Chapter 15 Pregnant at the Same Time
Tom stood by the car, his posture tense, voice careful.
"Mr. Wilson, maybe Mrs. Wilson didn't understand what you meant. Should I go over and invite her?"
Daniel's reply was low, flat, and cold. "No. Drive."
Tom swallowed his words and climbed into the driver's seat.
The car eased forward, passing the slim figure on the sidewalk. From the back seat came Daniel's sharp, icy remark.
"What, didn't feed you enough? Can't even get the car moving?"
Sweat broke across Tom's forehead. He pressed the accelerator, but before they'd gone far, something heavy thumped against the back seat.
"Throw it away."
Tom slowed, glancing over his shoulder at the cake box wedged between the seats. His hands hesitated.
"Mr. Wilson…"
Daniel leaned back, eyes narrowing, giving Tom a glance sharp enough to cut. "She doesn't want it. Stray cats and dogs aren't picky."
Tom got out, his movements stiff, and dropped the cake box by the roadside.
Scarlett happened to be walking past. Tom spoke quickly, voice low. "Mrs. Wilson… it's Mr. Wilson's order."
Daniel wanted it done. No one could stop him.
Scarlett lowered her gaze to the cake—worth several thousand dollars. In that moment, she realized that in Daniel's eyes, she was just like it. Beautiful on the surface, but disposable. Something he could toss aside without a second thought.
She bent down and picked it up.
Inside the car, Daniel watched in silence. The corner of his mouth lifted, just a fraction. As she walked closer, that fraction grew.
He reached for the door handle, ready to open it for her. But Scarlett didn't come to the door. She walked straight to the front of the car.
Daniel's brow twitched as she stopped, meeting his eyes through the windshield.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, smiled faintly, and then flipped the box open, slamming the cake onto the glass.
Cream and sponge smeared across the windshield, sliding down slowly, blocking his view.
Scarlett stepped up onto the hood, one knee bent, leaning forward to dip her fingers into the frosting. She began to draw on the glass.
From the back seat, his icy gaze burned through the smeared cream. Scarlett's laugh was sharp, mocking.
Where did Daniel get the idea that a simple gesture would make her obediently climb into his car?
The growl of an engine cut through the air. A black-leather-clad biker stopped beside the car, one long leg propped against the pavement. Bruce Howard tilted his head, taking in the scene.
A million-dollar windshield being used as a canvas. Impressive.
Scarlett tossed her hair, meeting his gaze. Blonde waves, red lips, eyes bright and dangerously beautiful. Bruce's whistle died in his throat.
'Fuck. Even a million-dollar car wasn't worthy of that face.'
Before the thought could settle, Scarlett jumped down from the hood, her long legs swinging over the seat of his motorcycle.
"Let's go." She tapped his shoulder.
Bruce felt like fate had just handed him the lead role in a road movie. He shot a defiant middle finger at Daniel, who had just stepped out of the car.
"Highway escape… I like this plot," Bruce said to Scarlett, lowering his visor. "Hold on tight!"
Scarlett wrapped her arms around his waist. The bike roared to life, tearing down the street like a bolt of lightning.
Daniel stepped out, catching only the flick of her skirt as she disappeared.
It had taken less than thirty seconds.
Tom ran into the street, staring at the crude but surprisingly lifelike turtle Scarlett had drawn in the frosting. He swallowed hard.
"Looks good? Funny?"
The voice behind him was cold. Tom answered without thinking. "Good…"
He turned, seeing Daniel's expression like ice shattering in slow motion. His throat closed.
"Mr. Wilson, I'll take care of it."
Tom grabbed cleaning tools from the car, but even the most capable assistant had limits. Cleaning wasn't his skill. By the time Daniel finished a cigarette, the windshield was still smeared with cream, impossible to see through.
Daniel's head throbbed. Tom's shoulders slumped in silent frustration. He wanted to say, "Boss, Scarlett's hard to please, you can't please her, so why provoke her?"
At the entrance of Joyful Neighborhood, Bruce's bike rolled to a stop.
Scarlett swung off, ready to walk away, but Bruce leaned forward and caught her arm.
"Miss, add me on Facebook. We've got escape history now."
He reached for his phone, but Scarlett twisted his arm, flipping him back onto the bike.
His helmet knocked against the handlebars. Bruce blinked, stunned.
Scarlett released him. He pulled off his helmet, revealing a head of gray curls and features so sharp they looked unreal.
"Why'd you do that?"
Scarlett was already a few feet away. Bruce wasn't ready to let go.
"Bet you… next time we meet, you'll add me on Facebook!"
She didn't turn, just waved a hand. "Thanks."
Bruce took it as a yes, his grin tilting into something reckless. Watching her vanish into the building, he finally put his helmet back on, visor down, and rode off against the wind.
Inside, Scarlett found Sarah making instant noodles. Scarlett wrinkled her nose. "Got another?"
Sarah went to the kitchen, returned with another cup. By the time the noodles were ready, Scarlett had changed clothes.
They sat cross-legged on the carpet around the low table. Sarah cracked two beers, opening one with a single hand and passing it over.
"Bad mood? Spill."
Scarlett was strict about her figure and skin—junk food was rare for her. She clinked bottles with Sarah, tilted her head back, and drank deep. The cold beer slid down her throat, pushing back some of the anger.
"Alice is pregnant. I slapped her. Daniel—" her lips twisted, "—that bastard got me fired from the training center."
Two sentences, and Sarah's emotions spiked twice. She crushed the can in her hand.
"Daniel's insane. He's got a gorgeous, capable woman like you, but he's hung up on Alice? That ugly bitch? Wait—you sure the kid's his?"
Scarlett ate a mouthful of noodles, tasting nothing, and nodded. "Almost certain."
Alice had said so herself. She was already wearing the Wilson family's heirloom jade bracelet. Daniel cared about Alice and her unborn child enough not to deny it.
What was left to hope for?
"Divorce him. Fast. I hope that bastard drowns in women, catches every disease, fathers a dozen kids none of whom are his."
Sarah's anger burned hot and real. Everyone pitied Alice for being switched at birth, for those six stolen years. But no one ever stopped to think about Scarlett—how young she was, how blameless, and how her life had been ripped from glittering heights to the coldest depths in a single night.
Men were never in short supply. Alice knew Daniel was the only thread Scarlett had left to hold on to, yet she had chased him with the desperation of someone gasping for air.
It had never been about love. Alice had wanted to strip Scarlett of everything, piece by piece.
And Daniel… he knew exactly how deep a scar Alice had carved into Scarlett's mind. If it had been any other woman, Sarah might not have cared this much.
The thought made her want to storm into the kitchen, grab the biggest knife she could find, and put an end to it.
But before she could move, Scarlett's smile broke through the haze of rage, and she leaned in, wrapping Sarah in a quiet, steady hug.
"This way's better. The cleaner the break, the faster the clarity."
Sarah's eyes stung. She wrapped her arms around Scarlett's shoulders. Scarlett smiled.
"Eat before it gets cold."
She bent over her noodles, the scent of seafood rising. Scarlett turned her head and gagged.
Sarah's face shifted. "Scarlett… you're not pregnant, are you?"
Scarlett froze, fingers tightening on her chopsticks.
The last time Daniel had asked her to take a pregnancy test, she'd rebelled—dripping water on it instead. Her cycle was irregular, and now she'd been nauseous for days. She wasn't sure anymore.
She remembered the night before he left for his trip. She'd clung to him, and he'd lost control. The next morning, she'd stayed in bed until noon.
Had the condom broken without them noticing?
Scarlett's face darkened. She set down her chopsticks, meeting Sarah's eyes.
Half an hour later, Sarah returned from outside, disguised with a wig and heavy smoky makeup.
"I was careful. No one saw me. Go test. If that bastard has two women pregnant at the same time, that's beyond disgusting."
Scarlett took the pregnancy test, nerves tight, and went into the bathroom.
When the first red line appeared, she held her breath.
Sarah, impatient, pushed the door open. "Well?"