Saying such things cut Zoe deeper than anyone else.
It wasn’t sincere, but she had to consider Stella’s words.
Simon must hold some resentment towards her in his heart. If she couldn’t be sensible, how could she find a glimmer of hope? Simon was a businessman; he knew best how to squeeze out all profitable interests and could easily overturn the compensation promised in their agreement.
She couldn’t fathom his thoughts, so she could only guess the worst outcome and take emergency evasive action.
But the best way was to go along with his thoughts. She thought her words were pleasant enough—no man could dislike them.
But...
"Come here," Simon said, putting out his cigarette, his expression unreadable.
Zoe’s mind raced with a thousand thoughts. As soon as she walked over, she was pulled entirely into his arms.
Sitting on his lap, the man’s hands rested on her hip bones, rendering her unable to move. Zoe was startled. "What are you doing?"
Simon scrutinized the changes in her expression and said casually, "Having a baby."
Zoe was speechless. "...?!"
She almost choked on her breath, completely unable to figure out Simon’s thoughts, and couldn’t respond for a moment. "You mean, right now..."
"Yes. Doing what we should be doing."
"But I’m sick!" Zoe panicked. "I have a fever and I’m not feeling well. Besides, I’ll infect you."
Simon’s hand slowly landed on the back of her neck, pressing her down. "My immune system isn’t that weak. Just in time to help you sweat it out."
Zoe felt the situation was not going as she expected. Inevitably panicking, she said, "No, I’d feel terrible if you got sick!"
"Can you moan?"
The man’s low, hoarse voice fell by her ear, ignoring her sweet talk.
Zoe’s eyes widened, thinking she had misheard such wild words.
Simon probably lost his patience, simply turning her face to the side. He kissed her neck, employing some technique. An electric shock assaulted Zoe, making her whole body tremble. Unable to withstand such stimulation, she couldn’t help but moan, "Mmh... Simon, you..."
Zoe was startled by her own reaction. Her cheeks quickly flushed with a delicate red, as if she were burning up, and she looked at him in embarrassment.
The next second, Simon released her. He pulled her by the arm, making her stand up again.
Zoe was still in a daze when she saw his frowning, aloof expression, as if the person who had just teased her wasn’t him. "Alright, the show is over."
Zoe was thoroughly confused. Was this domineering CEO actually a beast???
Simon stood up and placed a small box on the table. His Adam’s apple bobbed. "Grandma sent someone to spy on us just now. We had to give them something convincing to report back."
Zoe’s face was instantly covered in a pink blush. An indescribable sense of shame swept over her. They were actually being eavesdropped on?!
Simon didn’t explain further and walked away.
Zoe couldn’t help but call after him, "Simon! You..."
Simon turned his head. She didn’t know if it was an illusion, but she seemed to see a hint of unbearable and strange restraint in his eyes. However, the words that came out of his mouth were as cold as ice. "What? Can’t keep up the act of a good wife? Or do you actually want to sleep with me?"
Zoe froze. Her face felt as if it were burning.
Simon withdrew his gaze and walked straight to the room. "I don’t have time to play these hard-to-get games with you."
Zoe couldn’t understand Simon’s thoughts at all, nor could she comprehend the reasons behind his various reactions. But his words felt like a heavy slap to the face, sounding like annoyance, or perhaps contempt for how cheap she was acting.
It made her heart ache and her lungs hurt from anger. She tried to lift the corners of her mouth to fake an indifferent smile, but her lips trembled uncontrollably. She thought she was mentally strong enough to handle all malice, but facing such humiliating words from the person she had liked for so many years was something else entirely.
Look at this. How impenetrable this brick wall was. She had crashed into it until she was bruised and bloody. Her very flesh and blood had grown into this gilded cage of a marriage, and trying to pull away felt like having her tendons ripped out and her bones crushed.
Just as she turned around, her eyes were drawn to a box of cold medicine on the table. She was certain it hadn’t been there earlier; Simon must have just left it.
Zoe closed her eyes, her nerves pulled in different directions, driving her to the brink of madness.
That night, Zoe didn’t sleep very well. When she woke up the next day, it wasn’t even six o’clock yet. The Hawthorne Residence had strict rules; breakfast was set at six-thirty. Since she lived here, she had to follow them. Zoe freshened up and headed to the dining room alone.
Just as she reached the door, she heard a commotion in the outer hall.
A child’s arrogant scream was ear-piercing. "Get down! Let me ride the horsey!"
As soon as Zoe walked in, she saw a six-year-old boy pointing at a servant, bossing him around arrogantly, completely ignorant of what respect and manners meant. The servant looked troubled but had no choice but to comply.
This little boy was Cecilia Sloan’s illegitimate child, named Sean Hawthorne. Spoiled rotten by Cecilia, he was utterly lawless. Despite his young age, he had a domineering temperament.
Zoe didn’t want to interfere with the Hawthorne Family’s affairs, preferring to keep a respectful distance. However, Sean noticed her and immediately pointed at her nose. "You come here! I want you to get on your knees and let me ride you."
If there hadn’t been anyone around, Zoe would have just slapped the brat silly. Naturally, she ignored him.
Unable to tolerate being ignored, Sean immediately rushed forward, grabbing and pulling at Zoe’s clothes, his nails digging into her arm. "Are you deaf, you beggar?!"
Zoe looked down at the little boy with a kind smile on her face. Then, when no one was looking, she stepped on the heel of Sean’s shoe with one foot and kicked the brat’s chubby little butt with the other.
Unable to move his feet, Sean tripped and face-planted hard onto the floor. He scraped his nose, looking quite ridiculous. Instantly, he cried even more shrilly. The noise made her eardrums throb.
This startled Cecilia, who was elegantly sipping coffee nearby. She rushed over and scooped Sean into her arms. "What’s wrong? Which blind fool failed to take good care of the Young Master?!"
Crying his lungs out, Sean pointed at Zoe. "Bad woman! Beat her to death for me!"
Cecilia shot her a glare, her tone sharp. "Zoe Lancaster, you can’t even look after a child properly. If anything happens to my son, can you take responsibility?!"
Zoe didn’t like Cecilia. Even though it was Cecilia who had initially pushed her and Simon together, this woman was the person Simon despised the most. She had schemed her way into someone’s bed to get pregnant, wormed her way into the household, and birthed an illegitimate younger brother for the Hawthorne Family’s Crown Prince. It was a scandal no matter how you spun it.
Not to mention, Cecilia’s ambitions didn’t end there. She had tried countless times to rope her in to oppose Ken Lowell. Zoe had always avoided her, and over time, Cecilia had developed quite a few grievances against her.
"Ms. Sloan, I could never give birth to a child like this. Whoever birthed him should be responsible for him," Zoe replied to the malicious harassment with a serene smile.
Cecilia’s mouth twitched, her tone mockingly gentle. "That’s right. You can’t give birth at all, so of course you don’t understand a parent’s heart!"
Zoe frowned. Those words were far too harsh!
"Miss Sloan, are you insulting my wife, or are you insulting me?"