3. You Can't Hide It From Me

Geneva didn't try to say anything to Archer. She wanted to keep her unwanted pregnancy a secret. It wasn't until their main meal was over and dessert arrived that something Geneva shouldn't have done came to her, leaving the two men at the table confused.

“Oh, the smell makes me so nauseous!” Geneva said spontaneously.

Andreas immediately reached for the dessert and inhaled its aroma. “It smells delicious. There's nothing wrong with this food.”

Geneva couldn't help but cover her nose and mouth, then immediately ran to the bathroom to vomit the contents of her stomach.

Geneva never imagined that this pregnancy would make her so overwhelmed. Before, she'd never had a problem with the smell of food. But why was it that now, inhaling the sweet, appetizing aroma of food was making her nauseous?

“Eva? Are you okay?”

Geneva couldn't answer because she was still busy throwing up her food. Andreas seemed panicked, making the sound of the bathroom door slamming loudly in Geneva's ears. In this situation, nothing seemed to improve Geneva. She suddenly couldn't control herself. This nausea wasn't like her own. Only when she touched her own belly did she realize that this might be part of the baby's ploy to show off to its father. Although it didn't make sense, Geneva knew that babies were magical creatures.

Geneva stared at the mirror, which clearly showed her haggard face, battered from her father's beatings. “Look at how messed up you are, Geneva,” she muttered to herself.

Her entire body felt weak. She had just finished eating and ended up throwing it up, unable to support her own weight. Where was her ability to walk? Suddenly, Geneva felt extremely weak, and she couldn't stop her eyes from slowly closing. Geneva was sure she was falling, but she couldn't lift herself. Then, just like that, everything went out, and Geneva fainted.

*** 

“You can go, Archer. No need to wait here, I’ll take care of Geneva.”

Andreas shooed Archer away from the hospital waiting room, while Archer crossed his arms arrogantly. Andreas didn't know why Archer was still there, even when Archer wasn't interested in learning about Geneva's life.

“What's the result? What's wrong with your employee?”

“Just fatigue. It must also be the effects of her abuser father. Never mind, it won't affect your life or your brother's. Go home, Archer.”

Andreas raised his eyebrows as Archer continued to stare at him as if he couldn't believe what Andreas was saying.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Okay. I'm going.”

Archer wasn't a fool to consider what might have happened. He had already anticipated that his lack of protection that night might lead to further problems. However, what Archer hadn't anticipated was why Geneva hadn't said anything? Four months was a long time. He had been waiting for her to come forward and tell him about her condition, not just remain silent until she ended up in the hospital like this.

Archer took out his phone and called someone to monitor Geneva without being seen. Clearly, he wanted to know how far Geneva would go with this game.

“Are there any places you want to go again, sir?” asked Brian, Archer’s assistant.

“My penthouse.”

“You're not going back to your family's house tonight?”

“No. I want peace.”

Brian nodded at Archer's command, taking his boss back to Archer's private residence instead of the Hill family home. The family home may have looked peaceful, but Archer found no sense of home there. With his brother undoubtedly there, Archer's mood would be ruined by Noel's presence.

What's even more nerve-wracking for Archer right now is if his guess about Geneva being pregnant is correct. His family will find out, to the point where he never believed it was possible. Letting Geneva manage her pregnancy on her own isn't a problem for Archer, but if his child is born in a situation where he can't protect it from his own family, that's where things will get really messy.

"I don't want to interfere in your affairs, sir. But wouldn't it be better if you didn't interfere too much with Andreas's employees?"

“She slept with me because of Noel, Brian.”

"That doesn't mean you need to deal with that woman anymore, sir. You've already made a deal, so there's no need to worry if she comes and messes things up."

“He won’t mess up, Brian. But I can’t let my son be born into an environment where his grandfather beats his mother every day.”

“Are you sure the child is yours?”

“She was still a virgin when she slept with me, Brian.” Archer massaged his forehead at the thought of this complication.

"What if the woman intends to abort it, sir? Wouldn't that free you from all the chaos?"

"You'd love to see me lose my child, wouldn't you, Brian? Do you think I'm the kind of man who would easily kill my child? If Geneva had the guts to do it, then I'll make sure she can't do something like that. After all, the child is mine!"

Brian glanced through the rearview mirror and saw all of Archer's expressions.

"Sir, have you ever considered how different your personality was before than it is now? Several women came forward claiming to be pregnant with your child, but you always managed to ignore it. But this time, you've had so many people watching over her."

“Brian, you know that I can always prove that all those who come and claim to be pregnant with my child are lying.”

“And does that mean this time you can confirm that this woman named Geneva is not lying?”

“You know my reputation doesn’t play around with who’s honest and who’s not with me, right, Brian?”

Brian smiled slightly before answering. “I understand perfectly, sir.”

“Then stop asking so many questions, just drive in an orderly manner so I can get home quickly and safely.”

*** 

Geneva was grateful that Andreas hadn't said anything that would burden her. All he did was tell her that he already knew the results of Geneva's blood test. It was clear that Andreas knew about her pregnancy. Although she wasn't ready for anyone to know about her pregnancy, Geneva was relieved that Andreas hadn't pressured her at all.

“Andreas, did you tell anyone else about this that you already know?” Geneva asked.

“Someone else? Archer, you mean? Do I need to tell him?”

Geneva immediately shook her head vigorously. “I didn't want anyone else to know about this. But then I ended up in the hospital. You found out about my pregnancy. I have no intention of keeping it, so it's better for me if no one knows.”

Andreas stared intently at Geneva without saying anything. He patted her shoulder before saying that he didn't want to interfere with whatever decision she made regarding her pregnancy.

“I'll go out for a bit, then I'll wait for you here.”

“No, no. I can take care of myself. You can rest at home. Just come back tomorrow when you have time. Don’t make me feel even more uncomfortable by feeling like a burden, Andreas. You’ve already taken responsibility for all the costs at this hospital, and I’m very grateful.”

Andreas couldn't push Geneva any further. She would truly feel overwhelmed by his kindness. 

“Okay. I'll rest at home. I'll come see you tomorrow to take care of everything related to your get rid agenda.”

*** 

Andreas came to the hospital to help Geneva with whatever she wanted to do with her pregnancy. However, what Andreas never expected was Archer, who had already removed Geneva from her ward and then greeted Andreas with a stern expression.

“Where did you take Geneva?! What did you do to her?!”

Andreas moved forward, intending to grab Archer by the collar. However, Brian immediately blocked his way. After all, Archer's face was an asset when meeting various clients.

“Whatever you want to do to Mr. Archer, I will prevent it. Please speak with me in this position, Mr. Andreas.” Brian said firmly.

Andreas was annoyed by Archer's assistant who was starting to meddle, but he chose to ignore it. He was more curious about Geneva's whereabouts.

“Archer! Tell me where Geneva is now?”

“She'll be perfectly safe with me. I'm here waiting for you to tell you to stop obstructing and helping Geneva to kill my child. Her pregnancy has nothing to do with you, so stop doing anything else. From now on, Geneva is under my protection, Andreas.”

“From the beginning you knew Eva, I could already sense that something was wrong. You must have forced her until she got pregnant. You should know, Eva didn't want the pregnancy. She wanted to abort it, that's why she hid it!”

“So what if she wants to abort her pregnancy? I can stop her. I'm the father of the baby she's carrying. I'm the one responsible and have the right. You're nobody in Geneva's life. You shouldn't have gotten involved in Geneva's pregnancy in the first place. But never mind, I'm grateful enough for finding Geneva without having to pay any spies. From now on, don't ever interfere with Geneva's affairs, Andreas.”

Meanwhile, Geneva sat in Archer's car under heavy guard. It wasn't that she couldn't escape, but she was more likely to tire of resisting. Archer himself had already issued a stern warning that getting rid of Geneva's unborn baby would be a bigger problem than living with her abusive father.

Lost in her own thoughts, Geneva didn't even realize that Archer had gotten into the car and sat down with a heavy sigh.

“You managed to ruin my friendship with Andreas,” Archer said irritably.

“Since when are you two friends? You're only from the same college, not close enough to be considered friends,” Geneva chimed in, not expecting Archer's reaction, as he immediately grabbed the woman's chin firmly.

“Stop contradicting me. Whatever I say, you must listen. From now on, you are under my care. Your pregnancy is your sole responsibility. If you disobey me, or if you intentionally harm my child, I will make your life even more miserable!”

Geneva pulled Archer's hand away from her chin and sat further away from him. It was better for Geneva to remain silent and do nothing so she wouldn't have to talk and interact with him. She was fed up with this rich man dominating her life with his endless orders.