Chapter 6

It looked like Jeremy couldn't wait to get back with Nadine!

Joanna lifted an eyebrow at him in amusement. "We can get a divorce now if you're sure the babies aren't yours."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes.

She suggested, "Or you could get back with your mistress Nadine right now if you wish! I won't stand in your way."

"Joanna Thompson!" Jeremy warned her in a stern tone. "You don't have the right to call Didi a mistress."

Right. Joanna thought, "I can't make Nadine the mistress. She's Jeremy's princess, after all."

She flashed him a sweet smile. "Let's get divorced, then. How about tomorrow?"

"What's all the talk about divorce?" An assertive female voice sliced through the air. Joanna turned and watched as Wendy Greenfield approached them with an annoyed expression.

As usual, she greeted Wendy, "Hello, Wendy."

Wendy's eyes roamed across Joanna before turning to Jeremy. "Jeremy, don't argue with Joanna. She's pregnant."

If Joanna weren't pregnant, Wendy wouldn't protest against the divorce. However, things were different once Joanna was pregnant.

She wanted Joanna to give birth before getting a divorce. That way, the Hansen family could get custody of the children and cut ties with Joanna.

Jeremy's gaze swept past his mom as he pressed his lips together. He released Joanna's hand and went back into the house without a word. Not only did he not stop when he walked past Wendy, he didn't even acknowledge her.

As Jeremy had been raised by Anthea, he wasn't close to his mother. Wendy seemed unfazed by the cold shoulder, though. Perhaps she was used to it.

Once Jeremy was gone, she beckoned at Joanna.

Joanna went over to her. She held Joanna's hand and fixed her eyes on Joanna's belly. "How's everything? Are the babies doing okay?"

Even Jeremy and Joanna had no idea how the twins came about, but Wendy was aware of the truth. She knew for sure that the twins were Jeremy's offspring, all because she had made arrangements to mess with Jeremy's condoms—by poking holes in them.

But she'd never confess the truth to Jeremy, or their already terrible relationship would only worsen.

Joanna nodded. "Yeah. They're doing alright."

"Great." Wendy nodded happily and led Joanna into the house.

…

The Hansen family settled at the dining table when dinner was served. Sean noticed Joanna's pallid face and asked her about it out of courtesy.

Sean might be the patriarch of the family on the surface, but in reality, his physical and mental health had been on the decline ever since the death of his much-treasured eldest son Joseph in an accident.

Fortunately, Jeremy didn't disappoint. He was in charge of the Hansen Group now.

"Joanna, I heard you nearly lost the babies and were hospitalized for a while. Why don't you move back here during your pregnancy? There are more pairs of hands to take better care of you and the twins," Wendy said. It wasn't a suggestion.

Joanna had been an obedient daughter-in-law and took great care of Wendy for years. Hence, she expected Joanna to agree.

Right when Joanna was thinking of an excuse to decline Wendy's offer, Jeremy interjected in a deep, unfeeling tone, "No."

She felt relieved when he intervened.

Wendy tried not to show her displeasure. "Do you not trust me and the people here to take care of Joanna?"

In the past, when Joseph was the heir of the Hansen Group, Wendy had put most of her focus on him and sent Jeremy away to live with Anthea.

Now that Jeremy was in charge of both the Hansen family and the Hansen Group, she rarely argued with him out of the guilt of a neglectful parent.

Dodging her question, Jeremy scoffed. "Joanna studied medicine. I'm sure she can take care of herself."

Joanna chimed in, "Wendy, Sean, don't worry. I'll take good care of the twins." It was an answer for both Wendy and Jeremy.

In the face of Jeremy's vocal protest, Wendy dropped the suggestion.

After dinner, Joanna went to the kitchen and prepared the desserts for everyone despite being pregnant. The desserts she plated always looked pleasing to the eyes.

Joanna was a capable daughter-in-law—she was good at housework, listened well to Wendy, and boasted an enviable figure.

For these reasons, Wendy refrained from pressuring Jeremy to divorce Joanna, despite her initial opposition to his marriage to the daughter of the bankrupt Thompson family—one that was arranged by Anthea.

When Joanna served the desserts, Sean, Wendy, and Jeremy were nowhere to be seen. She made her way upstairs with the desserts to look for them.

"What did you say? You want Joanna to abort the twins and divorce her?" When Joanna emerged from the elevator, Wendy's shrill voice echoed in her ears.

She froze.

"Is that Nadine Slinger still around? She's never going to leave you, is she?" Wendy's shrieks grew louder, this time tinted with anger.

Although Wendy perceived the bankrupt Thompson family as beneath the Hansen family, she looked down even more on Nadine, who grew up in the slums.

In fact, she didn't protest when Anthea forced Jeremy to marry Joanna precisely because Jeremy wouldn't leave Nadine.

"I'm warning you now. I'm fine with you keeping Nadine as a mistress, but forcing Joanna into an abortion and divorcing her so you could marry Nadine? Over my dead body!" Wendy bellowed at her son.

In Joanna's memory, this was the harshest Wendy had been to Jeremy since Joseph's death.

Jeremy announced in a calm and determined manner, "It doesn't matter if Joanna keeps the babies or aborts them. I will divorce her either way."

Joanna felt it wasn't her place to eavesdrop on the private conversation of the Hansen family. She was about to leave when Jeremy emerged from the room.

Their eyes met. His face was as cold as winter, and his gaze was razor-sharp.

She managed a smile. The plate of desserts slipped from her grasp—whether from a sudden loss of strength or deliberate intent, she couldn't say.

The plate crashed loudly onto the floor and shattered by her feet.

Sean and Wendy rushed out of the room when they overheard the commotion.

"Joanna, are you alright?" Worried about the babies, Joanna hurried over and checked her out from head to toe.

Joanna shook her head with a smile. "Wendy, I'm fine. I just lost my grip all of a sudden."

"Joanna, don't you worry. Sean and I will not agree with Jeremy's decision to divorce you. Take it easy until the babies arrive. Don't worry about anything else." Wendy attempted to comfort Joanna, aware that the latter must have overheard the heated argument just now.

Joanna held her smile under Jeremy's increasingly hostile gaze. When their eyes met again, he let out a cold scoff before snapping, "Joanna Thompson, what a clever move you've pulled!"

With that, he stormed off in huge strides.