C17 Kieran's Reaction

Regina cried her heart out as she tugged Kieran along. To any outsider, she looked like a lost and helpless child clinging on to a single thread of hope.

Kieran put his arms around her shoulders and tried to comfort her. “Calm down, Regina. You are not alone. And I promise, you will never be alone.”

Regina pulled back to look up at him with her red, puffy eyes. “Then you won’t let her give birth, okay? I’m begging you, Kieran. Get rid of that child, or I will be the one to die!”

There was an ominous resolve to her voice that would have alarmed most people.

But Kieran’s eyes only narrowed in anger. “I told you to stop messing around!”

Seeing his reaction, Regina suddenly pushed him away. She scampered over to the table and grabbed the fruit knife, then slashed her wrist.

It all happened so fast. I never expected Regina to go to such extremes, and I was sure that neither did Kieran. I could see the panic all over his face, but he maintained a level head. He gathered Regina in his arms, probably to rush her to the emergency room.

To our shock, Regina stubbornly clung to the railings of my hospital bed and refused to let go. She glared at Kieran and said once again, “Get rid of her child!”

I was rocked to my core. Just how much did Regina despise my unborn child? I glanced at Kieran. This time, I didn’t wait for his response and spoke up myself. “Don’t worry, Regina. This child…” I had to pause to stifle the ache in my heart and take a deep breath. “I won’t give birth to it.”

“Teresa!” Kieran’s eyes were blazing with anger now.

“Go,” I told him. “If you don’t take her to the doctor right away, I know you will regret it.”

His lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at me for a few more seconds. Regina finally let go and huddled back in his arms. A moment later, they were gone.

Left alone in the ward, I couldn’t help but look at the trail of blood that Regina had left. A shiver coursed through my body.

My fever had already broken, though I still need to be given some nutritional fluids. But I didn’t want to stay in the hospital anymore. I decided there and then to skip the formalities and just leave.

A bout of heavy rain seemed to have changed Rafana overnight. Or perhaps it was me who saw it in a new light. I walked out of the hospital and breathed in the fresh air. I didn’t return to the villa. Instead, I headed over to the Juarez Group.

“Director Russel. Dean Burns’ wife from the People’s Hospital is waiting for you in your office. She’s been here for about fifteen minutes.”

I nodded and pressed the elevator button before looking at the receptionist who greeted me. “Tell Layla to prepare some gifts and have them sent to Mrs. Burns as an apology for the wait.”

The young woman nodded and scurried off.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside. I pressed the button for my floor and called Schaffer. He answered after two rings. “Teresa!”

I was quite surprised that he called me by my first name. “Are you free tonight? Would you like to meet up?”

There was a beat of silence, which I took to mean that he wasn’t expecting the invite. “Uh, sure! Just name the time and place.”

“Great, I’ll text you the details.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I hung up and sent the details to Schaffer before stepping out.

I made a beeline for the bathroom to put some makeup on. I wanted to look presentable when I walked into my office.

To my credit, I didn’t trail behind Kieran for two whole years for nothing. I might have failed in making him fall in love with me, but I did manage to advance my career.

I learned a lot. I had risen from a newbie who knew nothing to an accomplished director who could deal with various problems at a moment’s notice.

I entered my office to find a middle-aged woman in an exquisite qipao embroidered with peonies. She was perched elegantly on the black sofa in the middle of the room, reading something on her phone.

I knocked twice on the partially open door to alert her to my present. “Mrs. Burns,” I greeted with a smile. “I’m sorry for making you wait.”

She stood up and extended her hand with a smile. “Oh, hello. Please don’t worry about it, I’ve just arrived as well.”

We settled down around the table, and Mrs. Burns went straight to the point. “Mrs. Juarez, I’m truly sorry for bothering you at this time, but I’m afraid I have no choice. You may be aware that our parents signed a partnership contract with the Juarez Group some time ago. Sadly, a great misfortune has suddenly struck us. I wanted to plead with you to try and persuade your husband to postpone the commencement of the project. We just need a chance to take care of the problems on our end first.”