"Are you really going to demand a paternity test after the baby is born?" The moment she asked, Bianca Rhodes regretted it.

He looked up. "That’s basic common sense, and you only resort to it when there’s uncertainty."

"You don’t believe me?"

He said no more, lowering his head to focus on his work.

Bianca Rhodes walked out of the room, resentful. As she stood in the hallway, her resolve began to waver.

’Does this mean I’ve lost to Zoe Ellsworth, just like that?’

’Or did I lose to her from the very beginning?’

’Even with his love, I still couldn’t defeat his actual wife?’

’How could that be?’

Bianca Rhodes was in a daze.

’It seems I have to play my final card.’

She hurried back to her apartment, went to a courier service, and then rushed back again.

Now, she held something new in her hand.

She placed it in front of Herman Hawthorne.

He frowned. "What is this?"

She smiled. "Put it in the computer and take a look."

He did as she said, and the images on the screen made his fists clench.

The disc contained a video of the two of them from their time together.

"I’m thinking of sending a copy to that wife of yours. I’m sure she’ll love it."

Herman Hawthorne’s face turned terrifyingly grim. He looked up, realizing the woman he once loved so deeply had become a stranger before his eyes.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Herman, I’m willing to be branded a homewrecker if it means you’ll marry me. I want to give our child a home."

"You’re testing my limits. I don’t go back on my word. I will not marry you."

"Then I’ll show this to Zoe Ellsworth. Not only that, I’ll post it online and bring complete shame upon you and the Hawthorne Family!"

He shot to his feet. Staring at her, his deep voice took on a deadly tone, like a harbinger of death. "Then I will kill you with my own two hands."

His eyes were locked on her, and he wasn’t bluffing.

Bianca Rhodes took a step back, her smile faltering. She stammered, "You... you wouldn’t kill me—"

"I told you, don’t mistake love for something sacred. At least, mine isn’t. I will not allow anyone to use my love as leverage to do whatever they please to me!"

"But I already mailed a copy to Zoe Ellsworth a little while ago."

Herman Hawthorne’s eyes were filled with icy daggers, and he looked at her as if he were about to erupt.

"Bianca Rhodes, you really are asking for a death wish."

His words sent a chill down her spine. Her intuition screamed that Herman Hawthorne’s reputation as a global crime lord was no empty threat; his ruthlessness and power were real.

"Herman Hawthorne, if you so much as touch me, I’ll make one call and have this sent to the tabloids. Then, it won’t just be you who becomes a global laughingstock—it’ll be the Hawthorne Family, Zoe Ellsworth, and your entire organization. You’ll be a joke that never gets old."

He took a deep breath. "Bring me the original copy. Get rid of the child. I’ll give you a large sum of money. Leave Fravia and go wherever you want."

"And what if I refuse?"

"Then you won’t be leaving this room today." He became unnervingly calm. The very air around him screamed that he had made his decision. Either she handed it over, or she died.

It didn’t matter who she was. He wasn’t just Herman Hawthorne; he was a leader to people all over the world. More than that, he was the sole heir of the Hawthorne Family. He could endure personal disgrace, but he would not allow so many others to be shamed along with him.

Besides, even though this explicit video was from before his marriage, it was the kind of scandal that could follow him for a lifetime—mocked online, ridiculed by rival organizations.

"I don’t believe you’d actually kill me, Herman." Full of confidence, she turned to open the door. The moment she did, she jumped back in shock.

Standing in the doorway was Zoe Ellsworth, who had returned at some point.

She was holding a courier package.

Zoe stepped inside and shut the door.

She held up the package.

"Did you mail this to me to show off?"

"So what if I did? I’m not just sending it to you; I’m sending it to the press to make you all a global laughingstock."

Zoe Ellsworth sneered. "Are you a fucking idiot? You think I’m going to let you just waltz out of here and send it?"

"So, Mrs. Hawthorne, how did you feel after watching it?" Bianca Rhodes chuckled. "Find it particularly... stimulating?"

Zoe Ellsworth slapped the package across her face. "It feels like this. How’s that? Not bad, right?"

Bianca Rhodes threw the package to the floor and turned to leave without another word.

But Herman Hawthorne called out, "Guards!"

Instantly, two rows of well-trained men and women appeared at the door.

"Lock her up. Give her meals on schedule, but don’t let her out."

"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison.

Jasmine Walsh, one of the guards, didn’t know what had just happened, but it was clear the pregnant woman had lost.

Shea Rhodes watched as Bianca Rhodes was restrained, then lowered her head and helped escort her away.

Herman Hawthorne walked to the door and took Zoe Ellsworth’s hand. "Honey, I’m sorry."

Although Zoe Ellsworth still felt hurt and upset, his words brought her a sense of relief.

"I hope this is the first and last time something like this happens. I can’t control what you did before we were married, but now that we are, I won’t tolerate it. Otherwise, we can just do our own things and not bother each other."

Herman Hawthorne’s face darkened. "Do our own things? What’s that supposed to mean?"

Zoe Ellsworth rolled her eyes. "It means you can go find other people, and so can I. We do our own things."

"You dare!"

"Hmph. I dared to marry a mob boss like you. What wouldn’t I dare to do?"

He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "As you wish, my dear wife."

Zoe Ellsworth finally smiled, but tears suddenly streamed down her face. "If you ever cheat on me, I won’t divorce you. I’ll just find other ways to make you regret it for the rest of your life."

He pulled her into his arms. "Okay."

After changing vehicles seven or eight times, Nora Ainsworth found herself at an intersection. Wearing a mask and sunglasses, she looked up and saw her own photo flashing repeatedly on a massive public screen.

Not daring to linger, she hurried back to her hotel to figure out a route back to Fravia.

In truth, after thinking it over, she gave up on the idea.

Whether she went by sea or by air, she would need a visa and an ID.

She had neither, and she was sure to be recognized by airport security.

The only option now was to keep moving using ground transportation and find a safe place to lie low.

And a safe place meant finding a job.

She looked up job postings online, but they all required a university degree or a long list of qualifications. Feeling she had no marketable skills, she could only look for jobs as a nanny or a maid.

In the end, she found an online posting for a maid at a secluded mountain villa. She called the number, and they asked her to come for an in-person interview.

~~~~~~~~~~~~