CHAPTER 132: THE BASTARD APPEARED

Hilla shrank and burrowed her face into Bruce’s chest, complaining in a low voice, "What are you doing? It’s cold!"

Bruce tightened his arms around her, pulled the blanket over to wrap her up, and brought the milk to her mouth, "Drink it."

Hilla frowned, feeling reluctant, but she still drank it up.

"Say, am I a good child?"

Hilla looked at Bruce with puppy eyes, and clutched on his shirt with her delicate hands, fishing for his praise.

This sent Bruce’s pulse racing. His Adam’s apple moved with a swallowing motion. He said in a deep magnetic voice, "Good girl."

Bruce held her so tightly that it made her hurt. Hilla frowned with discontent, "You are not sincere. Why had you been out till so late tonight? Are you meeting another girl behind my back?"

Bruce thought to himself, "Maybe her ancestors were real fortune tellers, but pitifully Hilla had not inherited the ability."

"For business. Are you interested?"

"No, I have already left the office. I want to hear nothing of business and office politics. That’s boring."

She had not expected that working in the Anderson Group would be so complicated, and even big enterprises had their own difficulties. As an assistant, she already found the work overwhelming, not to mention those who directly make a decision for the company’s development.

"Why not? You are now the hostess of the Anderson Group. You will have to help me with the business someday in the future."

"No. I have you and that’s enough."

Hilla said proudly, raising up her youthful, vigorous face.

Although she still looked a little pale, she was in good spirits. Hilla had an advantage in that she understood human nature but kept being big-hearted.

After her family went bankrupt, she soon adapted to and was content with the life in the Anderson family, even though she knew that everyone in the Anderson family treated her well with their own purpose rather than selfless love.

She was actually grateful for their help and still willing to stay here. This was enough for Bruce.

"I’m yours."

"Bruce, considering your age, you are not bad in sweet talking."

Hilla smiled with a blush.

But Bruce caught the word ’age ’. He frowned with displeasure, "Am I really that old?"

"Not at all. Actually, I think you are in your golden age. It’s just that I had never thought that I would marry a man ten years older than me."

She was still at an age longing for dramatic romance in a fabulous setting, in which the heroine and hero would fall for each other regardless of the objections from families and friends.

However, she had lost her family long ago and had few friends. There was no one who cared about her and would worry if she fell for an undeserved man.

Now that she thought about it, although she was voluntary to marry Bruce, she had more or less complaint about it.

To bury her youth for a man who had turned into a vegetable, and might never wake up again, was not a cheerful thought.

Taking care of such a patient was extremely difficult. To make it worse, Orlenna required that she should do everything by herself. She had doubted whether she could make through such a dim prospect.

Fortunately, Bruce had not made her wait too long. In the meanwhile, she cared more and more about this good-looking man.

"Am I ten years older than you? It should be less than that."

Bruce calculated the time carefully, while Hilla pouted, "It’s only a few months away. There is not much difference. However, I do not mind it now."

"Why?"

What had changed her opinion? He should work in that direction.

Hilla thought for a moment and laughed, "Because sometimes you are not at all smarter than me. You are no more capable of surviving in the wild than me. Not to mention fighting. In the future, if we travel out, I will have to take care of you."

If Bruce got beaten up, she would roll up her sleeves and take revenge for him. After all, bullying ’older’ was not in line with our moral values.

Bruce felt he had not been praised, but been ridiculed.

"Does it still hurt?"

Bruce gently placed his warm palm on Hilla’s belly.

Hilla shook her head at first but then nodded. "It hurts. But now you are massaging, and I feel better."

"After the shower, I’ll massage you... for the whole night."

Well... Was he just flirting with her?

Hilla buried her face into the quilt with shyness, while Bruce put her back on the bed, and turned into the bathroom.

Looking at his back, Hilla couldn’t help but tremble with laughter under the quilt.

Oh, how blushful she was at this moment.

Early the next morning, Halle packed up her luggage and planned to drive back to the countryside after doing a check-up in the hospital.

Hilla woke up in the morning exhaustedly, only to find all the bags and packages littered on the table and the ground.

"Why are you in such a hurry? What if the prenatal examination doesn’t pass?"

Halle smiled at her reluctant face, "It’s just a physical examination, not a product testing. How could it pass or not? I’ll take a good rest. Don’t worry. Margaret will help me when I get to the hospital."

"Can that be called a hospital? There are less than ten doctors in total. You can’t give birth there. It’s unsafe."

Halle nodded. "Okay, okay. I will trouble you again before the due date."

"I don’t mind."

Hilla was still unhappy. She was reluctant to have Halle living in the countryside by herself, but Halle insisted.

Margaret was scrolling through the news feeds when an ’unremarkable’ title attracted her attention.

After opening it and taking a look, she instantly approached Hilla, "Hilla, look her, the Palmore Group and the Cornel Group have been acquired by our family."

She thought that Bruce should have forgotten about the episode of Hilla being bullied.

Unexpectedly, he took revenge in business.

Bruce being Bruce, he could make a perfect predator. Her decision was right to keep an eye on Hilla and reported to Bruce whenever Hilla was in a trouble. She would be his brother’s informant.

Hilla was also shocked at the news, but she soon calmed down.

Things like bankruptcies and acquisitions did happen from time to time. It was not necessary that Bruce was doing this for her. Maybe it was just business?

...

Margaret read the news and exclaimed, "Bruce, cool!

"He must do that for you. Taking two companies in one go. What a nice thing to be rich!"

Hilla looked at Margaret who was blatantly praising herself and sighed in her heart. "Everyone knows that you are rich. Are you sure you want to say it out like this?" She felt like she had married to a nouveau riche.

Halle was amused. Looking at Hilla’s dissatisfied face, her smile got even wider. She found it interesting to be with this family.

"It’s almost the time to see the doctor. Let’s go."

Halle went to take her bag, but Hilla was one step ahead and took it up for her. Halle as a pregnant woman was not supposed to do any labor. So, she just followed Hilla out the door.

Behind them, Margaret was still staring at the screen and muttering, "Look at Bruce’s back, his tall figure, his perfectly out-lined features. He is the Prince Charming who walks out of the fairyland. Being his woman is such bliss. Hilla, don’t you think so... Where are you?"

In the hospital’s obstetrics department.

Margaret stayed in the car looking at the photos of her brother and refused to get off.

Hilla accompanied Halle to do the standard prenatal examination. Seeing that many people were lining up in the hall on the first floor, she asked Halle to sit in the corridor.

"Halle, I’m going to get the medicine."

Halle nodded. Since she got pregnant, she was easy to get tired. She had taken only a few steps, and then felt that her body was getting heavier and had to take a rest.

"There are too many people here today. Be patient and take care. Don’t bump into others."

Hilla nodded and went straight into the elevator. Halle leaned on the chair. Looking at her bulging belly, she revealed a gentle smile.

Recently, she felt the fetal movements more and more often. This quite encouraged her. She had great hope for the future.

She was looking forward to meeting her baby, who would be the apple of her eyes, and depend on her with an innocent smile.

"Halle, you are here."

A familiar voice came from above, interrupting Halle’s train of thought. Her smile

froze. She looked up and saw Titus’s handsome face with a slightly surprised expression.

"Halle, have you married again?"

Titus’s gaze fell on Halle’s baby bump, and he stumbled as if he had been struck by lightning.

He clenched the test report in his hand and quickly pocketed it.

"I didn’t expect such a coincidence. Nice to meet you again."

Halle pursed her lips and stood up from the chair with some difficulty.

River City was too small. She had deliberately avoided him. But they still met.

Titus was a bit awkward. He tried to force a smile but it only made him look ridiculous. He was not as cold as before. Now he seemed to be more distressed.

"What a coincidence. I didn’t expect to meet you here."

In the blink of an eye, they had been divorced for half a year. Now they met at the entrance of the obstetrics department for the first time after their divorce. During the five years of their marriage, she had been bullied by the Tysons for failing to get pregnant. Now... It was too ridiculous.

Titus knew that it was his fault. He should be blamed for Halle’s tragedy and grievance.

Facing this woman, his feelings were beyond the description of any language. Now, he was even more regretful, frustrated, and angry.

But no matter how he felt, he could not show it now.

"Where is your husband? Didn’t he come with you?"

Being asked this question by her ex-husband, Halle felt embarrassed, a little guilty, and flustered at the same time.

However, she couldn’t hide and didn’t want to hide it. She smiled and said, "I am single."

Titus was stunned for a moment, then apologized, "I am sorry, your boyfriend..."

"I don’t have a boyfriend, either. This child does not have a father."

She did not want to cause any misunderstandings. Especially that she probably would never meet him again.

Titus was stunned. He knew that Halle was not an easy girl. If she was... during those years, she had many opportunities to cheat on him.

But she didn’t. In the end, it was he who proposed the divorce.

"Halle, what’s wrong? Is there any difficulty or... Although I know that it might not be appropriate for me to say this if that man did something..."

Titus wanted to express his feelings, but Halle suddenly cut in loudly, "This child is yours. It’s our child. I did have a one-night stand. But I have no feelings for that man. I have long forgotten what he looks like. The child is yours."

Titus was dumbfounded. What was Halle saying? He didn’t understand any of her words.

Not far away, Horton halted. He had rushed here after hearing the news.

Under the glasses, there was a flash of coldness and disappointment in his eyes.

He must have lost his mind so that he would rush here to see her and try to keep her here after hearing that she was about to return to the countryside.

But her words made him feel like a fool.

He turned around and left without hesitation.

Only when Horton disappeared did Halle let out a sigh of relief. She turned to Titus, who was still stunned, and said, "I’m sorry. That’s a friend of mine. I don’t want him to know that this child doesn’t have a father. So, I said that to you. I’m sorry, but he doesn’t know you, and he won’t disturb your life."

Halle’s words woke Titus up from his thoughts. He shook his head slightly, "I am okay with that."

He was more than okay. Titus thought, "Why was there a trace of joy in my heart when I heard Halle say that the child was mine?" He knew that it was impossible. They had not even made any physical contact, how could they have a child?

Though he knew that it was not true, it still threw his heartbeat out of rhythm.

He looked at Halle with mixed feelings. In Halle’s eyes, there was no longer any affection for him, not to mention love.

Hilla took the medicine and saw Halle right out of the elevator. Before she could show her surprise, Halle pulled her back and went down to the underground garage.

Hilla hadn’t come to her senses yet, and couldn’t help but ask, "Halle, what’s wrong?"

Halle looked calm. She smiled, "Nothing. I just met my ex-husband and the father of the baby, both of whom I don’t want to see again."

Hilla stole a glanced at Halle’s belly and frowned. She thought to herself, "The bastard who had dumped Halle finally shows up?"