Chapter 1

"You're pregnant, Ms. Warren," the nurse said. It was 3:00 am. All was quiet in the hospital's infusion room. Amelia Warren lay on the bed in a daze as she stared at the IV bag hanging above her head. Half an hour ago, she had fainted in front of the operating room that her mother, Rachel Ziegler, was in. The nurse on duty had rushed her to the infusion room before delivering the earth-shattering news to her. She was pregnant? How preposterous. Amelia was stuck in a daze for a long time before she realized she must have gotten pregnant a month ago. To save enough money for Rachel's kidney transplant surgery, she worked herself to the bone every day, taking up jobs such as waitressing, cleaning, and delivering food. However, no matter how hard she worked, she couldn't earn enough for the surgery. That night, an exhausted Amelia came up with the idea of using a shortcut for the first time in her life. She borrowed a dress and a pair of high heels from her best friend, Christina Emerson. Her makeup was exquisite when she attended the yacht party, balancing a wine glass in her hand. Unfortunately, Amelia wasn't able to convince herself to take that last step despite the countless wealthy men who approached and flirted with her. Thus, she ran away, escaping to a deserted corner, intending to leave the party. Just then, a tall and broad man staggered in front of her. "Help me." The man's voice was hoarse and ragged. His brows were knitted together, and his eyes were overflowing with an intense but restrained desire. Amelia was alarmed, and she reflexively tried to run away. "Help me!" the man demanded as he grasped her wrist tightly. Amelia felt as if the searing heat of his palm was going to burn her. As she struggled to free herself, the man spoke again. "I'll give you anything that you want," he said. His magnetic voice burrowed into her ears. His breath was hot, reminiscent of a sticky midsummer day, alluring and irresistible. Amelia suddenly stopped struggling. Would he really give her anything that she wanted? Was she understanding his request correctly? She looked at the man again. He had handsome and refined features, and he was dressed smartly. She also recognized the watch around his wrist. It was a limited edition Patek Philippe. Only two existed in the entire world. Christina had gushed about the same watch to Amelia multiple times, showing pictures of it in a magazine. Amelia recalled that the watch had eight digits on its price tag. It was obvious that the man was in a league of his own even among the wealthy people on the yacht. Amelia felt her heart wavering. She completely gave up on struggling when the man lost himself as he pressed kisses to her neck. The sea wasn't peaceful during the night. Strong waves would loudly and rhythmically crash against the side of the yacht. The sea breeze was damp and salty. Amelia closed her eyes and endured everything. The sun slowly rose on the sea's horizon once the stormy night passed. "I… I want 500,000 dollars," Amelia said, her voice trembling slightly. The man was standing a few feet away in front of a mirror, smoothing out his clothes. He turned to look at her when he heard her words. Gone was his uncontrollable passion from the night before, replaced by a cold and aloof demeanor. He was also giving off an unapproachable air. He dressed well and carried himself with an outstanding demeanor, which made Amelia all the more pathetic in comparison. Feeling embarrassed, Amelia dropped her gaze and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself when he turned to look at her. However, she lifted her head a few seconds later. They had agreed on these terms before they fell into bed together. "I want 500,000 dollars," she repeated determinedly. The man's dark gaze lingered on Amelia briefly. A hint of relief flickered in his eyes before he said in a deep voice, "I'll give you one million dollars." Amelia didn't try to be modest. Since the man was willing to give her more than she asked for, there was no reason for her to refuse. She thanked him before getting off the bed, making sure the blanket was wrapped tightly around her body. As she accepted the check from the man, she said, "Don't worry. I'll take a morning-after pill as soon as possible." She was certain that the extra 500,000 dollars the man was giving her was supposed to be a fail-safe. By reassuring him that she would do her part, she could also set his mind at ease. "You don't have to. I'm impotent." The man ignored the surprise in Amelia's eyes as he finished buttoning his shirt. He then turned around and left the room, leaving her to stare at his cold and retreating back. Amelia didn't completely believe the man's words. Given her cautious nature, she would have definitely taken a pill after the deed was done, but that was also the day her father, Harry Warren, reappeared. Harry was a gambling addict. He had been missing for over a month, and he had returned to ask her for money. "I finally found you, my dear daughter. Hurry and give me some money," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. At first, Harry had been repulsed by the idea of dropping by the hospital, thinking that the place reeked of bad energy. Unfortunately, he had gambled all his money away and was saddled with a huge debt. He had no choice but to seek out Amelia since the debtors were relentlessly chasing him. He knew that his debts would be cleared the moment he spotted Amelia. "I don't have any money." Amelia suspected that Harry might have been a mutt in his previous life. He was somehow able to sniff out the scent of money on her whenever she managed to get her hands on some cash. He would then appear before her and snatch all her money away from her. "You don't have any money? Who do you think you're trying to fool? You just used 500,000 dollars to pay your mother's medical bills, didn't you? Do you really think I wouldn't find out?" Harry had seen Amelia at the payment counter earlier. He had been shocked to see her produce 500,000 dollars to pay the medical fee and wondered where she could have gotten the money from. "That money is for Mom's surgery fee." "Surgery fee?" Harry asked while letting out a scoff. "Your mother doesn't have many years left in her thanks to that disease-riddled body of hers." "Don't be stupid. Give me the money so I can use it to gamble. Who knows, I might be able to double the original amount. Letting your mother undergo surgery is just a waste of your money." From Harry's perspective, Rachel was just a sickly and worthless woman. Every cent that was spent on her was a complete waste. However, Amelia didn't share his sentiment. In their broken family, Rachel had been her only source of warmth, and she desperately wanted to protect that warmth. "You only think about money all the time. Do you ever think about Mom? Or me?" Amelia knew she would never get any answers for her questions, but she had reached her limit. Harry was nothing more than a rotten gambling addict. He was always gambling for as long as she could remember. If he managed to win some money, he would immediately splurge it on his vices outside and wouldn't come home for days. If he lost, he would get drunk before returning home and taking out his frustrations on Rachel and Amelia. Amelia had suffered many beatings from Harry when she was growing up. If Rachel hadn't protected her, she would probably be dead by now. Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't have time to waste talking to you. I'll give you two choices—either you give me 500,000 dollars, or I'll drop by the payment counter and personally ask the staff to refund the money you just paid them. Your decision." Amelia refused to pick either choice. Harry was like a black hole that could never be filled. However, she also knew what he was like. If she refused to give him any money, he would actually ask the hospital staff for the money that she had just paid them. If that happened, he would inevitably cause a commotion in the hospital, which in turn might affect Rachel's treatment. Thus, Amelia pretended to concede to Harry's demands before secretly calling the police when he was distracted. After all, she had collected evidence that Harry had participated in illegal gambling. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she watched the police take Harry away. However, she also knew that they wouldn't be able to keep Harry locked up for long. To reduce the risk of him ruining her plans, she begged the hospital staff to prioritize finding a suitable kidney donor for Rachel as soon as possible. Fortunately, God heard her pleas. The hospital finally managed to find a suitable kidney donor for Rachel. Amelia only allowed herself to let go of all her apprehensions after she watched the hospital staff wheel Rachel into the operating room. She was exhausted to the point that her body shut down, causing her to faint on the spot. She thought that she had just fainted out of sheer exhaustion. She never could have predicted that the man had lied to her. Amelia closed her eyes tiredly. The situation had already progressed to that point. There wasn't much else she could do. After the last IV bag was drained, Amelia returned to the operating room. Rachel's surgery had just ended. Amelia hastily walked up to the doctor when she saw him exiting the room. "How's my mother, doctor?" she asked. The doctor looked mildly relieved when he removed his surgical mask. "Fortunately, we managed to save your mother's life, as we got to operate on her in time. However, she still has to safely get through the 24-hour postoperative period before we can declare that she's truly in the clear." Amelia was incredibly grateful and thanked the doctor profusely. Rachel was transferred to a sterile room after the surgery was over. Knowing that Rachel would be taken care of for the time being, Amelia decided to deal with her own issues. She dropped by the gynecology department and scheduled an abortion with the doctor. Before she left, the doctor asked once again, "Are you sure you don't need more time to think over your decision?" Amelia's answer had been firm. Rachel's doctor had told her in the past that even if the kidney transplant was successful, she had to mentally prepare herself for another long battle after the surgery was over. Amelia didn't have the time, energy, or money to give birth to the life growing within her. There was no way that she could keep the child. It was a cruel decision to make, but she had to get rid of it. Although she knew that her reasons were sound, she couldn't help but feel a little dejected. She was in a daze as she waited for the elevator that would take her back to the inpatient department, and she ended up bumping into the person who was exiting the elevator. Her medical reports were scattered all over the floor. She hastily bent down and picked them up. She then apologized to the person she bumped into before darting into the elevator. She never once lifted her head to look at the other person throughout the entire encounter. "Are you alright, Mr. Sutton?"