Chapter 3

Jessa spent the whole night dealing with the fallout from the incident of Vanessa’s attack on Tom Rogen.

She had visited him personally to apologize while also promising that she would pay for all the medical fees incurred. She also paid a premium of twenty percent more than the agreed amount for their contract. It was the only way she managed to resolve the situation.

When she got back to the villa, the sky was just getting lighter.

The dawning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting shafts of light on the floor.

Jessa dragged her tired body upstairs. She kept moving around after injuring her arm, so it started to hurt again. Blood spotted the bandage.

She forced herself to go back downstairs for some medication. When she passed by the study, she heard muffled crying coming from inside.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, Sawyer. Really, I was just trying to protect Ressa. He wanted to sleep with her! I didn’t want her to suffer that kind of insult.”

“I know.” Sawyer’s voice was extremely gentle and hinted at a level of patience Jessa had never experienced before.

Vanessa’s sobs lessened. “By the way, the baby has been kicking me today. I think it’s trying to tell its dad not to be angry.

“Thankfully, the baby’s only three months old. If it were bigger, I might not have been able to defend Ressa today.”

What Dad? What baby?

Jessa’s heart constricted painfully.

Sawyer’s voice echoed again in the study. “Don’t think about this nonsense. Focus on the pregnancy. Jessa will take care of that business deal.

“Vanessa, remember your place in this house. I only spent that night with you because I made a mistake. I’m only giving you a place to live. Don’t think you can use this baby to win my love.

“Jessa is the only one I love. We can’t let her know about our relationship. If she finds out, you’ll be done for.”

Jessa did not hear the rest of their conversation. She felt the blood freeze in her body.

A pregnancy lasted forty weeks. The baby was already three months old. Was this what Sawyer had meant about the seven-month stay?

Was Sawyer’s idea of a surprise to give her someone else’s child?

Jessa did not know how she ended up back in her room.

As she sat on the bed, she realized that her wound had reopened.

Crimson blood stained the bandage, but she could not feel even a hint of pain.

At that moment, she understood that the pain in her heart could hurt more than physical pain, so much so that the physical pain could be completely numbed.

Jessa gripped her phone tightly. The voice recording was still going.

She had cultivated this habit over the years, but she had never expected to use it at home.

Jessa carelessly redressed her wound and turned on her laptop. The light of the screen illuminated her pale face.

[Finish up the investigation and send everything you’ve found to me after you’ve compiled it into a report.]

An encrypted email promptly arrived in her email inbox. The contents shocked her thoroughly.

Vanessa’s story was much more complicated than she had anticipated. Sawyer had basically invited a wolf into their home and treated it as a precious puppy.

Jessa closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She would not let Sawyer’s stupidity ruin the Pitt Group.

Jessa spent the night sending out orders to people on her laptop.

She got some employees overseas to find new sources of capital. Once everything was ready, she would uproot the Pitt Group and leave. Sawyer could stay there and rot with his loyal side piece.

Early the next morning, Jessa put on delicate makeup and hid her bandaged wound under a silk shirt.

Her world-shattering, heart-breaking experience from the previous night was nothing but a dream.

She went downstairs and saw Sawyer passing Vanessa a plate of breakfast. It was such a gentle and caring gesture.

When he saw Jessa, Sawyer froze. He stiffened, only for a moment.

Vanessa immediately stood up, but the wound on her leg made her hiss in pain. “Mrs. Pitt.”

“Vanessa’s leg got hurt, Jessa. Don’t treat her too badly over the next few days.”

Treat her badly?

Jessa stood in place and stared at Sawyer. She had never even said anything before Vanessa stood up and attacked someone. Did that count as Jessa treating Vanessa badly?

Sensing that he had misspoken, Sawyer immediately changed the subject. “Have you handled the situation with Tom Rogen and the business negotiation?”

“It’s settled.”

Jessa’s cool and detached demeanor made Sawyer strangely annoyed. Still, he did not try to say anything further.