Chapter 2

The moment the last message was sent, my phone vibrated frantically.

It was a private video from Sera Reed.

In the video, Julian Blackwood was on top of her, panting heavily, ravaging and tangled with her body.

Her moans and the sounds of their bodies colliding assaulted my ears.

“Julian, hmm, faster, even faster…”

His muffled voice responded,

“You’re a thousand times more captivating than Elara. She’s like a dead fish in bed…”

My heart ached, making it impossible to breathe. My hands shaking, I closed the video.

As I lay back down, his cold gaze swept over me.

“What took you so long?”

My eyelids fluttered violently, but I forced myself to calm down.

“My stomach hurt a bit.”

“Remember your place. Don’t ever think you can hide anything from me.”

In the dim light, the disdain in his eyes felt like needles, pricking my own.

He didn't know that Damian Cross had just messaged me.

Seven more days, and I would be free from this place.

The next moment, without a word, he pulled me back under him, taking me again.

I bit down hard on my lip, stifling any sound.

Julian Blackwood tormented me throughout the night.

The next morning, I woke up with a burning forehead, a high fever setting in.

Julian, seeing my state, frowned slightly and offered to take me to the hospital.

Just as we were about to leave, his phone rang.

The moment he answered, Sera’s tearful voice instantly came through.

“Julian, Silas hit me! I’m divorcing him. Can you come pick me up?”

Julian’s voice softened instantly, reassuring her.

“Don’t cry. Give me ten minutes, I’ll be right there.”

He hung up, grabbed his car keys, and walked out without a backward glance.

Leaving me stunned and alone in the hallway.

I scoffed at myself. He’d completely forgotten about taking me to the hospital.

Mr. Davies, the butler, sighed at my state and brought me some cold medicine.

I slept, and by the time I woke up, most of my fever had broken.

My gaze swept over the room I had lived in for five years, but there wasn’t a shred of attachment in my heart.

I got out of bed and simply packed the few things I intended to take with me.

Two days later, it was Grandfather Blackwood’s birthday gala.

During the dinner, Grandfather Blackwood fixed his gaze on Julian.

“You’re not getting any younger. It’s time to settle down and get married.”

Julian picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, and said casually,

“Grandfather, the company has just stabilized. No rush.”

Always the same excuse!

Grandfather Blackwood sighed, his eyes full of helplessness.

Years ago, my father had looked down on Julian, forcefully breaking him and Sera up.

Then he turned around and married Sera into the Thorne crime family, whose head was Silas Thorne, a notorious crime lord.

No one expected that the Thorne family’s business would struggle so badly these past two years, losing all its former glory.

Meanwhile, Blackwood Industries, under Julian’s leadership, had become increasingly powerful.

Julian Blackwood had become the city's most coveted bachelor, a rising star in the city's elite, and everyone wanted to curry favor with him.

My father regretted his decision deeply.

To avoid being targeted by the Blackwood family, he had sent me, his illegitimate daughter, to Julian Blackwood.

Grandfather Blackwood knew exactly what was going on. He knew precisely why his grandson had remained unmarried for so long.

The next moment, he turned his attention to Sera.

“Sera, why don’t you try to persuade him for me?”

Hearing Grandfather Blackwood’s words, Sera’s eyes instantly reddened.

Julian’s expression darkened. He picked up the wine glass in front of him and drained it.

Then he pulled me close, signaling for me to pour him more wine.

A strong, mixed scent of alcohol assailed me, and my stomach churned.

“Ugh…”

Grandfather Blackwood’s eyes lit up at my reaction.

“That reaction… could it be… you’re pregnant?”

***PAYWALL***