CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 142: NO KIDS

Child?

Once this thought emerged, it started to grow wildly, even causing the heart to beat faster.

Of course, he knew that the remark about preparing for pregnancy was just something Holly said casually for persuasion, not something to take seriously.

Before getting the marriage certificate, they had already agreed not to have children for the time being.

He even hoped this temporary period could be infinitely extended.

Just thinking about having someone in the future who can justifiably take away half of Holly’s love, half of her time and attention, made an inexplicable jealousy surface in his heart.

Immediately, he pushed this thought to the back of his mind.

He carefully tightened his arms, holding the person in his embrace more closely, wanting to lock this love even deeper.

Sinclair Group.

In the conference room, department heads were sitting upright, prepared to report on the semi-annual performance.

Cole Tanner came in holding a notebook, and finally checked data with a few department assistants. After Assistant Neal from the Marketing Department finished verifying the data, she lingered and didn’t leave immediately.

She touched her already protruding, six-months-pregnant belly, her face uneasy, hesitant to speak.

"Special Assistant Tate..."

"What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the data?"

Assistant Neal leaned a bit closer, lowering her voice with caution, "Special Assistant Tate, do you think President Sinclair has an issue with me?"

Cole Tanner had three black lines above his head.

"Why would you think that?"

"But, didn’t you see in the elevator this morning?"

Cole Tanner recalled.

This morning, when he took the elevator on the first floor with President Sinclair, they happened to see Assistant Neal waiting for the elevator.

It was nearly the start of work hours, and there was a long line in front of the elevator on the first floor. She stood there with her belly protruding, holding a computer.

Originally listening to his report on the day’s work schedule, Blake Sinclair somehow shifted his gaze to Assistant Neal, then uncharacteristically allowed her to join them in the executive elevator.

"This morning, before I left the house, the baby in my belly started fussing again, so I was late to the company. President Sinclair kept frowning at me in the elevator; he wouldn’t think I was late, have a bad impression, and want to fire me, would he?"

Assistant Neal became increasingly worried as she spoke.

Cole Tanner immediately refuted, "Don’t say things like that!"

"Our Sinclair Group is a proper company, a listed one! We have weekends off and triple pay on legal holidays, maternity leave, paternity leave, and breastfeeding leave are all fully paid. We pay six types of insurance and one housing fund at the highest standard amounts, as a legal tax-paying model in the industry, absolutely can’t do something as heinous as firing a pregnant woman!"

Assistant Neal quickly added, "I know, I know, Special Assistant Tate, keep your voice down."

She certainly knew Sinclair Group couldn’t fire a pregnant woman, compared to other companies in the industry, Sinclair’s system was already very humane, but Blake Sinclair’s gaze at that time was really unfathomable.

Before she could think it over, Blake Sinclair entered the conference room, and Assistant Neal hurriedly took her computer back to her seat.

During the half-yearly summary, each department reported in order; typically, the department manager would outline a few key points, and the assistant would supplement.

As the Marketing Department’s supplementary reporter, Assistant Neal felt a familiar intense gaze upon her the moment she stood up with her computer.

Here it comes, here it comes again.

The familiar gaze.

The tightly furrowed brow.

Full of pressure!

She really couldn’t understand what had offended this formidable personage, but upholding her duty to work, she remained remarkably composed, completing her report smoothly.

As she unplugged the projector’s data cable, just about to slip off the stage, Blake Sinclair stopped her.

"Wait."

Assistant Neal’s heart skipped a beat in shock, her face turned pale, "President Sinclair, is there something wrong with the data?"

Beside her, Cole Tanner quickly pulled up the Marketing Department’s data on his tablet and handed it to Blake Sinclair.

But Blake Sinclair didn’t even glance at the tablet, his eyes still fixated on Assistant Neal, "How far along?"

Assistant Neal: "???

The crowd: "????

Cole Tanner: "?????"

President Sinclair, this is in the company meeting room! She’s already married and pregnant, isn’t this a bit presumptuous!

Seeing Assistant Neal’s pale face, Cole Tanner worried she might accidentally go into labor on the stage.

Just as he was about to muster his courage to smooth things over, Blake Sinclair seemed to realize the ambiguity, adding a sentence: "The baby, how far along? How many months?"

Everyone present silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Oh, he was asking about the baby.

Assistant Neal finally regained her composure, stammering a bit, "Um... six... six months."

Blake Sinclair continued to inquire, "Does the pregnancy greatly affect your work? Is the current workload manageable?"

Assistant Neal really wished she could slap her own mouth right there, most afraid of a leader’s sudden concern.

She immediately pledged, "President Sinclair, rest assured, being pregnant absolutely will not affect my work efficiency. I can fully keep up with the team’s progress, and I’ll never refuse necessary overtime, nor will I drag down the department."

Upon hearing her words, Blake Sinclair furrowed his brow even deeper, his gaze resting on her protruding belly.

He was silent for a few seconds before he calmly said, "Alright, well concluded, next."

Hearing his words, Assistant Neal felt a great relief, almost floating off the stage.

That afternoon, all Sinclair Group employees received an email directly from the President’s office.

The content could be called a maternity welfare package.

To summarize, the company cafeteria will set up a dedicated maternity window with a nutritionist;

A special elevator reserved for the president will be reassigned for pregnant employees;

Maternity leave extended from the statutory 208 days to 365 days, with full social security contributions covered by the company during this period;

Additionally, a smoking ban throughout the company, including restrooms, with the top-floor terrace designated as the smoking area.

The email sent out, everyone celebrated.

Pregnant employees thanked Blake Sinclair for his humane approach, while others were grateful finally to part from secondhand smoke.

Assistant Neal glanced at the email, then down at her own belly, smiling contentedly.

Since then, Sinclair Group, with this employee benefit, quickly became the company every job seeker aspired to join.

The President’s Office.

Cole Tanner respectfully reported, "President Sinclair, as you instructed, the email has been sent to all employees."

Blake Sinclair nodded, but his gaze remained on the pregnancy considerations displayed on the computer screen.

Seeing no further instructions, Cole Tanner quietly withdrew.

Outside, the secretarial department was enthusiastically discussing the new policy, eager to pick up any gossip as he emerged.

In truth, Cole Tanner was still perplexed.

Right after the meeting concluded, President Sinclair had him draft that email.

But now, a sudden realization struck him, a bold guess formed regarding the repeated mentions of pregnancy in the email.

Could it be that the Sinclair Group was about to have a little successor?

Inside the office, Blake Sinclair browsed through the webpage content one by one.

From painful menstruation hindering conception to prenatal nutrition supplements, early pregnancy reactions, to infant formula feeding practices, whether an 18-month-old should attend daycare, how to alleviate children’s separation anxiety at kindergarten....

His thoughts uncontrollably drifted away.

The outline of Assistant Neal’s pregnant belly from the morning meeting slowly transformed into Holly Crowe’s image in his mind.

She was dressed in loose home wear, gently stroking her rounded belly...

His imagination spread boundlessly.

What would a small life bearing both his and Holly’s lineage look like?

Would they resemble the father a bit more or the mother?

These imaginings carried an irresistibly magical allure, deeper and deeper he fell.

But the next second, Blake Sinclair forcibly interrupted the fantasy.

Coming back to reality, he immediately closed the webpage.

It was merely out of humanitarian concern for employees, casually browsing, nothing more.

Evening.

The Grandflora Gardens.

The air was filled with a moist fragrance.

Blake Sinclair, fresh from a shower, saw Holly Crowe, having just finished her skincare routine with a face mask on, lazily reclining on the living room sofa, scrolling through her phone.

Her menstrual period was approaching, recalling the day’s scientific info, suggesting that those with a "cold palace" constitution would face more hardship throughout pregnancy.

He silently raised the air conditioning by two degrees.

Brought a tablet from the study, and sat down beside her.

Holly looked over as he approached, naturally leaning towards him, finding a comfortable position in his arms, continuing to watch short videos shared by Laurel Sinclair, idly adding a "spark."

Originally immersed in the world of short videos, she couldn’t ignore the intense gaze above her.

Her scrolling slowed down, unable to resist, she unexpectedly looked up, meeting Blake Sinclair’s eyes.

Following his gaze, she found him staring intently at her belly.

From the moment Holly leaned in, Blake Sinclair’s attention was entirely drawn to the person in his arms.

Instinctively, his eyes fell on her flat abdomen, a complex, hard-to-read expression in his gaze.

Upon realizing he’d been caught, he didn’t panic, just slowly shifted his gaze back to the tablet in his hands, as though his distraction was unintentional.

Holly quickly sat up straight, her eyes narrowing suspiciously behind the face mask.

She touched her own belly, "You’re acting very strange today, fess up, why do you keep staring at my belly?"