Chapter 39 A Baby
Although Joanna didn't think much of Chris's behavior, she still took the flowers.
She naturally picked up her phone to take a photo, planning to use it to deal with Henry.
Chris had been a bit unhappy when she didn't say anything at first, but seeing her about to take a selfie with the flowers, he immediately felt pleased with himself again.
"See, Joanna? You're always better when you listen. Since you were smart enough to come back and say sorry, I'll do you a favor—let's take a picture together." As he said it, Chris leaned into the shot.
Before Joanna could react, a photo of the two of them together was taken.
Joanna instinctively wanted to delete the photo, but remembering she needed it to fool Henry, she kept it.
After photographing the flowers, she handed them to a maid to put in a vase, with no intention of doing it herself.
Chris was unhappy and tapped on the table as he sat down. "Joanna, you've been back for two days now, but you keep giving me attitude. Do you have any intention of apologizing or not?"
Joanna ignored him and lowered her head to send the photo to Henry.
Henry hadn't replied to her breakfast message that morning, but this time he responded quickly: [Chris even sent you flowers! Don't be stupid, hurry up and seduce him, have his baby! Also, about him investing in our company—it must be at least ten million!]
Joanna looked at the message, her brow furrowed tight.
These past two days of anxiety and struggle had pushed her to her limit, and she still didn't know if her mother was getting proper care.
Worried, she messaged Henry: [How do I know you won't lie to me? Mom is sick. If you don't take good care of her, her condition will get worse! Show me a photo, or I won't do what you say!]
He took his time before finally sending a photo.
In the image, Sandra was lying on a bed, surrounded by messy piles of trash, with no medical equipment in sight. On the table beside her were a few boxes of what looked like cheap medicine.
Joanna gripped her phone tightly and continued typing: [She's sick, and you have her living in these conditions? Henry, if my mom dies, I will never forgive you!]
But he didn't reply anymore.
Joanna bit her lip, looking at Chris sitting at the table with an unhappy expression, and suddenly let go of her inner resistance.
After all, she had already given her body to Chris before.
Sleeping together, legally speaking, was also her duty.
Right now, her mother's life was more important. If she sacrificed a little, maybe it wasn't such a big loss.
The voice in her heart grew stronger and stronger. Joanna walked toward Chris, trembling as she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.
Chris's lips curved upward. "What? Finally figured out what you should do?"
Joanna bit her lower lip, which had turned pale. "Jones Corp needs investment. Can you give my dad ten million?"
Chris frowned. "So that's why you came back and gave in!"
Although this result left him somewhat dissatisfied, it further proved that Joanna simply couldn't leave him.
She had no money!
The feeling he'd had these past few days of losing Joanna was just an illusion!
Chris breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sure, but you'll have to give more!"
Though he didn't explicitly say what he needed Joanna to do, those suggestive eyes seemed to be stripping away Joanna's dignity.
Joanna's hands tightened at her sides as she stepped forward and put her arms around him from behind.
Chris caught her scent and grinned, clearly enjoying himself. Not happy with just that, he pulled her down to sit on his lap, wrapped his arm around her waist, and said, "Come on, give me a kiss."
Joanna's hand slowly moved to Chris's cheek, her inner tension rushing to her head, making her lose her rationality.
She slowly leaned in, and just as her lips were about to touch his, Angelo's image suddenly flashed through her mind.
A trace of sadness crossed Joanna's eyes, and she finally pushed Chris away.
She straightened her clothes and immediately stepped back two paces. "I can't do it."
She still couldn't betray her heart.
Although this kind of thing wasn't unfamiliar during the past three years, Joanna just couldn't overcome it.
Chris didn't understand what Joanna was being so dramatic about and got a bit angry. "Joanna, when you're asking someone for help, you need to show the right attitude!"
Joanna turned her back to him, her voice somewhat unsteady. "I know, that's why I've been trying hard to please you these past few days."
That one sentence cooled Chris's anger a bit. Thinking back on what Joanna had done these past two days, she had indeed been trying to return to how things were before.
As a man and husband, he should be more understanding and not rush things.
But he also couldn't let Joanna keep avoiding it like this.
After thinking, Chris said, "I'll give you one more week. If you can't do it, then Jones Corp won't get my investment!"
With that, he had no interest in staying and left Hillside Villa directly.
Joanna looked disappointed but actually felt relieved.
One week...
She had to find a way to fool Henry.
But there was no way to get pregnant in that amount of time. If she said they'd already been together before, would Henry believe it?
Joanna suddenly had an idea!
The next day, she deliberately went out to buy some things and, after returning to the villa, didn't go out again.
For a week, Joanna did nothing except regularly contact Chris, have maids send him meals, or show concern for his health.
On Henry's end, he received a photo of a pregnancy test showing two lines.
Excited, he called Joanna right away. "You got pregnant that fast? You're not lying to me, are you?"
Of course, Joanna was lying.
She'd faked the test and already had her story ready.
"Did you forget about drugging me last time? I've been feeling a bit off lately, so I went to the doctor and found out I'm pregnant. Chris says it's his baby and he wants to give it the best care."
Henry's voice grew more excited. "I knew I was right about you. So the investment should be no problem, right?"
Joanna was nervous inside but said calmly, "Chris has been at the company handling the paperwork these past few days. He said he'll complete the investment transfer soon."
"Excellent!" Henry didn't suspect Joanna would dare lie to him, especially with all those previous photos proving their relationship was being repaired.
Afraid he'd notice something wrong, Joanna quickly asked, "You should tell me where my mother is now!"
She had also sent Angelo the photo Henry had taken last time, but after a week, Angelo still had no leads. She needed to get more information from Henry.
Henry laughed coldly, his tone arrogant. "Since you're pregnant, just take good care of the baby. Before the baby is born, I won't let you see your mother!"
He was going back on his word!