CHAPTER 149: CHAPTER 149: INFERTILE

The first snow of this winter fell over City A.

The snowflakes danced in the air, beautiful in their purity, yet chilling in their desolation.

Serena Jennings drove while admiring the snowy scene outside the window, feeling an indescribable chill and loneliness within.

When she arrived at Veridia Villa, Caleb Lockwood happened to be arriving too.

They got out of their cars almost simultaneously and walked toward the villa at the same time.

Neither of them spoke, not even sparing a glance at each other—

They were like strangers.

Inside the villa, Arthur Lockwood and Lilian Young were present.

Seeing that Serena had come with Caleb, Arthur’s face immediately brightened with a smile.

"What brings you both here? Come, quickly, have a seat!"

Serena could tell that Arthur was in a good mood.

Perhaps it was because The Lockwood Group’s stock price had recently skyrocketed, increasing their market value.

At Veridia Villa, new servants had been hired, and one of them served a hot cocoa only to Caleb.

Arthur shot a glance at Lilian.

Lilian pouted, clearly unwilling, but ultimately instructed the servant to also serve Serena a cup of the same hot cocoa.

Serena could see that Lilian wasn’t welcoming her.

Ever since Serena began to discuss divorce with Caleb, Lilian’s impression of her had plummeted.

Now Serena was thriving with her own studio, completely becoming a woman in the spotlight.

Lilian felt that such a woman was unsuitable to be their Lockwood’s daughter-in-law.

The Lockwoods, with their wealth and influence, didn’t care how much money Serena could make by running her own studio.

It was better to stay home, support her husband, teach her children, and manage the household.

Moreover, Serena didn’t even call her and Arthur "mom and dad" anymore.

If not for Arthur’s sake today, she wouldn’t even let Serena in the house.

"Serena, you and Caleb coming together, does it mean you’ve thought over what I mentioned to you last time?"

Arthur Lockwood, being a businessman, was accustomed to negotiating terms for everything.

He went to his study and came out holding a piece of paper.

Serena knew that this paper was the agreement Arthur had given her last time at the Capital Grand Hotel.

"Come on, write whatever terms you want, I’ll keep my word."

Arthur handed the agreement over to Serena.

Serena took it, and then, right in front of Arthur, Lilian, and Caleb, she tore the agreement in half with a rip.

The villa fell silent.

Arthur and Lilian were dumbfounded.

Only Caleb, sitting on the sofa, calmly continued drinking his hot cocoa as if nothing happened.

"Serena, what is the meaning of this! Don’t you dare disrespect me!"

Arthur was angry.

No matter how much he needed Serena’s popularity, he was still an elder, wealthy, and from a prestigious family.

How dare Serena...

Arthur was so angry, his mouth twitched.

Next to him, Lilian planted her hands on her hips, equally furious.

"Who do you think you are? Do you think our family is so desperate for you just because you’re popular and useful now? You think you’re a hot commodity."

Being scolded by Arthur and Lilian, Serena remained composed.

She spoke calmly:

"So today I’m here to tell you, no matter what, I must divorce Caleb... and you’ll surely agree, after all, your family can’t afford to have a daughter-in-law who can’t have children."

"What did you say?!"

Lilian and Arthur were taken aback.

When Caleb heard Serena’s words, his eyes lifted, but his gaze contained no surprise.

Serena’s hands, buried deep in her coat pockets, tightly clenched into fists.

She initially didn’t want to bring this up.

Because it made her seem too pitiful.

But the divorce with Caleb couldn’t be delayed any longer.

If it dragged on, who knew how she might be used next?

So Serena had no choice but to reveal it.

"But... but didn’t you have a pregnancy before?" Lilian glanced at Arthur, both filled with confusion.

Mentioning this, Serena couldn’t help but look at Caleb.

Her eyes were rimmed with red.

Caleb remained expressionless.

But his grip on the cup was tight enough that his nails dug into the flesh of his palm.

"The child was aborted by Caleb himself... he’s the reason my uterus was damaged, making me infertile forever..."

Clang!

The attention of everyone in the villa was drawn to a hard object falling onto the mahogany floor at the door.

"Grandfather!"

Caleb suddenly stood up from the sofa.

Serena never expected Lance Lockwood to come to Veridia Villa.

Least of all, at the exact moment she revealed this.

"Serena... is what you just said true?"

Lance stared wide-eyed, filled with disbelief, his whole body trembling.

"Did Caleb kill your child? He also... also made you unable to..."

Before finishing his sentence, Lance clutched his chest forcefully.

"Grandfather!"

Serena was the first to run over and support the staggering Lance, quickly retrieving nitroglycerin tablets for him to take under his tongue.

Meanwhile, Caleb was already calling 911 for an emergency.

Due to the snow, the ambulance took a while to arrive and took Lance to the Cypress District Branch of 701 Hospital nearby.

Lance’s condition required an emergency coronary bypass surgery, carrying some risk.

Arthur did not favor relying on just any branch hospital’s doctor.

Lance was the patriarch of their family, too important to suffer even the slightest mishap.

"Didn’t Country A recently have a particularly famous cardiologist, what’s his name..."

"Warren Winters."

Serena’s voice echoed through the hospital corridor, emphasizing its somberness.

This was the first time she took the initiative to speak after Lance was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Arthur glared at Serena with growing hatred.

If Serena hadn’t been so talkative, Lance wouldn’t have had a heart attack needing surgery.

"If something happens to the old man..."

He strode over to Serena and raised his hand to slap her.

The slap never came.

Caleb had appeared behind Arthur at some point, holding Arthur’s raised wrist in his hand.

For a moment, Serena and Caleb’s eyes met.

But they quickly looked away.

Caleb’s expression was cold, his gaze even colder.

Caleb let go, and Arthur lowered his arm, as Caleb softly said:

"I’ll contact Warren Winters. The doctor said surgery must be done within 10 hours..."

After speaking, he left to find a quiet place to make a call.

Arthur was pacing anxiously in the hallway.

Lilian was by his side, trying to comfort him.

She wasn’t feigning concern.

She was worried about Lance too.

Because if Lance died, conducting business wouldn’t be the same for the Lockwoods.

In this unfortunate twist of fate, Lilian looked at Serena with even more disdain.

"You’re a heartless ingrate, a harbinger of doom. The old man was so good to you, yet you know how to repay kindness with malice."

Serena didn’t retort.

She wasn’t in the mood now.

Soon, Caleb returned, his expression grim.

"I contacted Warren Winters. He’s currently in Country C and can be here in less than three hours..."

"Then..."

Arthur was full of hope.

"But he’s unwilling to come."

At Caleb’s words, Arthur immediately panicked.

"Offer more money then? Whatever it takes to bring him here, the Lockwoods will pay."

Caleb maintained a stern face, shaking his head.

"Warren doesn’t lack money."

Then he realized Serena was no longer in the hallway.

At some point, Serena had left, and no one knew where she went.

Outside Building 3, in the corner by the wall.

Serena was making a phone call.

The call rang twice with a busy signal before connecting.

Serena spoke:

"Hello? Dr. Winters..."

"Call me cousin."