Chapter_44
Chapter 44
Alana’s face drained of color.
Abel had slept with her. Why was he refusing to admit it?
“A-Abel, I don’t understand,” she stammered.
“I said I never touched you,” Abel replied coldly, narrowing his eyes and smirking.
“No… Abel…”
Alana broke into a cold sweat. Surely, Abel didn’t want to own up to it in front of Emmeline.
“I know you don’t like being put on the spot. I don’t blame you, especially since we’re heading toward a shotgun wedding. Your mother said so,” she continued, trying to steer the conversation.
“You’re really stubborn, aren’t you?” Abel’s eyes grew colder. “How many times does it take for you to understand the consequences?”
Alana clenched her fists in frustration. “I know your heart belongs to Emmeline, but I’m the mother of your children. Let me keep this child. We’re a family!”
“Abel,” Emmeline suddenly interjected, her voice stern. “You’ve gone too far. I can’t believe you’d deny what you’ve done. You’re a filthy man.”
“Emmeline, don’t you trust me?” Abel shot her a piercing glance.
They had been together for over a month—was the chemistry between them a lie?
“Why should I?” Emmeline snapped, pointing toward Alana. “She’s carrying your child. Why are you still pretending? Don’t you think it makes you a filthy animal?”
“Yeah, Abel,” Adrien chimed in, stepping forward. “A man has to take responsibility, especially someone from the Ryker family. I’ll tell Grandad if you’re too afraid to own up. You can forget about taking over the Ryker household. Let Adam take the reins.”
“I told you, this has nothing to do with me!” Abel snapped, his temper flaring.
“Can’t you just be a man?” Adrien sneered.
“Abel, we were together the other night. Why won’t you admit it? Is it because of Emmeline?” Alana’s voice cracked with desperation.
The onlookers couldn’t believe their ears. Whispers spread like wildfire, and many couldn’t fathom how the heir of Ryker Group could act like such an irresponsible man.
Abel’s jaw clenched tightly, rage flashing in his eyes. If only he could strangle Alana right now—but it wasn’t the right moment. He couldn’t afford to make the situation worse. Denying everything further would only make things worse for his reputation.
For now, he had to wait. He could only clear his name once Alana gave birth to the child.
“Abel, did I do something wrong? Shouldn’t I have come here?” Alana asked, gripping his arm.
Abel’s eyes turned icy. “Good timing. The child came at just the right moment, didn’t it? If you want to keep the child, you can. But don’t expect any sympathy.”
“Thank you, Abel,” Alana said, her voice full of false cheer, despite the unease simmering beneath her words. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Abel had finally acknowledged their past actions together. She got pregnant. Everything was falling into place.
As for Mr. X, Alana had made sure he was sent abroad.
Nestling against Abel’s arm, Alana shot Emmeline a smug look and softly caressed her belly.
Emmeline, her face pale, turned on her heel and hurried upstairs.
It wasn’t long before she returned, holding two gift boxes.
“You can have your Italian brands back, Abel!”
With a sharp “thud,” both gift boxes crashed into Abel’s chest.
The café fell into stunned silence. She had just thrown her gifts at Abel, the heir of the Ryker Group—the most powerful man in the capital.
Adrien looked horrified, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Abel’s scowl deepened as he marched toward Emmeline, fury evident in every step.
“Abel, can you… for my sake…” Adrien started, but Abel shoved him aside.
Everyone waited, breathless, expecting Abel to slap Emmeline. But instead, Alana let out a gleeful chuckle from the sidelines.
Abel stopped in front of Emmeline and stared into her eyes, his gaze intense. He opened his mouth, but the words came out with surprising calm.
“Emma, give me nine months. I’ll prove to you I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Prove, my *ss,” Emmeline snapped, holding him at arm’s length. “Who am I to you? Why should I give you nine months? Why should I trust you?”
“The only thing you need to know is that this has nothing to do with me,” he said, his words chilling.
Emmeline’s frown deepened. She couldn’t make sense of the man standing before her. Despite the clear evidence that he had impregnated Alana, he was insisting he had no involvement.
If Abel was truly innocent, then why was Alana pinning everything on him? And why hadn’t she latched onto Adrien instead?
Questions swirled in her mind, unanswered and unresolved.
