Unlike Zoe’s shock, Florence Finch was filled with joy. Paying no mind to Ken Lowell, she waved Zoe over. "Come here, Miss Lancaster. Let me get a good look at you."
Zoe was bewildered. She subtly observed Simon Hawthorne’s expression. He was too calm, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
The reactions of everyone present today were completely different from what she had imagined!
Could it be that Simon had interfered behind the scenes?
Despite her endless speculations, Zoe obediently walked up to the old lady. Florence affectionately touched her belly. "You’ve been wronged, Miss Lancaster. Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? The first few months are crucial. You must take good care of yourself."
Looking at the old lady’s expression, Zoe felt a slight sting in her nose. At the very least, Florence cared about her. "I will, Grandma Florence."
"Mr. Miller, fetch the bird’s nests and those two boxes of premium cordyceps from my room for Miss Lancaster," Florence instructed, patting Zoe’s hand with a warm smile. "Take them back and have the servants stew them for you. They’ll be excellent for the baby."
The butler, Mr. Miller, acknowledged the order and immediately went to retrieve the items.
Watching the harmonious interaction between the old and young women, Simon stood deep in thought for a moment before getting up and heading outside.
After seeing Simon and Peyton walk out the door one after another, Florence held Zoe’s hand. "I’ve been sending you medicine for so long. Have you been drinking it all this time?" She hadn’t known Zoe was pregnant and had been ordering the kitchen to brew medicine for her all along.
Zoe nodded. "I drink it every day."
Florence looked surprised and furrowed her brow. "The prescription was for four days a week. How could you be drinking it every day?"
Zoe was confused. "Four days?" But the servant came almost every day.
After a moment of thought, Florence waved her hand dismissively. "There was probably a surplus of medicine, so they delivered extra. No matter, they are excellent herbs for the body. Even if you’re pregnant, drinking them won’t cause any harm. Now that the baby is stable, if you don’t want to drink it anymore, I won’t send it. Just focus on resting."
Zoe absentmindedly agreed, but her gaze drifted outside.
Meanwhile, beneath the covered walkway.
Simon stood in the courtyard. The pine and cypress trees looked exceptionally lush and green, emitting a faint, fresh fragrance. He lowered his head slightly, placed a cigarette between his lips, and lit it.
His handsome jaw tilted up as wisps of blue smoke drifted past his lips. His deep, dark eyes held an unfathomable trace of emotion. Even though the paternity test confirmed the child was his, he showed little joy. His solemnity felt almost oppressive.
"Simon." Footsteps approached from beside him, bringing a faint, delicate fragrance.
Simon snapped back to reality and turned his head calmly, seeing Peyton Joyce standing next to him. Since she had been bedridden for years, her complexion was paler than an average woman’s, making her look fragile and delicate. She seemed to have taken quite a blow today, her eyes red and swollen.
"Why did you come out? It’s windy here," he asked in a low, husky voice. His gaze swept over her stomach, but he didn’t put out his cigarette.
Peyton shook her head and stepped forward to link her arm through his, leaning on him dependently. "I’m feeling a bit unwell. I was dizzy, so I came out for some fresh air."
As she spoke, tears unexpectedly slipped from her eyes. "Simon, with my health so poor... will I ever be able to wait until you are free? If I hadn’t been so willful back then, we would have long since..."
"That’s in the past," he interrupted gently.
"But I can’t move past it," she said, looking at him mournfully with a bitter yet gentle smile that lacked any sharp edges. Her heart belonged solely to him. "I don’t want to deny that I’m truly heartbroken. I’m the one who wants to be with you more than anyone else. If Zoe could just cherish you properly, I would leave with peace of mind. But her heart isn’t with you. I can’t bear to see such a good man go unappreciated."
She still couldn’t figure out the paternity test. What exactly had gone wrong? If things had gone according to plan, those two would have already signed the divorce papers by now. She wouldn’t have to endure the pain of another woman monopolizing Simon anymore. But why did it turn out this way?
Simon lowered his eyes to look at her. She was entirely devoted to him, and anyone could see it. No man could resist the deep affection of a woman like her—gentle, considerate, educated, sensible, and knowing exactly when to advance or retreat. By contrast, it only highlighted how thorny Zoe was.
"Simon, what about our child?" Peyton continued. "He shouldn’t be born illegitimate. I don’t matter. I was perfectly willing when you did those things to me while you were drunk that day, but our child shouldn’t have to suffer like this."
The mention of that drunken day brought a slight ripple to his calm demeanor. He thought of how Shane Shaw had claimed that Simon had called out Peyton’s name right in front of Zoe. His brow furrowed involuntarily. After a moment, he flicked the ash from his cigarette and replied with a question of his own. "Peyton, what did you mean earlier in the hall when you said, ’How is this possible?’"
Peyton froze. As the implication of his words finally dawned on her, her spine stiffened.
She had lost her composure the moment she saw the paternity test confirm that Zoe’s child was his, accidentally revealing a sliver of her true thoughts. After all, she had gone to great lengths to interfere with the test. In her eyes, today was supposed to be a dead end for Zoe. The sudden reversal had caught her entirely off guard, causing her to slip up. She hadn’t expected Simon to notice!
She concealed the panic in her eyes. "Simon, what do you mean?"
Simon looked at her with a remarkably calm gaze. "Your reaction in that instant made it seem as if you already knew what the result was supposed to be. Peyton, is it just my imagination?"
Peyton steadied her nerves and replied sorrowfully, "I love you so much, but I’m only human. In that moment, I just hoped you would walk toward me. I was simply disappointed, that’s all."
"Is that really it?"
"Simon, when have I ever lied to you?" Biting her lip, she cried even harder, her face deathly pale. Throwing caution to the wind, she lunged into his arms and hugged him tightly around the waist. "Simon, the baby and I both need you. The only reason you aren’t cutting ties with Zoe right now is because of her child. Once the issue with her baby is settled later, the two of you will have a legitimate reason to separate, right?"
Simon didn’t move.
His gaze shifted into the distance, landing squarely on Zoe, who had just stepped out of the hall. She stood there quietly, calmly watching Peyton embrace him. She showed absolutely no reaction. It even reminded him of the last time, when she had nonchalantly gone to the hotel to drop off condoms for them. He couldn’t find a single trace that she cared about him, which left him feeling inexplicably gloomy and irritable. As the two locked eyes from a distance, his expression darkened even further.
Zoe just watched peacefully. How could she not be used to this by now? She had even pre-visualized the day she would catch them in bed together. She had rehearsed the scenario in her mind over and over, forcing herself to accept it. But right now, looking at Peyton’s face, she only felt wave after wave of disgust. As for what happened in Portellis back then, how could someone take her place unless it was deliberate? Why did Peyton do that? She had clearly lied to Simon!
Amidst her daze, Peyton, who was still clinging to Simon, noticed her. The look in the other woman’s eyes wasn’t gentle or virtuous, but... a bone-chilling provocation. It was as if she were saying, "See? Simon only cares about me." The moment Zoe registered the meaning behind Peyton’s gaze, a chill ran down her spine, followed by a surge of nameless anger. She wondered what Peyton would do if she tore off all pretenses right now and revealed the truth.