Maria's Room
Maria was sitting in front of the mirror, brushing her hair. At the same time, she seemed lost in thought. Marco came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, wearing a bathrobe. He, too, stood in front of the mirror, fixing his hair. Then he picked up a hair dryer and started drying his wet hair.
Marco noticed Maria was lost in thought and called out to her, "Hey sweetheart, what's wrong? Where are you lost?"
His voice brought her out of her thoughts. She looked at Marco, tucked her hair behind her ear, and replied, "I was thinking about Leo. Ruby is worthy in every way to be a member of this family. She looks good, is educated, and is about to take over her family business." She sighed deeply and continued, "But I don't know why she doesn't seem like a match for Leo. Watching them together, it just doesn't feel like they could be in a relationship."
Marco listened carefully. Placing a hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes through the mirror, he said, "Well, I don't have anything to say about that. But there's one thing I will say—this decision should be Leo's. It's his life, so the decisions should be his too. Just like our son handles work and family matters with maturity, I'm sure he'll make the right choice for his life too."
Maria understood his words and relaxed. A smile appeared on her face. She placed her hand over Marco's.
---
Leo's Mansion
Mia was still lost in her playful mood. Leo, too, was mesmerized by her innocence. Slowly, he began moving toward her. As he approached, Mia saw his figure in the water. She looked up and saw Leo standing in the water, naked and soaked. His face was calm and expressionless—it was impossible to read his mood.
Seeing him like that, Mia panicked. She got up quickly to leave, but in her haste, her dress caught under her foot, and she tripped. She almost fell into the water, but Leo caught her in his arms just in time. Her feet were now wet, and her hands rested on Leo's shoulders. Their faces were very close—so close they could hear each other's heartbeats. Mia's heart was racing like a bullet train. She was extremely nervous with Leo being so close. Leo could clearly see that.
Looking at her seriously, Leo said, "What are you doing? Don't you remember you're pregnant? Running around like this isn't safe in your condition. If something happens to you, your father will slack off at work—and I can't afford that."
He looked at her again, and she stared at him, shocked, her mouth slightly open. All she could say was, "P…pregnant?"
Her expression was full of shock and fear, which made Leo suspicious. He stared at her and asked, "What happened? Why are you so surprised? Didn't you know?"
Mia didn't respond. Tears suddenly began streaming down her face. Leo didn't understand what had triggered it.
"What happened? Why are you crying now?" he asked.
Mia was afraid of Leo. She still didn't respond. Leo began to get irritated and said sharply, "Will you stop crying? It's really annoying."
Mia instantly fell silent. She was afraid he might get angry and throw her into the water. Still holding her in his arms, Leo walked out of the pool and placed her on a nearby resting couch. He told her to stay put and went to the changing room.
A little later, he returned wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants. He asked Mia to come with him, and they both went to the dining room. Leo sat down on a chair and gestured for Mia to sit as well. After they both sat, the servants began serving them breakfast.
Mia kept glancing between Leo and the food in front of her. Leo began eating, but Mia continued staring at her plate. Leo noticed and asked, "What's wrong now? Why are you staring at the food? Eat your breakfast. I'm not your caretaker to look after you all day—I have work to focus on too."
Mia looked at him. Leo's face was very serious. His words hurt her, but she also knew he was a stranger to her. She didn't let it affect her too much and started eating. When Leo saw her eat, he started watching her quietly.
In his mind, Leo thought, "I know my words might have hurt you, but I can't trust you so easily. Until I get answers to all my questions, I have to control my feelings."
A little later, breakfast was over. Leo left with his bodyguards. Mia, now tired, went to her room to rest. As she sat on her bed, her thoughts kept returning to Leo. She kept replaying their conversation from the morning in her mind. Then she said to herself,
"What did he say? I'm pregnant? But how is that possible? How can I be pregnant? Is he mistaken? But how can someone be so wrong about something so big? I have to find out the truth."
Mia was not a weak girl. She just didn't want anyone to know her truth. She wanted everyone to believe she was innocent and naive. Only she knew the reason why.
In a very desolate area, there was an old ruin. Inside, several guards dressed in black clothes were patrolling the place. From the outside, it looked abandoned, but the inside had a completely different vibe — it was more like a pub. Many people were there, and a lot of illegal activities were taking place.
In one of the rooms, Leo was sitting on a luxurious sofa. Several others were also present, discussing a serious matter. After a while, they slowly began to leave.
Antonio was also there. Once the others had gone, he turned to Leo and said, "Do you really think the trap you've laid will work?"
Leo replied, "Let's see what happens."
Antonio didn't say anything more about it. Suddenly, something came to his mind.
He asked Leo, "By the way, how's your treatment going? Did the doctor say anything?"
Leo took a sip of his drink and said, "The doctor told me that due to high DNA fragmentation in my sperm, only a particular type of woman can conceive my child. And the sperm sample they had taken for testing was accidentally injected into a girl's body by one of the junior doctors."
Hearing this, Antonio was shocked.