Chapter 1 I'm Pregnant

"I'd like to buy a pregnancy test kit, miss," Raelina York said softly.

Although she had done her best to keep her voice low, she still attracted sidelong glances from many people in the store. It was because she looked like a very young woman who was still not yet of legal age.

She clutched at her pants with a red face, keeping her head lowered to avoid their gazes.

The store employee, Lisa Renner, finally shook off her daze and quickly took a pregnancy test kit from the counter.

"Is this the item you want?" she asked.

She handed it to Raelina, who glanced over it. It was indeed the item that she wanted, so she asked quietly, "How much is it?"

"Ten dollars."

She slowly took ten dollars from her pocket and placed it on the counter before promptly turning to run.

After a moment's hesitation, Lisa ran after her. "Please wait, miss."

Raelina looked back nervously. "Is… there anything else?"

Lisa realized that Raelina was a very beautiful woman. She had exquisite features and pale skin that seemed to glow under the sunlight. Additionally, her clear eyes were especially beautiful, and it was hard to look away from them.

"Do you know how to use the kit?" she asked gently.

Raelina pursed her lips. She did not actually know how to use it, but her best friend Elizabeth Amery had told her that there would be an instruction manual inside.

Lisa explained in a soft voice, "There's a cup for collecting urine inside. Once you've gone to the toilet and collected urine in it, use that urine dropper to collect three to four drops of urine and add it to the sample application window.

"After waiting for a while, check how many lines appear. If there's a single red line, it means you're in the clear; if there are two lines, then… it means you're pregnant."

Raelina clutched the test kit tightly, feeling both nervous and embarrassed. "Thank you, miss."

She quickly ran out of the pharmacy and sprinted wildly back home. She had never felt so afraid of having others' eyes on her.

Her parents operated a rotisserie, so they left the house early and returned late every day. At this hour, both her older and younger brother were also still in class, so there was nobody at home.

Upon reaching home, she ran into the bathroom and quickly tore open the pregnancy test kit's packaging. She then collected some of her own urine according to Lisa's instructions, then added a few drops to the sample application window.

Her hands were shaking the entire time. She bit her lip as she watched for any changes to the testing device. In the beginning, there was no reaction, but then a red color quickly started filling up the test window.

She couldn't help but hold her breath and stare fixedly at the test window. She prayed that there wouldn't be two lines, because surely she wouldn't be that unlucky. There was no way she was pregnant.

After the red spread up to a certain point, a red line started to appear. At first, it wasn't obvious, but it slowly started to become clearer and clearer.

Raelina bit her lip lightly, feeling lucky that she was not pregnant.

However, a second red line very slowly began to appear. She rubbed her eyes, certain that she was seeing things, only to realize that the second red line seemed to be becoming clearer. It soon became just as deep a red as the first line.

She felt her strength leave her and suddenly sat down limply on the toilet floor, her face turning as white as a sheet.

She really was pregnant. How could the test be showing two red lines?

She had just gotten drunk because she was in a bad mood that day. She had failed her college entrance examinations, and since she hadn't been able to attain the minimum score for her desired undergraduate course, her parents had refused to let her go to college.

Instead, they wanted her to work in the rotisserie with them in order to fund her brothers' education.

She had felt incredibly sad, so she had gone to a bar to drink with Elizabeth. It had been her first time visiting a bar, and she had unfortunately caught the eye of a person with ill intentions.

She remembered that an older man had saved her, but when she next woke up, she had found herself naked in bed with him.

Frightened to the core, she had quickly put on her own clothes and sprinted home.

A few days ago, she suddenly started developing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. At first, she just assumed she had gotten heatstroke.

However, after several bottles of electrolyte drinks failed to alleviate her symptoms, Elizabeth suddenly suggested that she might be pregnant.

She had been joking about it back then, but Raelina took her words to heart and secretly bought a pregnancy test kit to check.

Who would've known that she would actually turn out to be pregnant?

She felt completely helpless at the moment. She didn't dare imagine what would happen if her parents found out that she was pregnant when she had just barely turned 19 years old. They would surely beat her to death.

She quickly took her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. It was already past 5 o'clock in the evening, so her younger brother—Ethan York—would be back from school soon.

She looked at the two red lines standing out starkly on the testing device and frantically put it in a big trash bag. Once she was sure that she hadn't left a single component of the test kit in the toilet, she quickly went outside to throw the bag in the trash can.

As soon as she climbed the stairs back to the fifth floor, she saw Ethan opening the front door with his key.

He also caught sight of her and asked curiously, "Did you go out today, Sis?"

She stiffened. "Oh, I just went out for a while to have fun with some of my classmates."

Ethan opened the door, but when he noticed that Raelina wasn't following him inside, he looked back at her. "Are you going out again, Sis?"

She hurried inside. "No. It's about time for me to make dinner, since Dad and Mom are coming home soon."

Ethan was a little confused to see her dashing hurriedly out onto the balcony to make dinner. He felt that she was acting strangely today.

However, his main task was to study, so he didn't question her further and simply returned to his small bedroom with his school bag on his back.

The York family were originally mainlanders who lived on the continent of Exconia. More than 20 years ago, her father, Jeremy York, went to Zerestia to work shortly after marrying her mother, Sheila Lindsey.

In the beginning, he had worked on a construction site, moving bricks and cement, and lived in a basement. He later moved on to work on many other jobs before eventually opening a rotisserie of his own.

Because his rotisserie chicken was good, business was decent. By the time Ethan was born, Jeremy and Sheila had saved up enough to buy a house measuring over 500 square feet in Zerestia's Old Town.

Zerestian land was extremely expensive, so even houses in the Old Town area weren't cheap. The house consisted only of a bedroom, a living room, a toilet, and a kitchen.

When Raelina's older brother, Chris York, started attending junior high, her parents had transformed the kitchen into a large bedroom, hence why she cooked meals on the balcony instead. The kitchen-turned-bedroom later became Chris and Ethan's bedroom.

As for Raelina, she still didn't have a room of her own. Jeremy and Sheila had set up a 4-foot-long bed in the living room for her, and she had been sleeping on it ever since.

Jeremy and Sheila only returned home at around seven o'clock in the evening. After washing their hands, everyone gathered around a cramped little table to eat dinner.

"Come to the rotisserie tomorrow to help me deliver food," Sheila said to Raelina. "Jeremy just received another large order from a major hotel, so you'll be the one to deliver their order from now on."

Raelina lifted her head to look at Sheila and tried to discuss things with her in a quiet voice. "Can it wait a few days, Mom? I'd like to go out with my classmates for the next few days."

Sheila frowned. "What for? Your classmates are getting together to celebrate and show off that they got into college, but you couldn't even meet the minimum requirement for your desired course. Why would you join in on their fun? Are you going so that you can embarrass yourself?"

Raelina's eyes reddened, but now that she was pregnant, how was she going to carry containers of rotisserie chicken around? Her child would…

She paused as a thought occurred to her.

This child was born of an accident, and she really didn't have the ability to raise them. She dared not tell her parents about the child either, because she just didn't have the courage to face the consequences of doing so.

If she moved heavy things around, would she lose the child due to miscarriage? She subconsciously looked down at her belly, feeling upset and guilty.

She sniffed before saying in a choked voice, "Alright, I'll go."

Early the next morning, she was woken up by Sheila. After washing up, she then left with her parents to work at the rotisserie without even eating breakfast.

Chapter 2 The Older Man Is the Brown Family's Heir

Because Raelina and her parents had to marinate and roast enough chicken for a whole day's worth of sales, it was a lot of work. She worked alongside her parents on an empty stomach until over 11 o'clock in the morning.

Sheila yelled, "That's good enough. You can deliver the hotel's order on your tricycle now. Jeremy and I will prepare the rest of the chicken."

After receiving Sheila's instructions, Raelina took off her apron and washed her hands. She couldn't resist looking down at her belly as she did so, but it was still very flat right now, and there was no bump to be seen.

However, her extreme hunger told her that the baby in her belly was hungry.

While Jeremy was loading the containers of rotisserie chicken into the tricycle's cart, she ran over to the hot dog stand near their rotisserie and bought two hot dogs. She then proceeded to wolf them down next to the stand.

She didn't dare bring them back to the rotisserie, as the last time she had done so, intending to share them with her parents, Sheila had scolded her for a long time. She berated Raelina for being a glutton and spending frivolously.

She completely devoured both hot dogs before returning to the rotisserie, upon which Jeremy glanced at her. He probably smelled the scent of hot dogs from her, but he didn't bring it up and simply told her to be careful on the road.

She nodded and got onto the tricycle, which was loaded with six containers full of rotisserie chicken.

She didn't expect to be delivering the rotisserie chicken to a high-end hotel located in the most prosperous urban district in Zerestia. It was a prime location, and the people coming and going were all rich, well-dressed people.

Dressed in a sun hat, a black T-shirt, and arm sleeves to protect her arms from the sun, she rode the tricycle up to the side door leading to the hotel's back kitchen.

The kitchen manager, Paul Parker, was slightly surprised to see a delicate young woman arriving to deliver the order, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he simply told her to move the containers into the kitchen, and she quickly did as he asked.

Seeing her struggling to lift the large, 130-to-150-pound containers, he frowned slightly. "Are the adults in your family really busy? Why did they send a young woman like you to deliver the goods?"

Raelina smiled politely and replied, "Yes, my parents are quite busy running the rotisserie. Don't worry, sir, I'll move the containers in for you."

As she lifted a heavy container of rotisserie chicken, she felt a pulling sensation from her belly and eagerly looked forward to a miscarriage so that she wouldn't have to go to a hospital anymore. She simply didn't have the money for an abortion, and she didn't dare tell her parents about her pregnancy either.

While she was doing her best to carry the containers of rotisserie chicken into the kitchen, a white Bentley stopped by the roadside.

"Why did you stop, Silus?" the aforementioned Silus' best friend, Nicholas Thorne, asked before following his gaze and exclaiming in mild surprise, "Isn't that… the young woman you saved at the bar?"

Silus Brown watched Raelina struggle to carry the large containers with a mixed expression on his face. Technically, he didn't want to meddle in her business any further.

After all, getting involved in her business that one time had ended with him giving up the virginity that he had preserved for 30 years.

But when he saw her thin body and the sweat dripping down her face, the memory of her hugging him with her nice-smelling body and sweetly calling him mister suddenly flashed through his mind.

He quickly took a deep breath, cursing himself inwardly for being such a mindless beast. Not only had he lost control and slept with her before, but even now he was still harboring perverted thoughts at the sight of her. It was absolutely shameful behavior on his part.

He opened the car door and strode over to her, ignoring Nicholas' call of his name.

By that point, Raelina had already carried three containers of rotisserie chicken into the kitchen, but there were still another three left.

Just as she wiped the sweat off her face and was getting ready to lift the fourth in one swift move, she felt a tugging sensation in her belly again, but it didn't hurt. If she exerted herself a little more, she might just experience a miscarriage.

She suddenly felt incredibly upset at the thought that she was going to kill the baby with her own hands, and tears rolled down her face alongside her sweat.

She saw a well-defined hand reach out through her tear-filled eyes, then felt the container taken away from her.

She lifted her head and found herself looking into a pair of familiar dark eyes.

Her eyes went wide with shock. "You're… that kind man?"

Silus noticed her bloodshot eyes and frowned slightly. "Are you really tired? Why are you crying? You should just stop working if you're tired."

Raelina sniffed and shook her head. "I'm not crying. It's just sweat."

"I'll wipe your sweat for you then," said Silus. "Do all these containers need to be carried inside?"

Raelina nodded. "Yes. The hotel ordered all this."

Silus proceeded to carry two of the containers into the hotel's kitchen, one in each hand. Raelia stared in shock before hurriedly trying to take them from him. "There's no need to do this for me, sir. I can carry them inside myself."

Silus simply glanced over at her, which made her quietly let go of the containers out of a slight subconscious fear.

He continued to carry the containers into the kitchen before asking Paul, "Do I place these here?"

Paul, busy looking over the items he had ordered, replied without looking up, "Yes, just leave them there."

He belatedly realized that the voice didn't belong to a woman, looked up, and stared in astonishment at Silus.

He hurriedly closed his purchase journal and walked over to Silus with a wide smile on his face. "W-Why are you here, Mr. Brown? Why would a person of your status grace a greasy back kitchen like this?"

Silus ignored him, instead going out to fetch the last container of rotisserie chicken and bringing it in. "That's all, right? If that's the case, you can pay her for the order now."

Paul stared at Raelina, who was standing in the doorway, in shock. Did this woman, who looked criminally young, actually know Silus? And she even got a person of his status to help her carry rotisserie chicken?

He wouldn't be the only person unable to imagine Silus doing such a menial task as carrying rotisserie chicken containers—not a single person in Zerestia's wealthy social circle would be able to imagine such a thing.

The Browns were a truly wealthy family whose resources had been accumulated over several generations. As such, they were different from other wealthy families who came from much more unstable backgrounds.

Silus was the sole member of the Brown family's current generation and one of the figureheads within Zerestia's wealthy social circle. How did this young woman from a rotisserie even know him, and well enough to get him to help her carry rotisserie chicken?

Paul immediately drew one conclusion in his mind—he had to get into Raelina's good books.

He hurriedly walked over to her with his purchase journal in hand. "If you knew Mr. Brown, why didn't you say so earlier, miss? You don't have to personally deliver the orders in the future. Instead, we'll send people over to pick them up from your rotisserie.

"We previously agreed on a price of 80 dollars per chicken, but I'll raise the price a little more for you. How does 120 dollars per chicken sound to you?"

After offering his price, Paul even cautiously asked for Raelina's opinion.

Raelina was stunned. Even 80 dollars per chicken didn't sound cheap to her, but Paul had suddenly offered her 40 dollars more for every chicken. How much more would she earn from this?

She excitedly bowed to him. "Thank you. It's a great price. Thank you so much, sir."

Paul, who was in a particularly good mood right now, waved a dismissive hand. "There's no need to thank me. It's the least I can do."

He snuck a glance at Silus, who didn't seem to be in a good mood.

He didn't dare speak to Raelina any further, so he happily paid her the money before busying himself with other things.

Raelina walked out of the back kitchen with more than 10,000 dollars in her bag. She silently debated whether she would be able to use the additional money to pay for an abortion if she gave her parents the money based on the original price of 80 dollars per chicken and kept the rest.

Even if her parents checked her accounts and discovered the discrepancy in the future, she would already have spent the money. So, as long as she remained silent about what she had actually spent it on, she would only have to endure a few beatings and go hungry for a few days at most.

Chapter 3 Hospital Examination

Considering that Raelina had taken a pregnancy test on the sly, what would she do if the hospital asked for her parents' signature when she requested an abortion?

She didn't dare ask her parents for their signature, because if they knew that she was pregnant, they would definitely beat her to death.

She couldn't help looking over at Silus. Although he had saved her that day, he should also still bear some responsibility for the child, right?

She gazed at him with an indecisive look in her eyes, internally debating with herself.

Under the weight of her stare, Silus recalled Raelina's miserable state that day when he had left bruises all over her in bed.

He softened his voice and said, "I bear responsibility for what happened that day, so I can compensate you accordingly."

Raelina shook her head, still looking at him. "I don't want any sort of compensation, but can I ask you for a favor?"

She was being really tentative and had been looking at him with a conflicted expression for a long while before this. Judging by his observations, she had probably encountered a difficult situation that she couldn't resolve by herself.

"Alright, but since the sun is too strong right now, let's talk in the car," he proposed.

He led Raelina to the white Bentley and let her sit in the backseat, then reached out to drag Nicholas out of the front passenger seat.

"You head in by yourself first," he told Nicholas. "Tell him I said congratulations on getting married!"

Nicholas was both shocked and curious about Silus' actions. Silus was well-known in their social circle for being a rich, highly eligible yet abstinent bachelor who still retained his virginity to this day, after all.

He couldn't help plastering himself against the car window to see just how beautiful Raelina was. Was love really about to bloom in Silus' dull, empty heart?

Silus simply rolled down the window, ignoring Nicholas who was hammering on the glass, and looked toward Raelina.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "How old are you?"

Seeing the traces of baby fat still lingering on her cheeks, he was really afraid that he had slept with a minor. That would be a crime, and he couldn't bear having that on his conscience.

"I'm 19 years old," replied Raelina.

Silus quietly sighed in relief, glad to know that she was of age and he hadn't become a criminal.

However, her next words almost made him fall out of his seat. "I'm pregnant, sir."

He frowned at the familiar wording, which usually indicated that the other party wanted money or status. His friends had also encountered such situations before, which they had subsequently resolved with money.

"How much do you want?" he asked.

Raelina looked at his cold expression, pursed her lips, and explained, "I don't want money. I know you saved me that day, sir, and I'm not asking you to take responsibility for it. It's just that I'm in a situation that I can't resolve on my own.

"You don't have to spend any money, just… Could you help me sign an informed consent form at the hospital?"

"What did you say? What do you mean by that?" demanded Silus.

He got out of the driver's seat, opened the rear car door, and sat in the backseat with her.

His sudden approach made Raelina feel uneasy, and she frantically shifted to the side to put a little distance between them.

"I'm not trying to threaten you with the baby," she assured him quickly. "I'm really sorry for troubling you, but I need a parent or guardian's signature to proceed with the abortion, and I… can't let my parents know about this."

"Abortion?" repeated Silus, his gaze landing on her flat belly.

He really didn't believe that there was a child—his child—in there at the moment.

He was the true heir of a wealthy family who had taken over the family business, Brown Corporation, at the age of 22. He had made sure that the company operated in a well-organized manner, and it had continued to expand over the last eight years, bringing even more glory to the Brown family.

Raelina bit her lip at the sight of Silus' dark expression and cold eyes, telling herself not to be afraid. She really needed his help as she wouldn't be able to resolve this alone.

She continued trying to persuade him, because she was really afraid that he wouldn't agree to help her. What should she do if he refused?

"You don't have to concern yourself with anything else. As long as you help me sign the form, I'll never appear before you again, so your life won't be affected."

She had even considered dropping all pretence of cordiality and just suing him for rape, but she couldn't bring herself to do such a thing. He had saved her that day, and if not for his timely appearance, she might have ended up facing an even worse fate.

However, Silus grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him despite her attempts to shy away.

She was startled, but her strength was nothing compared to his, so she was easily pulled over to him.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked nervously.

Silus frowned, looking so serious that it was rather frightening.

He realized that Raelina was far too thin. He had barely used any strength just now, but he still easily pulled her over to him.

As he looked into her uneasy, doe-like eyes, he unconsciously softened his tone again. "Are you sure that you're pregnant? Have you undergone an examination at the hospital?"

Raelina blinked. "I didn't go to the hospital, but I bought a pregnancy test kit. T-Two lines showed up."

Silus stared at her for a while before quickly returning to the driver's seat and speeding off.

Raelina exclaimed anxiously, "My tricycle! My tricycle is still back there! Where are you taking me?"

"To the hospital," replied Silus. "We'll return to get your tricycle later."

He parked the car at Cloudbreak Hospital, which Raelina knew was a very good public hospital. Many celebrities and wealthy people visited this hospital for treatment, but most people definitely couldn't afford to be treated here.

Feeling something tighten around her wrist, she looked down to see Silus' hand around it. His hand was cool to the touch, and his grip didn't hurt.

Seeing as his expression had darkened again, she didn't dare object and obediently followed him into the hospital.

Silus led her into the elevator, which they took straight up to the top floor.

Cloudbreak Hospital's director, Mark Jenner, had been in the middle of a meeting with some executives.

However, when he heard from an assistant doctor that a prominent figure had arrived at the hospital, he was so shocked that he immediately dismissed everyone and rushed back to his office to meet them.

Silus pointed at Raelina and instructed, "Give her a checkup to see if she's pregnant."

Mark was surprised, but he very sensibly did not ask any further questions and instead personally performed a checkup on Raelina.

While he did so, Silus sat on the couch with his legs crossed, keeping his gaze fixed on the doorway. He still found the entire situation unbelievable, but there was a faint hint of expectation in his heart.

He, Silus Brown, actually had a child now?

He didn't even realize that he was smiling from the bottom of his heart.

Meanwhile, as Raelina was following Mark back to his office after the checkup, she asked quietly, "How much does it cost to have an abortion at your hospital, Dr. Jenner?"

She was afraid that she didn't have enough money at the moment. Treatment at Cloudbreak Hospital was notoriously expensive, after all, so she thought that she would be better off going to a smaller hospital.

Mark looked at Raelina in shock. "Abortion? Do you not want this child? They're a golden goose!"

Raelina thought of Silus, whose expression was so icy that nobody would dare approach him. She then thought of her parents, who always treated her with cold disdain.

Even if she really did want the baby, she didn't have the ability to raise them!

Mark really didn't understand why she would want an abortion, but then it occurred to him it might be Silus who didn't want the child. After all, not just anyone was allowed to carry a child from the Brown family.

With that thought in mind, he looked at Raelina with slight pity in his eyes. She had truly dug her own grave with this, and she was still so young too. Did she really think that as long as she bore Silus' child, she would be able to join the Brown family and thus attain wealth and status?

How could a commoner possibly marry into a powerful family with a long-standing legacy like that?

Chapter 4 Silus Brown Says He Wants to Keep the Child

As soon as Mark led Raelina back into his office, Silus shot up from his seat. "How did it go?"

Mark couldn't help but smile when he saw the nervous yet expectant look in Silus' eyes.

He handed the examination report in his hand to Silus and explained, "I performed two different tests on her and confirmed that she's pregnant. Because she's not that far into pregnancy, I didn't perform an ultrasound for her.

"Therefore, this young woman here will have to perform the calculations on her own to determine how far along she is."

Raelina lowered her head and performed the calculations in her mind. The baby was probably still less than a month old, because her period had arrived less than a week before she had done the deed with Silus.

Silus took the report from Mark and read through it intently several times. Although he couldn't really understand what was written on it, there was a doctor's note on the report stating that the patient in question was pregnant.

He stared blankly at Raelina for a long time, his gaze shifting down toward her belly. His child was in there?

It felt so surreal that it caught him off guard.

After a long while, he finally seemed to calm down. He reached out toward Raelina, but she hurriedly backed away from him, subconsciously avoiding him like a startled rabbit.

Silus frowned slightly at her reaction. She was certainly bold to be avoiding him, Silus Brown, of all people.

"Hold onto my hand, and let's leave, or did you want to stay here?" he asked.

Raelina quickly looked up at him, then slowly inched two steps forward and reached out to hold his arm.

Silus tugged her along, but just as he reached the doorway, he turned back to instruct Mark, "Don't mention this to anyone, including the Brown family."

Raelina blindly followed after him, feeling her heart ache terribly. The baby probably wouldn't remain in her belly for much longer.

As they were about to step into the elevator, she asked quietly, "Are we not doing the surgery here?"

Silus paused and looked back at Raelina with a closed-off expression. "You want to get rid of my child?"

Raelina had the feeling that he could explode into anger at any moment, and she subconsciously let go of his hand in panic, creating some distance between them.

Then, she looked up sharply and asked in an uncertain tone, "You… What did you mean by those words just now?"

Silus did his best to suppress the anger rising in his heart and asked as calmly as he could, "Do you not want the child?"

Raelina's lips turned down, and her eyes reddened instantly. She shook her head vigorously as she replied, "It's not that I don't like the baby. I just don't have the ability to raise them."

"Do I not exist to you?" Silus yelled before quickly softening his tone at the sight of her reddened eyes, which made her look like a pitiful rabbit. "I'm the child's father, so I'll assume responsibility for them."

Raelia sniffed. "Are you… willing to raise the baby, sir—oh, I mean, Mr. Brown?"

Silus frowned imperceptibly at the change in address, but on the surface, his expression relaxed somewhat.

"That's my child, so it's my selfish hope that the child can be successfully brought into this world. However, you're young, and this matter is probably a burden to you. So, you can share your difficulties with me, and I'll do my best to make it up to you."

Raelina gazed silently at him. She felt that he was actually a really good person. He had saved her that day, after all, despite the unfortunate accident that had happened afterward.

Since he was now willing to raise the child as well, did it mean that she could carry the baby to term?

What about her parents, though? They would definitely notice once her belly started to grow, but she could never allow them to find out.

Silus led her into the elevator. Once the doors closed, it was just the two of them in the enclosed space.

Raelina kept her head down and said nothing.

Although Silus felt as if he was burning up from the inside, he didn't force her into anything. She was just a 19-year-old woman, so she was probably very frightened about finding herself in such a situation.

There was silence in the elevator, and the only real movement was that of the floor display counting down the floors. Neither Silus nor Raelina spoke, and it was impossible to tell what either of them was thinking.

It wasn't until the display reached the number three that Raelina raised her head and asked while looking straight at Silus, "What should I do, then?"

Silus was slightly stunned by her question, but at the same time, he felt inexplicably moved. The Browns were all strong, independent people, so nobody would ever ask his opinion on what they should do.

Now, this 19-year-old woman carrying his child in her belly was looking at him with pure, innocent eyes and asking him what she should do.

At that moment, he felt like a despicable animal. How exactly had he found it in himself to lay a hand on her that day?

He was actually feeling rather dispirited about that, as he had always had impeccable self-control. He had seen his fair share of seduction methods, but he had never lost control of himself.

But when Raelina clung to him and breathed against his neck that day, looking at him with bright eyes that exuded feminine charm, he had felt a surge of lust.

The elevator doors opened with a chime, letting in the noise from outside. He frowned slightly and led Raelina out of the hospital.

After getting back into his car, he finally looked at Raelina and asked, "Are you willing to carry the child to term?"

She nodded, gently touching her flat belly. "The baby is innocent and should never have had to suffer the misfortune of being born in my belly. To tell you the truth, I've been really afraid since the moment I realized that I was pregnant, Mr. Brown.

"I couldn't let my parents find out I was pregnant, which is why I wanted to go through an abortion."

"I'll take care of your parents, so you—"

As soon as Silus said that, Raelina shook her head vigorously, feeling a little agitated. "No, my parents can't know. They can never know about this."

Seeing how scared she was, Silus hurriedly said reassuringly, "Alright, we won't tell your parents then. I'll think of something, so don't be afraid.

"However, once your belly starts growing after a few months, you may have to move away from your parents. You'll also need someone to take care of you while pregnant. Do your parents have the time to look after you?"

Raelina thought about her parents' attitudes. She hadn't passed her college entrance examinations, so if she stayed at home without working, Sheila would probably kick her out of the house.

Seeing that she wasn't saying anything, Silus continued, "How about this? You figure out a way to move out, and I'll take care of you."

"Huh?" Raelina asked in confusion.

Did Silus not have work to do? How would he have time to take care of her?

Moreover, she didn't think she needed anyone to look after her. Even if she was away from her parents, she could take care of herself.

"Can you give me time to think about it? I'll give you an answer after I've given it proper thought, okay?" she asked.

Silus was actually very worried about her, but he didn't dare to push her too hard, so he could only nod in agreement.

He drove her back to the hotel to pick up her tricycle.

It was honestly his first time sitting in a vehicle like this. He squatted in the attached cart that had previously held the rotisserie chicken containers in his custom-made designer clothes while Raelina pedaled the tricycle.

The strong wind blew his meticulously styled hair every which way, and he could barely keep his eyes open due to its force.

Raelina didn't dare drag him all the way back to the rotisserie and instead stopped at the street corner right before it. She then looked back, only to see Silus squatting in the cart with messy, wind-blown hair and a grimace on his face.

She stared in shock. "Mr. Brown, you…"

She pursed her lips tightly to prevent herself from laughing out loud. Silus looked absolutely miserable, and although he still carried himself with dignity, he currently had a look of resentment on his face.

Despite that, she actually felt that he seemed much more approachable this way.

Chapter 5 Family Quarrel and Running Away From Home

Raelina couldn't stop herself from reaching out to try and tame his flyaway hair, but he was so tall that she couldn't reach the top of his head even when standing on tiptoes.

Silus wordlessly ducked down a little, which immediately brought a smile to her face.

She gently smoothed down his hair before saying, "Your messy hair doesn't affect your handsomeness at all, Mr. Brown. I'll take my leave first, then"

His expression shifted slightly, and he reached out to stop her from leaving. "Wait. Give me your contact information."

She pursed her lips, but registered her phone number in his contacts before returning his phone to him. "Then… I'll be off."

He worriedly followed her for another few steps. "Be sure to pay attention to your health. You can't be carrying heavy objects around anymore. Also, just give me a call if you need anything."

She smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, I'll protect the baby."

Her smile was bright and warm, which gradually calmed him down from the rollercoaster of emotions he had experienced earlier in the afternoon. It seemed to ground him, and he finally let out a quiet exhale.

As soon as Raelina returned to the shop, Sheila held out her hand for the money. "You didn't say anything out of line, did you? You'd better not offend those supervisors. Your father invested a lot of effort into negotiating this deal."

Raelina took the money out of her bag and placed it in Sheila's hand. Sheila's eyes immediately lit up, and she took the money over to the counter to count.

Jeremy walked out of the kitchen with sweat running down his face and exclaimed happily, "Today's a hot day, Rae. You're probably tired, aren't you? I'll give you 5 dollars so you can go and buy an ice cream from next door."

Just as Raelina was about to accept the money from him, Sheila's voice rang out from the direction of the counter.

"She's already an adult, so how tired can she be just from delivering rotisserie chicken? You didn't even get into college, you silly brat, so it's only natural that you help out the family with some work.

"Do you know how expensive ice cream is? Ethan can only ever bear to eat one per day at school."

Raelina looked at the money in Jeremy's hand but made no move to take it. "I'm going to wash my face, Dad."

After entering the kitchen and moving to stand in front of the fogged-up mirror, she did her best to hold back her tears.

Things had been like this ever since she was a child. Hadn't she already been through it all? In that case, why did she still feel this upset upon hearing those words?

She lifted her hand to gently wipe the condensation away from the mirror as she slowly calmed down. The eyes of the person in the mirror were red, but they no longer had tears in their eyes.

She took several deep breaths before leaving the kitchen. Jeremy was standing next to Sheila, and the two of them seemed to be discussing the profits from the rotisserie chicken delivery. They both looked very satisfied.

She subconsciously touched her pocket. She had been incredibly bold this time in only handing Sheila the money amounting to the original cost of the rotisserie chicken.

She was carrying a baby and was afraid that there would come a time when she urgently needed money, so she wanted to keep the extra for herself.

When Sheila saw Raelina exit the kitchen, she quickly stored the money away. "There's still half a cartful of stock in the truck outside, so you can unload all those too. We have more orders today."

Raelina paused and turned to look at Sheila. "I can't carry them anymore. I don't have any strength left in my limbs."

Sheila stared at her in disbelief. She walked around the counter and glared at Raelina, bellowing angrily, "What did you say? You can't carry them anymore? You're already an adult, so how tired can you be from lifting a few containers of chicken?

"You're just lazy, Raelina York! Out of all three siblings, you're the laziest and least promising one! When we ask you to work, you keep brushing things off with all sorts of excuses! I've clearly spoiled you too much!"

Raelina was quite used to being singled out and scolded by Sheila. In the past, she would just listen silently until Sheila got tired of yelling at her and stopped.

However, she couldn't seem to hold back today. She looked at Sheila and asked with trembling lips, "Lazy? Can you claim in good conscience that I've done any less work than anyone else in this family, Mom? I even do more work around the house than you and Dad.

"I clean the house, wash the clothes, cook the meals, and do the dishes—I take time outside of school to do all of this. The night before my college entrance examination, I washed all the bedsheets and couch covers in the house, which kept me up until half past two in the morning.

"You clearly knew when Ethan wet the bed in the middle of the night, but you didn't get up to handle it after you heard him. Instead, you yelled at me to get up and change his bedsheets and clothes for him. How exactly am I lazy?"

"Shut up! You're not allowed to bring up Ethan wetting the bed!" Sheila snapped angrily, raising her hand to slap Raelina harshly across the face, her fingers trembling with rage. "You're not allowed to bring that up, you hear? I'll beat you up if I ever hear you mention it again!"

Jeremy tugged on Sheila's arm and said in a persuasive tone, "Alright, enough. Why are you hitting Rae? It's a good thing that we don't have customers right now, because it wouldn't look good if someone were to see that."

He looked back at Raelina and frowned heavily. "Ethan is still young, Rae, so he has a strong sense of self-esteem. If he hears you saying that, he'll be so upset that he stops eating again. He's your younger brother, so why don't you know how to empathize with him?"

Raelina finally failed to hold back the tears that she had been struggling to suppress. She was used to Sheila raging at her and hitting her, but Jeremy's words were like long barbs stabbing deeply into her heart. They hurt her more than any of Sheila's slaps.

She recalled that every time Ethan threw a tantrum and refused to eat, Sheila would go into his room to cheer him up every day. She would usually end up either giving him an allowance or buying him a present.

On the other hand, if Raelina came back late from school due to being on classroom duty, there might not even be any dinner left for her. Jeremy would ask her if she had eaten, but he never did anything other than ask.

"Hurry up and apologize to Sheila, Rae," said Jeremy. "Stop making a fuss or we'll look like a joke if someone comes in later."

He reached out to tug at her sleeve, but she shook him off and glared at him while yelling through tears, "I won't, because I'm not wrong! What did I do wrong to you? You and Mom have always disliked me just because I'm a woman, no?"

Sheila was livid with anger. She lifted her hand to slap Raelina again, but Jeremy stopped her, so she instead pointed an accusing finger at Raelina.

"Yes, you're right! Blame yourself for being born a damn woman! Daughters are useless in the first place, but after raising you for almost 20 years, this is how you turn out? You couldn't even qualify for a degree, so what can we possibly expect from you in the future?"

Raelina bit her lip so hard she almost broke the skin, tears streaming down her face. "Alright. You can place your hopes in your sons, then."

With that, she turned and ran.

"Rae!" Jeremy called out after her.

Sheila snapped angrily, "Why bother going after her? Let her run. I'd certainly like to see where exactly she can go. What can a useless brat like her do? Once she starves outside, she'll realize how much better it is at home."

Raelina could still hear Sheila's angry yelling as she ran out of the rotisserie. She covered her ears tightly and desperately sprinted away. Her eyes were blurry with tears, so she couldn't make out the road clearly.

The ear-piercing honk of a car horn abruptly shocked some sense back into her. By the time she snapped out of her daze, she realized that there was a car speeding straight toward her.

She stiffened, debating whether to evade immediately or just let the car hit her then and there. If she died, she wouldn't have to endure all the disdain and abuse anymore.

But… she was carrying a child now!

Her body reacted faster than her brain; her hand already moving up to shield her belly as she frantically attempted to dodge to the side.