Across the table, Emily finally lifted her gaze. Her eyes moved from Cixi to Rafael before she quietly shook her head to herself and returned to eating breakfast.

One by one, several family members rose from the table altogether.

First Tamara. Then Ursa. After that Rosetta. Others followed behind them.

Even while eating, Cixi could still feel the lingering hostility in the room pressing against her skin like invisible smoke.

And somewhere deep inside her chest, guilt stirred faintly at the thought that people had abandoned their breakfast simply because she sat there. Yet it wasn’t her fault.

After their breakfast was over, Michael Crown finally spoke for the first time since everyone had started leaving the dining hall.

"Cixi, you are coming with me to the hospital now." His tone carried no room for negotiation.

Cixi quietly nodded her head without arguing. At this point, there was no use resisting something that was already decided.

The moment she rose from her chair, Rafael stood as well, clearly intending to follow them, but Michael’s voice stopped him before he could take another step.

"It will only be Cixi and me going to the hospital." Michael looked at him calmly. "You may return to your room and get some rest."

Rafael dropped back into the chair with visible annoyance spreading across his face. He had wanted to come along. A part of him genuinely wanted to know whether Cixi was truly carrying Cassian’s child or not. But unlike the others, Rafael rarely went directly against Michael Crown once the man made a decision.

Cixi followed Michael out of the dining hall and toward the Palace entrance, where a sleek black car already waited for them.

Even before stepping inside, Cixi could tell the vehicle cost more money than she would probably earn in years. The leather seats, the polished interior, even the silence inside the car felt expensive in a way she could never properly explain. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

And honestly, if she ever possessed that kind of wealth, she still wouldn’t waste it on cars. She would rather open ten branches of Warm Land Café and become the owner instead.

But then again, people like the Crowns lived in an entirely different world. To them, luxuries were ordinary things.

The car began moving smoothly through the Palace gates while Cixi quietly stared out of the window, watching the city pass by.

Strangely enough, she felt glad she hadn’t been born rich. At least because of her life, she understood the value of money. She understood what it meant to struggle for things. She understood emotions in ways rich people probably never would.

Although... That didn’t mean she was grateful for the horrible things she had suffered through simply because she was an orphan.

No.

She would never romanticise pain.

Still, ever since Cassian entered her life, things had started changing so drastically that sometimes even she struggled to keep up with it.

Months ago, she had been worrying about rent and surviving another exhausting day. Now she was living inside a Palace beside one of the most dangerous men in Demond City.

Even in her wildest imagination, she would never have dared picture herself here.

"It fascinates me," Michael suddenly spoke while looking straight ahead, "that Cassian transferred his shares under your name."

Cixi immediately turned toward him, unsure if she had heard correctly. "Did you say something?"

Michael finally looked at her. "Cassian transferred fifty percent of his shares to your name."

Cixi’s entire body stilled. Her thoughts scattered instantly. Cassian had mentioned transferring property to her before, but shares? And Fifty percent?

And he had actually done it?

For one brief moment, she completely forgot about the hospital, the fake pregnancy, and the DNA test waiting for her.

He really meant that. And somehow she had entirely forgotten about that conversation because too many things had happened since then.

"What can I say?" Cixi forced a smile onto her face, even though it felt terribly stiff. "He loves me a lot."

"Interesting," Michael replied calmly. "Especially because the shares were transferred only a few days ago." Something cold settled beneath those words.

Michael Crown had spent decades in business. A man like him understood movements of money better than most people understood language. Illegal dealings, hidden transactions, laundering, fake trails, he had probably seen every trick that existed.

And sudden share transfers from a supposedly dead man only suggested one thing to him.

Cassian was alive!

"Where is Cassian?" Michael finally asked directly. "Was he the one who sent you?... To the Palace?"

Cixi swallowed hard before forcing herself to keep smiling despite the nervousness clawing its way through her chest. "If I knew where he was," she replied carefully, "do you really think I would stay in the Palace asking for protection?"

Michael continued watching her quietly. "Then how is it that you moved into the Palace only one day before the shares were transferred into your name?"

Cixi’s mind scrambled desperately for an answer. She knew almost nothing about business matters, so her brain immediately searched through random courtroom scenes and inheritance dramas she had watched online. "Maybe..." she started slowly, praying she didn’t sound stupid, "only his lawyer knows about those details?"

Usually in movies, lawyers handled secret documents, wills, and transfers after someone disappeared or died. Hopefully, real life worked similarly enough for the answer to sound believable.

Michael’s expression did not change. "I already contacted the lawyers," he informed her. "I will be meeting them today."

Cixi silently hoped Cassian had prepared for this possibility already. If he understood his father even a little, surely he would have taken care of loose ends beforehand.

Still... Why exactly was he hiding in the first place?

That part continued to bother her because no matter how much she thought about it, none of it made complete sense.

Then Michael spoke again. And this time, something about his voice made her stomach tighten. "I also know," he said with chilling calmness, "that today’s results will show the child you are carrying belongs to Cassian."