Chapter 5

The D-lister was so shocked that she immediately backed away. "Don't be angry, Mr. Florentine. I'll get out of your hair now."

The celebrity left, along with the other women in the room. Only Hades and his friends were left.

Yves suddenly regretted letting his joke get out of hand. But it wasn't like he'd never cracked such jokes in the past. It was just that Alanna used to behave like a scared little lamb. She would have never dared to say what she just said, let alone leave them hanging like this.

That day, however …

"Hades, should we ask Ms. Jacinto to come back and explain that it was just a joke? Ms. Jacinto is a very capable worker. She probably didn't mean to leave. Maybe she's just tired, and that's why she's a little grumpy today."

Hades' cold smile returned. He said, "I don't need her to be a manager at my company. Mr. Abbott can have her if he wants to."

Terrence just chuckled sheepishly. He suddenly didn't know how to respond to Hades' words.

If he still couldn't tell that there had been something between Hades and Alanna by now, he would have to be dumber than a sack of rocks.

"I was just joking, Mr. Florentine. Who would dare to snatch someone from under your nose?"

Terrence's words didn't manage to soothe Hades. Instead, it made him even angrier.

What he said was right. Nobody would dare to snatch someone from under his nose. But it was obvious that the certain someone no longer wanted to stay with him anymore.

…

Alanna exited the bar and took a cab home to her parents' house.

Ever since Tara had been admitted to the hospital three years ago, Alanna had seldom returned to this home.

Her stepfather, Garrett Jacinto, had always had a bad temper. He also had a drinking problem and would often beat Alanna and Tara up.

Alanna had asked Tara to divorce him many times. But Tara just didn't have the heart to do it.

It wasn't until three years ago, when Tara went to pick up a drunk and raging Garrett from the bar, that they got into a huge fight that ended with him pushing Tara out of the car.

Since then, Garrett had only become worse. He wouldn't go home for days, and when he did, he would be dead-ass drunk.

Alanna initially thought that he wouldn't come home today. But she didn't expect that he'd be home and bring a woman back with him as well.

She stood at the door, listening to Garrett's and the woman's voices from inside the house. Her hands froze when she went to unlock the door.

All of a sudden, she felt a huge urge to throw up. She hurriedly suppressed the nausea and rushed down the stairs. It wasn't until she was back on the ground again that the nausea went away.

Alanna hurried out of the neighborhood and went to a hotel nearby instead.

After taking a shower, she took out her phone and sent a text message to her best friend, Chelsey Soltz.

"Are you working tomorrow? Can you arrange a checkup for me?"

Chelsey replied to her message at once. "Are you feeling ill?"

Alanna hesitated for a moment before replying. "I think I'm pregnant."

Chelsey called her the next instant. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Alanna Jacinto! What's up with you? Did you get yourself a new boyfriend?"

Alanna looked up at the ceiling and hesitated again. "No."

"No? Then how did you get pregnant? Don't tell me you got it from a one-night stand! Ally, you've changed! You're not the good girl I used to know anymore!" Chelsey fake-sobbed.

Alanna smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, stop acting like that. Can you arrange a checkup for me?"

"No, wait, you haven't told me about your situation."

After thinking for a while, Alanna finally replied, "He's a longtime fuck buddy of mine."

"Does he know you're pregnant?"

"I'm not planning to tell him."

"Alanna, don't be silly! You don't have to shoulder everything by yourself! Getting pregnant is a huge thing. Since that man put a baby in you, he should be held responsible for this incident!"

Alanna fell silent once more. "I'm planning to end things with him."

Chelsey got mad when she heard that. She finally couldn't hold it in and cursed, "Fucking bastard! I hope his dick falls off!"