“Hello?”
“I told you it’s a lie.
My son and Mr.
Hawthorne have nothing to do with each other romantically.”
“The visit?
He came to visit me, of course.
And the dinner?
My son and Mr.
Hawthorne had a lot of company matters to discuss.”
“You need to know that he’s my only son.
He’s taking over my business in the future.
He needs to socialize with people more.”
“What?
He’s not pregnant!”
“The news is fake!”
My father’s voice thundered from downstairs.
My steps faltered.
Noah held on tightly.
“Are you okay?” His voice sounded worried.
I shook my head lightly.
Lips slightly pursed.
“Will this affect my father’s company?” My voice lowered considerably.
The answer was clear to me.
Yet, I hoped it wouldn’t.
A pregnancy scandal.
A wedding scandal.
It might be nothing, usually.
But with Sébastien Hawthorne involved, things couldn’t get any worse.
Partners would seek my father out, hoping to work with him to secure a better relationship with Sébastien Hawthorne.
Rivals would seize the opportunity to attack the company, stirring up doubts among investors and driving down the stock price.
And when the truth finally came out, the fake partners wouldn’t hesitate to pull out, and the rivals wouldn’t hesitate to stir the waters further.
Things would only grow worse…
Sébastien’s company might not escape the storm, either.
“Yes.
But it’s fine.” Noah said.
It wasn’t.
For my father, for Sébastien, I knew it wasn’t.
I pressed a finger to my temple, rubbing it gently.
“Let’s go.”
Thinking about it wouldn’t solve it either.
No one had ever needed me to solve company matters.
Fortunately, a few people knew about my relationship with my mother.
It wouldn’t affect her business in any way.
I breathed in relief.
“I said, no!”
My father’s voice continued to ring in my ears.
Several calls.
Shouts.
It made my heart ache faintly for him.
“Elian, Noah, come eat breakfast.”
My mother’s warm voice.
A smile on her face.
Red eyes.
She must have cried.
I walked over to the dining table and sat down.
“I’ll wait for Dad.” His angry voice still came continuously from the sitting room.
Noah nodded.
My mother also did.
Minutes later, his footsteps rang.
I stood up.
He stopped.
Red eyes.
Redder than my mother’s.
Bloodshot.
Dark eye circles.
He hadn’t slept all night.
Perhaps the call was endless.
“Son, are you okay?” He reached out, touching my forehead.
His voice had grown hoarse, yet the concern wasn’t hidden.
I patted his hand on my forehead.
“Hm.
Just a nightmare.
I’ll be okay in a while.”
“Let’s eat.”
“Alright.”
We sat down and ate breakfast.
My father’s phone rang endlessly.
“Screw this!”
He cursed as he turned off the phone and threw it to the side.
The breakfast was peaceful after that.
My stomach felt better today.
Perhaps due to the pheromone I perceived thoroughly last night, eating didn’t feel so hard.
My lips pursed.
I might have to go to the hospital in a few days.
With the pregnancy being so uncomfortable, staying at home without the help of Sébastien was already said to be impossible.
However, Cole should have a solution.
If I stayed permanently in the hospital for the remaining few months, there should be ways to regulate things and help me give birth safely.
I glanced at my father, my mother, and Noah.
The worries in their eyes were evident.
I really had to live.
Also, without disrupting Sébastien’s and Karl’s lives, I had to live.
A low sigh escaped me.
Hospital…
The name alone brought dread to my heart.
The breakfast lost its appeal, and my fingers moved more slowly.
I sniffed uncomfortably.
After breakfast, Noah and I returned to my room.
He brought up fruit juice, fruits, and snacks.
Then, he played the music.
The noisy atmosphere helped relax my nerves.
Noah stepped to the center of the room and began dancing.
My eyes focused on him.
It’d been years since I last saw him dance.
High school…
I guessed.
At his graduation ceremony, when he asked me to be his dance partner.
My lips curled.
Noah remained a good dancer.
I stood up and joined in the dance.
Together, we danced and played in my room.
The day no longer felt suffocating.
Even the nightmare no longer mattered.
For now, I could easily enjoy whatever came my way.
For now, I could control my life and whatever decision I made.
Hospital?
It was only for a few months.
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A few months, too.
In a year at most, everything would be over.
The restrictions.
The news.
The worries.
Everything would be over.
Then, I could return to the club…
with changed games.
With my new cars.
As an omega who had survived the darkest moment of his life.
I swayed my waist to the song.
The thought of the future was so beautiful.
In a way, everything seemed fun.
An experience I’d never expected to have; it could become something fun to think about in the future.
Night came.
Dinner, again.
My father’s voice had grown even more hoarse.
The house bustled with the footsteps and voices of his assistants, his legal advisers, and other key members of the company.
Without being told, I knew things were starting to sink deeper than I thought.
Though my father continued to smile at me, comforting me that it was alright, the worries in the eyes of his assistants left enough room to understand things were anything but good.
I turned on my phone.
I’d kept it shut down all day.
Messages rushed in.
Calls and all.
Lucien.
Kay, and the rest.
None from Sébastien.
My eyes turned cold.
Why wasn’t he clearing the air?
All he had to do was reveal that his partner was Karl and I wasn’t his lover.
All this mess could have been solved with a word from him…
What on earth was he doing?
Creak.
I flipped my phone over.
Noah.
A fruit plate in hand.
He handed it over.
“Thanks.”
“Hm.”
I took the plate of sliced fruit from him and began eating.
They were cold, satisfying to the bones.
The last bit of fever in me dissipated.
My mood remained heavy.
My mind wandered.
How could I solve this matter?
How could I ease my father’s worries?
With no news from Sébastien for so long, it could be that he hadn’t yet solved the issue between himself and Karl.
He might not be able to help anytime soon.
I needed to do something.
Noah stood aside, expression filled with something undiscernible.
“What?” My heart raced.
Noah’s lips trembled.
“Sébastien…”
“What happened to Sébastien?”
He turned his head away.
“He’s downstairs.”
“Waiting for you.”
My heart sank.
For some reason, fear gripped me, leaving me pale and breathless.