"Aspen is pregnant, she's not working, and neither is Jeffrey. I don’t know what to do; everything’s gone. Please, sir, at least let Jeffrey work again,” Francesca pleaded.
“I can’t bring Jeffrey back to work at Texco because your daughter already caused trouble there. Besides, Texco belongs to Hannah, not me,” Alden said.
Francesca knelt. “I will do anything. But please, forgive me and my daughter. I will crawl and beg Hannah for forgiveness if she demands it. But don’t torment us like this.”
“Torment? We haven’t done anything to you.”
Francesca’s sobbing grew louder. Alden exhaled deeply.
“Please, don’t do this, Mrs. Sears,” Alden said.
“Please, I’ll keep kneeling…” Francesca trembled. “I don’t know who else to ask for help. Only you and Hannah can help. Please, Mr. Alden.”
“Stand up, Mrs.
Sarah stared intently at Alden, feeling a deep sadness at seeing the man she loved looking so lost. They had sat across from each other in a cafe for over fifteen minutes, but Alden remained silent. He sipped his coffee and then drifted into his thoughts, staring out the window."Alden, what were you thinking about?" Sarah asked, breaking the silence between them."I'm not sure it's wise to talk about it with you." Alden looked at Sarah. "You have enough on your plate as it is.""Whatever I can do for you, I'll never feel burdened."Alden lowered his head slightly and let out a weary sigh that only made Sarah more anxious."Don't you trust me? Can't you at least share a little?" Sarah pressed."It's about Hannah."Sarah's mind immediately flashed back to the incident at the hospital when she had switched her urine sample with Hannah's. Could Hannah have received some devastating news? And did Alden know? Sarah wondered silently.
Alden sat in his study, thinking about Hannah's words a few days ago. Hannah had seemed emotional when she mentioned the subject of death, which made Alden suspicious. What exactly was on Hannah's mind?Although Hannah had calmed down considerably, Alden could still see a sadness in her eyes that she didn't express outwardly. It worried Alden; he knew he had to find out what had deeply hurt Hannah.A knock on the study door interrupted his thoughts, and Edward entered, nodding respectfully to Alden."Sir, I've brought the information you requested," Edward said with a smile, "for your vacation with Mrs. Hannah."Edward placed the printouts of the fantastic places Alden had requested as vacation references. Alden had planned to take Hannah on a trip, even though he knew she would probably refuse."Edward, have you noticed anything unusual about Hannah's behavior lately?" Alden asked suddenly."I beg your pardon, sir?""Hannah has been
Hannah returned home feeling tired, even ignoring Edward's greeting. The butler immediately noticed Hannah's unusual behavior, but he didn't dare say a word.Once in her room, Hannah lay down and began to sob. She let all her emotions out, and after she calmed down, she took a shower. She skipped dinner and instead sat on her bed, staring blankly while holding her phone.She didn't want to search for articles about deadly diseases. Her mind was already too overwhelmed with worry.A message appeared on Hannah's phone. When she read it, it was from Susan, but Hannah didn't feel like answering. She sighed quietly and resumed her brooding.Soon after, Susan called Hannah. Reluctantly, she answered."Hello?" Hannah greeted, her voice tired."Hannah? Are you okay? You sound strange. Are you sick?"Hannah sighed. "I'm just exhausted, Susan.""How did it go at the hospital earlier? Any good news?""I'm not pregnant, Susan."
Hannah sat waiting for the lab results to come back before the doctor called her back in. Her phone rang, and she looked down at the screen in her hand. It was Francesca calling."Hello, Hannah? How did it go?""I'm still waiting for the lab results.""Do you want me to come over and keep you company? Who are you with?"Hannah swallowed. "I'm alone.""Isn't Mr. Alden with you?"Hannah didn't want Alden to know she was at the hospital getting checked out. She wanted it to be a surprise if she was indeed pregnant."I'll keep it a secret for now," Hannah said. "Can you promise not to tell Alden?""Of course. I called you yesterday because Aspen asked if you were going to the hospital," Francesca babbled. "But she got furious after I called you.""Aspen?"How strange, Hannah thought. Why would Aspen be so worried?"Maybe Aspen heard about it from Jeffrey. Did you mention it to Jeffrey?" Francesca asked.
Francesca sighed softly as she was on the phone, her expression showing worry. Watching from the kitchen, Aspen felt annoyed by her mother’s behavior. The young woman muttered quietly to herself, making sure Francesca couldn’t hear.“She’d be nice to me, too, if I had money,” Aspen grumbled.Francesca’s voice caught Aspen’s attention, and she fell silent.“Oh my, Hannah... I didn’t realize you were working so hard. I think it’s just stress, but you might be pregnant.” Francesca laughed after that. “I’d be so happy if you really were pregnant.”Aspen rolled her eyes. Disgusting, she thought to herself.“When are you going to the hospital for a check-up?” There was a brief pause before Francesca spoke again. “Oh, tomorrow? Do you want me to take you? Which hospital?”Francesca got up and started looking for a notebook and pen. She wrote
"Alden!"Sarah's call from behind made Alden stop. A smile spread across her face as he turned. She jogged quickly to catch up with him."You didn't answer my question earlier. Are we having dinner?" Sarah asked."Tonight? I can't, Sarah." Alden sighed.Sarah was immediately disappointed. Earlier in the office, Alden had accepted her invitation to dinner. She hadn't specified that it would be that night, but Alden usually didn't refuse.Now, suddenly, Alden was casually turning her down."Hannah's not feeling well and I have to pick her up."Sarah was taken aback and swallowed her annoyance."What's wrong with Hannah?" Sarah asked."I don't know. But she's been acting different lately." Alden smiled. "I think she might be pregnant. But we haven't confirmed it yet.""Pregnant?"Sarah's world seemed to collapse. This couldn't be happening! She clenched her fists, but a smile still spread across her lips.