Chapter 19

Scarlett POV

In the car, my thoughts were in complete disarray.

Finally, Alexander's gentle smile somehow appeared in my mind.

The person he was talking to must be someone he liked, right? I wondered what kind of girl she was.

When I came back to my senses, I realized how ridiculous I was being.

“I can't believe I'm curious about what kind of woman would make Alexander care so much.”

Arriving home, the lock opened with a "click," and I pushed open the apartment door with some trepidation.

It was three in the morning, and the place looked as if it had been robbed, completely chaotic.

Looking at the dark, messy home, I figured Emily must be at the hospital keeping Adam company again.

But this was good in a way; I wouldn't have to comfort her or explain why the house looked like this.

I leaned against the doorframe, deciding to take a moment to collect myself.

After a few minutes, I stood up, intending to tidy up the home that had been turned upside down.

By the time I finished, two hours had passed.

Standing in the bathroom, I turned the shower to the hottest temperature I could bear.

I still couldn't forget the image of that hand—perfectly manicured nails adorned with expensive rings, lying amid seafood on a silver platter...

After throwing up the last bit of content in my stomach, I collapsed on the cold floor, shaking all over, with an unbearable sourness in my mouth.

Just then, a terrifying thought appeared in my mind.

The night before last, when I had sex with Alexander, I didn't take any contraceptive measures, and I forgot to take the pill afterward.

Now, 24 hours had passed, and I didn't know...

The overwhelming panic made me feel suffocated. What if I got pregnant?

I wasn't at all prepared to face such consequences, especially having his child.

And besides, Alexander had so many lovers—who knew if he had any sexually transmitted diseases!

I would need to find time to get tested. As this thought crossed my mind, my fear transformed into anger.

At that moment, I spotted a bottle of vitamins beneath the mirror.

Remembering Richard's warning, I involuntarily trembled. Quickly, I opened the bottle and swallowed two pills.

Early the next morning, the buzzing of my phone on the counter woke me up.

The previous night, I had been plagued by nightmares. Seeing Hugh's name flashing on the screen, I hesitated before answering.

"Hugh," I said flatly.

"Scarlett! How have you been?"

His tone was cheerful, not at all like someone about to have his fingers cut off by loan sharks.

"I'm fine, and you?"

"I'm good, but I hear you've been juggling quite a few men lately."

I paused, noticing the subtext in his voice.

"What did Emily tell you?"

"Well, when my sister gets engaged to one of the most powerful men in Silverlight City, people talk. If she's seen fooling around with other men, they talk even more."

I gripped the phone tightly, my voice growing cold, "Cut to the chase, Hugh. Before the company went under, you controlled 20% of the shares, right?"

The cheerfulness vanished from his voice. "What are you getting at?"

"Given our family's current situation, even if you sold those shares now, you couldn't pay off your debts."

"What exactly are you trying to say, Scarlett?"

Knowing I had seized upon his weakness, I stated the facts directly.

"Dad has a joint venture with Horizon Capital Group, the one you're negotiating with. This project has nearly depleted the Smith Group's entire cash flow. Don't you have anything to say about that?"

Silence fell on the other end of the line. When Hugh spoke again, his voice had lost all its previous smugness.

"What do you know?" he sputtered furiously. "Even top investors make mistakes sometimes. Business always comes with risks!"

I couldn't help but sneer.

"Indeed it does, which is why I will continue the partnership with Horizon Capital Group. If that project was just a scam, I'll get the money back. And when that happens... I want all your shares."

"Scarlett!" Hugh's voice suddenly rose. "What did you say?"

"I made myself perfectly clear, Hugh!"

I moved the phone away from my ear, thinking contemptuously that if the volume of his voice could solve anything, he wouldn't still be unable to pay off his gambling debts.

"I'll give you some money when the time comes. It should be enough to cover what you owe!"

Sure enough, Hugh finally responded like a true gambler, his tone frantic: "Fine, but if you don't resurrect the Smith Group from the dead, you'd better prepare for your own funeral!"

His voice was vicious, carrying the hysteria of someone on the verge of collapse.

After ending the call, my fingers trembled as I pressed the hang-up button, and a wave of nausea rose in my chest.

I was startled—this wasn't good, I needed to go to the hospital for a check-up.

The obstetrics and gynecology department at Sunrise General Hospital has always been everyone's first choice. But today the waiting room was empty, which meant I wouldn't have to wait too long.

As I turned around, a familiar voice came from not far away.

"Scarlett?"

I froze, then slowly turned around to find George standing there.

He looked different from his usual serious demeanor at work; dressed in a casual trench coat that made him appear more elegant and gentle.

His handsome face showed surprise and a hint of embarrassment. Understandable—after discovering I was a promiscuous, bad woman, he probably didn't want to see me.

Beside George stood a woman with immaculate makeup and elegant attire, looking perfectly matched with him.

The only discordant note was how she scrutinized me from head to toe like an X-ray machine, her eyes filled with undisguised hostility and vigilance.

"Mr. Harper, hello."

Despite the awkwardness, I greeted him first, struggling to maintain a normal tone even though my heart was pounding violently from this unexpected encounter.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

George's tone was excessively concerned, his eyes revealing worry that went beyond what a boss should show for an employee.

Sure enough, I noticed the woman beside him looking at me differently now.

"Just a routine check-up," I replied deliberately coldly, not wanting to show any weakness in front of this woman.

"George, you know her?" she finally couldn't help asking, placing her hand on his arm.

"Oh, right, you haven't met. Let me introduce you—this is Scarlett Smith, my secretary."

George hastily explained, with obvious nervousness in his voice, as if hiding something.

"So you're George's secretary, Scarlett." She dragged out her words in a way that made me uncomfortable.

The woman's eyes narrowed slightly, like a hunter locking onto prey. "I'm Sandra Blair, George's fiancée."

So she was Sandra, Senator Harold Blair's daughter, a regular in Silverlight City's high society, and George's fiancée. No wonder she carried that innate sense of superiority and control.

I'd heard their engagement had been announced years ago, but they seemed to never have set a wedding date.

I looked at George—so he was accompanying Sandra to the hospital?

Seeing me looking at George, Sandra smiled with a mocking tone, "I've long heard that the Smith family has a beautiful young lady who offset a huge debt with her beauty. Now that I see you, the reputation is well-deserved."

Everything she said was true, but it still made my cheeks burn with both anger and shame.

The atmosphere became awkward; I didn't know how to respond to Sandra.

Just then, a melodious male voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Sandra, what a coincidence!"

Following the voice, I saw Alexander striding toward us, wearing his usual smile.

Seeing him, my heartbeat involuntarily quickened, partly from fear and partly from something I didn't want to examine too closely—an unsettling attraction.

"Alexander!" Sandra's face lit up with a girlish smile, showing none of the hostility she had displayed toward me earlier.

They must be familiar with each other, which made sense since they belonged to the same social circle.

I lowered my head to hide my bitter smile.

Alexander's gaze swept over George, his smile deepening. "George is here too. Do you have some good news to share?"

Sandra's cheeks flushed. "Nothing like that. George and I were just..." she paused, looking a bit flustered.

Sandra quickly regained her elegance and asked, "But Alexander, what are you doing here?" Her tone was somewhat vigilant and uneasy.

Alexander didn't immediately answer, instead fixing his blue eyes on me.

"Of course, I'm accompanying someone." he said, his eyes still fixed on me, his voice carrying a possessiveness that sent a shiver up my spine.

The other two also looked at me. I kept my head down, feeling the weight of three gazes pressing on me, the air filled with tension.

"Miss Smith?"

The receptionist's voice called out, sounding like heavenly music to my ears.

"The doctor can see you now."

Never in my life had I been so grateful for a medical appointment.

"Please excuse me," I said softly, nodding to them before quickly turning to leave.