"Prove that I am the father of Emline’s chi― You’re off your rockers!" Aiden spluttered.
His eyes twitched, trying his best to maintain his cool, but Annalise Hawthorne was ever as trying as the daughter she raised.
"What are you so scared of?" Annalise taunted. "If you are innocent, there’s no need to worry about doing a blood test."
Alright. Kindness and respect for his elders be damned. He loathed this mother-and-daughter combo more than the nasty little school children who broke so of his action figures when he was moving them to Isaac’s place.
"You’re hearing this?" Aiden whirled on his heel to look at the witch― Emline. He had always dubbed her one for fun, but now she looked the part. "Your mother is basically calling you a whore for sleeping around with both brothers. You’re going to take this standing down?"
"The child needs to go," Emline spat out. "Mother, there’s no need to test. Fuck this baby― where the hell is Benji Wales?!"
Aiden clapped his hands together once, the crisp sound of his palms making contact with each other ringing in the room.
"You heard the lady!" he said. "Let’s schedule the quickest abortion date and you two can be off on your rry way―"
"Don’t be ridiculous, Emline!" Annalise stood up, snapping.
She reached forward and before Aiden could react, she sunk her claws deep into Aiden’s forearm. Her nails were sharp, manicured talons that quickly broke the surface of his skin, drawing blood. If he hadn’t known that the procedure had to be sterile, Aiden would have assud Annalise was trying to use her nails to draw the blood needed for the paternity test!
"You’re keeping the baby!" Annalise insisted. "We’ll test the kid’s parentage to see if Aiden is the father― if he is, the Montgorys ought to take responsibility! This is still their grandchild you’re carrying!"
"Didn’t you say we should be supporting Emline’s decision, be it to abort the child or to keep it?" Aiden said, alard.
The more he tried to struggle out of Annalise’s grip, the deeper she burrowed under his skin. He had the strength to just tear her off, sure, but she would no doubt take a chunk of his flesh with her if he did that.
"She said so herself!" Aiden continued. "Emline wants the baby gone― respect her wishes!"
"Emline doesn’t know what she’s talking about," Annalise snapped. She then turned sharply to her daughter. She said in a much softer tone, "Baby, think rationally! If you’re indeed carrying a Montgory heir, they will keep you at the Montgory estate. Otherwise, where will you go?"
Aiden had said so himself― Charles Montgory didn’t want Emline there now that they knew the baby Emline was carrying wasn’t Matteo’s child. However, if it was Aiden’s, things would be different. The baby would still have Montgory blood flowing in it.
"What do you an if I keep the child?" Emline asked. She sat up, her eyes red. Aiden wobbled back a few steps — as much as he could stretch — in fear she would start crawling on all fours. "Godmother would help , wouldn’t she? I just want to go rest in my room. I am sick of staying here!"
"Look, if you could just―" Aiden tried to say, digging his hand under Annalise’s in an attempt to yank her off while causing as little pain to himself as possible, but failed miserably.
"Your mother insists that it’s not possible," Annalise said, pulling Aiden close. "But we all know what sort of man you are, Aiden Montgory. If you wish to dispel the rumors, you will do the blood test. Or else..."
Annalise smirked, and Aiden felt his blood run cold with the way she smiled. It was so sinister.
"You may not care about what the public thinks of you, but you care about what Alia Kentwood thinks, don’t you?"
Aiden’s lips imdiately thinned into a fine line, causing Annalise’s smile to stretch. She knew she had hit the nail on the head. She, too, was young once. Annalise knew all too well what it was like to pine after soone who was out of reach― she was the sa.
How scandalous. Aiden Montgory was in love with his own sister-in-law.
"Wouldn’t she like to know how you’re trying to worm out of this after getting her cousin pregnant?" Annalise taunted. "She may not have a good relationship with my daughter, but she, unlike you, has upright morals. What would she say, learning that you’re unwilling to lay in the bed you’ve made for yourself?"
Aiden’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, staring wordlessly at Annalise. He was so stumped that he hadn’t even heard the door open.
Right then, a doctor walked in, and Annalise quickly waved him over.
"Please, Doctor," she said. "This is the man I was speaking to you about. We’ll need a sample of his blood."
"I’m not―"
"Just do it," Annalise said through gritted teeth. "Do it, and I’ll allow Emline to get rid of the child. Otherwise, if you’re not the father, wouldn’t it be unfair for her to make the decision for herself?"
Aiden’s eyes twitched. He cast a look at Emline on the bed, who had her head in her hands. She was mumbling sothing to herself, completely ignoring the both of them.
Emline Hawthorne had finally gone insane, he thought.
Whatever. If a bit of his blood and the truth would lead these two out of his life, it was a small price to pay. He was the one who dug this pit for himself anyway.
"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I’ll do the blood test."
***
According to the doctors, it would take a few days before the test results would be released. Until then, Emline was well-rested enough to be discharged and taken ho.
However, there were a few problems. For one thing, Charles Montgory made it very clear that Emline Hawthorne was not to step into the Montgory family grounds any further. For another, Aiden himself wanted to stay as far away from Emline as possible.
As such, he took a different turn once they entered the wealthier neighborhood, and Emline soon realized how familiar the houses were.
"This isn’t the way back to the Montgory estate," Emline pointed out.
She sat upright when she saw the familiar building loom before her. The gates swung open and down the driveway was a car parked― one which she recognized to belong to Matteo.
"That’s because we’re not returning to the Montgory estate," Aiden said. He shifted the gears and the car ca to a stop. "You’re a Hawthorne. Shouldn’t you return to the Hawthorne estate instead?"
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