Chapter 2

Evelyn finally figured out why those people came for her—they were sent by that man, the one who got her pregnant. So, instead of causing a scene, she obediently followed them to a coastal villa.

"Where is he?" She looked around the place, didn't see a soul, then turned and asked the man who brought her.

"Ms. Parker, you misunderstood. I was told to bring you here, but not to meet the gentleman," he replied, calm and business-like.

Her heart sank. "After ruining my life like this, he can't even show up and say something to me?" She felt a sting of frustration flare up again when she thought about how she ended up pregnant without any explanation.

"I'm sorry, but he's not someone you can just meet when you want," the man answered, still with that stiff, official tone.

"What a joke!" Evelyn let out a sarcastic laugh. "Who does he think he is? Even if he were the President, he still owes me an explanation!"

The man just gave her a polite smile, didn't respond.

"Then what's this about? If you didn't bring me here to see him, why drag me here?" she pressed.

"Ms. Parker, please don't take it the wrong way. We didn't drag you here. We invited you to stay and take care of your pregnancy," he corrected her.

"Take care of my what?" Evelyn looked at him like she must've misheard.

"Yes," he nodded, "we've confirmed the baby you're carrying is the gentleman's. He expects you to carry it to term."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Evelyn was furious. Not only was the guy too much of a coward to face her, now he had the nerve to make demands?

"The gentleman said you're allowed to ask for anything you want."

"Oh really? Then how about this—I want his life. Can you make that happen?"

"Ms. Parker, please don't make things harder for us," the man said, a bit helpless this time.

"Oh, I'm the one making this hard?" Evelyn's whole body was shaking with rage. "I'm supposed to have some random guy's baby just because he said so? You don't think that's hard on me?"

"I can't say much," the man added, "but I will tell you this—having this child will be good for you. And even better for the baby. That's all I can say. Just focus on your pregnancy for now. The staff here will take care of anything you need."

After that, he turned and headed for the door.

"Wait, don't leave!" Evelyn tried to go after him. "At least tell me who he is!"

But two maids quickly stepped in to block her path.

She could only watch helplessly as they all filed out.

"Tell that man to come talk to me! I don't care how powerful he is—he still has to follow the law! Sleeping with someone without consent? That's assault! No one's above the law!" she shouted, even though she knew they were already out of earshot.

"Ms. Parker, please don't say something like that so casually," said an older maid in her forties or fifties as she rushed over and covered Evelyn's mouth, like Evelyn had just committed some kind of crime.

"You know who he is, don't you?" Evelyn stared at her with a desperate, pleading look.

"Just focus on your pregnancy, miss. Don't waste your energy thinking about other things," the maid said softly. "Because like it or not, you're going to have this baby."She looked like she had some serious admiration for that guy.

That only made Evelyn even more curious—who exactly was the father of the baby she was carrying?

......

Front yard of the villa.

The man stood with his back to the house.

Tall and sharp, his tailored dark suit fit him perfectly, highlighting his broad shoulders. The diamond cufflinks on his sleeves caught the sunlight, reflecting a cold shine that screamed power and status.

"How did it go?" His voice was low and clear as he spoke to the man who had just walked out from inside.

"I've handled everything just as you instructed," the man said with a slight bow.

"Make sure she gets the best care. I don't want the slightest issue," he ordered plainly.

"Of course, the people we assigned to take care of Ms. Parker were all carefully selected. There shouldn't be any problems. It's just that..." He paused, hesitating.

"What?"

"Ms. Parker... asked to see you."

See him?

A faint flicker crossed the man's eyes. But just as quickly, his expression returned to its usual indifference, his tone dismissive. "After what she did, she still thinks she's got the right to see me?"

He had no sympathy for her, not even a sliver, but the baby she was carrying—that was his, and he wasn't about to give that up.

"Understood," the man responded with a respectful nod.

"Let her ask for whatever she wants, as long as it's within reason. Handle it on your end—I don't need to be bothered."

"Yes, sir."

Evelyn was completely drained, mentally and emotionally. She just wanted to clear her head, so she walked over to the window. But the moment her eyes fell outside, she froze—there in the front yard stood two people.

One of them was the man who had brought her here earlier, now standing in a deferential posture beside another man, reporting something to him.

That had to be him—the one responsible for her pregnancy.

Some gut instinct just screamed at her: that's him.

His face was turned away, so she couldn't see it. But his tall frame, his commanding presence—there was no way he was some average Joe.

And then, right at that moment, the man slightly turned his head.

Was he about to look her way?

Evelyn's heart raced, nearly jumping to her throat.

But to her disappointment, the man stopped mid-turn, looked down instead, and walked straight to the car next to him before getting in.

He's leaving?

Panic hit her like a wave. She instantly turned around and bolted for the stairs.

"Ms. Parker, wait! Don't run!" The housekeepers shouted in alarm, afraid something awful might happen to the baby.

But she didn't hear a single word. Her mind was consumed by one thought—she had to catch him.

She rushed downstairs as fast as she could, but the cars were already gone, leaving only fading tire marks across the driveway.

"Come back! You hear me? Come back!" she screamed at the empty road, her voice filled with rage, pain, confusion, and desperation.

No one answered. Just the long trail of cars disappearing into the horizon.

Evelyn had wanted to get rid of the baby at first, but she couldn't even step outside the villa, let alone make it to a hospital. Instead, doctors would show up regularly to do her checkups.

She'd tried asking the people around her about the identity of the mysterious man, but every single one of them kept their lips completely sealed. No matter how she asked, it was like talking to a wall.

At first, she figured as long as she was carrying his child, he'd show up sooner or later. But nine months passed, and he never appeared.

Who the hell was he? Was she just some kind of surrogate to him? She couldn't figure out what was going on in his head at all.

Lost in thought, she missed a step on the stairs and suddenly tumbled down.

"Ah!" Her scream echoed as sharp pain shot through her.

"Ms. Parker!" A maid ran to her, panicked. The moment she saw blood soaking through the fabric near Evelyn's thighs, her face turned pale.

"Oh god, blood!" she gasped, pointing in horror.

Evelyn looked down and saw two streaks of blood trickling from between her legs.

"Please... save my baby..." Her voice was barely a whisper before everything went black.

When she opened her eyes again, a whole day had passed.

All she could see was white—white ceiling, white sheets, white everything. Even her own face looked ghostly against all that white, completely drained of color.

There was a sharp, biting pain in her abdomen as if someone had torn her open.

The baby.

She instantly remembered collapsing earlier. Her hand moved to her belly, but... it was flat. The baby—gone.

Where was her baby?

Panic surged through her. She threw off the blanket and tried to get up. But the sudden movement tore open her fresh C-section stitches, the pain ripping through her like fire. She collapsed back on the bed, gasping.

"Don't move like that!" Emily Reed hurried to her side, supporting her back onto the pillow.

"Emily, where's my baby? Where did they take him?" Evelyn clutched her friend's arm, her voice trembling. She hadn't wanted to keep the baby at first, but after all this time, how could she not care?

"They took the baby straight after the surgery. I didn't even get a look at him," Emily said softly with a weary sigh.

"No! My baby!" Evelyn cried out. It was him—he must've sent someone to take the baby. Ignoring the pain, she yanked out her IV and got out of bed.

"Evelyn, where are you going?" Emily rushed after her.

"I need to find my baby! How could he just take him without even asking me?" Evelyn dragged herself toward the door, wincing with every step.

"Do you even know where to look?" Emily asked, stopping her.

That question hit Evelyn like a brick.

She didn't even know the man's name. She'd never seen his face. She had no idea where to start. Even though she'd spent the pregnancy in a villa he arranged, she had never been outside of it—not once. She didn't even know where that place was on a map.

In other words, she had nothing. No way to track him down. Not even a clue.