Chapter 1 Pregnant

Gandra. General Hospital. "Congratulations. You're pregnant. The baby is in good health." Victoria Selwyn's hands clenched around the report as she dazedly stared at the doctor. Pregnant? It was a happy surprise. She could not believe her ears. "Remember to come in for regular appointments. Where is the father? Call him in. I have some instructions for him." The doctor's words snapped her out of her thoughts. "My husband's not with me today," she replied with an awkward smile. "Honestly, even if he's busy, he should still be with his family," the doctor exclaimed. It was drizzling when she finally stepped out of the hospital. She stroked her abdomen. There is now a tiny life growing in there. A child that belongs to Alaric and me… Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out; it was a message from her husband, Alaric Cadogan. 'It's raining. Get an umbrella to this address.' She glanced at the address sent; it was L'Indigo Country Club. What was this place? He had a meeting today, right? "I'll be there right away." Still, she did not question it too much ，replied to his message and asked the Cadogans' family driver to send her to the country club. "You may head back first," she said to the driver upon arrival. "Do I not need to wait for you, Mrs. Cadogan?" She paused for a moment before shaking her head. "It's fine. I'll wait to head home with Alaric." With that, Carter, the driver, soon drove off. The rain had started as a drizzle, but it was now a heavy storm. With the umbrella held over her head, she walked to the entrance of the country club. It was a luxuriously decorated golf club. She headed straight for Box 302, where Alaric was waiting. On the way, Victoria kept rehearsing how she might break the news of her pregnancy to Alaric. 'Should I tell him as soon as we meet? Or surprise him on his birthday?' No matter how she told him, the arrival of this baby was about to light a fire in their otherwise calm, contractual marriage. After all, her marriage to Alaric had been an arrangement from the start. Two years ago, the Selwyn Family business went bankrupt, and in one night, she fell from her privileged perch, becoming the laughingstock of all of Gandra. Back when her family was still influential, countless men had pursued Victoria, though she'd never looked twice at any of them. Eventually, people started saying she was only pretending to be aloof. But now, with her family's downfall, some men had begun to take pleasure in her misfortune, even betting among themselves on who might win her over. At her lowest point, humiliated and desperate, her childhood friend Alaric returned. He silenced the men who mocked her, making them pay a heavy price, then paid off the Selwyn Family's debts. After that, he simply said, "Marry me." Victoria had stared at him, stunned. Seeing her surprise, he reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "What, surprised? Afraid I'm taking advantage of you? Don't worry, it's just a fake marriage. My grandmother's sick, and she's always liked you. We can have a pretend marriage to make her happy, and I'll help you rebuild the Selwyn Family." 'Oh, so it is just a pretend marriage. Just to make his grandmother happy. He doesn't actually love me,' she thought. But even so, she agreed. She knew full well that his heart belonged to someone else, yet she'd willingly fallen into this arrangement. They were childhood friends, only ever "just friends" since they were young. But what he didn't know was that she had loved him for ten years. Now, at last, she had the chance to marry him. Even if it was only a pretend marriage, she welcomed it with open arms. Alaric turned out to be a thoughtful husband, always coming home to her every night despite his busy schedule. For every anniversary, he prepared a special gift for her. In the past two years, there had been no other women, no rumors—nothing. She couldn't help but wonder, 'If we stay together long enough, would he fall in love with me, too? Then we can truly be together.' And she could feel his passion for her in bed; they'd always been perfectly in sync as a couple. With this thought, Victoria instinctively tightened her grip on the pregnancy report in her hand. She'd made up her mind: as soon as she saw Alaric, she would tell him about their baby. She would also tell him that he was so much more than a friend to her—she'd loved him for ten whole years. Quickening her pace with her heart pounding, she finally reached the door to Box 302. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing emotions. Just as she was about to knock, laughter and conversation spilled from inside the room. "Come on, give Al his phone back already! It'd be a shame if Victoria came all this way for nothing..." "Claudia, you're as sweet as ever! No wonder Al still thinks about you." At the mention of "Claudia," Victoria's eyes widened, and she froze in place. 'How long has it been since I have heard that name? Long enough... that I have almost forgotten the person even existed. So, Alaric has canceled his meetings today because of her...' she thought. The excitement and joy she'd felt just moments ago instantly drained away, as if drenched in ice water. Her heart clenched painfully, a heavy, suffocating ache settling in her chest. "Oh, and Al, your 'plastic wife' really does whatever you ask, huh? You told her to bring you an umbrella, and she didn't even hesitate. Does she actually think you'll get soaked without one? Right now, she's probably rushing over from the Cadogan Family with that umbrella in hand." The Cadogan Family was a fair distance from the club, so Victoria was undoubtedly hurrying over as fast as she could. "Hand it over." A languid voice rang out from a corner of the room. The speaker was a tall man with long legs and a cold face. His fair skin and wide, slanted eyes highlighted his incredible attractiveness. Dressed in a gray bespoke suit, he sat there with crossed legs. He raised his hand, revealing the exquisite and luxurious watch on his wrist。. The friend who did the prank had no choice but to return the phone. "Tsk. Are we giving back the phone that quickly?" someone commented. "Enough. If Claudia wasn't here, you wouldn't even have a chance to lay a finger on his phone." The crowd continued to joke and laugh as they turned to look at the beautiful woman seated beside the man. She was dressed in a white dress which made her look kind and gentle. She pursed her lip in a smile when she heard that. "All right," she softly said. "It was wrong of you to use Al's phone for a prank, and now, you're making fun of me." The friends did not plan on letting up on their teasing as they called out, "Everyone knows you're the most important person to Al, Claudia." "That's right. Alaric would say that as well, right?" When Claudia Johnson heard that, she could not resist glancing at Alaric. Alaric smiled and did not deny it. When the group saw that, the teasing worsened. Amid the teasing voices of the crowd, Alaric quickly replied to Victoria's message, telling her not to come. "I told you, there is no one more important to Al than Claudia!" "If Claudia hadn't gone abroad back then, and if Old Mrs. Cadogan hadn't fallen seriously ill, Al would never have married that woman." "Now that Claudia's back, shouldn't Victoria step aside and let her have the title of Mrs. Cadogan?" Victoria's face went pale, her grip tightening on the umbrella until her knuckles turned white. She didn't hear another word after that. Her mind echoed with a single thought. 'Now that Claudia's back, shouldn't Victoria step aside and give up her place as Mrs. Cadogan?'