Chapter 4

I could no longer listen to the doctor's words. I grabbed the incubator and threw it hard on the ground. "I said, I refuse to have children this way."

I pulled off the expensive diamond necklace around my neck and handed it to the doctor. "How much did Andre pay you? I'll pay ten times as much as he did. You can't tell him a single word about what just happened."

The doctor wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and replied, "But—"

I calmly interrupted, "No buts."

I made up my mind to leave Andre. There was no way I would bear him a child. I wanted to say goodbye to everything related to him.

...

After the doctor left, I forced myself out of bed and started packing.

The air here was thick with Andre's presence. It was suffocating.

I dragged my suitcase out the door and immediately drove toward the private racetrack by the sea. All because I loved racing, my adoptive mother, Chiara Lombardi, spent a fortune converting this abandoned mountain forest into a racetrack as a wedding gift for me.

She said she wanted it to be a quiet place for me to heal when I was feeling down.

As soon as I reached the entrance, I saw the familiar black sports car; it was Andre's custom model.

Beside the car stood his core subordinates. These men had changed out of their dark mafia uniforms and were wearing expensive custom suits, but they still sported the black lapel pins that symbolized their status.

It was a typical mafia gathering.

The car door opened, and Andre got out first. Then, he carefully bent over and lifted Maya out. He was gentler than I had ever seen him before.

Maya wrapped her arms around his neck, shyly saying, "Andre, put me down. Everyone's watching."

Andre did not stop. He just carried her through the crowd amidst their whistling. "Let them watch."

Only after entering the racetrack did he gently put Maya down.

As soon as Maya steadied herself, she looked up and saw me not far away. Her expression stiffened. "Danielle, what are you doing here?"

Andre finally shifted his gaze from Maya. He glanced at me and frowned. The doctor had told him I was not feeling well after the egg retrieval, so he was confused why I was running around like this.

An inexplicable irritation welled up inside Andre. "Danielle, who asked you to come?"

I remained calm. "I'm here to race…"

"Danielle, you're not trying to say you're here to race, are you?"

The subordinates standing beside Andre immediately interrupted me and laughed mockingly.

"You? Race cars? Even a simple corner overtake would probably make you scream! I bet you know Andre's here, so you're just making excuses to cling to him!"

"It's okay if you don't know how to race cars. I'll teach you personally. Saves you the trouble of covering up your lie."

"Tsk, just don't mistake the accelerator for the brake!"

Their gazes lingered brazenly on me.

Although they all knew I was adopted by a couple from Itol at a young age, they had no idea my adoptive parents were related to Pirate Group. They just thought I was some unsophisticated country bumpkin and never really respected me.

Andre's hands clenched involuntarily while his eyes were icy.

Maya spoke up at the right moment. "You're not allowed to talk about my sister like that."

She seemed to be speaking up for me, but her actions just made her friends chime in sarcastically.

"Maya, you can't blame others for being so blunt. It's your sister's fault for having such a vixen-like figure! Those big breasts must be implants!"

"Yeah, you're both daughters of the Lawson family, but why does she look so... unrefined?"

When I was found, my biological father had already groomed Maya as the heiress. He publicly declared that we were both daughters of the Lawson family. It was only due to a hospital error that they lost me. Therefore, everyone assumed Maya and I were sisters.

Maya glanced at me nervously, afraid I would reveal the truth in public. However, I just gave them a blank look and turned around to walk toward the racetrack's preparation area.

Maya breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said to Andre, "Andre, don't be mad at Danielle. The race is about to start. I heard the prize is the Heart of the Ocean necklace. Legend says that if you give this necklace to your loved one, you'll be together forever."

Andre nodded and led the crowd away.

I walked alone into the racing preparation area and took out my usual helmet and gloves from the locker.

I had no intention of participating in the race. I just wanted to run a few laps on the private track.

When I stepped out of the preparation area, Andre's race had already been going on for a long time.

Just as I was about to start my car, a sharp, piercing gunshot rang out, followed by an announcement that the race was over.

I glanced up at the track and saw the crowd scattering. Only Maya and the others remained in the stands, their expressions grave and anxious. Andre was nowhere to be seen.

A bad feeling washed over me.

I hurried over and asked with a frown, "What's wrong?"

Maya broke down in tears. "Danielle, Andre is missing!"