Peyton Joyce walked up to Simon Hawthorne, her heart filled with joy. The unmistakable traces of adoration in her eyes were impossible to conceal. Just as she instinctively reached out to place her hand on Simon’s shoulder, she noticed Zoe Lancaster. Suddenly feeling awkward, she lightly tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear.
"Zoe, you’re here too."
Sometimes, Zoe truly admired her.
Even though Peyton absolutely loathed the woman who had won Simon over, she always kept up flawless appearances. She consistently treated Zoe with kindness, as if she didn’t have a single sharp edge.
No wonder she was so well-loved by everyone.
Having recently heard about Peyton’s scandal, Zoe felt incredibly uncomfortable. She pursed her lips. "It’s Grandmother’s birthday. Naturally, I have to come back and pay my respects."
As she sipped her tea, she observed the two of them out of the corner of her eye, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles. The stifling pressure in her chest made her head spin.
At that moment, Florence Finch emerged, looking hale and hearty. Still holding a string of Buddha Beads in her hand, the elderly woman surveyed the room before smiling. "All right, don’t just stand there. Let’s eat."
Zoe absentmindedly stood up.
Upon arriving in the dining room, Peyton instinctively moved to sit beside Florence to play the role of the dutiful granddaughter. Florence, however, didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she waved at Zoe. "Miss Lancaster, come sit here, right next to me and Simon."
Peyton froze. Her lips trembled slightly, and she silently took a seat on the other side.
Surprised and bewildered that Florence valued her so much, Zoe tentatively sat down.
The old master had fallen into a coma and been hospitalized because of her. There was no way Florence didn’t know about it. And yet...
"How has your medication been going lately?" Florence asked affectionately, patting Zoe’s hand.
Hearing this, Ken Lowell looked at Zoe with a complex expression.
Of everyone present, only she and Peyton knew that Zoe was pregnant. However, after hearing some unintentional remarks from Peyton, Ken now highly doubted whether the child in Zoe’s womb actually belonged to the Hawthorne Family.
Zoe steadied her nerves and replied obediently, "It’s been going well. Thank you for your concern, Grandmother."
Florence smiled. "As long as you give the Hawthorne Family a big, bouncing baby boy as soon as possible, it’s nothing. Look at you, why are you getting so thin? Are you dieting? It’s fine for young women to just stay fit, but don’t harm your body."
Zoe’s heart warmed. At the very least, within the Hawthorne Residence, Florence truly treated her quite well.
"Simon, why aren’t you taking better care of her?" Florence shot Simon a glaring look, urging him on.
Simon curled his lips into a faint smile. "Grandmother, you’re starting to dote on her even more than you do on me." Despite his words, he didn’t hesitate to serve Zoe a bowl of soup, placing it right by her hand.
Peyton glanced up, her heart trembling.
Ryan Hawthorne didn’t miss Peyton’s reaction. Pursing his lips, he picked up a steamed crab and placed it on Zoe’s plate. "Zoe, this is Valorian snow crab," he said with a smile. "I noticed you quite like seafood, so give it a try."
Looking at the massive snow crab on her plate, Zoe’s expression subtly changed. Pregnant women were not supposed to eat crab, especially someone in her condition with a high-risk pregnancy.
"Zoe, you aren’t disgusted by me, are you?" Seeing that Zoe hadn’t made a move, Ryan spoke in a half-joking tone, intentionally putting her on the spot.
Even Simon cast a thoughtful glance at Ryan. Yet, acting like a complete outsider, Simon leaned lazily against the back of his chair, not sparing her a single look. He had no intention of coming to her rescue.
Zoe tightened her grip on her chopsticks, forcing a difficult smile. "My stomach hasn’t been doing too well lately, so..."
"Just a little bit will be fine. This is highly nutritious. I just mean well, seeing that you’re too thin, Zoe." Ryan’s smile didn’t falter, acting as though he was deeply considerate of her well-being.
Zoe pursed her lips. What did Ryan mean by this? She vaguely felt as if he was intentionally trying to pressure her. If she kept refusing, it would only make her look pretentious and suspicious.
She couldn’t help but look at Simon beside her with a pleading gaze. However, he merely sipped his champagne with indifference, showing no sign of intervening.
Zoe’s heart sank. She thought, "That’s right. He wishes nothing more than for this child in my womb to disappear. Why would he ever help me?"
She lowered her eyes, staring at the snow crab.
"All right, I’ve heard of pressuring people to drink, but I’ve never heard of pressuring people to eat. Just serve yourselves whatever you want," Florence said, waving her hand and breaking the eerie deadlock.
Ryan smiled. "You’re right to scold me, Grandmother."
Zoe breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t spare the snow crab another glance.
That was until a hand with distinct knuckles reached over and took the plate holding the snow crab away. She looked up. Simon’s expression remained entirely unchanged—still as noble, aloof, and distant as ever. He lowered his gaze to look at her. "You are Mrs. Hawthorne. There’s no need to cower. If you don’t like something, you can refuse it directly. No one can step on you and force you to do anything."
His tone was calm and indifferent, yet it made everyone at the dining table pause.
Ryan froze. The statement sounded far too much like a warning, sending an inexplicable chill down his spine. He frowned, though the expression vanished in an instant.
Peyton couldn’t help but look at Simon as well, her chest feeling incredibly tight. Was Simon... still defending Zoe? Zoe had clearly been branded with the reputation of committing adultery! The child in her belly was filthy and illegitimate! Why...
Her eyes faintly reddened.
Ken didn’t miss Peyton’s reaction, and she pressed her red lips tighter together. She was the only one who knew about Peyton and Simon’s drunken indiscretion. The situation might have seemed calm on the surface, but in reality, it was an absolute disaster!
"Ugh..." Suddenly, Peyton put down her chopsticks and covered her mouth, looking as though she was in immense discomfort.
Ken immediately asked in a panic, "What’s wrong, Peyton?"
Florence also looked over. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Ryan hurriedly handed her a glass of water.
Peyton swallowed hard and said, her face pale, "I’m fine. I just felt a little nauseous. It’s been happening a lot lately. It might be a stomach bug."
But just as her voice faded, a sudden, unbearable wave of nausea washed over her. Covering her mouth, she abruptly stood up and ran toward the bathroom.
Ryan instinctively wanted to chase after her, but reason forced him to hold himself back.
Ken, however, trembled as her complexion turned ugly. Nausea? Vomiting? She couldn’t help but recall the scene she had stumbled upon that day. She subconsciously looked across the table at Simon, only to see him frowning as well, appearing deep in thought.
Florence lost her appetite. "Everyone’s health is so poor lately. Take Peyton to the hospital for a checkup."
"You can’t!" Ken suddenly blurted out harshly, her expression extremely conflicted. "Let’s have the family doctor come over and take a look first. After all, it’s your birthday today, so let’s not make too much of a fuss." In truth, she harbored her own selfish motives. If they went to the hospital and the slightest hint of scandal leaked out, it would be catastrophic!
Florence gave her a glance. "Fine. Have Elder Joy come over and take a look while we’re at it. He’s been practicing traditional medicine for sixty years; it’d be good for him to help regulate her health."
Elder Joy had been treating the Hawthorne Family for many years. As one of the top veteran traditional doctors in the country, his medical skills were naturally top-tier.
Watching the sudden end to the dinner, Zoe inexplicably felt a growing sense of unease.
She sat outside Peyton’s bedroom door, watching as Elder Joy hurried over and entered the room. The door wasn’t closed. Florence sat off to the side, waiting, while Ken paced with a face full of anxiety. Simon sat on the edge of the bed, quietly waiting as Elder Joy checked Peyton’s pulse.
Everyone cared about Peyton so much. Seeing Simon keeping watch over Peyton, Zoe forced herself to turn away, fighting back the stinging tears in her eyes. As long as she didn’t look, it wouldn’t hurt.
Just as she took a step, Elder Joy’s voice unexpectedly rang out from the room:
"Miss Joyce is pregnant."