جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

"Alan, is the baby Sandra's carrying… yours?"Isolde Vancrest froze. The color drained from her face. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.Seven months ago, Alan Princeton's older brother had died in a car crash. Out of sympathy for his widowed, pregnant wife, Sandra Carter, Isolde had done everything to help her. She would prepare nourishing meals for her every day, accompany her to every prenatal appointment, and treat her like family.And now this? This was how they repaid her?Never had she imagined that Alan—the man who once held her as if she were his entire world—would betray her like this."Explain yourself!" she demanded, her voice trembling. She fixed her gaze on the man sitting silently on the sofa.The light caught the lines between his brows, deepening the shadows across his sharp face. His usual composure was gone, replaced by a suffocating heaviness.Alan exhaled slowly and said in a low voice, "Calm down, Isolde. My family… needs an heir."The words cut

Inside the private hospital's VIP ward, Sandra leaned weakly against the bed, sipping the warm water Alan had poured for her."Alan, I heard from the maid that Isolde came home this morning in a Rolls-Royce," she said softly. "She didn't come back last night… Do you think she might have stayed out because she was upset and did something foolish?""No." Alan didn't even look up. His long, elegant fingers moved awkwardly over an apple as he tried to peel it."Isolde would never do something that betrays me. Besides, she told me she wanted to get married today." His tone was calm but absolute."You're getting married?" Sandra's eyes widened, jealousy flaring like wildfire.Her husband was dead. Alan was now the father of her child. Why did Isolde always have to compete with her? Couldn't she let Alan go just once?The phone on the bedside table rang sharply, and Alan picked it up.Ruth's irritated voice burst through the receiver. "Alan! What's wrong with that Isolde? She just left

"Isolde!" Alan's face turned ashen. He no longer cared about anything else as he strode after her.The moment she stepped out of the private room, Isolde called Walter. "Walter, there's been a slight change of plans. Lunch is canceled. I'll go straight to view the wedding venue. Send me the contact number of the person in charge.""Ms. Vancrest, this way, please."Isolde looked up and saw Walter standing in the elevator with a smile. He had already been waiting there. She returned his smile and stepped inside.As the elevator doors slowly closed, Alan came out of the private room and caught sight of Isolde and Walter standing together.He frowned. "Why is Walter here?"A nearby server answered respectfully, "Mr. Princeton, Mr. Williams is here to view the wedding venue. The Prince is holding a wedding at the end of the month. Didn't you know?"Bruce had grown up abroad and returned to the country six years ago. In those six years, he had used ruthless, bloody methods to cleanse

The slap left Sandra speechless. Her aggrieved expression froze for an instant before a sharp, spreading pain flared across her cheek, followed by a rush of pure disbelief.'How dare she? How dare she actually hit me?!' Sandra shrieked inwardly.Alan stood frozen for a moment before his fury flared."Isolde, have you lost your mind?" he snarled. "I truly misjudged you. I never knew you could be so jealous, so vicious! Look at yourself! What difference is there between you and a common shrew?""Oh? Is that so?" Isolde moved her wrist nonchalantly, her icy gaze stabbing into them like twin daggers. "Don't provoke me again. Next time, I'll slap you both."That frigid stare and the memory of searing pain made Sandra shrink back. The phrase "bully the weak, fear the strong" described her perfectly.With a disdainful snort, Isolde turned from the disgusting pair. She retrieved her laptop from the bin and strode away without a backward glance."Isolde! Stop right there!" Alan's face da

The sealed venue's doors swung open without warning.A procession of individuals with imposing auras and impeccable bearing filed out, led by a tall, stern-faced foreign man. This was Tom Smith, the renowned Senior Manager of the AI Project Department for Nightfall Corp. He was a man known for his tough tactics and sharp eye.Their emergence carried an invisible pressure that seemed to freeze the very air. Every gaze snapped toward them, and people from inside the venue crowded the doorway, following the scene.Sandra froze for a moment before a surge of wild, triumphant joy flooded her heart. Nightfall's top management had come out in person! They must be looking for her.She flashed a flawless smile, straightened her posture, and walked toward them with confident steps. Her voice carried a polished sweetness as she spoke. "Hello, Mr. Smith. I'm Sandra, the developer of Soul Speak. It's such an honor to meet you in person—"Tom's steps hit a slight pause. He cast her a meaningful