Chapter 5

"This is no way to handle things. You're making the Moretti Family look bad!"

The moment Sherry heard the voice, she flinched so hard the apple dropped from her hand.

It was Quill's mother, Camilla Moretti.

Camilla crossed the room toward me with exaggerated elegance.

"It's been a while, Claire."

As she drew close, she looked down at me with her trademark arrogance.

"Five months apart, and you still haven't improved one bit.

"Still deluding yourself that a baby will make you the lady of the Moretti Family!"

Like mother, like son.

Now I knew where Quill got his stupidity and arrogance.

Sherry rushed over to Camilla, her expression anxious.

"Mother, don't waste your breath on this shameless woman! Just let Raul put a bullet in her!"

With that, she shot Raul a look.

Raul understood and moved to pull the trigger.

Camilla stepped forward and stopped him with a sharp command.

"When are you going to fix that impulsive temper of yours?!"

Her eyes were full of calculation.

"Actually, before I came here, Consigliere Luca came to see me. He gave me a very clever plan."

At the mention of Luca, Raul immediately holstered his pistol, his eyes shining with reverence.

"That's wonderful! Consigliere Luca always puts the Moretti Family's welfare first!"

Camilla dismissed Raul, and he obediently nodded and left.

Then Sherry approached Camilla cautiously, her tone syrupy sweet.

"Dearest Mother, what is Consigliere Luca's plan? Could you share it with me?

"I'm happy to help you carry it out."

Camilla smiled with satisfaction and gave Sherry an approving tap under the chin.

"That mouth of yours is as sweet as honey!"

Sherry beamed. "All thanks to your excellent guidance, Mother!"

After affectionately stroking Sherry's head, Camilla turned a look of pure disgust on me.

"Claire, if you had even a fraction of Sherry's refinement, I wouldn't despise you so much!

"It's a pity you're not even fit to polish Sherry's shoes!"

I laughed coldly.

"I never wanted your approval.

"I'm perfectly happy with who I am. I couldn't care less about living by someone else's judgment."

Camilla's chest heaved with rage, one finger jabbing toward me. "You!"

But she quickly steadied herself.

The corner of her mouth curled into a sinister smile, and she leaned close to Sherry's ear, whispering a plot.

Minutes later, Sherry threw her arms around Camilla.

"Oh, this plan is absolutely brilliant!"

The smile spreading across Camilla's face held a bone-chilling menace beneath it.

Then Sherry walked over to me and helped me up from the ground with both hands.

"Claire, what Raul did just now was wrong.

"He was far too reckless!"

She flashed me an exaggerated, wide grin, her voice so saccharine it made my stomach turn.

"Tomorrow morning, Mother, Quill, and I will take you to St. Raphael Medical Center together.

"We'll all be there to witness the test results.

"As long as the test shows the baby isn't Quill's, we'll let you go."

I deeply doubted Sherry's words.

But two hours had passed and Giovanni and his men still hadn't arrived. I guessed he'd probably gotten caught up in something urgent and couldn't make it just yet.

So I pretended to believe Sherry, buying time for me and my baby while waiting for Giovanni's rescue.

I put on a sincere expression. "Sherry, you'd really let me go?"

I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"Absolutely, Claire."

Sherry was about to continue when Camilla cut in.

"You know I've never liked you.

"If the baby truly isn't Quill's, I'd be more than happy to see you go."

They took me to St. Raphael Medical Center right on time.

The results were almost ready.

Each of us held a copy of the paternity report.

When I saw the words "probability of paternity: 99.999%," a roar exploded in my head.