Pregnant With CEO's Baby Chapter 5

Once George had dried his hair and slipped into his blue pajamas, he stepped out of the bathroom.

He removed his glasses and clambered onto the expansive bed. Turning to his mother, he asked, “Which side do you want to sleep on?”

George was truly a blessing from above. Though merely six years old, he showed great independence. He handled his own affairs and even cared well for his mother.

Jeanne gazed at George's eyes sans glasses. His large, sparkling eyes twinkled in the faint light.

“Mom?” George's unease grew under Jeanne's stare.

Jeanne collected herself and warned, “Never take off your glasses in front of other people.”

“You’ve said that like 10 times already.”

“I’m just reminding you.”

“Please believe in your son’s photographic memory.”

“Fine. You can sleep inside. I want to take a bath first,” Jeanne said, rising from the bed.

“Sure.”

Clutching her pajamas, Jeanne entered the bathroom.

To seem magnanimous, the Lawrence family provided her with a vast room boasting a lavish bathroom that included a full-length mirror.

Before the mirror, she shed her clothes, exposing her pale skin. A hideous scar disfigured the base of her abdomen.

The fetus's irregular position and presentation forced Jeanne to deliver George via cesarean section.

Fingering her scar, she smirked.

“It’s okay. I’ll take back what was owed, 10-fold!”

After a brisk shower, she slipped into bed beside her son.

When Jeanne awoke, night had fallen.

Opening her eyes, she found George occupied with his tablet.

It seemed like play, yet only George knew his real intent.

She stretched lazily and inquired, “What time is it?”

George checked the clock. “Seven o’clock in the evening.”

“No one came knocking?”

“No.”

Jeanne furrowed her brow.

She freshened up swiftly, and after both she and George donned clean outfits, they went downstairs.

Jenifer, Jasmine, and Eden lingered below, while Jenifer's earlier lady friends had left.

Then she spotted Alexander, the father who had assaulted and banished her seven years back, along with Joshua, her stepbrother and the family's favored son.

Alexander spotted Jeanne too. In a grave voice, he barked, “Do you know what time it is now? Where are your manners? You went abroad for so many years and this is what you’ve learned?”

The brutality Alexander inflicted seven years ago scarred Jeanne deeply, its shadow lingering for ages. She'd pondered a man's limits in anger, but her father had shown her violently.

“Did you call?”

“Jenifer called.”

Jenifer's standard scheme didn't faze Jeanne. She saw no point in exposing the lies just yet.

Calmly, she retorted, “When I was abroad, did you give me anything at all? No, not even a penny. I don’t know anyone, I have no certs, I don’t have any connections or contacts. When I was sleeping on the streets, where were you? I think I did great for getting back in one piece.”

“Enough! You weren’t summoned back to question me! If you’re half as obedient as your sister, this relationship wouldn’t be like this.”

Fatherly affection meant nothing to Jeanne anymore. Flatly, she stated, “If you want me back here and marry some guy, you better be kinder to me, or else outsiders might think that you’re selling your daughter off for money. We wouldn’t want such rumors to tarnish your reputation, wouldn’t we?”

“JEANNE!” Alexander raged. Defying him publicly and hitting his vulnerability showed total disdain for him.

Jeanne assured, “Don’t worry. I will marry.”

Her response lodged in Alexander's throat.

Aware of Jeanne's fiery temperament, her ready agreement to wed stunned him. He'd prepared tactics to compel her if needed.

Tension thickened rapidly. Alexander struggled to respond to Jeanne's declaration.

Sensing the strain, Jenifer interjected smoothly, “Look at you and your temper. Jeanne just came back and you’re getting all riled up. What do you think it’ll do to her? Keep your temper and it’s time for dinner.”

Alexander snorted and marched to the dining table.

The family gathered for the meal.

Wheelchair-bound Master Lawrence ate in his quarters usually. Lacking his oversight, Alexander dominated as the family's head, reveling in his authority.

Without his nod, silence reigned at the table.

Alexander shot a icy look at George, quietly dining next to Jeanne. “Where’s your manners, boy?”

“He’s a little shy,” Jeanne replied.

“Poorly educated. He must be some b*stard that you have with some random man.” Alexander’s words cut deep.

Jeanne's lips compressed slightly as she laid down her fork.

In the Lawrence family, an unwritten rule held firm. During dinner, nobody could touch their food until the family head began eating. And unless he finished first, no one else could stop.

Jeanne's defiance struck right at Alexander's authority and standing in the household.

Before Alexander could explode in fury, Jeanne declared, “If we’re talking about b*stards, there are many at the table.”

Alexander bristled sharply at her bold words.

“Look at Jasmine and Joshua—they're the b*stards you fathered with another woman,” Jeanne announced loudly right there at the dinner table.

“What did you say?” Joshua raged. He shot to his feet, eyes blazing at Jeanne.

As the treasured son of the family, Joshua had never endured mockery or slurs like this before.

Jeanne kept her cool composure and replied, “Shouting at your elder sister like that just shows how badly the Lawrence family raises its young. What a poor education.”

Jeanne fired back at Joshua for Alexander's earlier taunt toward George.

“You!” Joshua fumed in anger.

Jasmine restrained her brother gently and whispered, “Sis, are you still mad at me and Eden? Is that why you've come back to treat us this way?”

Jeanne's gaze shifted to Jasmine.

Jasmine had perfectly inherited her mother's talent for twisting facts. She could summon an innocent expression on demand.

“If you’re mad at me, I’ll apologize. I shouldn’t have gotten together with Eden back then, when he was still with you. But Eden told me he had no feelings left for you, so I did the unforgivable thing with him. It’s all my fault,” Jasmine murmured softly. Her face showed real remorse and sincerity, powerful enough to sway anyone's emotions.

Jeanne laughed scornfully. “This is the first time I’ve heard someone call herself a mistress in such a pure and innocent manner.”

Jeanne's words left Jasmine speechless.

Jeanne pressed on, “I wonder if being a mistress runs in the family? Seems like you got that trait from your mother.”

“JEANNE! WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!” Alexander pounded the table.

Jasmine trembled in shock.

Jeanne remained utterly unfazed as she eyed Alexander and stated, “I’ve had enough. You all carry on.”

She clasped George's hand and departed, ignoring Alexander's permission entirely.

Alexander refused to accept such blatant disrespect, least of all from his daughter. He bellowed, “JEANNE! STAND RIGHT THERE!”

Jeanne halted. She spun around and declared, “Whether I marry Thedus is my decision alone. Even if you beat me to death like you did seven years ago, it won’t happen if I say no.”

Without lingering a moment longer, she walked away from them all.