Chapter 370
Chapter 370
“Having Dr. Russel over isn’t bad at all,” my dad said cheerfully, “Ever since we left Rosemont, we hardly keep in touch with the folks over there. It’s nice to have a friend visit.”
Truth be told, ever since our family scandal, a lot of people had been avoiding us like the plague. Besides, my dad wasn’t in the big chair anymore, and we’ve sold off the family company. So naturally, we had fallen off people’s radars a bit.
But we all enjoyed the peace and quiet of our lives now. It was a simple life with something to look forward to and no headaches to worry about.
I smirked but didn’t feed into my dad’s words.
Things got a little awkward but thank God my mom came back just in time. She brought in a steaming bowl of cod soup and urged me to dig in.
I was starving, so I didn’t hold back and started chowing down in front of Russel. I used to be quite skinny with a small appetite, never experiencing real hunger. But ever since those two little buns in my oven took root, my appetite had grown with their development. I had even put on a bit of weight, looking fuller and healthier. My parents watched me eat, their eyes full of affection. Russel, on the other hand, couldn’t help but caution me, “Take it easy; you don’t want to choke.”
I gave Russel a glare while savoring the delicious cod soup. Was it any of his business?
My mom quickly jumped to my defense, “Dr. Russel, women tend to be more sensitive due to hormonal changes during pregnancy. Rena has been a bit hot-tempered lately.”
“It’s normal. Suppressed emotions can be harmful to the body.” Russel said with a gentle smile.
Regardless of what they said, I kept my mouth shut and focused on my meal.
After finishing the soup, 1 excused myself to rest in my room. I didn’t want to hang around Russel; he was kind of annoying. I thought I was done with him, but here he was, showing up again.
As I was heading to my room, I overheard my mom telling Russel, “Dr. Russel, please don’t tell anyone about Rena’s pregnancy.”
I was sure Russel would keep his lips sealed. If he was still holding on to hope for me, he wouldn’t spread the news of my pregnancy. It would only complicate things if Neil’found out.
Back in my room, I was just about to doze off when my phone started buzzing.
I fished it out from under my pillow and saw an incoming call from a number not saved in my contacts. I was about to reject it when I accidentally picked it up. -There was a loud gust of wind on the other end of the line, but no one spoke. Since the call was already answered, I asked, “Who’s this?”
My voice was sluggish due to fatigue.
“It’s me.” Neil’s voice came through, and I immediately snapped awake.
Without a second thought, I hung up and blacklisted the number, A sense of unease washed over me and kept me wide awake.
What if Neil found out about my pregnancy? Would he try to take the babies from me?
No way in hell. Getting pregnant again was a miracle for me. The twins in my belly were my whole world now. I couldn’t let anyone take them away from me..
I also couldn’t risk putting my children in danger again. I had to make sure Karina didn’t find out.
Neil’s call had robbed me of sleep. I stared at the ceiling until I heard a knock on my door. “Can I come in and talk?”
It was Russel.
“I want to sleep,” I responded.
“It won’t take long. It’s about Neil looking for you,” Russel said again.
It was suspicious how Russel went to talk about this right after I’d hung up on Neil. I sometimes wondered if those two had some sort of connection.
Stella had also mentioned that Neil was searching for me, but she didn’t know the details.
If Neil was really putting resources into finding me, he might discover my new address soon. What would I do then?
“Come in,” I said, curious about why Neil was looking for me.
The door wasn’t locked, so Russel walked in. He’d taken off his jacket and was wearing a black turtleneck sweater. He looked quite sophisticated
I sat up in bed and asked, “Why is Neil looking for me?”
Russel sat on a chair, his hands clasped in his lap, his gaze fixed on me. “I’m not sure. Maybe he misses you.”
My heart pounded at his words. Missed me? Neil and Karina could have a happy family then. They even had a child as a bond. The Whitmores wouldn’t object to that, so why would he still miss me?
“He’s just not over it.” I said, making an excuse for Neil.
“Do you know he had a paternity test done with the child?” Russel asked.
I nodded. I knew about that. I also knew that Hiram had met Ryan and Faith Whitmore. After all, he was a direct Inheritor of the Whitmore family. It was only natural for him to meet his grandparents.
Although Ryan and Faith didn’t like Karina, they wouldn’t reject Hiram. They’d been longing for a grandchild for a long time. Now that one had suddenly appeared, how could they not be happy?
Especially since Hiram looked so much like Neil, they loved him just by looking at him.
Russel confirmed my guess, “Neil’s parents are currently taking care of the child. Karina has been kept at Grandeur Oaks Estates, and the Whitmore family hasn’t accepted her yet.”
I didn’t respond. All of that didn’t matter to me anymore. All I wanted now was for them not to come after my children in the future.
“If Neil finds you and learns you have kids, he’d definitely want to snatch the kids away. You believe that, right?” I stayed silent as Russel asked again.
“If anyone dares to snatch my kids, I’ll fight tooth and nail.” I looked straight into Russel’s eyes and responded firmly.
“I have a solution that could leave Neil helpless, stop him from bothering you completely, and erase your worries about your kid being taken away.” Russel’s hands seemed to tighten, “Want to hear it?”
I nodded, “Shoot.”
“Marry me, and let the kid take my last name.” Russel said that without any hesitation, but it shocked me. He clearly knew that the kids in my belly were Neil’s. So why did he want to do that?
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