Katherine looked at me with mocking eyes. "You're acting so obedient now. Are you afraid that I'll hurt your son?

"Well, you guessed it right. If you'd given birth to a girl, I might have spared her. Yet he is a boy. Do you really think I'd let him live?"

I clutched my son tightly and backed away step by step. "You already have everything you wanted. Why are you still coming after me and my child?" I asked.

Katherine's face twisted with rage. "If it weren't for you, I never would've gone abroad heartbroken, never would've been drugged and gotten pregnant with this bastard. My whole life was ruined because of you. Do you really think I'd ever let you go?"

She suddenly grabbed a mug from the table and hurled it at me. I dodged, but she let out a sharp scream as she slammed her own head against the wall.

Gabriel rushed in immediately. "Tessa, are you out of your mind?"

Blood trickled down Katherine's forehead as she sagged weakly in Gabriel's arms.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I just thought Tess was exhausted, trying to take care of the baby while working on her designs, so I wanted to come over and help. I didn't expect her to accuse me of ruining her family and try to kill me," she said.

Gabriel gazed at the woman in his arms with concern and ordered someone to snatch my child away.

He glared at me through clenched teeth. "Tessa Carter, have I been too lenient with you? Is that why you can't recognize the situation you're in? If you don't turn in the design on time, you'll never see your son again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly carried Katherine away.

Joshua sighed. "Ms. Carter, it's better if you just focus on your designs. Otherwise, when the time comes—"

Having lost my child, I felt like a puppet. I couldn't get Adrian back, nor could I fight them.

Joshua held my arm. "We'll take good care of Mr. Donovan and won't let anything happen to him. Someone important will be coming tomorrow, so please don't cause any trouble."

My vacant eyes flickered for a moment.

If even Gabriel's assistant considered this guest important, they had to be someone powerful.

Besides, wealthy circles were all interconnected. My parents were said to be well off. If I could get close to this influential guest tomorrow, I might be able to escape, even if I couldn't see my parents yet.

…

The next day, I watched a long Maybach pull up at the gate of the Donovan residence. A couple walked in, surrounded by the crowd. They looked kind and carried themselves with great elegance.

At 12:00 pm, the clock chimed.

The housekeeper, Julia Hopkins, arrived on time with my lunch. I grabbed the ceramic vase beside me and swung it at the back of her head. Taking advantage of her daze, I ran out.

Julia's scream echoed through the entire residence. "Catch her!"

I ran with everything I had until I reached the reception hall and stood before the elegant woman. "Ma'am, please save me and my baby—"

Before I could finish speaking, two male servants seized my arms and covered my mouth, preventing me from making a sound.

Julia rushed over, muttering curses under her breath. "Mrs. Blake, don't believe a word from this shameless woman. She cheated outside, so we locked her up to teach her a lesson!"

Mrs. Blake froze in place, her body trembling slightly as she crouched down. She gently lifted my face with her hands.

When she spoke, her voice was quivering with joy. "You look just like her. So much like her."