When Jason woke up the next morning and opened his eyes, Estre was no longer by his side. She


    had already left, leaving him to wake alone. The look on Jason’s face was, as one might expect, less


    than thrilled.


    At thew firm, no sooner had Estre settled at her desk than her phone buzzed with Jason’s call.


    “Getting a little too bold, aren’t you, Estre? king on me?”


    Bncing the phone between shoulder and ear while her fingers danced across the keyboard, Estre


    retorted, “Who’s getting bold? I’ve got a busy day at the office, but don’t you worry. I’ll swing by the


    hospital as soon as I’m done here.”


    “Estre, don’t tell me you’re nning to sneak off for a check-up, looking to hog the baby all to


    yourself?” Jason’s suspicion sounded as if Estre was already carrying their child, and she was


    plotting to run off with it.


    Estre couldn’t help butugh, standing up from her seat to find more privacy in the fire escape


    stairwell. “Of all people in this town, your Nelson family is rolling in it. You’ve got the heftiest bank


    ount, and the highest status. Clinging to your coattails is my daily grind, just hoping to bear you a


    child. Why would I ever keep a baby from you? I’m counting on that kid to get a slice of your fortune.”


    Before Jason could respond, Estre continued, “I’m not that foolish. I’m just swamped with a case


    that’s hitting the courts soon, and I can’t be distracted. I promise, I’ll head to the hospital once I’m


    done.”


    She added, “Besides, I didn’t feel any morning sickness today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t havee to the


    office at all. Oh, and just so you know, I’m in the fire escape, which has spotty reception. Gotta hang up


    now.”


    “Hello… hello…” Estre murmured into the phone before pulling it away, pretending the call had


    dropped, and with a grimace, Jason ended the call on his side.


    You can’t stay mad at someone who’s all smiles. Estre had exined herself with such patience that


    Jason had no choice but to let it go and hung up. Let her y her game. He’d see how long she could


    keep this up.


    Back in her office, after Jason hung up, Estre was weed by a co-worker’s teasing. “Got a


    boyfriend, Estre? Was that a call from your man?”


    “Sure was, Estre replied nonchntly.


    Boyfriend? She had been married for two years, a fact she preferred to keep out of workce gossip.


    So Estre deflected questions with simple answers, preserving her privacy.


    “Estre, the court just rang. They need you over there.”


    “On my way,” Estre said, grabbing her car keys and heading out.


    Friday traffic was slow, and as Estre tapped a rhythm on her steering wheel, her gaze caught the


    sleek Maserati approaching. It was the same car she’d noticed a couple of days ago.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Estre watched the girl in the passenger seat, and could hardly believe her eyes. Her intuition told her


    that it couldn’t be just a simple resemnce. It was impossible to have someone so alike, even in


    temperament.


    As traffic inched forward and horns red behind her, Estre stepped on the gas and continued on


    her way. She brushed past the white Maserati and immediately pressed the speed dial for Bryce.


    “Bryce, I need a favor.”


    “No problem, shoot me the details,” Bryce chuckled. “Heck, I could be your assistant at Justice


    Guardians LLP.”


    “You’re on, but no sry,” Estre joked back.


    “As if,” Bryce scoffed. “I don’t work pro bono.”


    “So about that favor I just asked, are you doing it or not?”


    “I’m in.”


    Estre chuckled and forwarded the Maserati’s license te number to him. As awyer, Estre had a


    hunch that there was something fishy about this, and it might be linked to the fire that had urred


    three years ago.


    In fact, there were many things Estre found suspicious, like why Landon insisted she marry Jason.


    Before the fortune-tellers came into the picture, Landon had briefly broached the subject of marriage,


    which she had brushed off due to their ipatibility. But after consulting her own fortune-teller and


    facing pressure from her parents, she had found herself in the current predicament.


    After sending Bryce the information, Estre drove to the courthouse to wrap up her work. Exiting the


    courthouse around two in the afternoon with a nauseous feeling creeping back, she decided to visit the


    hospital. She needed to get some medicine for what could be a recurring bout of gastritis.


    By three-thirty, Estre had her results in hand when Jason’s call came through. “Where are you?”


    “After finishing work at the court, I came straight to the hospital. Got the results. I’ll snap a photo for


    you.” With that, she sent Jason the picture of her medical report.


    Jason’s voice was cold. “Estre, you don’t have a husband.”


    Estre chuckled. “Then what are you?” She quickly added, “No need to make a mountain out of a


    molehill. Did you see the report? Gastritis, that’s all. I’m used to handling hospital visits on my own.”


    “I saw it,” he replied, his tone softening. “Got a meeting tonight. I’ll be homete.”


    “Okay.”


    After hanging up, Estre asked the doctor, “Could you prescribe some folic acid and a few other


    vitamins, please?”


    “Sure. I’ll get those ready for you.”


    Past ten that evening, fresh from a shower and ready for bed, Estre heard Jason return, a faint trace


    of alcohol on his breath.


    “You’re back,” she noted.


    “Didn’t workte tonight?” he inquired.


    “Everyone deserves a break,” Estre replied, moving closer to hang his suit jacket on the rack.


    Jason watched her, his gaze then shifting to the medical report on the table. He paused, picked it up,


    and flipped it open. It confirmed what she had sent earlier: no pregnancy, just gastritis.


    Jason’s gaze drifted over to the folic acid and vitaminsid out on the table. Estre, noticing his


    attention, chimed in, “Well, I figured since we’re nning on it, might as well start taking them, right?


    We’re going to need them eventually.”


    Jason responded with a nonchnt “Hmm,” setting aside the report he had been reading. However, it


    was clear that his spirits weren’t as high as they had been a few days earlier.


    Estre, picking up on his mood, prodded gently, “Not thrilled because we’re not expecting yet?”


    After her words hung in the air, Jason reached out, pulling her into his embrace, his chin resting on her


    shoulder. “A bit disappointed,” he admitted.


    The night before, Marie had been so confident that Estre was pregnant, and Jason, caught up in the


    moment, believed he was on the brink of fatherhood. But it turned out to


    be a false rm.


    Estre didn’t know that earlier that morning, Jason had asked his secretary to buy a whole array of


    maternity and baby items. Now, all those preparations seemed to be useless.


    Feeling Jason’s disappointment, Estre’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t anticipated such a strong


    reaction from Jason. After all, he had always been reluctant about having children.


    Tilting her head to look up at him, Estre softly called out, “Jason, actually…”