Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After Alex finished his work in K City, we went back to R City. Jenny Yuan didn't show up again. Once we were back, Alex asked me to quit my job and focus on my pregnancy. But I was in the middle of a design project, so I promised him I'd quit once I finished it.

One day at work, I got a text message from an unknown number: "Sister-in-law, President Xie drank too much at a dinner. He's in a hotel now, and he's asking for you. Please come quickly—he's in room 2305."

I didn't recognize the number. I tried calling it back, but no one answered. I called Alex, but his phone was off too. I knew Alex could be really clingy when he was drunk—everyone around him knew it was hard to calm him down. I told my boss where I was going, then rushed to the hotel. But as soon as I got there, something felt off—it was like everything had been set up. As soon as I walked in, someone came over to lead me upstairs. No matter how much I asked, they just said, "President Xie is in a hurry to see you." The hotel staff were only polite—they wouldn't tell me anything else.

I tried calling Alex again, but it still went to voicemail. When we got to the door of room 2305, someone pushed me inside before I could even get ready. The room was dimly lit. Jenny Yuan was sitting on the bed with a man I didn't know.

"Where's Alex?" I asked, my heart sinking. I realized this was probably a trap set by Jenny—but I had to stall for time, hoping Alex would see my missed calls.

"Alex will come," Jenny said, sneering as she walked toward me. "But not right now. He'll be here soon—just in time to watch the show." She leaned in and grabbed my chin. "Such a pretty face... What a shame. It's your fault Alex fell in love with you."

"Even without me, you and Alex would never work," I said, trying to stay calm and buy time. "And you were the one who left him first. Coming back now isn't fair to him."

"I had no choice but to leave back then!" Jenny snapped. "I'll explain everything to Alex, and he'll forgive me—he will!" She sounded frantic, like she was talking to herself more than me. I could tell she wasn't doing well.

"I can't have him, so you can't either!" Jenny screamed. Her face twisted into a 狰狞 expression—years of bitterness making her look even more harsh.

"Don't be stupid," I said quickly. "If you want to be with Alex, you have to talk to him about it. Doing this will only make him hate you. Alex would never like someone who does things like this. Calm down—let's talk. You need to have an honest conversation with Alex Qin. Even if you want to be with him, this isn't the way. All this will do is push him further away."

I tried to reason with her. I could tell she'd had a hard life these past few years. But no matter what, her biggest weakness had always been Alex. If she wanted to be with him, she'd have to listen to me.

Sure enough, her expression softened a little. "What do I do?" she whispered, sitting down on the floor and hugging her knees. "Even if he forgot you, he still won't look at me. What am I supposed to do?"

I knew I couldn't let my guard down now. Just then, the man who'd been sitting quietly on the bed spoke up. "Sister Yuan, don't listen to this woman—she's just stalling for time! Let's stick to the plan. Alex Qin will fall in love with you again!"

"That's right!" Jenny said, standing up suddenly. "He will love me again! Without you, he'll choose me!" She turned to the man. "Do it—just like we planned."

"Jenny Yuan, are you sure about this?" I asked. "This won't make him love you." I tried to struggle, but the man had already come over and covered my mouth.

"Don't worry, Sister Yuan—I've got this," the man said, a creepy grin spreading across his face. I tried to fight back, but he'd already tied up my hands and feet. He grabbed my hair and threw me onto the bed. I fell to the edge of the mattress and quickly wrapped my arms around my belly to protect the baby.

The dim light of the setting sun filtered through the window, and a wave of despair washed over me. The man climbed on top of me. I could feel his threatening presence, but my struggles were useless—men were so much stronger than me. His face got closer and closer, until it was almost touching mine. My heart sank deeper and deeper into despair.