Chapter 5

Some of the family members' expressions changed slightly, but Stefan continued in a composed tone, "She's an important asset for connections in the family's entertainment business. With her current top-celebrity status, she's capable of gathering copious intel from the public. Keeping her safe is a part of strategic intel gathering."

Everyone looked at each other as if they had more to say, but I suddenly smiled at Stefan. "You heard the Don. Don't worry, everyone. He'll handle this well."

Stefan was taken aback as he did not expect me to speak up for him in the meeting. After all, the picture of Trixie and him showed how intimate their relationship was. After the meeting was over, Stefan came to me to gently place his hand on my belly. "Is your morning sickness still bad?"

I shook my head. "The baby has been good to me. It has stopped making a fuss in there."

Stefan nodded. He was silent for a while before saying in a low voice, "There's nothing between Trixie Carter and me. She came to the casino that day to report some intel." I grunted a reply but did not ask any questions. Stefan frowned slightly. "It doesn't bother you?"

I gave him a small smile and replied, "No, it doesn't. I trust that you'll never cheat on me because you promised during our wedding that you'd only love me and me alone in this lifetime, remember?"

Stefan was taken aback, but he quickly smiled as he looked at me with conviction. "Of course I do. Loyalty has always been the family's most important rule."

I laughed softly without replying, and Stefan quickly changed the topic by mentioning our wedding anniversary, which was a month away. "I'm planning to organize a party and use the opportunity to liaise with our family's clients and stabilize the situation." He lowered his head to kiss the corner of my eye as he held me in a gentle embrace. "Thank you for speaking up for me. To be honest, this is a tricky situation to handle."

It had been a long time since Stefan revealed his fragile side to me, but it felt like a joke to me now. Was it really that tricky? All he had to do was get Trixie to apologize and retire from the social scene to minimize the risk of public opinion, but he could not bear to do it. He could not bear for Trixie to even shed a tear.

My heart slowly sank as the smile on my face vanished, but he could not see my expression as he hugged me.

The family paid a heavy price because of this. Controlling public opinion required substantial capital, and many long-term partners, including politicians and business allies, decided to end their business relationships with us, creating a gloomy atmosphere among the core family members.

A month later, at the anniversary party, none of the guests looked relaxed, and all of the elders looked cold and distant. Trixie had her head down. She was no longer the center of the party as no one wanted to be near her, except for Stefan. He raised his glass at her as usual, acting as if nothing had happened.

Someone suddenly pulled me aside and said in a low voice, "Don't you think Don Gallo has given in too much to Trixie Carter, Donna Gallo?" She swept a glance over Trixie and continued unhappily, "Don Gallo exiled the people who were previously a threat to the family, and even until today, they're still living difficult lives.

"Meanwhile, she's still living glamorously. I heard Don Gallo not only helped squash all public opinion about her, but he even helped her snag several endorsement deals. If this continues, things will escalate even further."

She paused before lowering her voice even further. "Should we…" Before she finished, she swept a finger across her neck.

I pressed her wrist down. "Don't say anything like that. We're not allowed to discuss such matters when we're with the core family members." I turned to see Stefan and Trixie chatting at a distance, and when I spoke next, my voice was almost drowned out by the party's music. "Even if things escalate to a point where nothing can be salvaged, it would still be the Don's responsibility to face the consequences. It will have nothing to do with us."

The woman got anxious and raised her voice. "But you're his wife!"

I would no longer be his wife soon, but I did not say it out loud.

Halfway through the party, Stefan presented me with a priceless pearl necklace in front of everyone. I took out a present as well. Just as he was about to open it, I stopped him. "There's no hurry. You can open it in a month."

"Why?"

"The contents will be more meaningful a month from now."

Stefan was puzzled but chose to kiss me gently on the forehead. "All right. As you wish."

The party continued as guests kept coming up to me to congratulate me on my pregnancy. I could see Trixie looking at me with hate and jealousy through the crowd. However, when she noticed my gaze, she quickly lowered her head and expertly put on a fake smile.

Trixie approached me to give me a bottle of perfume. Her voice trembled slightly. "Happy anniversary, Don Gallo, Donna Gallo."

The perfume bottle design was intricate, but the scent was very strong. I could smell it through the packaging. As I was about to accept it from her, I suddenly heard someone next to me say in a low voice, "How could she give a pregnant woman perfume? If the ingredients aren't suitable, it might cause a miscarriage."

Trixie's expression changed. As she was about to put away the perfume, Stefan accepted it on my behalf. "Thank you." He looked at me while speaking naturally. "My wife enjoys using perfume on a daily basis. Am I right, Elena?"

I was taken aback but quickly smiled. "He's right. I do enjoy using perfume."

Everyone looked at us strangely as they noticed how differently Stefan was treating Trixie, but no one said a thing because they did not have the courage to.

After the party was over, Trixie was the last to leave. Her head was lowered as she slowly approached Stefan. "Wait for me in the car," Stefan said while looking at me. I nodded and turned to leave obediently, but Stefan frowned when he saw how quickly I was to respond. However, he did not stop me.

"Don Gallo…" Trixie called out with a sob, and it caught his attention.

I lowered my head to laugh as I personally closed the door to the event hall for them. The moment those doors were closed, I immediately curled into a ball on the floor. My belly had grown uncomfortable since I got a whiff of the perfume, and the pain had become sharper.

That perfume was questionable. I never expected her to be brazen enough to do something like this to me. I was about to fling the bottle away when the pain got worse, and I lost my grip on the bottle. The bottle smashed into pieces, and the pungent smell spread all around me.

The pain became worse as I fell to the ground, but all the guests had left, and all I could do was knock on the event hall doors while trying to shout, "S-Stefan…" However, no one from inside reacted to my knocking.

I had no choice but to use every ounce of strength I had left inside me to stand up by pulling on the handle. Finally, I was able to open up a crack. That was when my gaze stopped on the sight in front of me. Stefan was patting Trixie gently on the head inside the event hall, as if cajoling a child. "It's all right. It's all over now."

Trixie continued sobbing. "But I'm so scared! You saw the way they looked at me today. They must really hate me."

Stefan was silent briefly before saying in a low voice, "Don't worry. I'll make sure no one looks at you like that again at the next party."

The sobbing finally stopped as my fingers slowly slipped down the wall I was leaning against, and I fell to the ground with a crash. The thud from the corridor was loud, and it made Stefan and Trixie separate from each other right away.

When Stefan saw me fall at the doors, he quickly turned to run toward me.