forgotten anything his granddad had said before? Clarence heard that, and he couldn't help but lift a corner of his mouth and laugh bitterly. "Do you think I have any use for an assistant who doesn't even know how to make coffee?"
Her fists clenched as she bit her lip. "I'll give it my all the next time. Telling me how you like your coffee might be helpful."
"Even if I do tell you, do you really think you can make one that is exactly to my liking?"
She gave a nod.
His mouth curved into a sardonic smile. "You really think you can do that?" He was determined to give her another chance. He placed the cup of coffee he'd been holding on his desk. "I'll provide you one opportunity. Create one with the exact same flavor as this one."
She glanced at the cup of coffee momentarily before scooping it up and turning around to leave the room. He wheeled his wheelchair to the rear of his desk and picked one of the documents on the top of a stack to read it.
After five minutes had gone, he peered up at the door. There was no indication that it was going to open. That woman hadn't come back yet. Was she so intimidated by such a huge task? Why was it taking her almost 10 minutes to brew a cup of coffee?
After 10 more minutes, she was not to be found at the door. He furrowed his brows, perplexed by the woman's actions. Was she trying to test his patience? How could she casually grab his coffee cup and be gone from sight?
He slammed the table hard as he put his documents back on the desk. He heard footsteps coming down the hallway just as he was ready to check on her personally.
She entered the room carrying a cup of coffee, her expression cautious. It was evident that she was attempting to avoid his intense stare.
"You've wasted twenty minutes of my time." He spoke in a scathing tone, and she felt as though a huge force had struck her.
With hesitation, she bit her lip and answered. "But you didn't mention any time limit just now."
"You!" He experienced difficulty speaking. He laughed suddenly, too furious to contain himself.
"Are you trying to reason with me?" She realized she was no match for him in a yelling fight. She quickly set down the just made coffee and gestured at it.
"Try it..." The room filled with the gradually rising aroma of delicious coffee.
Clarence got a breath of that perfume and an undetectable shift of emotions unfolded on his face. His eyes narrowed into a straight line. "I know this cup of coffee won't be able to compare with the one you had before, but I promise you l've tried my best."
Seeing that he remained motionless, she pushed the coffee toward him. He first wanted to finish the farce as quickly as he could, but when he saw her miserable demeanor and the expectant look in her eyes, he hesitated.
She appeared to be a stray pet. He leaned out and grabbed the coffee cup for no apparent reason. As he took a sip, a menacing look crossed his eyes. The abrupt change in his demeanor caught her off guard, and she instinctively stepped back, staring at him fearfully.
"Why are you backing off?" His furrowed his brows and gave her a sad look. "Are you scared of me splashing this coffee all over you?"
She was limited to nibbling on her lip. In an instant, it seemed as though he had read her thoughts.
He eventually gave her back the cup after taking one more sip. She took it slowly and gave him a cautious look. "H-how was it?"
He looked off to a point in space, and he gave a chilly response. "You were selected. Seldom."
Survive was filled with an unexplainable sense of excitement upon hearing that. A quiet smile spread across her face. "Are you serious? Does that imply that I can now remain here?"
She had a bright voice. He took in her beauty and remembered the day she had come to the Conrad home. She always had a worried look on her face, and it was evident she was spending her life in a perpetual state of fear. But then a smile appeared on her face, brightening her beautiful face significantly.
His eyes softened with time, too, at what he saw. He felt as though an invisible force was gradually gaining access to the darkest recesses of his heart. It somehow irritated him. He gave a grunt and pulled at the necktie. "Who gave you the go-ahead to remain here? How are you going to handle that youngster?"
He brought up this subject out of the blue, and she immediately blanched and balled her fists.
"Are you keeping quiet? It appears that you will carry on having that child."
She gave him a rebellious glance. “How could you be so mean? The youngster is not guilty!"
He gave her a hostile look and couldn't help but laugh. "It's innocent, and in a way, are you also innocent? The child would regret being born if they discovered their mother was, in reality, a cunning and calculating person who also enjoyed maintaining appearances." His harsh remarks tore at her heart like a knife's blades.
All color had disappeared from her face. "You..."
He had overreached himself!
"You've been dead set on labeling me as a scheming and hypocritical person ever since I was married into the Conrad family, isn't that so?"
“You're not quite right. One more item has to be mentioned."
"What are you talking about?" Her eyes grew wide.
"You are also a shameless and worthless woman."
She bit her lip so hard it bled because she was so furious. "The youngster is truly innocent. Please give me an opportunity, please."
She felt her head instantly solidify into a lead ball. She was unable to lift it to see the man standing in front of her, to meet his eyes and give him the straight talk. Only her knees would do for a beg.
She was limited to doing everything within her ability to ensure that the unborn kid in her womb survived.
He was staring at her as if she were dead. Right then, he didn't want to move a muscle in his body. "After two days, if that baby is still alive, I'm going to deal with it myself."
*****
The two-day restriction was up in the blink of an eye. Riley had came looking for Stella and told her to do all in her power to persuade Clarence not to abort the kid, so Stella hadn't gone to the hospital to get an abortion.
She would seek out a physician in the interim so that Stella might receive treatment that would not directly damage her body, even after the abortion.
But Stella secretly hoped she would never have to part with the child. She desired to carry the pregnancy to term and deliver them.
Riley immediately declared her to be a madwoman after finding out about her plans.
With remarkable composure, Stella responded and attempted to articulate her emotions. "I'm not insane. I want to become their mother. They represent a fresh start that is developing within me."
“However, after the child is born, they will not have a father. Have you truly gone insane? In addition, would the Conrad family consent to you bearing their child? After all, the Conrad family is a prominent one." Riley was accurate. She was dealing with some challenging feelings.
Stella’s eyes hardened as she caressed her stomach. "I will come up with something."
Stella was terrified to go back to the Conrad’s . Rather, she spent some time at Riley’s residence and then, grudgingly, left that evening for home. She came up with a scheme to avoid speaking with Clarence while driving. Before he found out she was home, she was going to take a bath right away, crawl beneath the blanket, and turn out the lights. Seeing as how she was asleep, she reasoned that he wouldn't force her out of the bed. She was surprised, though, that he arrived home earlier than normal. He had just taken a shower when she came inside. He was drying his hair with a towel, and Joseph stood behind him. He glanced at Stella for a brief moment before turning away. He was not paying any attention to her. That seemed like a good thing for her. She went to a corner, got herself some clothing, and entered the bathroom, intending to take as long as possible in her bath. She continued to fear having to face him, so she spent as much time as she could in the restroom. When a kn
He did not consider her credible. He was almost amazed at how good of an actress she was being, and he sneered down at her. "I don't care if you're pretending to be pitiful." The figure on the ground was motionless. His brows went up. "Are you done acting?" She remained motionless for a moment. He leaned forward in his wheelchair, narrowing his gaze and beginning to guess. It was then that he noticed her lips had completely lost their color and her face had turned as pale as a piece of paper. He felt his heart grow cold when he realized what was happening. ********** Twenty minutes later, he sat in the wheelchair in the hospital hallway, looking downcast. He was staring out the small window of the room in front of him, watching Joseph talking to a doctor. When he was done, after a few moments, he left the room and approached Clarence . "What happened to her?" Clarence questioned in a subdued manner. "The physician stated that she is sick and exhausted, and that she also has a
Having worked with Clarence for a long time, Joseph’s earlier that day's actions were obviously... Though some things are better left unsaid or undone, he believed he could give it a shot. He didn't dare imagine the motive behind it. Clarence looked at Stella for a long while, and then something clicked. He didn't own the child, no matter how pathetic she attempted to be. An adopted kid wasn't deserving of sympathy! He had his face fixed on his. "What are you saying?" "N-nothing, shall we go on?" "Yes." Joseph recognized Clarence didn't want her to be perceived as weak by other men; whether or not she kept the child was another story. "Please put her on the stretcher as quickly as possible. Next, take her to the physician's office." "Yes!" Joseph and Clarence were the only ones remaining in the room when she was carried away. Joseph hesitated for a long moment, staring at Clarence’s back. Then he cleared his throat gently. "Mr. Conrad, do you want me to push you down to
He withdrew from her when he felt a quick, intense ache in his bottom lip. "It seems that Mrs. Conrad not only likes to bark, but bite as well." He extended his arm to dab at the blood on his lips. He was an extremely attractive man who liked to frown, which accentuated his rough features. When he did grin, it accentuated his remarkable features even more. But the grin that lit up his face was as terrifying as a lion realizing what it was hunting. His lips stained with blood made him appear even more gorgeous than he already was. At last, she managed to shove him away with enough leverage, and she hurried to the corner. “ Clarence, tell me what you want. Have you forgotten our agreement already? What were you doing right now if you stated you didn't want me to touch you?" He remained silent and gave her a cold look. She bit her lip, pulled down her shirt, and gave him a resolute look. He wanted to take her more and more the more stubborn she acted. She was expecting a bastard a
Once more walking down the hall, She paused when she rounded the corner and saw two men standing in front of her. Clarence’s icy gaze was fixed on her as he sat in his wheelchair with Joseph standing next to him. She would have turned around and left right away if she had continued to act with her previous attitude. However, Stella’s opinion of Clarence abruptly changed after she learned that both his brother and grandfather disapproved of him. Nevertheless, she was still aware that he had coerced her into having an abortion. She continued to turn and want to go, though. Clarence cried, "Stop!" She just stood there, looking at him with her head twisted. "What is it?" "Despite being my assistant, you have been absent from work for the past two days without providing an explanation. Do you still want to work for yourself?”Stella recalled what Greg had told her as Clarence talked. She responded in a casual manner, remembering that her goal was to watch him rather than functi
Her fingers trembled as she gripped the contract tightly, causing her knuckles to turn white. She took the pen out of its packaging, signed her name at the bottom, and closed the bag. She was then prepared to go. Clarence expressed satisfaction by raising his eyebrows. "Women who can be bought by money are so easy to deal with." He frowned and looked up at her when she slapped the contract onto the desk the following second. "You are not required to pay me. I have my own motives for remaining here. I appreciate that you didn't make me have an abortion, but it doesn't mean you can use money to make me feel inferior." He scoffed. There was mockery in his eyes. "Don't women like you see money as the entire world?" "You!" Her hands were clasped. She was just interested in arguing with him. But after a moment, she relaxed her grip and grinned. “Okay, so I guess I am that kind of person if that's how you see me. We only take from one another what we require. The contract is previously
Clarence felt his warning as she fixed her gaze on the salesperson. He would see to it that she was fired if she was unable to perform her duties properly. He was, after all, a guy in a powerful position. Thus, the salesperson quickly picked out the most elegant dress in the store and led Stella to the changing area. "This is the most expensive dress we have, so I'll help you change." "No, I can do it myself." Even as a little child, Stella never liked having people around her once she shifted. The salesperson turned pale. "What's the matter with you? You'll have to pay for it if you ruin this outfit because it's so expensive." "What? Examine your attire. They're just clothes from a department store. Without that man out there, you would never be able to shop here!" Stella changed on her own a few times, and the salesperson realized she was a target for bullying, so she took a gamble. Stella remained silent. The salesperson's accurate assessment of her embarrassed her. “All oka
Stella was caught in the warm, firm grasp of two hands as she fell. Everyone fell silent as her face remained horribly pale, yet the light came back into her eyes. She focused on the sinewy, straight legs and followed them up to the rescuer's face above. An air of animosity emanated from a man with deep eyes, pointed eyebrows, and pursed lips. Even though he was seated in a wheelchair, he exuded an overpowering, natural style that was powerful enough to overpower everyone in his vicinity. The audience was so amazed by him that they had to take a step back and stare in shock at his sudden appearance. Who was this guy? Stella sat there, pale and enthralled, gazing up at Clarence Conrad, who was holding her up. "Y-you're still here?" Though it turned out that he hadn't left her, she was certain that he had because of the way she looked in the clothes she tried on. "Are you going to get up?" He murmured softly, his pitch-black eyes fixed on her. Stella was brought back to the pres