Natalie said nothing.

That silence was soon broken by the ringing of her phone. However, she looked at the screen and did not pick up. Then, it was my phone’s turn to ring.

It was an unknown number.

I accepted the call, and Yarden’s voice came through, sounding calm, gentle, but weak.

“Mr. Jenkins, this is Yarden. I know you’re with Natalie right now. Can I… explain something to you?”

I put the sound on speaker and set the phone on the table.

“Mr. Jenkins, it’s all my fault.”

Yarden spoke politely, with the meek, helpless tone of an educated man.

“I’m a failure. I couldn’t provide for Xeno. That is why I had to swallow my pride and come back to ask Natalie for help.

“She is loyal and kind, and she only felt sorry for the child. Please don’t blame her.

“If you can’t tolerate us, I’ll leave with Xeno immediately.

“Even if we have nowhere to go, I’ll never make trouble for you.”

Suddenly, the phone carried the sound of a child coughing, and Yarden’s panicked voice followed, trying to calm him.

Natalie’s face paled.

She grabbed my phone and shouted into it.

“Yarden, is Xeno having another attack?

“Don’t move! The medicine is in the cabinet! I’ll be there right away!”

She hung up and gave me a pleading look, panic written all over her face.

“Zayden, Xeno’s heart condition is acting up. He could die. I have to go! We can deal with everything else when we get home, okay?”

I looked at her.

One moment, she was confessing to me. The next, she heard Xeno coughing on the other end and could think of nothing else.

I knew Natalie too well.

Yarden only needed to show a little helplessness, a bit of fatherly concern, and he could completely control her.

“Go.”

I leaned back into my chair, and my expression turned cold.

“Natalie, once you leave, we’re done.”

She froze.

She stared at me, full of doubt. Finally, she spoke through clenched teeth, “Zayden, a life is at stake. I can’t just stand by.”

Without another word, she turned around and left.

I watched her walk away before picking up the cold coffee in front of me to pour it onto the floor. It felt like something lost that could never be recovered.

Then, I pulled out my phone and called Julian.

“Mr. Moore, I’m in the neighboring city. I’ll visit you later.”

I went straight to Moore Corp’s branch in that city.

Julian was inspecting the office. When he saw me, he did not look surprised.

The office cleared out, leaving only me and him inside.

“Zayden, why do you look so grim?”

Julian raised his coffee cup and studied me with sharp eyes.

“Mr. Moore, you already know, don’t you?” I lost no time asking. “Yarden has been back in the country for three years. He is still living in a Moore Corp apartment and is spending Natalie’s money. You have people everywhere in the company. There’s no way you didn’t know.”

Julian paused his sipping and sighed. “Natalie is foolish and soft-hearted.” He set down the cup. “I remember that child. He is an illegitimate son, yes, but he carries Moore blood. He is not healthy. It’s natural for Natalie to take care of him.”

“Natural?” I scoffed. “Then about the agreement Natalie and I signed? Was it all a joke?”

“Zayden!” Julian raised his tone. “You are the Moore family’s son-in-law. You need to think long-term. As long as that man doesn’t become part of the family or threaten your position, why not give Natalie some dignity in public? Besides…” Julian looked at me meaningfully. “No children have come out of the five years you and Natalie spent together. A family as large as the Moores needs an heir. Natalie having a child outside the marriage was also for the sake of the Moore family.”

A cold feeling spread through my body. Suddenly, I was the party at fault for not making Natalie pregnant, and she was the kind and thoughtful one for having betrayed me. My righteous anger apparently spoke of nothing else but selfishness.

“What if I say I want a divorce?”

I stared at Julian.

His face darkened, and he slammed his cup onto the table. “Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think divorce is a game? Moore Corp’s stock can’t handle this kind of shock. The shares in your hands are both protection and leverage. Do you really think you can walk away with the Moore family’s money? It won’t be that easy.”

Julian narrowed his eyes. The authority of a person long in power filled the room.

I clenched my fist. My nails pressed into my palm. In this family, there was no warmth, only cold calculations of interest.

Someone knocked at the door.

The secretary entered with an awkward expression. “Mr. Moore, Ms. Moore is here. She brought the child with her.”

Natalie walked in moments later.

She held Xeno in her arms. Yarden followed behind her. His face was pale.

“Grandpa.”

Natalie did not dare to look at me. She went straight to Julian and brought the child closer.

“Xeno heard you were here and insisted on coming to see you.”

Xeno was pale, yet obedient. “Hello, Great-Grandpa.”

Julian’s expression softened immediately.

“Good boy. Very good.”

He reached out and touched Xeno’s head gently.

Yarden stood in the corner and glanced at me. That look did not match his gentle, harmless appearance. There was a trace of cold provocation in his eyes. As long as Julian acknowledged Xeno, even if Yarden never officially joined the family, he would still be credited as someone who had secured an heir for the Moore family.

Meaning that sooner or later, I would be kicked out of the family.

Natalie looked at me with new confidence.

“Zayden, Grandpa has already made his stance clear. Just think of this as doing good by the Moore family.”

My insides twisted painfully. Years of business dinners for Moore Corp had left me with chronic stomach problems, and the pain struck without warning. Cold sweat broke out over my back.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, and the color started draining from my face.

Natalie kept talking, oblivious. My body swayed, and I almost collapsed.

“Zayden!” she cried.

I pulled my hand away from hers and walked straight into the lounge. Sitting and breathing a little bit helped me recover. Then, Yarden appeared out of nowhere and dropped to his knees in front of me. His eyes were teary, and his expression showed insecurity.

“Mr. Jenkins, I know I should never have returned. But Xeno’s heart condition requires surgery. The best specialist is in the city. I came back because I had no other way to save his life.”

He looked up at me. His face was undeniably handsome, with the polished look of a sugar baby.

“As soon as Xeno’s surgery succeeds, I’ll take him and leave immediately. We won’t trouble you again. Mr. Jenkins, you’re a man too. You should understand the misery of not being able to protect your family. Please, have some compassion for me as a father.”

Yes, I too, was a man. But I could not sympathize with Yarden. At the end of the day, he was still the outsider who had intruded on another marriage.

“Zayden… Xeno’s surgery is scheduled for next week.” Natalie joined the conversation with a tense voice. “The surgery and the follow-up treatment will cost a lot, but all of the company’s liquid funds are tied up in your new project.”

I looked at her. “So?”

“I want to put your project on hold and… pull the funds out to pay for Xeno’s treatment.” She did not meet my eyes. “This is a matter of life and death.”

That project was my work. I had spent three months pushing myself to the limit to secure it, all to help Moore Corp open up a new market.

“Natalie, do you even understand what it means to stop that project?” I started shaking in anger. “It means that the tens of millions that are already invested will go to waste. It means Moore Corp will lose all credibility.”

“Money can be earned again, but I can’t just watch Xeno die!” Natalie shouted.

“That’s enough!”

My vision went dark. The pain in my stomach was so sharp that I could barely stay on my feet.

Natalie’s phone rang a few times. It was the hospital. She answered, and her expression immediately changed. Then a bright smile spread across her face.

She hung up, ran over, and grabbed my arm.

“Zayden, the hospital just called. My checkup is in! I’m pregnant! I’m already six weeks along!”

I froze.

“The doctor said that it’s a miracle!”

Her eyes were teary, and her voice trembled. She reached for my hand.

“We’ve been trying for five years with no luck. I didn’t expect it to happen now. It’s a gift from heaven, Zayden. We’re going to have our own child!”

She wanted to hug me in her excitement.

“If Grandpa knew, he would be overjoyed!”

Watching her this happy, I felt nothing but bitter irony.

“Natalie, are you happy?” I asked coldly.

“Of course I am! It’s our child! The rightful heir of the Moore family!”

“I’m not happy, though.”

I pulled my hand away from hers and stared at her sternly.

“This child came at the worst possible time.”

I pointed toward the door where Yarden was holding the boy.

“I’d rather end the pregnancy rather than let the child be born to a biased mother and grow up with an illegitimate brother that could come back to claim his inheritance at any time.”

“What did you say?!” Natalie screamed. Her eyes were red and filled with rage. “This is my child! Who are you to decide whether to keep it or not? I won’t allow it!”

“You won’t allow it?”

I straightened my tie and smiled, though my eyes were cold.

“Do you want me to acknowledge this child and keep this marriage, Natalie? Fine. You have a choice. Either you send Yarden and that child back overseas. They leave for good, cut off all contact, and receive no financial support. Or I draft the divorce papers today and take your affair, along with the return of your illegitimate child, straight to the media. If that happens, Moore Corp’s stock will collapse. We’ll see whether you can still keep your seat as chairperson, and we’ll see whether this child will still be born with a silver spoon in its mouth.”