Ch. 276..280: Begging For A Reconciliation Chapter 276-280
Chapter 276 My Woman
The moment the door shut behind her, the man on the bed opened his eyes. No emotion showed on his face. There was also an empty look in his eyes.
Leah left after all.
After Leah left the apartment, she immediately made her way to the Ford family villa. The longer she delayed the inevitable, the more reluctant she would be to leave.
Shawn was enjoying a cup of coffee in the lounge, though his attention would often stray to the front gates. Leah had called claiming she would be here yesterday, but he never saw her as someone who would so easily concede.
It would be unlike her to just give up like that.
"She's here, sir."
One of his men stationed outside the gate rushed in, panting to report her arrival.
Seeing a pregnant woman come to the Ford villa was a first.
Shawn raised a brow and set his coffee aside. He could barely conceal the surprise on his visage as he hurried to the door. The moment he set foot in the courtyard, he caught sight of a slender silhouette and a familiar face.
"I didn't think you would keep your promise."
He hid his excitement when he reached her.
Leah stayed where she was. "I'm here now. Now you should fulfill your promise. You'll let Han go?"
She looked up at the man in front of her.
She had forsaken everything. Love was dead. She didn't even want to see Han make his comeback. All she wished for was for him to be safe.
Shawn was furious as he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.
"Han! It's always Han!"
"Is that piece of trash the only thing you care about?"
He thought Han would be his most formidable opponent but this woman was proving him wrong.
She instinctively struggled but stopped to scoff and nodded.
"You should already know the answer to that. Why did you want me to come here?"
She believed having her by his side was simply another way for him to rub it into Han's face.
It sickened her but she would do anything for Han.
Shawn snorted and released her. "Take her upstairs. She's not allowed to come downstairs without my consent. If she runs away, the lot of you can forget about continuing your pitiful lives."
Everyone came to understand Leah's importance after receiving a fright by his words.
The head maid showed Leah the way.
"This way please, Ms. White."
"I hope you keep your promise."
Leah reminded Shawn as she passed him by.
If he refused to let Han go, everything she was doing would become meaningless.
She followed the maid upstairs.
"My name is Lucy, Ms. White. If you need anything, feel free to come to me."
The maid briefly introduced herself before organizing the room for the pregnant Leah.
Lucy was curious as to who Leah was and wasn't too keen to satisfy her curiosity with the Ford family's rules in place.
Alfred arrived at the apartment shortly after Leah left.
"Mr. Howard."
He greeted Han respectfully. There was something distinctly off about Han today.
"What did you find out?"
Han had someone look into Leah's whereabouts after she left.
He wanted to know if Shawn had been threatening her.
Alfred reported everything he had found out to Han.
"Ms. White is now at the Ford family home."
The incident might be an opportunity for Han.
Han had been refusing to leave the apartment and Alfred guessed that it had to do with Leah. Now that she was no longer here, he would have no qualms to linger.
The light in his eyes dimmed as he clenched his hands into fists. He took a deep breath and kept his emotions in check.
After a while, he coldly said, "We're kicking off the plan."
He was going to show Shawn that he shouldn't fiddle with things that weren't his.
He explained every detail of his plan to Alfred and sent him away.
The embrace of the night soon came. Han got back into his wheelchair to maintain a motionless posture as he watched the door.
He was waiting for Leah to come home.
Night came and left. The first rays of sunlight hitting him had his lips twitching into a sarcastic smile.
He dialed Leah's number.
The call quickly connected.
"I haven't heard from you in a while, Mr. Howard. How have you been?"
What greeted him was not Leah's voice but Shawn's mocking laughter.
"Where is she?"
Han resisted the urge to smash his phone. He could accept Leah leaving without a word but he wanted to know the truth.
He wanted to know if she had left because of Shawn's threats.
Shawn sounded arrogant. "She's fine. You don't have to worry about my woman."
He ordered someone to confiscate her cell phone when she arrived at the villa yesterday. He had guessed that Han would come calling.
Shawn picking up his call was to irritate Han.
"Han, oh, Han. You didn't think all this would happen, did you? For you to be where you are now, a crippled man who can't even keep his woman by his side."
Shawn continued to mock him.
"You should thank me. Thank me for not killing you and allowing you to live this miserable life."
In Shawn's opinion, it was far more entertaining to see Han lose it all. Death was an easy way out.
Han hung up the phone.
He had predicted it all but it didn't change how his heart ached.
Back in the villa, Shawn had Han's number blacklisted before tossing Leah's phone aside.
He then turned to Lucy.
"Is she awake?"
Lucy shook her head. "No, Mr. Ford. She has been refusing to eat or drink since yesterday."
He sneered and made his way upstairs.
He had his ways of dealing with her.
Leah had her eyes closed. It had been a day. Her stomach had long been empty. Her only way of preserving her strength was to lie down.
Creak.
The door came open.
Her tone was impatient. "I said I'm not eating, Lucy. Stop wasting your time."
She didn't open her eyes and failed to see that it wasn't Lucy at her door.
Leah could immediately tell something was off when she felt a fiery gaze at the door. Her eyes flew open to see Shawn.
Chapter 277 Know Your Place
The sight of Leah so devoid of life vexed Shawn. Was being by his side so painful?
Leah looked away, her eyelids once again fluttering shut.
"If you're here to try to make me eat, save your breath. I'm not hungry."
Was this her own way of fighting against him?
He scoffed. "I'm not here for that."
She refuses to eat? I have my ways to make her.
He slowly and methodically unbuttoned his suit and laid down next to her.
This made her jump from the bed in fright.
She immediately tried to shield herself as she trembled with fear. "What are you doing?"
She assumed Shawn wouldn't be a man so overtaken by his desires that he wouldn't spare a pregnant woman, but his demeanor threw her off guard.
Shawn was doing this on purpose!
His white shirt revealed his fine figure. He was smiling smugly.
His magnetic voice rang out throughout the room.
"I had you come here to be my lover. You know what lovers do, don't you?"
Leah went pale as she clutched tightly at her blankets.
It took a while before she finally mustered the courage to speak.
"I'm pregnant, Shawn."
A man of Shawn's status had no shortage of women by his side. He was doing this on purpose.
His gaze fell on her slightly bulging belly.
He wasn't blind. Of course, he could tell she was pregnant.
"It's not like you're good for anything else. You can't even please me, so be a good girl and don't anger me."
He wasn't planning to do anything to her. He was a beast, but he wasn't going to touch a pregnant woman.
"Know your place, Leah."
"Yes."
Leah sighed to herself. Thank god he isn't trying anything funny.
She would've fought him to the death if he tried.
That satisfied him. He took his blazer from the bed and left the room.
At dinner time, Leah was at the dinner table as he wished.
He raised a brow and sat next to her. "See? This isn't so hard now, is it?"
"Isn't your seat over there?"
She pointed to the seat at the head of the table.
The villa had one master and that was Shawn. It was conceivable to assume that was where he usually took his meals.
Her question didn't anger him. He was even giving her an explanation.
"I want to sit here today."
After the two were seated, the butler ordered the kitchen to serve the food. Fragrant and exquisite foods were carefully laid out on the table.
She was just about to dig in when a bowl of soup was placed in front of her.
"You haven't been eating the past two days. Your stomach is probably not used to all this. Have some soup."
She was taken aback by the offering.
"Afraid that I might poison you?"
It was just a bowl of soup. What was there for her to be afraid of?
She came back to her senses and reached for a spoon to start her meal.
"It's good."
She was afraid that she would inadvertently anger him and tried to explain herself. "I wasn't afraid that you would poison me."
Shawn would not bother to go out of his way to poison someone.
She simply wasn't expecting him to be so thoughtful.
Shawn wasn't one for words when he ate and didn't take the initiative to speak with her. Leah was more than happy to focus on her meal.
Dinner was a harmonious affair.
Shawn waved a maid over for a wet towel.
"You'll accompany me to a party tomorrow night."
She looked down. She was not being offered a choice with Shawn here.
"Okay."
His mood improved after receiving his desired answer.
The next morning, Leah came downstairs to be greeted by the sight of strangers in the hall with several racks of clothes.
"Pick something out for tonight."
Shawn was in the center and waving her over.
Leah barely cared for the party she was set to attend tonight. She wasn't keen on showing up with her current status.
She swept her gaze around before finally landing on the last dress in the first row. "This one."
It was a black dress that was neither in style nor outstanding in any way.
Leah was hoping to not draw attention to herself now that she was his.
His smile disappeared. He knew very well that despite her agreement, all she was doing was acting in a perfunctory manner.
"Pick something else." His voice was cold.
She picked another one out that was also black.
He sat down on the couch with his legs crossed. "If you refuse to pick properly, I'll do it for you. Try everything here until I find something I'm satisfied with."
"Okay."
She wasn't refusing him.
This was nothing. All she had to do was try on a few dresses.
The attendant from the boutique shot Leah a sympathetic look. There were more than fifty dresses here. Was she really going to go through them one by one until the evening? The dresses were also incredibly troublesome to put on and take off.
They tried to help her with the garments only for Shawn to stop them.
"Let her do it herself."
Leah paled. He was doing this on purpose.
He was out to embarrass her.
She took a gown and went upstairs.
Twenty minutes later, she carefully presented herself to him.
Shawn was fiddling with his phone. "Get changed."
She obediently picked a second gown and went back upstairs.
It was clear exhaustion was washing over her by the fifth dress. Her forehead was covered with sweat but even so, she refused to beg him for mercy and continued on to the next dress.
Lucy could bear to witness the sight and approached Leah to take the gown away from her and tried to lower her voice to coax her down another path.
"Just give in, Ms. White. He treats you well. As long as you say the word, he's not going to make things difficult for you."
Leah gently extracted herself from Lucy's hold. "I'm fine. I can do this."
He wanted her to try everything on? She was going to do just that.
She wasn't out to satisfy him.
Leah held up her skirt and went downstairs.
Amazement flashed in his eyes the moment he caught sight of her. The sapphire blue dress was perfectly cut, outlining her slender waistline. It was not the least bit obvious that she was pregnant.
His lack of response had her resigning to her fate and soldering onto the next gown.
Chapter 278 Progressing Onward
Shawn stopped her. "Enough. You'll wear this one."
Relief flooded over Leah. She could finally stop.
He ordered her in a cold voice. "Wash up. I'll be waiting."
An ink-blue Bugatti pulled up outside Chalcedony Palace. Shawn acted the part of a proper gentleman and offered Leah a hand out of the vehicle.
She bit her lip but took the offered hand nonetheless.
The two attracted a lot of attention the moment they set foot at the party.
Everyone was discussing who the woman by his side was.
Han, who was still at the apartment, also received the news.
Leah and Shawn made their appearance at the party taking place at Chalcedony Palace.
There was an unconcealable hostility clear on his visage. "Take me to Chalcedony Palace."
He found countless excuses to comfort himself ever since she had left him.
He had thought of marching up the Ford villa, but that idea was quashed before he could even
entertain it. He was currently nothing to Shawn.
Alfred seemed lost on what to say. His words of consolation died in his throat.
It was better to not say a thing and escort Han as per his orders.
Back at the party, Leah was obediently trailing behind Shawn. Many recognized her, but none of them said hello.
He wrapped his arm around her slender waist. "What's wrong? Not enjoying the party?"
He frowned. Wasn't she pregnant? Why was her waist still so thin?
Her answer was quick. "It's nothing."
She was afraid she would suffer his ire if she were slow to respond.
What was most important was for her to keep him happy. He was the boss after all.
"Really?" Sarcasm was clear in his words. "Why aren't you smiling then? You look like you came from a funeral home."
Leah didn't quite know what kind of expression she was wearing.
She gave it some thought before answering, "I don't really like smiling."
Shawn was silent but the grip on her waist tightened.
You don't like smiling?
She knows how to make things up. She didn't act this way back when I was playing dumb.
He also had no interest in the party and planned to leave after showing her off to the crowd.
The two stood by the entrance waiting for the chauffeur to arrive when a cold breeze started to blow. She couldn't help but shrink at the chill.
The weather in Linkville could change on a dime. A clear and sunny day in the afternoon but cold and windy when evening came.
Shawn took off his blazer and covered her shoulders with it.
She stared at him in surprise and was interrupted before she could utter a word of protest.
"It's not good for the baby if you catch a cold."
After giving it some thought, she wrapped the garment around herself tighter.
He was right. She couldn't allow the unborn child to suffer alongside her.
A car rolled up in front of the two. He was just about to leave when he caught sight of a figure a distance away at the corner of his eye.
It was Han.
Shawn smirked. To think he'd show up here. How interesting.
He reached out to grab Leah by the shoulders to whisper huskily into her ear. "Han hasn't let you go yet."
She shivered and followed Shawn's gaze.
Their eyes met until she sheepishly looked away.
She didn't think Han would come for her.
Shawn sounded cold as he spoke, "Him being here makes me very very unhappy."
Before Leah could react, Shawn was already closing the distance with his arms around her. "Come. Let's go say hello."
Her legs were as heavy as lead and her heart was screaming at her to stop but her body continued to march to Shawn's tune.
Her voice was hoarse as she finally spoke, "Do you really have to do this?"
Shawn simply smirked at her.
"What a coincidence, Mr. Howard. I didn't think I would run into you here."
Shawn greeted Han.
Leah was adamant about keeping her head down.
Han's attention was solely on Leah. He was waiting for her to give him an explanation.
It was as if a ball of cotton had been stuffed deep in her throat. She couldn't utter a word of explanation. She didn't even dare to escape from the hold Shawn had over her.
Shawn turned to her and smiled. "Why aren't you saying hello to Mr. Howard?"
The smile did not reach his eyes. The expression seemed more like a threat than anything.
Leah could only numbly utter, "Hello, Mr. Howard."
Han stared at her, frowning, "Why didn't you say goodbye?"
He wanted to hear her explanation.
He was more than ready to sweep her off her feet if she said she didn't mean for any of this and that she was being threatened.
Seeing Leah frozen in place, Shawn grabbed her wrist. "Mr. Howard is asking you a question."
The pain in her heart swept through her like a tidal wave.
She began to speak with great difficulty. "You're a crippled man. How can you compare to Shawn? I'm
striving to progress forward. This is me choosing a life that is better for me."
Leah had her fists clenched behind her as she spoke the scathing words. Her nails dug into her palm.
It hurt but how could that pain compare to the one coursing through her heart?
She didn't want to hurt Han but if she didn't do this, Shawn would never let him go.
She resisted the urge to cry and shrank into Shawn's arms. "Let's go. It's cold out here."
Shawn guffawed, hugged her and left for their ride.
It wasn't until the Bugatti disappeared from Han's sight that he came to.
Han scoffed as his eyes scanned the wheelchair he was in. He turned out to be nothing but a cripple in her eyes.
What right did she have to rid herself of her own burdens?
Alfred couldn't bear to see Han so lost. "The wind is picking up, Mr. Howard. We should head back."
Han pretended not to hear a word.
Back in the car, Leah's tears finally started to fall uncontrollably. Not wanting to upset Shawn, she hurried to wipe the tears off her face.
Shawn helpfully wiped her tear-stained cheeks with his handkerchief.
She avoided him, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.
"Are you happy now?!"
This was what Shawn hoped to see.
He felt irritated by the sight of her swollen eyes.
"What's there to cry about?"
Leah couldn't help but roll her eyes. A man like Shawn would never know what love was.
He asked in a cold voice, "Can't bear to let him go?"
Chapter 279 Slipped Away
Leah took some time to calm down before shaking her head. “I can let go of him,” she finally said.
Her answer satisfied Shawn, so he chose not to pursue the matter any further even though he knew that Leah was not telling the truth.
The next day, Leah and Shawn dominated the headlines of Linkville’s major tabloids. Speculation was rife about their relationship and whether good news was to be expected soon. Shawn eyed the magazine on the table with a devious glint in his eye. He was all too pleased.
Mr. Carling, the family’s butler, noticed the magazine on the table and approached Shawn tentatively. “Mr. Shawn, do you want me to get in touch with the paparazzi?”
“No need,” Shawn responded. He closed the magazine and headed upstairs with a cup of hot milk in his hand. He went into Leah’s room and placed the cup of milk on her bedside table. He then informed Lucy to allow Leah to roam around the house as she wished before he left the house.
Leah slept until it was past noon. She noticed the cup of milk on her bedside table almost immediately.
“Ms. White, Mr. Ford brought this up for you this morning,” Lucy explained before Leah even had time to ponder on the origins of the mysterious cup of milk.
“Mm,” Leah made a curt sound. Instead of feeling comforted, Leah only felt more suspicious of Shawn’s motives. Although Shawn had not done anything untoward, she wondered why he kept her locked in this place.
Lucy picked up a pair of house slippers and gently placed them right in front of Leah’s feet. Leah quickly slipped them on and got out of bed without another look at the cup of milk.
“Ms. White, are you not going to drink the milk?” Lucy asked. She had worked for the Fords for almost five years and never once saw Mr. Shawn bring a woman home nor show any sign of affection toward a woman. Leah was the first, but she did not seem to appreciate Shawn’s rare gesture.
Leah dragged her feet toward the bathroom sleepily. “You can have it if you want to,” she told Lucy before stepping into the shower. Once she was done washing up, she headed downstairs for breakfast. As she was eating her meal, Mr. Carling came into the dining room with a paper bag.
“Mr. Ford prepared this for you and asked me to pass on a message. He said you should know who you can contact and who you shouldn’t,” Mr. Carling explained before passing her the paper bag.
Leah peeked inside the paper bag. It was a brand new cellphone, to replace the phone that Shawn had forcefully taken away from her. Leah knew exactly what he meant in his message delivered via Mr. Carling. She was not allowed to contact Han.
“I understand,” she nodded as she took the new cellphone out of the bag. She barely even looked at it properly before carelessly tossing it aside. Lucy could tell that Leah was not having a good time, so she suggested a walk around the courtyard after breakfast.
“It’s alright, I’m tired,” Leah muttered glumly before she headed upstairs once again.
…
At the hospital, Alfred had kept all the tabloids and magazines out of Han’s sight. Last night after Leah had left with Shawn, Han stood waiting in the cold until his body turned numb. Unable to watch a despondent Han any longer, it was Alfred who decided on his behalf to bring him to the hospital immediately, knowing his legs could not take much more.
Alfred held the surgery notice in his hands while observing Han carefully. “Mr. Howard, the doctors have arranged your surgery for tomorrow. Is that alright with you?” Alfred asked cautiously. There was a possibility that Han might not be happy with the arrangement, but he was willing to take the blame for it. However, Han’s eyes looked unfocused and dispirited as he looked out the window with a blank stare.
“Mm,” was all he said. Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. He would have never made such a big decision on his own if he was not so worried for Han.
…
Ron had also read the news about Leah and Shawn through the tabloids. His eyes glazed with cynicism as he let out a bitter chuckle. He wondered how Shawn must feel after finding out about Leah and Shawn.
Leah had dumped him for Han Howard, and now she did the same to Han for Shawn Ford. It was a vicious cycle indeed. Of course, Ron was the kind of man who did what he wanted, so he headed to hospital himself once he found out about Han’s whereabouts.
In the hospital ward, Han was in the middle of a pre-surgery examination. Ron pushed open the door to come face to face with Han who was seated on a wheelchair. He was about to let out a mocking laugh
before his eyes caught Han’s, which made him clear his throat nervously instead. Han Howard did not look much different from the last time Ron saw him, but the coldness in his eyes made Ron shift his gaze away uncomfortably.
“Yes, Ron?” Han’s tone was frigid.
“Oh, no, Han, I heard you were hospitalized so I decided to pay you a visit,” Ron said with a crooked smile.
Han’s expression remained hollow as he stared at Ron. He knew Ron was here to mock him, and he supposed it was karma. What comes around goes around, after all.
Ron, on the other hand, felt like he had made his point and was ready to leave. “You seem alright, so I’ll leave you to it then,” he said before heading for the door.
“Did it hurt when she left you back then?” Han spoke all of a sudden. He never really knew how to love someone or what love felt like. All he knew was a strong sense of helplessness and desolation when Leah left him.
“No, only the weak let themselves be troubled by love,” Ron scoffed. Leah had ignited something in him when she left him alone in the dust. She also helped him realize that love was the most useless thing in this world. He used to think that she was different from other women, but now, he could finally see that she was just a woman with bad taste. It was Leah’s loss for letting Han go, because this would not be the end of him.
…
In the evening, Shawn returned from the office to his villa. “How is she today?” he asked Mr. Carling as he took his coat off.
“She’s eating today,” Mr. Carling replied politely.
Shawn took two steps at a time up the stairs and entered Leah’s bedroom without knocking. He found her sitting by the window reading a book, barely even acknowledging his presence. He walked over to her and fished the book out of her hands.
“Are you unhappy?” Shawn asked with genuine concern.
Leah shook her head. “No,” she whispered softly. Although she was a bird trapped in a cage right now, nothing else mattered as long as her child could live. She did not dare to ask Shawn for much.
Shawn stared hard at Leah for a few moments. “Come downstairs and accompany me to dinner,” he told Leah who got up obediently and trailed behind him as he made his way down.
Dinner was already prepared and ready to be served when they got to the dining hall. They took their seats and Shawn immediately picked a large prawn and deshelled it for Leah. He placed the prawn on her plate, but she left it untouched.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Shawn raised a curious eyebrow.
Leah used her fork to push the prawn to a side and grabbed some salad from the salad bowl onto her plate instead. “I don’t like prawns,” she mentioned.
Shawn was a perceptive man who could easily tell what Leah was thinking, but he decided to allow her
behavior anyway. After all, it was no fun if she was completely submissive to him. After dinner, Shawn suggested a walk in the courtyard to allow their food to digest.
Chapter 280 Keeping The Child
Leah sat unmoving at the table. “I’m quite tired. I’d like to rest,” she made herself clear.
Shawn's gaze fell on her belly. “Alright then, get some rest tonight. I’ll take you for your prenatal check- up tomorrow,” he informed Leah. Leah froze in panic upon hearing Shawn’s plans. She clenched her fists hidden under the table tightly. What did Shawn mean? Was he still unable to accept the child’s existence? The fall breeze kept temperatures cool at night, but Leah’s forehead began to glean with cold sweat. She instinctively brought her arms to her belly, hugging herself gently.
Shawn read Leah like a book. “What are you afraid of, Leah? What kind of person do you think I am?” he asked, but he knew what was on her mind. She was afraid that he would harm the child in her belly.
“Well, can you really blame me?” Leah retaliated. The notion that Shawn would allow this child to be born seemed ludicrous to her.
Shawn’s expression darkened. “You’re overthinking things. I’ll be waiting for you downstairs tomorrow morning,” he said before striding out of the dining hall.
The heavy tension in the air seemed to dissipate along with Shawn’s exit. Leah sat in her chair for the longest time before finally attempting to stand up but stumbled as soon as she got up.
“Ms. White, please be careful,” Lucy rushed to her side, noticing the color draining from Leah’s face. “Are you alright? You don’t look too good. Do you need a doctor?”
Leah shook her head, feeling weak and troubled. “I’m alright,” she informed Lucy, but she was plagued
by her own thoughts. If Shawn decided that he did not want the child, what could she do? She could not bear to lose the child! Her eyes steeled with determination as she decided she would do whatever it takes to protect her child.
Lucy had worked for the Fords and served Mr. Shawn for so many years now. She knew that Shawn was usually cold on the outside but had a warm heart to those he cared about. She tried to put in a good word for her employer as she helped Leah into her bedroom. “Ms. White, is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Mr. White?” Lucy asked. “He’s not a bad person at all.”
Leah pursed her lips and smiled wordlessly, unwilling to smear Shawn’s good image in Lucy’s eyes. Just as Lucy was about to help Leah turn her sheets down, Leah gently stopped her.
“It’s alright, Lucy. You get some rest too. I can do it myself,” she told the housekeeper. Leah always had an independent personality, even as a child. Even when she married Han, she never got used to being served by the maids and butlers.
“Alright then, Ms. White. Get some rest,” Lucy said before leaving Leah’s room and closing the doors. Still feeling paranoid, Leah made sure she locked the doors from the inside so no one else could come in the room. Leah was all alone in her ridiculously large bedroom now, accompanied by the sounds of her short, shallow breaths. She tried to sleep but Shawn’s words kept replaying in her head repeatedly and kept her up all night. It was close to midnight when she finally found sleep.
The next morning, Shawn was already dressed and waiting for Leah in the hall by the time she made her way downstairs. Breakfast was served on the table as usual, and Leah ate her food as slowly as possible. What was supposed to be a quick ten-minute breakfast took half an hour instead, but Shawn only waited patiently without rushing her at any point. It was only when Leah finished the last drop of
her milk when he finally spoke.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Leah’s face scrunched up into a frown. “Can we not go?” she pleaded.
“No,” Shawn gave her no way out. Running out of hope, she finally got up from her seat reluctantly. Shawn held onto her arm and led her toward the passenger seat of his car.
Along the way to the hospital, Leah cooked up various excuses to turn back and return to the villa, but Shawn shot down every single one of them. Her face was ashen as they pulled up at the entrance of the hospital, and she held on to the car door handle tightly, refusing to get down.
Shawn bent down to meet Leah at eye level and raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to carry you in?” he challenged. He was not opposed to the idea if Leah kept on dilly-dallying.
“No,” Leah finally caved and got out of the car by herself.
Shawn had already gotten his people to clear out the gynecology department prior to their arrival. Besides a few doctors and nurses walking up and down the aisle, there were no other patients around. One of the doctors came over to greet Shawn and Leah warmly and prescribed Leah a standard ultrasound procedure. The ultrasound procedure was quick and simple, and the scans were ready by the time Leah returned to the doctor’s office.
“The baby is developing well,” the doctor commented as he looked through the scans, much to Leah’s relief.
Even as they were about to leave the hospital, Leah was still in disbelief. Shawn regarded her dazed expression with amusement. “Are you planning on staying here the whole day?” he asked.
“Did you really just bring me here for a check-up?” Leah’s voice was full of distrust.
“What do you think?” Shawn asked Leah in return. He knew how much this child meant to Leah, and even though he was not the child’s biggest fan, he was not inhumane enough to make her get rid of it. “How long have you gone without a proper check-up?”
Leah had been so occupied with taking care of Han that she had neglected to take care of herself and the baby. To her surprise, Shawn was the one who had remembered on her behalf. All of a sudden, the man did not seem as despicable as she had thought him to be.
“Thank you,” she thanked Shawn softly on behalf of her unborn child.
Just as Shawn and Leah were leaving the hospital, Leah caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of her eye. It was Alfred. What was he doing in the hospital? Did something happen to Han?
Leah stopped in her tracks. “I need to use the restroom quickly,” she said. Without giving Shawn any chance to respond, she turned around and headed back into the hospital. Instead of heading to the restroom, she hid in one of the hospital aisles until she spotted Alfred again.
“Alfred!” Leah half-whispered Alfred’s name, catching his attention. “What are you doing here? Did something happen to Han?”
Alfred let out a cold chuckle when he saw Leah and the concern in her eyes. “With all due respect, Ms. White, Mr. Howard’s affairs have nothing to do with you anymore.”
“I know that,” Leah's eyes filled with sadness. She was still worried about Han even though she knew she had no right to be.
“If you do, then you shouldn’t be asking me about him,” Alfred said harshly before side-stepping Leah and walking away. To Alfred, Leah was the woman responsible for leaving Han in ruins. He would never forgive her.
Dejected, Leah eventually made her way back to the hospital entrance. Shawn’s car was still parked in front of the entrance and the man was still waiting for her, leaning against his car.
“You went off for quite a while there,” there was a sharp edge to Shawn’s voice.
“I wasn’t feeling too well,” Leah spouted the first excuse that came to mind.
“To Empire Mall,” Shawn instructed the driver to drive them to the high-end luxury mall owned by the Fords themselves.
Leah thought of asking him to send her home first but held her tongue when she caught sight of his stony expression. Once the car arrived and parked at the mall, Shawn instructed his driver and bodyguard to escort Leah into the mall first. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.
“Find out why Han Howard is in the hospital,” he instructed the person on the other end of the call.
As Leah entered the mall with two burly men trailing behind her, she could not help but chuckle to herself. After everything that had