Mag-log inThe fluorescent lights in the ER were harsh and glaring. Jasper helped Amelia onto a bench, her face so pale that it almost blended into the wall behind her. Damp strands of hair clung to her forehead, soaked with cold sweat.In the car, she had doubled over without warning, clutching her abdomen, her body shaking. Jasper wasted no time. He ran red lights the entire way to the hospital."Doctor, she's pregnant. She was planning a termination, but she suddenly had severe abdominal pain. Please take a look."Jasper caught the on-duty physician and spoke quickly.The doctor frowned and guided Amelia onto an exam bed. After a brief check and a look at her results, he returned with a serious expression. "Early pregnancy with abdominal pain, and you've had strong pregnancy reactions before. Your body is under a lot of stress. A procedure right now would carry a higher risk than normal."He paused, looking at her. "Are you sure you don't want to keep the baby? If you do, we can admit
Christopher pulled into the driveway of the villa. It was the house he had once shared with Amelia.A few of the motion sensor lights along the stairwell were out, leaving the space dim and unevenly lit as he made his way upstairs.He pushed the door open. A faint scent of gardenia drifted toward him. It had always been Amelia's favorite. Even after the divorce, he had never changed the diffuser.The living room looked exactly the same.On the TV console sat the only family photo they had ever taken together. In it, Amelia smiled softly, and Nathan was curled against Christopher's chest, his eyes bright with laughter. Evelyn stood beside Amelia, holding her hand.It was the family portrait Amelia had insisted on.Christopher lowered his gaze and stared at it. He had no sense of how much time passed.Suddenly, his phone rang.It was an international call from Caleb.Christopher answered. Caleb's voice came through right away. "Chris, I heard you started a new company and re
Amelia's voice wasn't loud, but it stayed steady and precise, controlled down to the last detail. There was nothing in it that gave her condition away.Christopher sat at the head of the conference table at FutureDrive, his eyes fixed on the screen. His gaze lingered on the gray camera icon next to Amelia's name.His brow tightened slightly."Does Nova Nine have any additional input on the technical integration timeline?"He spoke without looking away, his tone even.Amelia paused for a moment, organizing her thoughts. "We think the third phase could be extended by about a week. The main concern is production time for the core components. It would help reduce the risk of quality issues later."Her voice dipped as she finished. The strain in her throat caught up with her, and she had to stop to take a sip of water.Christopher's frown deepened.He thought about her voice on the call the night before. It sounded rough and strained. Maybe she really was sick.The meeting continue
Amelia tightened her grip on the phone, her nails pressing into her palm.She knew Christopher wasn't wrong. FutureDrive had no shortage of potential partners. Nova Nine, on the other hand, couldn't afford to lose this chance.She took a steady breath, pushing down the discomfort and the frustration, and kept her voice even. "Understood. I'll send it in 30 minutes."After the call ended, she forced herself out of bed and walked to the desk, opening her laptop.The nausea kept building. She worked through the numbers, stopping every so often as a wave of dry heaving hit, her body tensing as she tried to push through it.Thirty minutes later, the revised contract was sent to Christopher's inbox, right on time.Amelia closed the laptop. The moment she let go, her strength gave out. She fell back onto the bed and slipped into a heavy, restless sleep.Inside FutureDrive, Christopher was still in his office, the updated contract open on his screen.He went through it carefully.Th
After a while, Amelia spoke slowly."FutureDrive is the kind of opportunity every company wants. You could line them up from the tech park all the way into downtown."Her tone stayed steady. "The Fighter 07 project is too big to pass up. The technology, the resources, the government backing, every one of those is something Nova Nine needs right now. For Evie's future, and for me to stay on my feet, I have to push through, even if I'm running on fumes."Jasper looked at her profile, her jaw set tight, and felt both concern and a quiet sense of resignation.He knew her too well. Once she made a decision, nothing could change her mind."I'll help you." He let out a breath and gave in. "Come over to my place tonight. I've got everything set up there. I'll work with you. It's better than you trying to carry all of this by yourself."Amelia turned and gave a small nod.That night…Jasper's studio was brightly lit. The glow from multiple screens reflected across their faces, and the
The two sides hit a stalemate, and the tension in the conference room slowly tightened.Amelia stayed quiet, listening as the discussion circled back on itself. Her mind kept moving, turning over every point, looking for a way through.Then a sudden wave of nausea rose in her throat. She covered her mouth, her face draining of color almost instantly."Ms. Sinclair, are you okay?"Jasper caught it right away. He reached out to steady her, concern clear in his voice.Amelia shook her head, grabbed the glass of water in front of her, and took a deep drink, forcing the feeling back down.She took a breath, lifted her head, and looked at Christopher. "I'm fine. Let's keep going. On the equity split, I have another proposal…"Christopher had been watching her the entire time, taking in every detail.His brow tightened slightly, his tone even. "If you're not feeling well, we can reschedule.""No." Amelia waved it off. "Let's finish what we came here to do."He held her gaze for a mo
Nicole's face turned pale. "I have no idea where you got the data from, but the technology was developed singlehandedly by my team and me. There's no plagiarism to speak of. You're…you're slandering us!"Luke's heart turned cold.Amelia's data didn't look fake. This was confidential information
Amelia glanced at Nicole. "She's all tense from all the online comments."Winona shrugged. "If her conscience is clear, then I can only say that she has nothing to fear."Nicole's fear and paranoia seemed to hint at a guilty conscience."Christopher turned to look at you, and others called her a
Christopher said with a smile, "You won't rest till you see her in jail. You're angry at her because of me. You hate me, don't you?"Amelia's brows furrowed as she looked at him.Christopher tried to get to the crux of the matter. "Your anger might be appeased with her in jail. What plight do you
"Yes, we'll get married eventually. It's just a matter of time."Nicole would wait for a grand wedding to come.-The next day, news continued spreading like wildfire online and showed no signs of stopping.When Amelia arrived at Nova Nine, she saw Winona scrolling through the news."You're her







