Chapter 1

"You're pregnant, Ms. Warren," the nurse said.

It was 3:00 am. All was quiet in the hospital's infusion room.

Amelia Warren lay on the bed in a daze as she stared at the IV bag hanging above her head.

Half an hour ago, she had fainted in front of the operating room that her mother, Rachel Ziegler, was in. The nurse on duty had rushed her to the infusion room before delivering the earth-shattering news to her.

She was pregnant? How preposterous.

Amelia was stuck in a daze for a long time before she realized she must have gotten pregnant a month ago. To save enough money for Rachel's kidney transplant surgery, she worked herself to the bone every day, taking up jobs such as waitressing, cleaning, and delivering food.

However, no matter how hard she worked, she couldn't earn enough for the surgery.

That night, an exhausted Amelia came up with the idea of using a shortcut for the first time in her life.

She borrowed a dress and a pair of high heels from her best friend, Christina Emerson. Her makeup was exquisite when she attended the yacht party, balancing a wine glass in her hand.

Unfortunately, Amelia wasn't able to convince herself to take that last step despite the countless wealthy men who approached and flirted with her. Thus, she ran away, escaping to a deserted corner, intending to leave the party.

Just then, a tall and broad man staggered in front of her.

"Help me."

The man's voice was hoarse and ragged. His brows were knitted together, and his eyes were overflowing with an intense but restrained desire.

Amelia was alarmed, and she reflexively tried to run away.

"Help me!" the man demanded as he grasped her wrist tightly.

Amelia felt as if the searing heat of his palm was going to burn her. As she struggled to free herself, the man spoke again.

"I'll give you anything that you want," he said.

His magnetic voice burrowed into her ears. His breath was hot, reminiscent of a sticky midsummer day, alluring and irresistible.

Amelia suddenly stopped struggling. Would he really give her anything that she wanted? Was she understanding his request correctly?

She looked at the man again. He had handsome and refined features, and he was dressed smartly. She also recognized the watch around his wrist. It was a limited edition Patek Philippe. Only two existed in the entire world.

Christina had gushed about the same watch to Amelia multiple times, showing pictures of it in a magazine. Amelia recalled that the watch had eight digits on its price tag.

It was obvious that the man was in a league of his own even among the wealthy people on the yacht.

Amelia felt her heart wavering. She completely gave up on struggling when the man lost himself as he pressed kisses to her neck.

The sea wasn't peaceful during the night. Strong waves would loudly and rhythmically crash against the side of the yacht. The sea breeze was damp and salty.

Amelia closed her eyes and endured everything.

The sun slowly rose on the sea's horizon once the stormy night passed.

"I… I want 500,000 dollars," Amelia said, her voice trembling slightly.

The man was standing a few feet away in front of a mirror, smoothing out his clothes. He turned to look at her when he heard her words.

Gone was his uncontrollable passion from the night before, replaced by a cold and aloof demeanor. He was also giving off an unapproachable air. He dressed well and carried himself with an outstanding demeanor, which made Amelia all the more pathetic in comparison.

Feeling embarrassed, Amelia dropped her gaze and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself when he turned to look at her. However, she lifted her head a few seconds later.

They had agreed on these terms before they fell into bed together.

"I want 500,000 dollars," she repeated determinedly.

The man's dark gaze lingered on Amelia briefly. A hint of relief flickered in his eyes before he said in a deep voice, "I'll give you one million dollars."

Amelia didn't try to be modest. Since the man was willing to give her more than she asked for, there was no reason for her to refuse. She thanked him before getting off the bed, making sure the blanket was wrapped tightly around her body.

As she accepted the check from the man, she said, "Don't worry. I'll take a morning-after pill as soon as possible."

She was certain that the extra 500,000 dollars the man was giving her was supposed to be a fail-safe. By reassuring him that she would do her part, she could also set his mind at ease.

"You don't have to. I'm impotent."

The man ignored the surprise in Amelia's eyes as he finished buttoning his shirt. He then turned around and left the room, leaving her to stare at his cold and retreating back.

Amelia didn't completely believe the man's words. Given her cautious nature, she would have definitely taken a pill after the deed was done, but that was also the day her father, Harry Warren, reappeared.

Harry was a gambling addict. He had been missing for over a month, and he had returned to ask her for money.

"I finally found you, my dear daughter. Hurry and give me some money," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

At first, Harry had been repulsed by the idea of dropping by the hospital, thinking that the place reeked of bad energy. Unfortunately, he had gambled all his money away and was saddled with a huge debt. He had no choice but to seek out Amelia since the debtors were relentlessly chasing him.

He knew that his debts would be cleared the moment he spotted Amelia.

"I don't have any money."

Amelia suspected that Harry might have been a mutt in his previous life. He was somehow able to sniff out the scent of money on her whenever she managed to get her hands on some cash. He would then appear before her and snatch all her money away from her.

"You don't have any money? Who do you think you're trying to fool? You just used 500,000 dollars to pay your mother's medical bills, didn't you? Do you really think I wouldn't find out?"

Harry had seen Amelia at the payment counter earlier. He had been shocked to see her produce 500,000 dollars to pay the medical fee and wondered where she could have gotten the money from.

"That money is for Mom's surgery fee."

"Surgery fee?" Harry asked while letting out a scoff. "Your mother doesn't have many years left in her thanks to that disease-riddled body of hers."

"Don't be stupid. Give me the money so I can use it to gamble. Who knows, I might be able to double the original amount. Letting your mother undergo surgery is just a waste of your money."

From Harry's perspective, Rachel was just a sickly and worthless woman. Every cent that was spent on her was a complete waste.

However, Amelia didn't share his sentiment. In their broken family, Rachel had been her only source of warmth, and she desperately wanted to protect that warmth.

"You only think about money all the time. Do you ever think about Mom? Or me?"

Amelia knew she would never get any answers for her questions, but she had reached her limit.

Harry was nothing more than a rotten gambling addict. He was always gambling for as long as she could remember.

If he managed to win some money, he would immediately splurge it on his vices outside and wouldn't come home for days. If he lost, he would get drunk before returning home and taking out his frustrations on Rachel and Amelia.

Amelia had suffered many beatings from Harry when she was growing up. If Rachel hadn't protected her, she would probably be dead by now.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't have time to waste talking to you. I'll give you two choices—either you give me 500,000 dollars, or I'll drop by the payment counter and personally ask the staff to refund the money you just paid them. Your decision."

Amelia refused to pick either choice.

Harry was like a black hole that could never be filled. However, she also knew what he was like. If she refused to give him any money, he would actually ask the hospital staff for the money that she had just paid them.

If that happened, he would inevitably cause a commotion in the hospital, which in turn might affect Rachel's treatment.

Thus, Amelia pretended to concede to Harry's demands before secretly calling the police when he was distracted. After all, she had collected evidence that Harry had participated in illegal gambling.

She breathed out a sigh of relief as she watched the police take Harry away. However, she also knew that they wouldn't be able to keep Harry locked up for long. To reduce the risk of him ruining her plans, she begged the hospital staff to prioritize finding a suitable kidney donor for Rachel as soon as possible.

Fortunately, God heard her pleas. The hospital finally managed to find a suitable kidney donor for Rachel.

Amelia only allowed herself to let go of all her apprehensions after she watched the hospital staff wheel Rachel into the operating room. She was exhausted to the point that her body shut down, causing her to faint on the spot.

She thought that she had just fainted out of sheer exhaustion. She never could have predicted that the man had lied to her.

Amelia closed her eyes tiredly.

The situation had already progressed to that point. There wasn't much else she could do.

After the last IV bag was drained, Amelia returned to the operating room.

Rachel's surgery had just ended. Amelia hastily walked up to the doctor when she saw him exiting the room.

"How's my mother, doctor?" she asked.

The doctor looked mildly relieved when he removed his surgical mask.

"Fortunately, we managed to save your mother's life, as we got to operate on her in time. However, she still has to safely get through the 24-hour postoperative period before we can declare that she's truly in the clear."

Amelia was incredibly grateful and thanked the doctor profusely.

Rachel was transferred to a sterile room after the surgery was over.

Knowing that Rachel would be taken care of for the time being, Amelia decided to deal with her own issues. She dropped by the gynecology department and scheduled an abortion with the doctor.

Before she left, the doctor asked once again, "Are you sure you don't need more time to think over your decision?"

Amelia's answer had been firm.

Rachel's doctor had told her in the past that even if the kidney transplant was successful, she had to mentally prepare herself for another long battle after the surgery was over.

Amelia didn't have the time, energy, or money to give birth to the life growing within her. There was no way that she could keep the child. It was a cruel decision to make, but she had to get rid of it.

Although she knew that her reasons were sound, she couldn't help but feel a little dejected. She was in a daze as she waited for the elevator that would take her back to the inpatient department, and she ended up bumping into the person who was exiting the elevator.

Her medical reports were scattered all over the floor. She hastily bent down and picked them up. She then apologized to the person she bumped into before darting into the elevator. She never once lifted her head to look at the other person throughout the entire encounter.

"Are you alright, Mr. Sutton?"

Chapter 2

Cyrus Yates watched with wide eyes as Amelia bumped into his boss, Michael Sutton. He blamed himself for being unable to pull Michael out of the path of collision in time.

"I'm fine," Michael said after he snapped back to his senses, brushing the spot where Amelia had collided into him.

He was about to continue on his way when he noticed the fallen item near his foot from the corner of his eye—a transparent folder. He bent over to pick it up.

There seemed to be a few medical reports tucked within the folder, not that he was interested in them whatsoever.

Michael was just about to hand the folder to Cyrus when a term on the report caught his eye.

Pregnant? Amelia was pregnant?

Michael couldn't help but think back to what had transpired that night during the yacht party. He had been forced to sleep with Amelia and promised to give her anything that she wanted.

He didn't expect her to only ask for 500,000 dollars. He had ended up giving her one million dollars instead to show his gratitude. He had then pushed the incident to the back of his mind.

If he wasn't mistaken, Amelia was the woman that he slept with that night. How did she get pregnant? Could the child be his?

Michael suddenly halted his footsteps.

Cyrus looked at him with a bewildered expression. Michael was the type of man who wouldn't even bat an eye if there was a check that was worth millions of dollars on the ground. It was shocking that he would bother picking up something that someone else had dropped.

Amelia had dropped the folder earlier when she ran into Michael. Could it be that he was acquainted with her?

However, Cyrus didn't dare spend too much time mulling over his own speculations. "Mr. Sutton, it's almost time for the meeting," he hastily reminded Michael.

Michael snapped back to his senses. His face was set in a mask of indifference as he handed the folder to Cyrus, saying, "Look into this."

Cyrus swiftly took the folder from him.

…

Amelia had a simple family background and social relationships. It only took Cyrus an hour to compile a detailed report about her, which he swiftly delivered to Michael.

Michael scanned through the pages. He wasn't interested in the other details of Amelia's life. He only wanted to know what she had been up to in the last month.

Amelia traveled between two places every day—the hospital and her college. As a result, she only came into contact with a limited pool of people, namely her fellow students at the college.

Michael was 90% certain that the child in Amelia's belly belonged to him. However, he refused to allow any possible mistakes. He looked up at Cyrus and said, "Call her and set up an appointment. I want to meet her."

He had to get to the bottom of it no matter what.

Cyrus immediately sprang into action to carry out Michael's orders, ignoring the multitude of questions he had.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get ahold of Amelia, whose phone remained switched off the entire time he tried to call her.

"She's not picking up the phone, Mr. Sutton."

Michael had a decisive and straightforward personality. He couldn't wait for even a second, especially when it was something as important as this.

"Keep calling her until she picks up!" he ordered with a frown.

…

Amelia had to return to the college since she still had classes in the afternoon. Her class was minutes away from starting when she finally made it back to campus. As a result, she rushed straight to the lecture hall and didn't notice that her phone was dead.

She only realized that her phone had been switched off the entire time when Christina told her.

"Can you wait for me, Christina? I… I have something to tell you, but I need to drop by the dorms to grab my power bank."

"I'll just go with you."

Amelia and Christina headed to the dorms together. They had just made it to the door when Amelia overheard a discussion going on inside that made her halt her footsteps.

"Guess who I saw today when I accompanied my sister-in-law for her checkup in the gynecology department in the hospital."

"Who?"

"Amelia Warren."

"Amelia? What was she doing at the gynecology department?"

"Why else would she be there? She must've been treated for some disease from having such a wild private life. Furthermore, I saw her coming out from the office of a doctor who specializes in difficult and complicated diseases. I'm guessing she must have contracted an embarrassing disease."

"Really? What are we going to do? We're staying in the same dorm as her. She's not going to spread the disease to us, is she?"

The door to the dorm room was slightly ajar, so Amelia could clearly see the disdain and worry shining in the eyes of the women who were talking among themselves. She clenched her fists and forced herself to endure their mockery.

However, Christina couldn't bear to continue listening to the women slander Amelia and kicked the door open.

The door slammed against the wall with a deafening bang, making the women inside nearly jump out of their skins. They were cursing up a storm as they leaped to their feet but immediately fell silent when they noticed Christina and Amelia standing in the doorway.

Christina scoffed as she strode into the dorm room and looked at the women, who had been happily gossiping behind Amelia's back just seconds ago.

"I was wondering why this dorm room had such a foul stench coming from it. I could smell the disgusting scent even through the closed door. Turns out the stench is coming from you. Don't tell me that you didn't brush your teeth growing up? Why do your mouths smell even worse than a toilet?"

Christina pinched her nose as she walked by the group of women, making it blatantly obvious that she was repulsed by them. In fact, even a fool would realize that she was criticizing them.

"Who do you think you're insulting?" one of the women demanded hotly, getting up to her feet to retort against Christina's mockery.

"I'm insulting you. What are you going to do about it? The rest of you need to take a look at your reflections in the mirror too. I'm afraid you'll never be as clean as Amy even if you bathe yourselves in formalin. In fact, you should worry about yourselves more. Don't go catching a gross disease now."

"You—"

"Let's go, Christina."

One of the women was just about to confront Christina when Amelia led her away.

"Who does she think she is? What makes her think she has the right to insult us?"

The other women shook their heads in unison. They also didn't know who Christina was.

"Why did you drag me away, Amy? I can go another 300 rounds with them!"

Christina felt a little dissatisfied at Amelia for dragging her out of the dorm room. She hadn't gotten her fill of scolding those women yet.

"It's pointless to do such a thing," Amelia replied a little helplessly. "They're just nobodies."

She had never been one to waste her time on people who she deemed to be unimportant. Her time was immensely valuable, and she wished she had more of it to do the things that were meaningful to her.

"You're the only one who would endure such a thing. If I were in your shoes, I would have knocked their teeth out a long time ago," Christina said heatedly.

She had her family's support, so if anyone dared cross her, she could immediately retaliate tenfold or even twentyfold.

However, Amelia was different from Christina. Just living was exhausting to her, so she didn't have the energy to get into an argument with those women. All she wanted to do was peacefully and steadily get through her senior year. She was willing to endure anything that wasn't related to her studies or well-being.

It was why she could pretend that she hadn't heard any of the malicious things that her roommates had said about her.

"Christina… I'm pregnant."

Christina had been planning to comfort Amelia for the unpleasant encounter earlier. She could tell that Amelia was in low spirits. However, she wasn't able to get even a word in before Amelia dropped the bomb on her.

She was stunned in place, but it didn't take long for her to connect the dots.

"You must have gotten pregnant that night, right?"

Christina's words sounded less like a question and more like a statement of facts.

Amelia didn't deny her words.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't dragged you to the party that night, you wouldn't be…"

Regret festered in Christina's heart. She had been adamant about dragging Amelia to the party that night. Her heart ached watching Amelia work multiple jobs while attending class and taking care of the sick Rachel at the hospital.

She wanted to help Amelia, but coincidentally, her parents had cut off her allowance during that time because she had flunked her exams. In the end, she figured that if she couldn't help Amelia financially, she could at least help her relax.

She had no idea that things would end up that way. Although Amelia had repeatedly comforted Christina by making it clear that she had willingly slept with Michael, Christina had still felt incredibly guilty.

Amelia immediately said comfortingly, "Don't think that way, Christina. My pregnancy has nothing to do with you. I was the one who willingly slept with that man. I'm only telling you now because I need your help. Can you lend me your aid?"

Christina stopped beating herself up upon hearing Amelia's words. "Of course!" she replied in a rush. "I'll do anything that I can. Just tell me what you need me to do."

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Christina's change of demeanor. She told the latter that she would be getting an abortion in the next two days, so she needed her to sign the consent form.

Christina agreed with her request.

They continued chatting with each other briefly before they separated.

Amelia returned to the hospital. Rachel was scheduled to be discharged from the sterile room in the wee hours of the morning, so she had to be there to oversee it when it happened.

She only remembered that her phone was still switched off when she reached the hospital's entrance. She quickly turned it on and immediately received a call.

Amelia hesitated for a moment when she saw the unknown number flashing on the screen, but in the end, she decided to pick up.

"Hello, is this Ms. Warren? I finally got ahold of you! Mr. Sutton would like to meet you. Are you free right now?"

Chapter 3

It hadn't been easy for Cyrus to get ahold of Amelia. He was so happy that he nearly shed tears of joy.

On the other hand, Amelia's first thought was that Cyrus had dialed the wrong number. She didn't know any Mr. Sutton, after all.

"I think you've dialed the wrong number. I don't know this Mr. Sutton that you speak of."

Cyrus hastily explained the situation before Amelia could hang up on him. He told her that they had picked up the folder that she dropped earlier that morning and wanted to return it to her in person.

Only then did Amelia recall that her folder had indeed gone missing that morning. She had even tried to look for it when she realized it was gone. It turned out that Cyrus and Michael had taken it with them.

After mulling over her options, Amelia agreed to meet with them. They decided to meet at a cafe that was near the hospital.

Since Amelia was nearby, she intentionally arrived at the cafe ten minutes later than the agreed time. She didn't expect Cyrus to already be there.

"Are you Ms. Warren?" he asked.

Amelia looked the same as her photo on her ID, so Cyrus recognized her with just a single glance.

Amelia studied Cyrus, taking in his refined appearance and business suit. At the very least, he didn't look like a bad person.

She nodded and said, "That's right. I'm Amelia Warren."

"My name is Cyrus Yates. I'm Mr. Sutton's assistant. I spoke with you on the phone earlier. Mr. Sutton is waiting for you inside. Please come with me."

Cyrus then tried to lead Amelia deeper into the cafe, shooting her a confused look when he noticed that she didn't follow him. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

Amelia was a naturally cautious person. Her wariness heightened, especially when she learned that there was another man.

"No need to trouble yourselves. You told me that you picked up something that belonged to me over the phone. Can you just return it to me right now?"

Cyrus seemed to be able to pick up on her concern. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ms. Warren. We're not bad people."

He then offered his name card to her that clearly stated that he was the assistant of the CEO of Sutton Group.

Amelia wondered if it was the same Sutton Group that she was thinking about. Everyone in Southport knew that Sutton Group was on top of the food chain in the business world. Anyone who was able to secure a job there, especially as the CEO's assistant, was undoubtedly an outstanding individual.

It was why Amelia ultimately decided to trust Cyrus and followed him to a private booth.

"Mr. Sutton is inside, Ms. Warren. You can go in," Cyrus said as he opened the door for her.

Amelia hesitated briefly before stepping inside. The moment she crossed the threshold, she heard the door clicking shut behind her, which caused her to become inexplicably flustered. She was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to turn around and open the door.

"Amelia," said a cold and masculine voice from behind her.

Amelia was momentarily stunned. She turned her head and saw a tall and broad man standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window a short distance away from her. His back was against the light, so she couldn't get a good look at his features.

Despite how his face was cast in shadow, she could tell that he was wearing a cold and stern expression. He was also giving off an aloof air that warned people off from approaching him, striking fear into their hearts.

Amelia didn't dare approach him carelessly. She wondered if the man was the Mr. Sutton who Cyrus kept talking about. She didn't think she was acquainted with him.

"Excuse me—"

Her words died on her tongue when she took a hesitant step forward that allowed her to finally get a good look at the man's face.

It was him!

The refined and generous man that had lied to her—the biological father of the baby growing inside her.

"It's you!" Amelia exclaimed in shock with wide eyes.

Michael cast his cold gaze over her before he slowly stepped forward.

"That's right. It's me. We meet again, Ms. Warren."

Amelia didn't think that there was a need for them to exchange pleasantries. She quickly recovered from her shock, remembering that she was here for the folder she dropped. Other than her ID, the medical reports from the checkups she did earlier that morning were also in the folder.

She guessed that Michael had found out about her being pregnant, so his true purpose wasn't to return her belongings to her.

"Why did you want to meet me?"

Michael didn't answer her question. Instead, he pulled out a chair and said, "Have a seat. Then, we can talk."

He gestured for her to do the same.

Amelia didn't try to complicate the situation. Since things had already progressed to this point, she might as well make the best of the predicament she was in.

She took a seat near the door. It was a little far from where Michael was seated, but he didn't seem to be bothered.

"I didn't ask for your opinion before ordering this of my own accord. Try it. Let me know if it suits your tastes," Michael said as he poured a glass of orange juice for her and pushed it in front of her.

Amelia thanked him but didn't drink the juice.

"Let's cut to the chase."

She didn't want to waste her breath speaking about unrelated topics.

Michael didn't expect her to be so direct. It seemed that she was an intelligent individual. He enjoyed doing business with smart people since they were much easier to deal with.

"I'm sure that you've guessed why I'm here, Ms. Warren."

Amelia nodded.

"So, what is your opinion on the matter, Ms. Warren?" Michael asked while pinning her with a searching gaze.

Amelia assumed that he was testing her, so she decided to be upfront with him. "Don't worry, Mr. Sutton. I'm someone who plays by the rules. Since I've already accepted your money, I won't cause any trouble for you. I'll get an abortion as soon as possible."

Michael immediately knew that Amelia was misunderstanding his intentions the moment the words left her lips. However, he didn't explain himself. Instead, he said, "I didn't seek you out because I want you to get rid of the child, Ms. Warren. Actually, I have a proposition for you."

Amelia was surprised by his words. "What is it?" she asked while looking at him.

Michael locked eyes with her. He didn't speak immediately. He raised his cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip before leisurely saying, "You can keep the child, but I have a few conditions.

"You have to cooperate with me for a paternity test. I've done the research. The fetus can undergo a paternity test once it reaches eight weeks. If the test results prove that I'm the father, I'll take responsibility for both you and the baby."

Amelia felt like she was being humiliated upon hearing Michael's words. He was the one who tricked her into believing that he was impotent in the first place. She was also at fault for being careless, but if he wasn't convinced that he was impotent, she wouldn't have made such a terrible oversight.

She admitted that she was responsible for the accidental pregnancy. But more importantly, what made him think that he had the right to suspect her?

A paternity test? Taking responsibility for her and the child? Did she ever once mention that she wanted him to take responsibility?

His words made it seem like she had intentionally gotten pregnant and wanted to use the child to climb her way up the societal ladder.

Amelia felt assaulted by indescribable humiliation. The uncomfortable sensation surrounded her, making her body go numb.

"I think you're misunderstanding something here, Mr. Sutton. I don't need you to take responsibility. If we hadn't coincidentally bumped into each other at the hospital, and if you hadn't coincidentally picked up my medical reports, the two of us would still be complete strangers to one another.

"So, why do I have to accept your terms?" Amelia asked while suppressing the anger boiling within her.

Michael didn't expect Amelia to turn the situation around and question him instead. He assumed that she would immediately accept whatever terms he brought up the moment he mentioned that she could keep the baby.

After all, having his child was something many women could only dream of.

He didn't expect her to question him and suggest that she didn't need the child. Did she really have no intention to keep it?

Michael narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you saying that you don't want to keep the baby?"

Chapter 4

Amelia was rendered speechless by Michael's question. Hadn't she made herself clear?

"I don't want to keep the baby, and I never once thought about keeping it," she said. "To be frank with you, I've already made an appointment to have an abortion in two days' time. So, there's no need for anything that you mentioned just now."

Amelia had her own plans for her current stage of life. Having a child was not part of those plans. Although as a woman, there would inevitably come a day when she would give birth, that time was definitely not now.

"Why?" Michael asked while staring at her.

Amelia was momentarily stunned. "What do you mean, why?"

"Why don't you want the child?"

Amelia didn't immediately answer his question because she didn't want to. She had too many reasons, such as her studies and work. She also had to take care of Rachel and support her family. However, none of these was her main reason.

She wanted to free herself from the mud that she was mired in. She wanted to make her ambitions a reality. She wanted to live the life that she wanted to live.

From Amelia's perspective, a child was nothing more than an obstacle. It would be a burden, so she had to get rid of it.

However, none of her reasons had anything to do with Michael, so she was unwilling to share her thoughts with him.

"No particular reason," she said.

Michael could sense that Amelia harbored animosity toward him. He wasn't willing to find out where her hostility stemmed from, so he didn't press the issue.

"If that's the case, I have an obligation to inform you that now that I've discovered the existence of the child, I won't just stand idly by and do nothing. So, I suggest that you carefully think about my proposition before giving me your answer.

"This is my name card. Feel free to call me once you've made up your mind."

Michael rose to his feet and walked over to Amelia. His tall and imposing figure seemed to bear down heavily on her.

Although Amelia didn't look at him, she could feel his intense gaze on her. Inexplicable fear gripped her heart. Only God knew that she had forced herself to muster every bit of courage within her to talk back to him earlier.

She was like a child that was forced to put on armor and thrust onto the battlefield. Although she presented herself as being as brave as a lion, in reality, she was weak and timid. She also cracked easily when she was terrified, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.

"I don't need that. I've already made up my mind. I get to decide whether I keep or get rid of the child."

Michael didn't seem to be bothered that Amelia refused to take his card. He slipped it into the folder that was lying on the table before saying, "You're going to need it."

He sounded extremely certain, which gave Amelia the impression that her words had fallen on deaf ears.

Amelia felt as if she couldn't continue the discussion with him. She was afraid she would expose her weakness.

The moment one showed their vulnerability, their resolve would also waver.

Amelia was determined to stick to her convictions. She ignored Michael as she grabbed the folder and left the booth.

Michael didn't try to stop her and allowed her to leave.

Seconds after Amelia left the booth, Cyrus stepped inside, asking, "Are you just going to let Ms. Warren walk away like this, Mr. Sutton?"

Cyrus had been waiting outside the door for Michael's orders. He didn't expect Amelia to open the door and just leave. He wondered if they had failed to come to an agreement.

Michael didn't say a word and just hummed in response while wearing an indifferent expression. He then turned around and walked back to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Amelia's tall and slender figure was shrinking beyond the window. Although her appearance made her look incredibly weak, he didn't expect her to have such a powerful resolve. She was a stubborn woman through and through.

However, Michael wasn't interested in finding out the reason behind her steely determination. He was Michael Sutton—as long as he wanted something, no one could stop him from getting his hands on it.

"Send out an order. No one's allowed to give her an abortion."

…

Amelia made a beeline for the hospital's gynecology department after she left the cafe. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her heart after meeting Michael. To reduce the chances of any complications, she decided to ask the doctor to reschedule her abortion to an earlier date.

However, when she tried to seek out the doctor she had spoken with in the past, she was informed that not only would they be unable to proceed with the abortion, but it had even been canceled.

Amelia didn't think too much of it at first, assuming that the doctor had canceled probably because she was too busy. She tried contacting other doctors, but all of them denied her their services.

Only then did Amelia realize that something was amiss. She decided to try her luck at other hospitals, but their responses were always the same.

In the end, a kindhearted doctor pulled her to a corner and gave her a reminder. "Think carefully about whether you've offended someone you shouldn't have recently."

Amelia immediately thought about her meeting with Michael and wondered if he was behind this. She rummaged through her folder and pulled out the name card that he had slipped inside. She hesitated briefly before dialing the number.

Michael had just stepped out of the bathroom after showering when he received Amelia's call.

After Amelia left, he had dropped by the hospital to visit his grandfather, Bernard Sutton.

Bernard had been rushing him to get married recently. He had even claimed to be ill and hospitalized himself to force Michael into action, declaring that he would remain in the hospital indefinitely until Michael got married.

At first, Michael had no plans to bend to Bernard's whims. However, fate decided that he would accidentally learn of the existence of the child in Amelia's belly.

He had dropped by the hospital that night to inform Bernard of this particular development, but Bernard had refused him entry into his room. He even had someone deliver a message to Michael on his behalf.

"You can forget about seeing me ever again if you don't find a granddaughter-in-law for me, you brat."

If Bernard found out that not only had Michael secured a granddaughter-in-law for him, but there was even a good chance that a great-grandchild was on the way, Bernard would probably be over the moon with joy. He might even pack up his things and immediately leave the hospital.

However, Michael wasn't in a rush to let Bernard know what was happening. After all, some of the details of the situation were still unclear. He didn't want Bernard to be disappointed if things ended up falling through.

Bernard might as well stay a few more days at the hospital. Their family owned it, after all. Bernard was living a comfortable life with the staff waiting on his hand and foot. It was almost as if he was enjoying a vacation instead of being admitted to the hospital.

The only con about the entire situation was that Michael was temporarily labeled as being unfilial.

Michael toweled his wet hair as he mulled over his thoughts. His phone that was on the coffee table started ringing when he reached the living room. He grabbed it and glanced at the flashing name on the screen—it was Amelia.

He had saved her number after reaching home, not wanting to accidentally block her number, assuming it was just a spam call. She was calling him two days earlier than expected.

He connected the call, greeting, "Ms. Warren."

Amelia was momentarily stunned when she heard Michael's voice. Her assumptions had been correct—Michael had known that she would call him.

"What have you done, Mr. Sutton?" she demanded.

Michael didn't immediately answer her and walked over to the wine cabinet. He pressed his phone between his ear and shoulder as he poured himself a glass of red wine. He swirled the wine within the glass before asking, "What are you referring to, Ms. Warren?"

His feigned ignorance infuriated Amelia. "You know what you did."

Michael leisurely swirled the wine in the glass. The taste wasn't too bad when he took a sip.

The corners of his lips curled up into a cold and indifferent smile before he said, "Since you already know what I did, Ms. Warren, I'm sure you understand the circumstances that you're in. I can confidently tell you that no doctor in Southport will perform an abortion for you without my permission."

His careless but magnetic voice echoed from the receiver. His tone was laced with provocation, enticement, and warning.

Amelia clenched her fists. "What gives you the right to do such a thing?" she demanded.

What gave Michael the right? He had every right to do so considering how there was a possibility that the child in her belly belonged to him.

"I have the right because I have the power to do such a thing," Michael replied, arching a brow.

His tone was arrogant, carefree, and colored with a hint of laziness. It was blatantly obvious that he didn't care about the situation all that much.

Amelia had to admit that Michael did have the power to give such an order. She had looked into him in the past. His power and authority far exceeded her comprehension.

However, she was still a living and breathing human being. She had the right to decide whether she wanted to keep or get rid of the baby growing within her.

Michael had no right to deprive her of that right.

"Do you really believe that you'll be able to force me to concede by doing such a thing? Keep dreaming!"

"I'll be looking forward to your next move, then."

Amelia gritted her teeth as she hung up. She was enraged by Michael's domineering attitude.

She had every right to decide if she wanted to keep or get rid of the baby. Although she was weak and pathetic, her womb belonged to her. She had a right to decide if she wanted to give birth to the baby or not.

Since Amelia couldn't get a surgical abortion, she decided to have a natural one instead.

Michael had the power to stop the doctors from operating on her, but he couldn't stop them from saving her if her life was at risk.

Unfortunately, Harry reappeared before Amelia could put her plan into motion. A month had passed since the last time she saw him when the police took him away.

Harry had grown a scraggly beard. His clothes were filthy and wrinkled, making it obvious that he had just left prison.

Amelia was rooted to the spot when she saw him at the hospital entrance. She immediately whipped around and tried to run away when she snapped back to her senses. After all, Harry was not a benevolent man—he had to be there to settle the score with her.

However, Harry saw her before she could make her escape and blocked her path.

"Feeling guilty, are you? Why else would your first instinct be to run away after seeing me, you bitch?"

Chapter 5

Amelia shook her head as she took a few steps back, asking, "What are you doing here?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" Harry asked in return as he pinned her with a sinister look.

Amelia was intimately familiar with that look in his eyes. Extreme fear gripped her heart as she backed away.

"You good-for-nothing bitch. How dare you call the police on me? Did you really think that I would be imprisoned forever? Well, I'm free now, so you'd better cough up that money I wanted with interest."

Harry approached Amelia while fiercely thrusting his hand out at her.

Amelia shook her head, saying, "The money's gone. I used it all for Mom's medical bills."

Harry didn't believe her. "Your mother is nothing more than skin and bones at this point. She wouldn't need that much money. You have some nerve lying to me."

"I'm not lying. I really used it all for Mom's surgery. If you don't believe me, you can ask the hospital staff. They can vouch for me," Amelia explained.

At first, Harry refused to believe her. When the truth of her words finally sank in, he was overwhelmed with fury.

"You stupid fool! Why did you waste so much money on that unlucky star's surgery? Have you lost your mind?"

"Don't talk about Mom that way."

Amelia hated the term "unlucky star".

"What are you going to do about it? You damned good-for-nothing. Since you don't have any money to give me, don't blame me for not showing you any fatherly affection. Let's go. Come home with me."

Harry grabbed a fistful of Amelia's hair and pulled harshly.

Pain exploded all over Amelia's scalp, but she simply clenched her teeth and struggled against him.

"I don't want to!"

She knew what would happen to her if she followed Harry home, so she struggled like her life depended on it, trying her best to free herself from his grasp.

Unfortunately, Harry was too strong. She wasn't able to escape his clutches.

"Help me! Somebody, help me!"

Amelia had no other choice but to resort to begging for help from the passersby.

The passersby had originally gathered around them to see what the commotion was about. They weren't sure what the relationship was between Harry and Amelia. On top of that, they were in a public space, so naturally, they couldn't just offer their aid to Amelia.

The commotion ended up attracting the attention of the hospital's security guards. However, just as they were about to step forward to stop Harry, he roared that he was simply disciplining his daughter, which he had every right to do.

His words ended up causing the security guards to back away.

Amelia was forced into a cab.

Harry had worked as a cab driver in the past, so it wasn't difficult for him to acquire one. He threw Amelia into the backseat and locked the doors before tying her hands and feet with some rope. To stop her from screaming for help, he stuffed a towel into her mouth.

Amelia couldn't move an inch and couldn't speak. She could only use her eyes to beg for mercy.

Harry pretended not to see the pleading look in her eyes as he moved to the driver's seat and started the car.

Amelia was immobilized in the backseat of the cab. She stared unblinkingly at the hospital building beyond the window until it disappeared from her line of sight. Only then did she close her eyes hopelessly.

…

"Mr. Sutton, the men we sent to tail Ms. Warren just informed me that she was taken away by her father. Should we intervene?"

Michael was working in his study when he received a call from Cyrus around 10:00 pm.

He had worried that Amelia would try to harm herself and the child after their phone call, so he had ordered Cyrus to arrange for their men to follow her. He didn't expect that his orders would end up coming in handy.

However, Michael wasn't in a hurry to get involved just yet. "Get our men to follow her. Don't intervene unless her well-being is at risk."

Amelia was too stubborn. She was the type of woman who wouldn't break unless under extreme circumstances. It wasn't a bad idea to let her suffer a little.

"Understood."

Michael continued working after hanging up, acting as if what was happening had nothing to do with him.

…

Meanwhile, Harry had driven Amelia home.

It had been a month since she returned home—an old and dilapidated house in the slums.

There were two bedrooms in the house. Rachel and Harry occupied one, while Amelia occupied the other. There was also a kitchen and bathroom outside.

Rachel was an extremely hardworking woman, and she kept the house clean and tidy. Although the building was run-down, every corner gave off a sense of warmth under her care.

However, no one took care of the house after Rachel was hospitalized. As a result, there was dust gathering everywhere.

Harry dragged Amelia into her room before confiscating her phone. He then gave her two options.

"Either you do what I want and cough up that 500,000 dollars right now, or you'll have to obediently lie here for the rest of the night until you earn 500,000 dollars. Besides, you got that first 500,000 dollars from sleeping with a man, didn't you? I'm sure you won't mind doing the same thing a few more times."

Amelia never could have imagined that Harry would behave so barbarically. She could feel herself shaking all over.

"Harry Warren, you damned beast! I'm your daughter! Do you have even a shred of humanity in you?"

"My daughter?" Harry spat in Amelia's direction before continuing, "I don't have an ungrateful daughter like you. You spent my money, and yet you called the police on me. Do you have any idea what kind of life I led while I was in prison?

"You're nothing more than an ungrateful brat. I'm going to sit outside your door until you earn that 500,000 dollars."

A string of curses exploded from Harry's mouth as he complained about Amelia's unfilial behavior.

He had been tormented endlessly by the loan sharks' men during his time in prison. To lighten his punishment a little, he promised the loan sharks that he would give Amelia to them if he failed to pay off his debts.

Not only did Amelia graduate from a prestigious school, but she was also pretty and had a good figure. She was a lot more attractive than the women the loan sharks typically slept with.

As a result, Harry guessed that one night with Amelia would probably amount to around 8,000 dollars or even 10,000 dollars.

Although the loan sharks had never seen Amelia in person, they had seen her photos.

Harry had secretly taken those photos while Amelia was changing. The multitude of private photos from different angles had the loan sharks drooling in want, and they swiftly agreed with Harry's proposition.

"Just to make sure everyone's on the same page, I don't owe you any more money once you sleep with her," Harry repeated multiple times before letting the loan sharks into Amelia's room.

The loan sharks were at the end of their patience, so naturally, they agreed with whatever Harry was saying.

Harry then let the loan sharks into Amelia's room.

Meanwhile, Amelia had no idea what had transpired outside. She had been looking for a way to escape ever since Harry said those heinous things to her. She couldn't give up no matter what.

The door swung open from the outside just as Amelia ran out of ideas.

A few tall and brutish men entered her room. Their faces were fat and pudgy, and their eyes shone with a salacious glint as they stared at her. Anyone could tell with a single glance that they were bad news.

Alarm bells began blaring in Amelia's mind when she laid her eyes on the men.

"Who allowed you to come in here?" she demanded. "Get out!"

The men weren't angered by Amelia's enraged demeanor. On the contrary, they could feel desire coursing through them and became even more excited.

"No need to get so emotional, miss. We're here to take good care of you."

"He's right. It won't be fun if you get too worked up."

The men rubbed their rough and stumpy fingers together as they approached Amelia with unsavory thoughts.

Amelia backed away while wearing a fearful expression. "Don't come over here! Get lost!"

However, her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the men continued to inch closer to her.

Amelia was beyond panicked when the men were a mere few feet away from her. She clumsily grabbed whatever she could reach and hurled it at the men. Unfortunately, the pillows and blanket weren't threatening in the slightest and didn't hurt the men at all.

The men's laughter turned even wilder.

Amelia was completely out of options. In her panic, she spotted a mirror from the corner of her eye. She darted toward it and smashed it before grabbing a broken glass shard.

"Don't move! If you come over here, I'll end my life right in front of you!"