I lowered my head to look at my belly, which was already starting to show signs of my pregnancy. The stress from all my studying had dissipated all of a sudden.
I pressed my lips together and started thinking.
Now that I thought about it, I didn’t really care much about all the back pain or sleepless nights or even the morning sickness that pregnancy gave me.
The most important thing was that I owed the two babies in my belly a lot. Inwardly, I swore that I would never make the same mistakes again.
“Anthony,” I called and turned to meet his gaze. “Get rid of the bodyguards. I promise that I won’t leave the country again, and I also won’t do anything rash anymore. I’ll stay right here and take care of our kids. Can you trust me?”
I smiled brightly, displaying my sincerity.
Anthony’s tightly knotted brow finally relaxed and he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into his embrace. “Of course, I trust you. Who else would I trust? You’re the light of my life. Even if it’s a wrong decision, I wouldn’t change my mind for the world.” As usual, Anthony kept his promise. He got rid of all the bodyguards the very next day. Mrs. Eriksen and the other maids and housekeepers all went back to their regular jobs, giving the villa a breath of life once again.
I officially took my first bar exam at the end of April.
By the second month, my belly was already starting to show rather obvious signs of my pregnancy. But because of the cold weather, I was bundled up in a jacket which hid my belly quite well. Anthony was so worried that someone at the exam hall would mess up that he insisted on fetching me to the door of the exam hall. He only left reluctantly when the invigilator stopped him from entering.
It had been a while since I had taken an exam of any kind. I looked at my ID and the stationery I had prepared and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerves.
“Hi,” someone suddenly said. I turned to see a smiley young man standing next to me. When our gazes met, he bent down a little lower and nodded at me in a friendly manner.
“Are you talking to me?” I pointed at myself.
“Yes,” the man replied politely. He was standing about an arm’s length away from me, so I didn’t feel threatened at all. “It seems like you may have taken my spot.”
My smile froze and I felt my cheeks begin to heat up. “Is this not desk number 021?”
We both looked down at the number stuck to the corner of the table. The font they had used for the numbers was rather thin and stretched out, so I accidentally mistook the “7” for a “1”.
I quickly got up and let him have his seat back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t check properly. Here you go.”
The young man smiled, seeming relaxed. He pointed to the seat right next to desk 027 and said, “No worries. 021 is right here.”
I couldn’t believe that I had actually mistaken “7” for “1”.
I gritted my teeth and tried to act like nothing happened. After walking toward my seat and sitting down, the man’s voice rang out again.
“My name is Zander. Looks like we may be working together in the future. Nice to meet you.”
I wasn’t exactly looking to get a career in such a political field, but I was still rather proud of myself for representing my country in a course like this. In order to keep the peace, I smiled and turned to greet him as well. “I’m Sienna. It’s nice to meet you too.”
The awkwardness couldn’t really be helped. In fact, I was starting to worry about whether I could still remember all the things I had memorized for the exam, so I couldn’t really think of anything else to say.
Zander shook my hand politely before turning back and sitting up straight, waiting for the exam to begin.
Soon enough, the examiners started checking each attendee for any possible cheating that would be against the rules. After a near-psychopathic level of thorough checking, they finally started handing out the papers.
The moment the exam ended, Anthony walked in. He approached my desk and asked, “How was it?”
I lifted my chin in glee. “I think I did pretty well.”
Anthony smiled and was about to pat my head when a voice called out.
“Sienna?” Zander called. He walked toward me and passed me a business card. “Let’s exchange our contact information. We’ll be working together in the future, so it’ll be good to have a friend.”
He placed the business card on my desk without giving me a chance to turn him down. I looked at Anthony’s rapidly souring expression and said awkwardly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring my business cards with me. Maybe next time?”
Zander seemed to think that over for a while before nodding. “Alright. See you at part 2.”
The bar exam was split into two parts. Only those who passed the April exam would be qualified to take part 2 in September. His words were basically silently wishing me luck.
After that, he smiled at Anthony before leaving with his briefcase.
The moment Zander disappeared from our sight, Anthony reached out to look at the business card. “Zander Hoffman, legal apprentice from the Hawen K City division of the Tinsel Group Law Firm.”
Wait. He’s already a legal apprentice?
I looked at the business card curiously but Anthony sensed my gaze and instantly threw the card, landing it perfectly in the rubbish bin all the way in the corner of the room.
“Hey!” I punched him on the chest lightly. Zander was basically my first acquaintance in the field of law. Even if we never actually became friends, there was no reason to do that to his business card.
“Are you mad?” Anthony asked.
“Yep.” I nodded, staring at him with narrowed eyes.
Did he really get possessive over that?
Anthony suddenly turned the tables and leaned closer to me. He looked at my stomach and said, “That’s not good for the baby. You promised that you would take good care of the kids. Are you sure you’re still mad at me?”
“I…” I fell silent. He had a point.
After the bar exam, Professor Zidd flew out of the country to join an exchange program. He referred another doctor to me, someone named Dr. Alder. She was someone who had just come back after completing her studies in M Country and was apparently a top student in medical school. Professor Zidd was praising her so highly that he managed to raise both Anthony and my expectations.
Knock! Knock! Anthony brought me to the office door and knocked twice before calling out politely, “Dr. Alder?”
The long-haired woman who had been facing away from the door immediately turned around at the sound of her name.
The moment our eyes met, I was taken aback.
The doctor Professor Zidd had praised so highly was nobody else but the woman I had only seen once —Lydia, Jackson’s wife.
Lydia didn’t seem surprised by the sight of me. She casually placed her files on her desk and beckoned for us to enter. “Come in. Please sit down. Professor Zidd has already told me about your condition.”
Anthony was about to help me into the office when his phone rang. He took it out and frowned. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”
He walked out, leaving just Lydia and me in the room.
I thought about Jackson deleting my number and blocking me, which made me feel extra uneasy sitting in front of Lydia. Jackson and I had been friends for over ten years, but at the sight of his wife, I couldn’t find it in me to ask about him.
“Relax. Anxiety isn’t good for the baby.” Lydia seemed to sense my nervousness and started advising me in a low, gentle voice. With a sincere smile, she said, “I hope you can trust my professionalism. Here, I’m just your doctor and you’re just my patient, okay?” I nodded in response. “I didn’t know you were a doctor.”
Jackson studied psychology and Lydia was a gynecologist. I realized they were a great match for each other.
Lydia pressed her lips together and forced a slight smile. “From the report, it seems like your children are very healthy. As long as you keep them well-fed, things will be fine. Just make sure you come in for regular checkups.”
She was obviously trying to avoid any topic that could lead to Jackson. I didn’t press further and nodded. “Alright. Thank you, Dr. Alder.”
We both fell silent. Suddenly, a baby’s wail broke the silence.
“I’m sorry. My kid’s still young and doesn’t like being away from me, so I usually bring him to work.”
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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