CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 32: HIS RUTHLESSNESS _2

But just then, the lights in the room suddenly blazed on. Two men who looked like bodyguards quickly restrained her and then forcibly brought her back before Howard Geoffrey.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Rebecca Quentin struggled violently; the feeling of being controlled filled her with terror.

"Let her go."

At Howard Geoffrey’s command, the bodyguards immediately released Rebecca Quentin and retreated.

Rebecca Quentin rubbed her hands, sore from the bodyguards’ grip, and looked up at the man before her, asking coolly, "What exactly do you want?"

Casually picking up a long cigarette, Howard Geoffrey inhaled and exhaled. Through the curling smoke, he looked at Rebecca Quentin, who had now regained her composure. "You were leaving with my child. At the very least, you should have informed me."

Rebecca Quentin looked at him and said coldly, "Stop beating around the bush. I want to know, how did you find out I was leaving?"

"You’re so intelligent; how could you not guess?"

Rebecca Quentin frowned. "You’ve had people watching me all along?" That was the only possibility.

Howard Geoffrey lowered his head, tamping out his cigarette. "A good guess."

"Despicable!" Rebecca Quentin gritted her teeth and cursed. She had thought he believed her act, but she never imagined he could be so meticulous...

Howard Geoffrey regarded Rebecca Quentin’s furious face with an air of leisurely amusement and smiled elegantly. "Speaking of despicable, you used me to handle your father’s affairs and then planned to run away with the child. That hardly seems honorable, does it?"

"You..." Rebecca Quentin was so furious she was speechless.

At that moment, Howard Geoffrey stood up and gently took Rebecca Quentin’s chin in his hand.

Rebecca Quentin didn’t pull away, merely glaring at him defiantly.

Howard Geoffrey’s eyes narrowed, as if he were truly seeing Rebecca Quentin for the first time. He said slowly, "In two years, you’ve transformed from an innocent little girl into a rational, intelligent woman. Your transformation truly astonishes me!"

He had to admit he had always ignored her changes...

If the subordinate watching her hadn’t reported that she’d booked a flight for tonight, he might have truly let her slip away...

Rebecca Quentin averted her gaze and said coldly, "Let’s cut to the chase. You wouldn’t waste your time on me for no reason. Tell me directly: what do you want from me?"

Howard Geoffrey turned Rebecca Quentin’s face back towards him, forcing her to meet his gaze. He stated calmly, "You’ve forgotten what I said. A man should be established by thirty, and carrying on the family line is his foremost duty. Therefore, you can go, but you must leave my child."

She had actually already guessed it... Apart from the child, what else about her was worth his time?

"The child isn’t yours alone! You have no right to force me to bear it only to hand it over to you!" Rebecca Quentin told him bluntly.

As if his patience had run out, Howard Geoffrey released Rebecca Quentin’s chin and said icily, "I had intended to give you a comfortable ten months, but you don’t seem to be an obedient person. Since that’s the case, I must remind you that you’d better be more careful with your words around me from now on. Otherwise, you’ll be the one to suffer."

Having never seen such a piercing gaze from him, Rebecca Quentin stood rooted to the spot, stunned.

Howard Geoffrey then strode off, leaving his final words as he reached the doorway, "For the next ten months, you are forbidden to go anywhere without my permission!"

「Three months later.」

"Young Mistress, it’s time for your soup."

Lina, the maidservant attending to Rebecca Quentin, carefully carried a bowl of soup into the room. She called out softly to the slender figure leaning by the window.

"Just leave it there. I’ll drink it if I get hungry." Without turning her head, Rebecca Quentin continued to gaze out the window as she replied.

Lina placed the soup aside and whispered a reminder, "I heard the butler say that Master will be here later."

Rebecca Quentin stiffened slightly. She slowly turned around, apparently having changed her mind, and said gently to the maidservant, "Please bring the soup here."

Lina immediately brought the soup to Rebecca Quentin.

Looking at the nutritional soup she had to drink daily, Rebecca Quentin pinched her nose and downed it in one gulp.

Satisfied, Lina took the empty bowl Rebecca Quentin handed her. Just as she turned, she saw Howard Geoffrey enter. She immediately lowered her head and greeted respectfully, "Master."

Howard Geoffrey acknowledged her with a hum, his gaze settling on the slender figure before him.

Rebecca Quentin had also noticed Howard Geoffrey, but she remained silent, merely shifting her gaze elsewhere quite naturally.

Howard Geoffrey walked over to Rebecca Quentin and asked in a light, even tone, "Is your appetite still poor?"

Rebecca Quentin shook her head slightly. "I’ve always eaten quite a lot; I just don’t seem to gain weight easily."

She was over four months pregnant, yet her weight hadn’t increased much since the beginning of her pregnancy. It was indeed a little worrying...

Without further discussion on the topic, Howard Geoffrey turned. "Let’s go."

"Where to?"

"The hospital."

Even Rebecca Quentin had forgotten that today was her prenatal check-up. No wonder Howard Geoffrey had returned today.

During these three months, Howard Geoffrey hadn’t spent much time at the Geoffrey estate. He typically only appeared two or three times a month, but he never failed to accompany her to her prenatal check-ups.

As with the previous appointments, the doctor confirmed after the examination that the baby was developing normally. Although Rebecca was on the thin side, her constitution was very conducive to pregnancy; the baby was absorbing nutrients well and met all developmental markers for a fetus over four months.

Howard Geoffrey left after the examination, and Rebecca, as on previous occasions, waited for the Geoffrey family’s driver to pick her up.

Since the wait was a little tedious, she took out the color ultrasound image of the fetus that the doctor had shown them earlier that day.

It was an image showing the profile of the baby’s face. The facial features were faintly discernible, especially the high bridge of the nose, which was identical to his father’s...

She mused that, whether it was a boy or a girl, the child would undoubtedly take after him more...

"Darling!"

A surprised cry suddenly reached Rebecca Quentin’s ears, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up to see her friend, Isabella Joanna, excitedly grasping her hands.

"I’ve invited you out so many times, but you always said no! It’s wonderful to bump into you here today!" Isabella Joanna’s voice was filled with unconcealed joy.

Facing her friend, Rebecca Quentin managed a smile and explained, "My belly is getting bigger, so it’s not very convenient for me to go out."

Isabella Joanna pouted. "Alright, alright, I know your man dotes on you like crazy now. He probably worries if you even take a step outside with that belly. Even though his fussing has kept us apart for over three months, I’m still so happy he’s treating you this well. Darling, I truly hope you and he will stay happy like this forever!"

After Isabella Joanna left, the driver opened the car door and said respectfully, "Young Mistress, please get in."

Rebecca Quentin nodded lightly. As if reluctant to see Isabella Joanna’s figure disappear, she watched for a few more seconds before finally retracting her gaze and stepping into the car.