The driver noticed Mary Scott’s emotions had cald down sowhat and quietly sent a ssage to David Locke.
David Locke, seated at "April Sky," had just downed half a bottle of liquor. Receiving the driver’s ssage, he curled his lips in self-mockery but still carefully typed each word: "Send her back to Rose Valley. Don’t let her wander off."
The driver glanced at the ssage, looked at Mary through the rearview mirror, and felt that her sudden calmness was unnaturally excessive. After hesitating for a mont, he added, "Director Locke, perhaps you should co back just in case?"
David Locke saw the ssage and directly tossed his phone aside, taking another heavy gulp of alcohol.
Brandon Piers glanced at David Locke and then at Adam Piers, giving Noel Roberts a kick. "You dragged here just to watch these two alcoholics?"
"Alcoholics? What happened to brotherhood? When you broke up that ti, we comforted you. Now it’s your turn to comfort them; it’s not asking too much, right?" Noel Roberts hadn’t anticipated being called over by Adam Piers for this kind of situation. The forr dandy prince seed to have taken a turn toward the sentintal route. Could it be?
As for David Locke, wasn’t he supposed to be the epito of carefree living? This man who seed to thrive off rumors with female celebrities every single day—now just because his wife cheated on him? Like this?
Noel Roberts didn’t get it.
But despite his puzzlent, he thought Brandon Piers, having gone through sothing similar, might understand better. So Noel had dragged him over while working nearby. He was scared these two might drink themselves to death otherwise, leaving him with no way to explain things.
Brandon Piers shot Noel Roberts a disdainful glance and then turned his focus to the similarly despondent David Locke. "If you’re in so much pain, why don’t you two just get together?"
That remark was a bit over-the-top.
Usually, Adam Piers would’ve jumped out of his seat, disgustedly distanced himself from David Locke, then called Brandon Piers out for being so unreasonable. But tonight, Adam didn’t react at all—he just kept his head down, sipping his drink like he was half-dead.
David Locke didn’t seem much better off than Adam Piers; both n appeared entirely absorbed in their bottles.
Brandon Piers awkwardly rubbed his nose, a rare display of discomfort. Noel Roberts, seeing Brandon like this for the first ti, leaned back and laughed gleefully at his misfortune—only to receive a cold glare, prompting him to rein in his amusent.
"So what’s going on exactly?" Brandon Piers finally dropped the joking tone, getting serious. Recently, Abigail had been struggling with severe pregnancy nausea, so his days were occupied with figuring out ways to care for his wife. He hadn’t kept up with outside affairs much.
Though Brandon wasn’t in the loop, Noel Roberts was. Ignoring the two who were drowning their sorrows, he bluntly spilled the details without sparing their feelings. "One was dumped by a girlfriend who secretly had a four-month-old fetus terminated. The other got cheated on by his wife—so publicly that now the whole internet knows. Tsk, tsk."
That last "tsk, tsk" carried a note of schadenfreude.
Brandon Piers frowned slightly and turned to Adam Piers first. "Bertha Swift allowing the pregnancy to reach four months indicates she had so emotional connection to the child. It’s unlikely she would terminate it for no reason—it’s against her own interests. Why don’t you investigate further?"
"Emotional connection, my ass. She wanted to abort from the start. I had to threaten and cajole the Swift parents into monitoring her just to keep the pregnancy going for four months. I thought once the child started moving, she’d give up on the idea of aborting it. But look what happened? Ha! Cold-blooded doesn’t even begin to describe her." Adam Piers spat out his words angrily, downing another drink so hard it made him choke and cough. Suddenly, as if recalling sothing, his eyes fixed on Noel Roberts.
Noel Roberts shivered under Adam’s intense gaze. "Buddy, snap out of it. Just because won hurt you doesn’t an you should decide to harm n now. We’re not a match!"
Adam Piers gave Noel a dismissive look before growling emphatically, "She’s not my girlfriend. She was never my girlfriend from the start!"
Forget calling her a girlfriend; that woman hated him to her very core—her actions proved it unmistakably.
Feeling uncomfortable with Adam’s grim seriousness, Noel muttered, "Is it really that big a deal? Just one woman."
But after saying that, no one reacted, leaving Noel to stew in the sa awkwardness Brandon had experienced earlier. After a while, he dared to suggest, "Should we drink with them then?"
Brandon Piers sideways glanced at Noel Roberts. "My wife’s pregnant, sensitive to the sll of alcohol."
Noel winced at the implicit dig, while Adam’s sadness deepened. His little sister-in-law was over two months into her pregnancy, aning her baby was only two months younger than his would have been. By next May, her due date would co—but that woman... How could she be so ruthless?
The thought made Adam down another gulp, catching David Locke’s equally miserable drinking pattern. It triggered a sudden realization, and he asked, "She took on your project, right? Filming starts next March?"
David Locke, forced into the spotlight, sluggishly raised his head toward Adam and took a mont to understand he was asking about Bertha Swift. chanically nodding, he barely caught anything Adam said afterward.
Adam Piers, confirming the response, spiraled further into anger and despair, his emotions turning darker. So she’d planned it all along—terminating the pregnancy wasn’t a spur-of-the-mont decision. With a due date in May, a visibly pregnant belly in March would’ve made it impossible for her to join the cast.
She’d forsaken his child for the sake of filming David Locke’s project?
"Hahaha..." Adam laughed bitterly, mocking himself.
That woman had never intended to keep his child; yet he’d clung to vain hopes all this ti.
The room’s atmosphere grew stiflingly heavy.
Brandon Piers frowned at David Locke, whose condition mirrored Adam’s. "For this kind of scandal to break at such a critical ti, it’s clearly deliberate. Have you discussed this with Miss Scott? Abigail’s opinions of her have always been positive, and you work in this industry—you should know how murky the waters can be. It might be a misunderstanding or even that Miss Scott herself has been set up."
Brandon’s words were heartfelt, but David could only respond with a bitter smile. "You don’t understand."
"I may not understand your self-destructive behavior, but I do know communication is crucial between people. Don’t let prejudice blind you—so mistakes are irreversible."
David paused, seemingly taking those words to heart, but knew his current fra of mind wasn’t suited for facing Mary Scott. He nodded before returning to drinking.
Brandon shook his head, noting Noel’s slightly open mouth and furrowed brow. "Hmm?"
"Nothing," Noel murmured, but his expression still carried curiosity. It wasn’t until Brandon gave him a displeased look that he muttered quietly, "I just didn’t expect Second Young Master to dish out such potent words of wisdom. I almost feel healed."
Brandon coldly eyed him. "Want to offer so venom instead?"
"Haha, no thanks. At this point, I’ve realized staying single is the safest option. Dating dramas aren’t worth it—I’d rather play mahjong. Since there are four of us here, want to start a round?" Noel teased Brandon with a wink and gestured toward the two heavy drinkers, whispering, "I think I could fleece them down to their briefs tonight."
Brandon looked at Noel with increasing skepticism. "Didn’t know you had such tastes."
"...Uh, it’s just an expression! What are you imagining?" Noel protested.
"Oh, I thought you’d actually turned. Hoping to see them take off their underwear," Brandon remarked flatly.
"..." Noel was speechless. What kind of warped logic was this?
A mont later, even looking at Adam and David made Noel’s skin crawl—particularly when Adam, already tipsy, seed to take Brandon’s comnt seriously, suddenly staring intently at Noel. Then, as though making up his mind, he stood up dramatically. "Won are all trouble; might as well find a man. Yeah, n would be better!"
Noel was horrified!
Instinctively stepping back, he pointed at Adam pleadingly, "Buddy, has he gone insane?"
"Maybe he’s turned gay," Brandon added nonchalantly.
Noel felt goosebumps rise all over his body, especially when Adam’s gaze grew unnervingly fervent. "No way—don’t do this to !"
"What do you think?" Brandon leaned back in his seat, clearly settling in to enjoy the show.
"..." Noel was speechless.
"Noel Roberts, do you think I’m handso?" Adam suddenly called out flirtatiously, derailing Noel’s ntal state entirely.
Panic overtook Noel, and he cursed, "Fuck this—I’m out!"
Noel bolted, leaving Adam and his unsettling gaze behind. Only then did Brandon Piers look up at the dazed Adam. "I’ll ask Uncle to co pick you up."
Adam swiftly sank into the sofa, half retreating, "Don’t. If I’m picked up like that, my father will break my legs. Don’t bother; I’ve got it under control."
This sounded shockingly sober for a man who had been binge drinking.
"Looks like you’re not completely out of it then." Brandon felt slightly reassured. Over the past year, his cousin had matured rapidly. As for feelings... it’d be concerning if Adam wasn’t troubled by Bertha’s decision to abort. This level of anguish was almost appropriate.
Adam offered no reply, clearly still in turmoil. Conventional wisdom claid drinking eased sorrow, but for him, the opposite seed true—the more he drank, the painfully clearer everything beca. His heart ached even though he hadn’t been deeply attached to her.
From his spot, Brandon Piers could see the emotional storm brewing in Adam’s eyes. He sighed lightly. "It’s late. Abigail will worry if she doesn’t hear from . I’ll get Pullan to send you two up to the hotel once you’ve had enough."
With that, Brandon didn’t linger. Matters of the heart could only be resolved by oneself.
Leaving the two behind, Brandon couldn’t help recalling his own history with Abigail. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he stepped out, faced Pullan, and issued a low command, "Hand over the keys. Keep an eye on them, and when they’ve had their fill, escort them upstairs to the hotel."
"Understood." Pullan nodded quickly and added hesitantly, "Second Young Master, the madam called earlier asking about you—she said not to drink too much."
"Got it." Brandon’s smile deepened hearing that. Without further delay, he hurried to Moon Lake Manor as quickly as possible.
By the ti Brandon arrived ho, Abigail had already gone to bed. Stepping softly through their bedroom door, he found the bed empty. His brows furrowed, and he turned toward the children’s room instead.
Sure enough, there she was.
Thanks to the heated floors of the manor, Abigail lay stretched out on the bed in thin sleepwear, her blanket haphazardly kicked aside. Beside her, Teddy mimicked his mother’s posture, lying with the sa angle by her side, one tiny leg resting firmly against Abigail’s belly.
Brandon’s nerves instantly tensed. He hurried over to lift Teddy’s leg from Abigail’s abdon before carefully moving the little one aside. Only once he’d ensured his son posed no risk to his wife did he let out a quiet sigh of relief, cursing lightly under his breath, "Little rascal."
The little rascal remained blissfully unaware, tilting his head as he continued to sleep. His chubby cheeks were pressed into the pillow, leaving a red imprint that made him look adorably silly—but to Brandon, Abigail was still the cutest.
Shedding his jacket, Brandon sat on the bed, softly gazing at Abigail’s serene sleeping face. Familiar warmth filled his heart, her slightly fuller cheeks a sign of improvent, putting him in a better mood.
Over recent weeks, Abigail had struggled with her appetite due to pregnancy, forcing Brandon to experint tirelessly with cooking. Now, it seed his efforts were paying off.
Yet when his thoughts turned to the child in her womb, Brandon’s expression darkened slightly. The pregnancy itself had been completely unplanned—an accident borne during turbulent tis when both had forgotten about contraception. Who could’ve predicted Abigail would conceive?
If it were up to Brandon, he wouldn’t have wanted Abigail to carry this baby to term. But she was resolute, determined to keep the child. Under her insistence, he had reluctantly compromised. And yet, as the days stretched on, Brandon’s worries mounted. He often found himself dreaming dreadfully of Abigail’s first childbirth.
Wakeful after such nightmares, his gaze would invariably drift to Abigail’s belly. As it did now, despite himself, Brandon stared at her abdon in quiet anxiety.
Abigail was a light sleeper by nature, but pregnancy had made her unusually fatigued. She’d originally planned to await Brandon’s return to ask about Adam and David’s situation, only to fall asleep in Teddy’s room. Halfway through her slumber, she sensed soone entering and caught a faint yet familiar scent. Feeling assured, she disregarded it—until she noticed the stillness of the figure, prompting her to fight her sleepiness and open her eyes. What greeted her was Brandon gazing intently at her belly.
Her drowsiness subsided almost instantly. Hastily pulling the thin blanket over herself, Abigail sat up. "When did you get back?"
Brandon seed startled but quickly recomposed himself, rubbing his nose lightly. "Just a while ago."
"Alright, go wash up and sleep," Abigail urged, leaning closer to sniff him. Slling little alcohol, she sighed softly in relief and tried to soothe him. "Didn’t the doctor say I’m in great health? Pregnancy won’t affect much. Besides, I’ve already promised this will be my last."
"Hmm." Brandon muttered quietly. Logically, he knew she was right, but sotis reason couldn’t temper emotion.
"Go wash up," Abigail softly urged, watching his boyish deanor warmly.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Brandon rose to head to the bathroom one room over. Returning shortly with damp hair, he found Abigail had fallen asleep again.
He sighed deeply. Pregnancy had made his wife far sleepier than usual. Carelessly drying his hair, he chose not to move her back to their room but instead lay down alongside her. His arm wrapped around his sleeping wife and son, drawing them closer. Without warning, Abigail nudged her head against his face in her sleep.
Brandon chuckled softly, holding her more tightly.
Before long, the whole family of four was fast asleep.
While so found happiness on this cold winter night, others were restless.
The scandal between Mary Scott and Simon Baker had only grown hotter overnight!
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