Chapter 1 That Kid is Not Mine
After the IVF finally worked, I flew back to Minton with the baby I had fought so hard to conceive, planning to surprise Adrian Ford.
A friend had tried to warn me. Said that while I was overseas these past few years, Adrian had picked up a clingy, drama-loving female secretary.
At first, I didn't think much of it.
Back then, all it took was a slight frown from me, and Adrian would immediately get rid of anyone who annoyed me.
Until I got home and realized the passcode to the villa had been changed.
When I entered our wedding anniversary again, the door suddenly opened.
A woman wearing my pajamas leaned lazily against the doorframe, all curves and attitude, brows raised like she owned the place.
"Where did this beggar come from? You seriously came all the way to the Ford family's place to ask for handouts? Get lost. If you don't leave, I'm letting the dog out."
Looking at how arrogant she was, I was so mad I almost laughed.
"Call Adrian out here. I'd love to ask him how he ended up bringing just anyone off the street into this house. And I also wanted to ask him whether he still wanted the child in my belly, the only heir the Ford family had been waiting generations for."
A Tibetan mastiff poked its head through the gap in the door, barking at me like it was backing her up.
Nina Hall rolled her eyes.
"Ma'am, who even are you? You think you can just see Mr. Ford whenever you want?"
She looked me up and down, her gaze full of contempt. "What's wrong with security these days? Letting someone dressed in cheap knockoffs into the neighborhood?"
My skin is extremely sensitive. Most fabrics give me rashes the moment they touch me.
Because of that, Adrian had specially ordered custom clothes for me using exclusive Italian fabrics.
And yet here I was, being looked down on for not wearing some flashy designer brand.
I almost laughed from sheer disbelief. In all these years, this was the first time I had ever been stopped from seeing Adrian.
I pulled out my phone, ready to call him and demand an explanation.
But when I raised it, I froze. At some point, it had run out of battery and shut off.
So I simply held out my hand and said coldly to Nina, "Give me your phone. If you delay his business, you know exactly what that means."
Something in my eyes must have startled her. She hesitated for a second before I snatched the phone from her hand.
I dialed the number I knew by heart. Just as I was about to question him, Adrian's soft chuckle cut me off.
"You didn't get a reply for two minutes and you're already calling? Miss me that much? I'm in a meeting. I'll head home after it's over."
I gripped the phone, every word I had prepared suddenly stuck in my throat.
That tone, that kind of intimacy… if I hadn't been holding Nina's phone, I would have thought he was talking to me.
The next second, Nina snatched the phone back, her voice instantly turning sweet and clingy.
"Then hurry back, okay? I want you to cook for me yourself."
She even put it on speaker.
Hearing their flirty back-and-forth, I forced myself to stay calm.
"Adrian, come home right now."
He paused, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Nina, is someone else there with you?"
Nina shot me an annoyed look. "Just some crazy woman. I'll kick her out in a second."
Adrian responded casually, "Yeah. Don't make a scene. The company's in the middle of a bid lately. Bad publicity would be a problem."
His indifferent tone felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over me.
Just last month, he had flown overseas just to see me. And now, he couldn't even recognize my voice.
I couldn't hold it in anymore. My voice rose sharply. "Adrian, are you seriously going to abandon me and your own child?"
The air went cold instantly. His voice came through, laced with chilling hostility.
"You've got some nerve. Trying to scam me of all people? That kid is definitely not mine. Nina, handle her."
Adrian still didn't recognize my voice.
