Vanessa opened her eyes and immediately removed Ryan's hand from her shoulder.
Ryan blinked in surprise as she abruptly pulled away.
"That's enough. Thank you for the massage. I'm feeling a little better now," she said, scooting a short distance away from him on the bed.
Ryan didn't dare push the issue.
He simply sat down on the same bed, leaving plenty of space between them.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Mrs. Johnson," he said apologetically.
"It's okay. Just relax," Vanessa replied, even though she was just as nervous as he was.
"All right, I'll try to relax. So... what do we do now? Should we get straight to the main reason we're here? Try to make a baby?"
Ryan's blunt question sent a shiver down Vanessa's spine.
Not because she was frightened by anything supernatural, but because hearing him say those words out loud made the reality of the situation impossible to ignore.
"Um... I don't really know." She lowered her gaze. "Honestly, I can't feel that way about any man except my husband. So... I'm sorry if I can't picture your face. My husband is the only one who's ever on my mind."
Ryan chuckled softly, understanding exactly how she felt.
"That's all right, Mrs. Johnson. I understand completely. I'll do my best to make sure you're as comfortable as possible. I would never intentionally hurt you.
"I'll follow whatever you prefer. If you want me to take it slow, I can do that. If you'd rather I go at a moderate pace, that's fine too. Whatever makes you feel most comfortable."
Ryan's earnest attempt to reassure her drew a quiet laugh from Vanessa.
The conversation felt so absurd.
Discussing something so personal sounded more like they were arranging a service than talking about something that should have been deeply intimate.
Seeing her smile, Ryan scratched the side of his head, wondering if he had said something strange.
Wasn't this what he had been hired to do?
The least he could do was make the experience as comfortable as possible for Vanessa. If the first attempt didn't result in a pregnancy, they might have to go through it all over again, and he didn't want the experience to leave her traumatized.
"Why are you laughing, ma'am? Did I say something funny?" Ryan asked with a sheepish smile.
Vanessa lifted her head and smiled back, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth.
They were nothing like Ryan's, which had become dull and slightly yellow from years of drinking coffee and smoking.
"My goodness... what on earth are we doing, Ryan?" Vanessa said, shaking her head with a helpless laugh. "This is completely ridiculous, isn't it?"
Ryan laughed along with her.
"I don't know, Mrs. Johnson. I never imagined Mr. Johnson would offer me a job like this. Being asked to father your child is something that's completely forbidden in my eyes. But... I guess we both need something from this. You want a child, and I need money to support my children back home."
His words immediately caught Vanessa's attention.
"Your children live with their grandmother?" she asked.
Ryan nodded quietly.
"I see... Have you ever thought about getting married again? You're still young and strong. I'm sure plenty of women would want to marry you."
Ryan lowered his head and slowly shook it.
"I promised myself I would never marry again. My late wife was the last woman I would ever love. My only focus now is raising my children. That's why I came to Astralea to find work. It just so happened that I met Mr. Johnson while he was being chased by a group of thugs."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"He brought me to your home and trusted me to become the head servant. Honestly, it was a great honor. I never imagined it would eventually lead to something like this... being paid to father his wife's child."
Ryan let out a quiet sigh.
"It goes against everything I believe. But every time my second child begged me to buy them a bicycle, my resolve weakened. In the end, I couldn't refuse Mr. Johnson's offer. I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson."
Hearing his confession, Vanessa couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
"I'm the same way," she admitted softly. "None of this feels real, does it? But my father keeps pressuring us to have a child. If we don't, he'll remove my husband from his position at the company.
"I can't let that happen. I love my husband so much. You understand how I feel, don't you?"
Without realizing it, tears began streaming down her face.
Seeing her cry tugged at Ryan's heart.
Unable to watch her suffer, the broad-shouldered man instinctively moved closer and sat beside her.
"I'm so scared, Ryan," Vanessa sobbed. "I'm afraid of losing everything."
Acting on instinct, Ryan wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace.
For reasons she couldn't explain, Vanessa rested her head against his broad chest.
Somehow, in that moment, she found a sense of calm in the servant's embrace.
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