Anthony glanced at me coolly as he patted Rylee’s back to console her. “Stop crying. You’ve just recovered, hmm?” he asked, his voice deep and resounding.
Rylee looked up at him. She wiped her tears away and inquired, “Anth, you won’t allow her to give birth to the baby, right?”
I stared directly at Anthony, waiting for his answer anxiously.
Anthony couldn’t even be bothered to look at me. Instead, he gazed at Rylee tenderly as he swept her tears away. “Stop it, Rylee.”
I sighed in relief inwardly at his answer. At least he isn’t going to ask me to abort the baby.
“No!” Rylee grew emotional once again. Her tears started gushing out uncontrollably as she tugged at Anthony’s shirt pitifully. “Anth, you promised me that you would take care of me. After my brother died, you were the only one who I could depend on.”
Sniffling, she pointed at me. “If she gives birth to your child, you won’t divorce her, right? Will you go back on your word to take care of me forever? You’ll have your own family, but I’ll have nothing. I don’t want to end up alone.”
Rylee couldn’t stop herself from sobbing like a child who had been abandoned by her mother.
Anthony pulled her into his arms. “Rylee, you’re not alone. You won’t be alone. Calm down, will you?”
“Don’t let her give birth to the baby, please,” Rylee begged, her eyes swollen from all of her sobbing. “Anth, please don’t let her give birth to the baby. Do you want me to die?”
She sounded so determined.
Fury flashed across Anthony’s gaze. “Rylee, stop it!”
Rylee gave him a sudden shove as she grabbed a knife meant for the fruits and slashed her wrist.
Her actions were swift. Anthony and I had no idea that Rylee would go to this extreme. Hence, the man panicked as he picked her up to bring her to the ER.
Rylee clung to the bed’s railing, refusing to loosen her grip. She gazed at Anthony intently as she repeated, “Don’t let her give birth to the baby!”
I was shocked. Why is she so determined on this? Before Anthony could reply, I spoke up, “Rylee, don’t worry. I won’t…” Trailing off, I took a deep breath to keep the pain at bay. “I won’t give birth to the baby!”
“Sienna!” Anthony roared angrily.
“If you don’t send her to the ER, she might die. Imagine how bad you’ll feel!” I threw forth bitterly.
Pursing his lips, Anthony gazed at me darkly before he left with Rylee in his arms.
I was left alone in the ward. The pool of blood on the floor, which evidently belonged to Rylee, was glaringly obvious.
My fever had subsided, but the doctors told me to get another IV drip. I wasn’t in the mood to stay, so I refused as I discharged myself from the hospital.
After a night of heavy rain, the air smelled rather refreshing. I didn’t go back to the villa as I soon made my way to Featherstone Corporation instead.
At the company’s lobby, the receptionist hurriedly approached me. “Ms. Stanhope, Dr. Ludwick’s wife is waiting for you in your office. She has been there for around fifteen minutes.”
I inclined my head as I pressed the button on the elevator. “Tell Stacey to prepare some gifts for Mrs. Ludwick to show her our sincerity.”
The receptionist nodded.
After entering the elevator, I called Jared. He picked up after two rings and answered, “Sienna?”
I was surprised to hear him calling my name. Frowning, I asked, “Are you free tonight? Can we meet up?”
He seemed astounded at my request. “Sure,” he replied after a short pause. “Let me know the time and location.”
“I’ll send the details to you later.” I had reached my destination, so I hung up and sent the details to Jared by text.
Then, I went to the bathroom to touch up my makeup before I returned to my office.
I had been married to Anthony for two years. I couldn’t get him to fall in love with me, but I had achieved considerable success at work.
I was no longer the inexperienced office worker. Now, I was capable enough to deal with various problems at work.
In my office, an elegantly dressed lady was sitting on the sofa, reading something on her phone.
I knocked twice on the half-closed door before I entered. “Mrs. Ludwick, I’m sorry to have made you wait. The traffic was really bad,” I greeted her with a smile.
Martha stood up at the sight of me. “No worries. I just arrived too.” She was smiling pleasantly.
After a brief exchange, Martha went straight to the point. “Mrs. Featherstone, I’m sorry to disturb you at work. You know that Caleb signed a contract with Featherstone Corporation earlier, right? Nevertheless, since the horrible thing has happened, can you help us in convincing Mr. Featherstone to delay the completion? Doing that will help Caleb and I get a little breathing room.”
Featherstone Corporation’s collaboration with the hospital was a project under the national fund. As a construction and trade company, the collaboration with the hospital was under the company’s construction business. I was in charge of this project, as ordered by Anthony. Caleb was in fact, Martha’s husband.
We had both signed a contract, stipulating that full payment should have to be made before the completion of the construction. Unfortunately, Caleb had used the money from the fund elsewhere, so we couldn’t complete the construction.
To simply put it, Caleb couldn’t pay the balance to Featherstone Corporation on time as stipulated by the contract.
After listening to Martha’s plea, I forced out a smile. “Mrs. Ludwick, you know very well that Anthony and I aren’t that close. It’s a huge sum of money. Anthony is known for his thoroughness at work. If something happens, I won’t be able to explain it to him.”
Martha panicked instantly. She thought about it and suggested, “Will one week do? Please extend the deadline by a week. When Caleb pays the balance, we’ll thank you personally.”
I could have easily agreed, but I chose to utter, “Mrs. Ludwick, Featherstone Corporation isn’t an SME. We have strict rules regarding funding. If I help Dr. Ludwick, I’ll have to bear responsibility. Unless…”
I paused and glanced at her.
She immediately asked, “Unless what?” It was as if I was her last ray of hope.
I hesitated before answering, “Unless I have a reason to delay my work.”
Before she could answer, I added, “There’s a perfect excuse available now.”
“What is it?” Martha’s grip on her glass tightened.
“I need Dr. Ludwick’s help in arranging for an ob-gyn to tend to me. I’m going to abort my baby.”
Martha was shocked to hear my words. “Mrs. Featherstone, you’re pregnant?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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