Ch. 751..760

Chapter 751

Chapter 751

Hannah hooked a finger to gesture Ava closer to talk. When the latter sat down in front of her, she lowered her voice to a mere whisper.

"Ava, of course, this child can't be kept..."

"What?" Ava was stunned.

Since her mother was pregnant, she felt like the baby that had not been born yet would take her already scarce love away, so she was incredibly displeased.

Now that she heard what Hannah said, she wavered. After all, this was her sibling of the same mother. If it were really a boy, he might be useful to her in the future. "Why, mom? Did the doctor say it can't survive?"

"I know my own body." Hannah looked at her. "It's too risky for someone at my age to give birth. Even if it's born, it might not be easy to raise... Besides, he's not the fool's, so..."

"Mom, the fool doesn't even know! Look how happy he's been. He'll keep protecting you!"

"No!" Hannah's expression changed. "Noah's a fool but not Zephyr and Cordelia!"

Ava widened her eyes. "Did they find out?"

"Not for now, but sooner or later." Hannah sighed, and her gaze turned vicious suddenly. "As such, the child has to die in their hands before they realize it! This way, Noah will kick up a fuss, then the old man and Janine can do nothing against him!"

Ava understood it now. Her mother wanted to use this child who could never meet this world to pave a way out for her and herself. Even if Franklin did not accept them, he would be more tolerant because of the child.

Moreover, if the miscarriage involved Cordelia...

Ava grinned, impressed that her mother was far more experienced and manipulative.

"Mom, have you thought of how you're shoving this to that b*tch?"

"Not yet." Hannah snorted. "But chances like this are easy!"

Ava was going to say more when her phone rang. It was actually Cordelia when she checked the screen!

Surprised, she looked at Hannah, who gestured for her to answer it.

Cordelia did not say much on the line, merely expressing that she would like to meet Ava, and sent her the meeting location. It was a dessert shop in the city center.

"Oh, wow, the pigs are flying!" Ava snickered after she ended the call. "I called her every day to greet her and talk to her, yet she's never cared about me, and she's asking me out today?"

"Go on, then!" Hannah grinned triumphantly. "Perk up and see what's up with her. Hah, we were talking about finding a chance, and see, here it comes!"

Ava arrived 15 minutes later than the agreed time.

Cordelia was sitting by the window and saw Ava in a mini skirt with stilettos and oversized sunglasses as she sashayed over. When the latter came to the door, she even lowered her sunglasses and checked if paparazzi were around.

It was too bad that there were but they were not here to take photos of her. It was said that a Feranche artist was doing a shoot in the area.

Cordelia shook her head, wincing at Ava's silly antics.

"Sorry for being late, Cordelia," Ava said nonchalantly as soon as she came in.

Chapter 752

Chapter 752

"It's fine," Cordelia said softly. "I've ordered a drink for you. You like blueberry cheese milk tea, right?"

"Hah, Cordelia." Ava still refused to remove her sunglasses. "I liked it last time, but not now! I have to maintain my figure now. After all, I have so many scenes to shoot... Besides, if someone caught me having milk tea in a shop like this, it'd affect my image!"

"Oh..." Cordelia nodded and did her best to look nonchalant. "Oh, yeah, Ava, I asked you out today to talk to you about the film."

"Everything's going smoothly, don't worry!" Ava jutted her chin. "Ms. Lulham says that I'm a talented actress, and this film will definitely boost me to stardom!"

"Really?" Cordelia chuckled. "It's great that you received her compliments, but... I'm afraid the production can't go on."

Ava removed her sunglasses, and her eyes were wide like saucers.

"What did you say!?"

"Ava, calm down," Cordelia coaxed her softly. "Well, I've gone through the Baker Group's accounts, and there isn't much cash flow. A few of the investments haven't seen profits yet, so we don't have much money. Prestige Agency's the one investing in the production, but they pulled out at the last minute, so... it's really a challenge!"

Ava's mind buzzed, and her train of thoughts crashed.

How could they not have money? Why did they pull out?

Her mother had said that she had invested in the film to make her the female lead so she could be nominated and win an award!

It was all gone now?

Cordelia looked sincere. "Ava, Trinity has shown me your samples. They're great! Especially your expressions, they're on point!

"Of course, she also mentioned the discord between you and Neil the other day... I apologize to you for that. My cousin succeeded at a young age, so he's inevitably a little arrogant. I'm sorry that he has offended you.

"But believe me, Ava. If this production goes on, you'll definitely win an award."

Ava was disorientated because of Cordelia's compliments and the fact that the production had no money.

It was the first time Cordelia was so polite to her and even apologized to her. Why? It must be because both she and the production had immense value!

This film would also be the film that she turned the tide around, so the production must go on! No matter how much the price was!

Ava suddenly lost her judgment and grabbed Cordelia to ask, "What should we do then? Cordelia, I can't just stop here!"

"Calm down, calm down." Cordelia patted the back of her hand. "Doesn't Prestige Agency belong to Aunt Hannah? Why don't you ask her to figure something out? Like asking her not to pull out from investing?"

"Well..." Ava was going to say yes but paused.

She remembered that the money from Prestige Agency was what Chuck wanted her mother to launder. Pulling the funds out was likely the man's idea as well, and her mother could barely decide anything. The Baker Group had no cash flow available, and her only hope now was Chuck Cole.

Cordelia continued to instigate her. "Ava, as long as we can resolve the production fund issue, I'm confident to push this film up the award podium through some insider manipulation!" "Really?"

Ava looked up and met Cordelia's cryptic gaze. She gnashed her teeth and sprang up before she ran out of the dessert shop. It would be useless to go to her mother-she could only go to Chuck!

She hailed a cab and rushed to Chuck.

As Cordelia watched her enter the car, she called Zephyr. "Honey, I'm done here. What about your arrangement?"

Chapter 753

Chapter 753

Zephyr uttered lightly with a deep voice, "No problem."

The men he had arranged had followed Ava's cab and sent him the GPS location.

The cab was going toward a certain direction outside of the city and was the same one when they followed Hannah the last time.

Ava was indeed going to Chuck.

Zephyr smirked. The increasing amount of evidence was like an expanding balloon waiting to explode with a bang one day.

The truth might hurt for the time being, but it would be a lifetime of relief to Noah.

"Thanks, darling," Zephyr said softly. "Go rest up. Leave the rest to me."

Cordelia nodded and returned to the villa escorted by the bodyguards.

A few days later, Zephyr met Neil in the office.

The award-winning actor sat casually and leisurely on the couch with his long legs crossed. Even a white suit that was a challenge to wear looked incredibly fitting on him.

The Baker Group's female employees rarely came to this floor because they were usually scared of Zephyr. Still, their passion could hardly be extinguished today as they lingered around the door, dropping a pen or a book occasionally to peek through the gap on the glass doors while they bent down.

They scattered off when Zephyr appeared at the end of the hallway and they felt his strong presence.

Zephyr entered his office and joked, "Stay here a while longer, and the women's eyes will fall off."

"Does the Baker Group not have men?" Neil smirked.

Zephyr kept his smile and stared at him with a blank look.

"Is it so hard to admit that I'm more handsome than you, Zephyr?"

"Get out if you have nothing to do!"

Nail chuckled. "Stop, I'm just joking! See, I got you these."

He placed the envelope on the table. It was a stack of photos inside.

Zephyr took a look, and his icy face finally revealed a smile.

A few days ago, he had used Neil's men to follow Ava to Chuck's place and even taken photos of their meeting.

The two of them were intimate in the photos-Chuck's hand was even on Ava's waist. If he did see her as his lover's daughter, would he lose his judgment?

Zephyr stuffed the photos back into the envelope, repulsed the longer he looked at the filth.

"Thanks." He looked at Neil. "Cordelia and I will do our best for you and Aurelia."

"What?" Neil paused. "Why are you talking about this out of the blue?"

"Oh, then... Cordelia and I will do our best to find Aurelia a decent boyfriend." Zephyr smirked cryptically. "I've asked about it. If she could get married to a local with a decent status, she might get amnesty, and her immigration status problem will be resolved..."

"Zephyr Hamerton!"

Neil growled out of frustration and glared at him but could not say more.

Zephyr adjusted his tie leisurely and waved a hand to go out and meet a business partner.

Neil stared at his back and gnashed his teeth. "This is how you repay me?"

The Baker residence was merry on the weekend evening.

Franklin was suddenly in the mood to host a party on this summer night and invited friends and family. Everyone from the Bakers was there.

Chapter 754

Chapter 754

The party was in the yard. String instruments were played melodically, with the aroma of wine drifting in the air. The roses in the garden were in full bloom too. It felt as if one was back in the 16th century Eropah with a dreamy tinge.

With her very pregnant belly, Cordelia socialized with Zephyr among the crowd. Zephyr felt bad about her difficulty in walking and was going to carry her when she held his arm.

"What?" The man chuckled. "Didn't you say that you don't need your legs anymore after you're with me?"

"I still need them now!" Cordelia whispered harshly, "It's not nice in front of your family!"

"What does coddling my wife have to do with them?"

Cordelia chuckled but stopped him anyway.

"Our Cordelia's simply too sensible!" Janine said in a lowered voice as well, "It's nothing to let him carry you. Your feet look so swollen... It must hurt?" Cordelia shook her head docilely.

A woman's shrill voice came from afar. "Oh, our Mrs. Hamerton's really so sensible! So much so that she doesn't distinguish her elders!"

Janine frowned. It was Hannah.

The latter sauntered over. Her stomach was still flat, but she was like a queen who needed an entourage surrounding her.

Janine rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap! Do you think you can slander anyone just because you're pregnant? Are you crazy?"

"Janine, you'll find out in a while who's crazy!"

Their argument attracted the attention of relatives and friends, but they only watched on without a word, holding their wine glasses and enjoying the free show.

Hannah saw that the timing was right and threw a stack of photos on the table.

The men caught in the photos looked sneaky and secretive, like they were following someone.

Cordelia and Zephyr exchanged a smile.

They had long known that Hannah had her guard up against them. She noticed that she was being followed, so they played along and asked the bodyguards to act more obviously so she could capture them in the photos.

"Janine, look at these! These are your wonderful son and daughter-in-law?!"

Janine was unfazed as she sneered. "What about it?"

"What about it?" Hannah widened her eyes. "They sent people to follow me!

"Janine, I don't know why they're doing this but isn't the trick a little dirty?"

Hannah palmed her head. "Once I think about how I'm being followed, I get into a bad mood. Once I get into a bad mood, it affects my baby..."

The guests around them whispered to each other.

"Yeah, for whatever it is, Hannah still carries a Baker child."

"Zephyr and Cordelia doing this obviously means they can't accept Hannah and her child!"

"Hah, Janine might be the one behind it..."

Once Hannah heard that the discussion was on her side, she continued to fuss unreasonably and threw herself to the floor. "This is so unfair! I'm just having a baby! Why are you doing this to me!? "Noah, I'm sorry! Since your nephew and niece-in-law hate this baby so much, we don't want it so they won't be upset..."

Noah quickly went forward to pull her up as he scolded Zephyr and Cordelia without much thought.

Cordelia held Zephyr's hand, and he held her back, giving her a gentle and firm smile.

They waited a bit more, and Zephyr put Cordelia behind her to step forward and scanned with his cold gaze everyone, landing it on Hannah. "Aunt Hannah, get up and talk." Hannah stood her ground and refused to.

Zephyr stood before her and looked down with a sneer. "You like talking with your head up? Not much difference from kneeling down, I guess!"

Chapter 755

Chapter 755

Hannah scrambled up from the ground instantly and glared at Zephyr.

"Z-Zephyr Hamerton! How dare you speak to your aunt like this!?"

"How dare you speak to my son like this!?" Janine's stern voice intimidated everyone.

Hannah shrank back and poked Noah discreetly for him to kick up another fuss.

Noah yelled recklessly, "Janine, you're being unreasonable! What... What has Hannah done wrong? Why did you send people to follow her!?

"She has my child! D-Do you hate her so much? Do you hate me too!?"

Janine grimaced. She wanted to lash out several times but held back.

Once she thought of how her little brother had saved her without a care for his own safety when they were younger, she caved. No matter how big her temper was, she could not let it out as guilt devoured her whole.

Zephyr went up to pat her shoulders for her to step back.

He would unleash the temper his mother was unable to lash out. Growing up, he had never seen his mother so weak. Besides, this was not a temper. Tolerating Noah regardless was not being good to him—it was pushing him into a deeper abyss. They might as well remove a cancerous tumor like Hannah right now.

Zephyr was calm as he slapped a stack of photos on the table.

"Aunt Hannah, you said you're followed." He smirked. "You took photos, and I did too. That's right. I admit that I sent those people but look properly, Aunt Hannah. See what my men have taken!" Hannah browsed the photos in puzzlement, only to shake more violently the more she looked.

"Th-this is..."

"It's Ava." Zephyr's voice was cold. "You wouldn't not recognize your own daughter, right?"

Hannah looked up, face pale and gaze horrified.

Ava was not the only one in the photos-there was also Chuck!

Hannah's heart thumped. She felt like all her blood had suddenly rushed up to her head. She felt dizzy and lost.

How did Ava end up with Chuck?

One was her daughter, and the other was her lover, yet the two of them actually... Hannah was humiliated but could only suppress it in front of so many people.

There was a flash in Zephyr's eyes as he held Cordelia's hand and smiled at her.

Cordelia spoke softly. "Aunt Hannah, don't blame Zephyr... It's because of me.

"I previously thought there was something off with Ava and told Zephyr about it. That's why he sent people to follow her. Aunt Hannah, I'm just worried about something happening to her.

"I wonder who this Mr. Cole is?" Cordelia's gaze was pure. "He doesn't look young, and Ava looks close to him. What if... What if she's being tricked?"

"You..." Hannah was so furious that she would cough blood.

The cryptic smirk Cordelia wore was exactly the same as Zephyr's. When they stood together, their presences were overbearing as well. It made one dare not act out of line.

The party was silent. Everyone exchanged a look. They were all clever, understanding what Cordelia implied without a word.

Noah was the only one kept in the dark as he looked around.

"Sweetheart, who's Mr. Cole? Why's our Ava so close to him? He's not her boyfriend, is he?"

"Shut up!" Hannah glared at him.

Janine was displeased and pulled Noah behind her.

"Hannah Johnson, why are you throwing a tantrum at my brother? You really think you're the queen just because you're pregnant?"

Chapter 756

Chapter 756

Hannah choked, unable to get a word out.

Janine sneered. "Cordelia's right if you ask me! If she and Zephyr didn't keep an eye out and have someone follow Ava, she might really be deceived by the old man!

"And you have a baby now, Hannah, but you can't neglect your daughter, right?"

"Enough!" Hannah screamed and spotted Ava who was hiding among the crowd at a glance.

Ava kept her head lowered and looked as frantic as she was.

The moment their eyes met, Ava could clearly feel the murderous glint in her mother's eyes and shuddered.

Franklin came over.

He had heard the ruckus that happened over here, and someone had told him everything that unfolded.

Living to this age, Franklin had long mastered the skill of masking his emotions. However, there was a storm in the bottom of his unfazed eyes, and his silence was only the quiet before the storm. "Hannah Johnson, Ava Baker." Franklin's voice startled the two women like a hammer. "Explain this!"

"Dad..."

"Grandpa..."

"Grandpa, let me explain." Zephyr's voice was aloof. "I've looked into this Mr. Cole. He's just a regular businessman who makes venture capital investments. Aside from being older, there's nothing wrong." "Really?"

"Yes, really."

Hannah and Ava were shocked.

The indescribable meaning in Zephyr's eyes was frightening. They could not understand what he and Cordelia were planning. They had already investigated Chuck, but why did they not expose them in front of Franklin?

Janine snickered. "Hannah, a regular businessman could woo your daughter too? Watch out for traps!

"Ava isn't from the Bakers, but she's still a Baker! If she does anything shameful, it'll be the Bakers she's embarrassing!"

Hannah's gaze was resentful while Franklin knocked his cane loudly against the floor, enraged.

"You mother and daughter better behave! You're in the Bakers now and need to follow the Bakers' rules! From today on, stay home, Ava. You're not allowed to go out!" Franklin huffed and turned to leave while Janine hurried to help him.

The music was played again, and the guests resumed drinking and dancing as if nothing had happened.

Hannah and Ava were frozen on the spot with appalled looks. Noah was helpless and held on to Zephyr and Cordelia to argue, but Hannah hit his head.

"Are you done? Embarrassing!"

"Honey, you-"

"Go home!" Hannah used everything she had to shout.

Zephyr glanced at them coldly and left with Cordelia.

Ava called out with a shaky voice, "Mom..."

Hannah took a deep breath and said, "Come with me!"

The mother and daughter came to the poolside at the back of the manor.

It was not too far away from the front but much quieter. The silver moon was reflected in the pool and bounced off both women's faces. Each had their own thoughts.

Ava's heart thumped as she peeked at Hannah. Before she could say a word, a slap landed on her cheek.

Chapter 757

Chapter 757

"Mom! You..." Ava panicked.

She held her throbbing cheek. Panic, resentment, rage, guilt, and all sorts of complicated emotions rushed up to her.

"Don't call me mom!" Hannah panted harshly. "Do you still see me as your mother? I... How did I raise a shameless thing like you!?"

"Mom, don't listen to their nonsense. Uncle Chuck and I are just-"

"Don't the photos say enough!?" Hannah was hysterical. "That man groped your waist! And y-you let him? Are you trying to make me mad!?"

Ava froze, unable to say anything.

Actually, Hannah had long noticed the scandal between her daughter and lover.

She rarely took Ava to meet Chuck, but Chuck's lecherous eyes would stay on Ava each time they met. She was hurt and angry, but more of it was jealousy.

She was jealous of her own daughter, jealous that she had the youth which she had lost, jealous of her face that could enchant men.

She was old now and could no longer win over Chuck's heart, no matter how hard she tried. Other than bringing him more benefits, she had no other ways.

Hannah had hinted to Ava plenty of times for her to stay away from Chuck, but she did not expect the two of them to do this behind her and for Cordelia and Zephyr to catch them red-handed!

Hannah suddenly understood it. Zephyr had not exposed Chuck's identity in front of Franklin just now because he already had everything within his control.

Other than being intimidating, Janine and Zephyr were best at manipulating others' weaknesses and then playing with them like cat and mouse-until the mouse died!

Hannah's legs felt limp, and she nearly fell to the floor.

Ava merely looked at her coldly and did not help her.

Hannah looked up as if seeing her end from her daughter's eyes that were gleaming viciously.

"Y-You wh*re! Did I give birth to you for you to go against me? I-I've done everything for you, and you went behind my back and did something so shameless!"

A moment of silence later, Ava scoffed.

"Mom, don't make it sound so awful. What I do is shameless, and you have the moral high ground?"

"You..."

"The production can't be stopped halfway! The funds can't be pulled out!" Ava cried, "Since you can't decide on this, I naturally went to Uncle Chuck for help! What else should I do? How else am I becoming a star and an award-winning actress!?"

Hannah's eyes bulged as her finger pointing at Ava shook.

"Mom, be the bigger person!" Ava looked at her impatiently. "You're old now, so Uncle Chuck doesn't like you! If it weren't for me, would he even look at you?

"It's not like my flesh is being cut off when I let him grope me. I can make him help us and-"

"Shut up!"

Hannah was hysterical and grabbed Ava's hair to slap her a few more times.

Ava cried and yowled so much that her voice cracked. Hannah's long fingernails went for her face too and scratched lines of blood.

Ava fought back. With eyes reddened in a fury, she punched Hannah's stomach.

"Ah!"

Hannah could barely find her balance from the pain and fell into the pool.

Ava was stunned. She watched Hannah struggle in the water before she sank. She panicked, and an idea popped up in her blank mind-run!

"Mom, d-don't blame me for this!" Ava broke out in a cold sweat and ran off limping in her high heels.

Hannah slowly lost motion, and there was only a ripple of bubbles left on the water's surface.

Chapter 758

Chapter 758

A few bodyguards ran over with flashlights.

Zephyr sent them as Cordelia had long reminded him to keep an eye on Hannah and Ava.

It was unexpected that Ava was this ruthless, pushing her own mother into the pool!

"Quickly, she's over here. Come on!"

The bodyguards were strong, muscular, and swam well, so they saved Hannah from the water speedily.

Hannah falling into the pool alarmed the Bakers, and they sent her to the hospital in a scurry.

The doctor pulled off his mask and sighed in relief at the door of the emergency ward. "Her baby is doing fine now."

Noah thanked the heavens and chuckled.

The doctor then said, "But it's best for her to go through a thorough checkup to be safe."

Janine nodded and gestured for the butler to handle the relevant procedures, but Hannah was wheeled out from the emergency ward with the nurses looking frantic.

The doctor frowned. "Why are you out with the patient?"

"We can't be blamed..." One of the nurses explained, "Mrs. Baker refuses to do any checkup and insists on Dr. Amy!"

"Yes, I'm not doing any checkup..." Hannah was weak on the bed but stubborn. "I-I'm not doing any tests. Bring Amy here, Amy..."

Cordelia and Zephyr exchanged looks, immediately understanding that Hannah must have bought over Amy. She was the only one who knew how the baby in her womb came about. Cordelia stepped forward to ask, "Is Amy here?"

The doctor looked troubled. "Dr. Amy, whom Mrs. Baker is looking for, is currently performing a surgery overseas. She won't make it back!"

"Is Dr. Amy the best doctor around?"

"She's just an ob-gyn doctor, older and experienced. To say that she's the best... we have a lot of excellent doctors in our hospital!"

Cordelia smiled and turned to the others.

They had actually heard what the doctor said and agreed to let Hannah get checked first before contacting Amy.

Noah advised her patiently, "Sweetheart, let's check you first for the baby! You fell into the pool and almost drowned. I'm worried!" "Shut up!" Hannah punched the side of the bed and stammered, "No, I don't want to... You don't know anything. Shut up!" "Sweetheart, why!?"

"Because..." Cordelia purposely paused mid-sentence and dragged the last syllable.

When she met Hannah's eyes, she could clearly see the panic and resentment in the latter's gaze.

"Because Aunt Hannah's always been checked by Dr. Amy. She's not used to others." Cordelia chuckled. "Uncle Noah, I'm pregnant too. I understand what she feels. It's not just a habit. It's the sense of security if the doctor's someone else."

"Oh!" Noah was struck with a realization.

Hannah breathed in relief-temporarily. She had exhausted so much energy and strength tonight that she did not have it in her to consider if Cordelia meant anything else with what she said.

It was fine as long as she did not have to be checked on. Slumping back on the pillow, she closed her eyes heavily, and the nurse wheeled her back to the hospital ward.

Noah paced back and forth in the hallway and sighed from time to time.

"Uncle Noah, are you worried about the baby in Aunt Hannah's womb?" Cordelia asked softly.

Noah's frown was locked tight, and he looked hesitant to speak.

"Cordelia's right. Switching doctors abruptly for checkups isn't a small matter to the pregnant woman," Zephyr said seriously. "But I have a recommendation who will certainly assure you and Aunt Hannah." "Huh? Who?" Noah was frantic. "Hurry up and tell me!"

Cordelia smiled. "It's my younger brother, Carter."

Chapter 759

Chapter 759

The butler next to Noah told him, "Sir, Mr. Carter Irwin is the Irwin heir in Southeast Aciatic. The Irwins are known for their achievements in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Not just in Southeast Aciatic, their professionalism and expertise are also among the best in the world."

Noah was silent for a moment before he recalled abruptly. "Oh, I know! T-The medical kit at home! A few bottles of the commonly used medicine have Irwin Pharmaceuticals written on them!"

"That's the one!"

Noah was elated as he thought that he had found a savior and held Cordelia's hand. "Cordelia, c-can your brother really help Hannah? Uh... Hannah was always picking fights with you in the past. I'll apologize to you for her, okay?"

Noah stood up straight and bowed deeply as he spoke.

When the man fell from the horse back then, his head was not the only part injured. His nerves were damaged too, and he twitched whenever he spoke.

Cordelia suddenly felt a pinch in her heart upon seeing how panicky he was and sympathized with him.

There was no wrong in loving a person. What was wrong was that the person did not even deserve his love.

"Uncle Noah, don't worry," Cordelia said softly. "Doctors have the heart to save people. My brother's an outstanding doctor. He'll check Aunt Hannah properly." "Hehe, hehe..." Noah giggled happily.

When Zephyr and Cordelia met eyes, they were both sad.

The car drove smoothly on the way back. After the eventful night, the darkness in the sky slowly gave way to the first sliver of golden.

Cordelia sat in the backseat with Zephyr, her head resting against his shoulder. He hugged her gently.

"Sleep if you want. I'll wake you up when we're home."

Cordelia shook her head as she was not quite sleepy. She was miserable once she thought of Noah's naïve look.

Her voice was small. "Zephyr, what we're doing... is it right?"

Zephyr paused and was silent for a moment before placating her. "There's nothing wrong. Uncle Noah has to face this reality sooner or later."

"But looking at how nice he is to Aunt Hannah and looking forward to the child so much... I feel bad."

"Darling, don't be silly!" Zephyr looked into Cordelia's eyes. "If we don't expose all these and try to keep the surface peace, not only will Hannah be harmful to Uncle Noah, but she'll also drag the Bakers down!" Cordelia snuggled closer to him.

She remembered that Carter video-called her after he acupunctured someone for the first time. He mentioned that the person's condition was more serious and needed an intense session, so the process was agonizing.

Carter had said, "It's inevitable. He could only take it in order to save his life."

Cordelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Uncle Noah's pain was inevitable as well. She should not have had too much compassion just now when it was unnecessary.

"Darling, stop thinking," said Zephyr. "Your health comes first."

"Mm."

As they spoke, Cordelia actually felt sleepy. She closed her eyes and chuckled. "I thought I could stay farther away from Hannah recently so I wouldn't get burned, but I'm still dragged into this now." "Not exactly." Zephyr smiled. "At least we were not around when she fell into the pool. And the baby survived. Perhaps the heavens are helping us."

"Hmm?"

"Otherwise... there'll be no proof?"

Cordelia smiled and nodded.

She fell asleep soon after, and Zephyr draped his jacket over her. He asked the chauffeur not to stop and keep driving.

The chauffeur was puzzled. "Sir, where are we driving to?"

Chapter 760

Chapter 760

"Doesn't matter." Zephyr was indifferent as long as they did not stop. Once the car stopped, it would definitely affect his precious wife's sleep.

The chauffeur could only keep driving around the smooth road until they were almost out of gas and went to a nearby gas station.

As soon as the car stopped, Cordelia woke up as expected. Seeing that it was already bright outside, but they had yet to arrive home, she could not help asking, "What's going on?" "Madam, you fell asleep. Mr. Hamerton doesn't allow me to stop!" the chauffeur answered with a smile.

Cordelia was stunned. "How long have I slept?"

"Uh... as long as a tank of gas can take us."

Cordelia was surprised and looked up to see the man next to her staring at her lovingly.

"Darling, had a good sleep?"

"Mm!" Cordelia rubbed her hair. It did feel great to sleep until she woke up at her own time.

"Darling, the tank of gas isn't cheap!"

"Oh."

"So..." The man spoke seriously. "Your allowance isn't enough. Can't refill that much."

Cordelia thought that he was right. The luxury car was high specs and used the expensive kind of gas. It was not on the same level as the $15,000 car she had bought him.

She grabbed her phone to transfer him $450.

Zephyr's heart did a small somersault as he looked at the notification with a straight face and said calmly, "It's not enough."

"Huh? Then how much do you need?"

Zephyr calculated seriously. "This car's a limited edition and has a big tank. All the fees are high... A full tank will cost at least $700!"

Cordelia frowned and thought that $700 for a tank of gas felt ridiculous. The chauffeur came back into the car after he was done refueling and said honestly with a grin, "Madam, that's too much. I just refueled, and it's only $70-"

Before the chauffeur finished his sentence, he saw Zephyr's glower.

"Uh, I-I don't know anything, Madam! My Acian is so bad. I don't understand what you said just now!"

The chauffeur stepped down on the pedal and zoomed back home.

"Zephyr Hamerton! You really think I've got the pregnancy brain!?"

"No, no! Honey, I'm the fool. I'm the one deteriorating at my prime!"

Carter arrived at the hospital and saw Hannah, who was lying in the ward, through the glass window.

He had already gone through the woman's medical history and was familiar with it. Even if there was a complication during the checkup process, he could handle it with ease.

"Can we do a paternity test?" asked Cordelia.

"No problem." Carter was confident. "She's ten weeks long now. We can get the baby's DNA sample through CVS and test who the biological father is."

"But..." Cordelia had her concerns. "I'm afraid Aunt Hannah won't let anyone near her."

"That's easy too." Carter chuckled and retrieved a silver needle. "I can get the sample as long as she falls asleep."

Zephyr nodded.

A while later, Carter pretended to be the doctor on duty and entered the hospital ward according to their plan. Hannah did not know him, so she muttered, "Can a doctor so young be reliable?" as soon as she saw him and then turned away.

Carter found a good timing and gently pushed the needle behind Hannah's ear. Her eyes closed soon as she fell into a deep sleep.

Another ob-gyn doctor came in, and they successfully retrieved a DNA sample with a few nurses' help.

Carter kept it carefully and sent it to the lab.