Ryan had a reason for barging into the room. He thought he had seen something he shouldn't have.He had witnessed Zoey's relationship with his brother over the past few years. He hadn't thought so many things would happen between them when they got married.In the end, Laurence fell for her.The high and mighty guy had willingly become the loser for that woman.Zoey could tell from Ryan's reaction that he had misunderstood. Without bothering to explain, she walked straight out of the office.Laurence ignored Ryan, too. He treated Ryan as if he didn't exist and strode out the door after Zoey. Ryan was left alone in the office, dumbfounded.Laurence's assistant greeted him politely. "Are you here for ..."Ryan was still in a daze. He snapped to his senses and said, "I'm here to see my brother!""Mr. Scott just left.""I saw that.""Then, is there anything else I can do for you?"Ryan turned around to leave but returned halfway. He put his arm around the assistant's shoulder as
Zoey Jenner stared at the pregnancy test she was holding.In the small cubicle of the bathroom, she began contemplating her sex life to figure out which man had caused this.It could have happened last month.She had been on a business trip with Laurence Scott. She had just finished a long and hot spa session and was feeling a little drowsy when Laurence took her to bed. The next morning, both of them acted as if nothing had happened. When she opened her eyes, he was already dressed in a smart suit and was putting on his tie.Before he left, he had told her, “Don’t forget to take a contraceptive pill.”And it wasn’t that Zoey was forgetful. She had just been busy. Working with Laurence wasn’t easy; he was strict to the point of being brutal and never showed her any pity. Hence, by the time Zoey finally remembered that she needed to get contraceptive pills, it was already a few days too late. At the time, she thought that she wouldn’t be so unlucky, but she was wrong.Zoey pulled hersel
Zoey had no idea either. Anne continued, “It wouldn’t be easy being the president’s wife. Imagine having to deal with so many other women throwing themselves at your man.”Zoey agreed with that. It was certainly annoying being Laurence’s wife. Zoey and Laurence had been married for more than half a year.Their story was a classic: they had sex and had the misfortune of getting caught by Laurence’s mother. At the time, she had come out of Laurence’s bedroom wearing his shirt, and his mother thought that she was his girlfriend. Laurence’s mother had been worried about her son’s marriage, so she invited Zoey to have dinner with his family.At the same time, Laurence had had enough of his mother’s constant urging for him to get married and the endless blind dates she had set up for him. So he proposed a business marriage between them. She needed the money, and he needed the marriage.So they got married.Laurence would pay her a sum of money as compensation and also pay for her mother’s
His voice was impassive as well. “Don’t worry, we’ll never have a child.”Zoey nodded and answered softly, “I understand.”She did understand. To Laurence, everything was negotiable except a relationship. In high school, Laurence had been the most popular kid, whereas she had been invisible. She was like an extra in a movie, just watching from the sidelines as the main character got together with the love of his life. She couldn’t remember how long she had been in love with Laurence. When Laurence suggested that they get married, she thought that she was dreaming.Throughout high school, she had only spoken three words to him: “Hi, I’m Zoey.”Laurence didn’t even remember that they were classmates in high school. He didn’t know that she had once been so nervous about introducing herself to him back then. Zoey sat on the bed in the dark.She caressed her stomach. It was hard to imagine a child in there, much less her and Laurence’s child. But she couldn’t be sure yet. Pregnancy tests w
Zoey’s expression soured. “I’ll go when I have time.”The assistant laughed awkwardly. “It’s tomorrow. Don’t forget to go.”Zoey’s breathing was heavy. “Okay.” She hadn’t expected Laurence to be so quick. “I’ll be on time.”The office was filled with the smell of coffee. Zoey was nauseous all afternoon. She only felt slightly better after opening the window for some fresh air. Before the day ended, she went to the bathroom to vomit again. She hadn’t expected her morning sickness to be so serious.Just after she cleaned herself up, her phone rang. Zoey answered the call.Laurence’s voice sounded cold through the phone. “Where are you?”“Bathroom,” Zoey replied.“I’m waiting for you in the car park. We’re going home for dinner tonight.”“Yes, Mr. Scott.”Thankfully, they rarely went back to have dinner with the Scott family. Laurence’s mother was hoping for a grandchild. In the car, Zoey felt nervous sitting next to Laurence. He had a strong aura that often made people nervous.He looked
Zoey’s hand was shaking uncontrollably. Her tears fell onto the paper and smudged the ink. She lifted her hand and wiped away her tears. Lips pressed tightly together, she tore up the note and threw it into the trash can. Zoey knew Laurence well. She knew he didn’t like to be disobeyed.Anyone who crossed him would see retribution tenfold. Zoey picked up the check, gripping it so hard that it crumpled in her hand. When she finally calmed down, she shoved it into her bag. She had no reason to refuse this. She needed the money more than anyone else did.Zoey went downstairs and ate her breakfast. Right on time, Matthew, Laurence’s assistant, called her to remind her about the checkup at the hospital. Zoey hung up the phone and took a taxi to the hospital. At the hospital, she paid someone to do the checkup in her place.Once the woman she hired came up, she took a taxi to another hospital and did a check. It would take a few days for them to generate a report, but the doctor told her tha
Anne leaned close to Zoey’s ear and whispered, “I heard that Mr. Scott’s crush came back from abroad, but she’s sick.”Zoey was taken aback. She hadn’t heard anything about Sarah coming back. However, it was true that Sarah was sickly. Zoey did not like Sarah. She didn’t like Sarah’s mother either. The both of them had stayed in her mother’s house previously. It was Sarah’s mother who had caused Zoey’s mother to commit suicide. Death would’ve been an easy way out, but there were worse fates than death. Zoey had given it some thought before. If she had been cheated out of her entire life savings by the man she thought she loved and had to endure her husband’s mistress’ bullying in her own house, she would probably kill herself too.Therefore, she was cold when she answered, “I see.”That night, Zoey had to accompany Laurence to a charity banquet. In the car, she could tell that Laurence was in a bad mood. He was cold and distant. Zoey only remembered her condition when they were about
Tristan did not get an answer after a long wait.“So do you mind?” he eventually asked. Laurence was expressionless.“Well, I don’t,” Laurence continued with a dry smile just as Tristan was about to express his excitement. “But you should ask her.”Tristan clicked his tongue.“I can’t tell if you care about her or not.”Miss Jenner was very pretty and elegant. She had a great figure. Anyone could see that she was hot. Unfortunately, Laurence was a cold and unfeeling man. Tristan had known Laurence for a long time and therefore knew him well enough. He had never seen Laurence being nice to any woman who wasn’t Sarah.Back then, Laurence was very nice to Sarah. He loved his first crush with everything he had. Laurence looked at him impassively and said, “Business is business. She wouldn’t mind.”Tristan was actually joking earlier, but he hadn’t expected Laurence to be so “generous.” Well, maybe it wasn’t that unexpected. Laurence had always been rational.Tristan couldn’t help but say