Chapter 4

Amelia was rendered speechless by Michael's question. Hadn't she made herself clear? "I don't want to keep the baby, and I never once thought about keeping it," she said. "To be frank with you, I've already made an appointment to have an abortion in two days' time. So, there's no need for anything that you mentioned just now." Amelia had her own plans for her current stage of life. Having a child was not part of those plans. Although as a woman, there would inevitably come a day when she would give birth, that time was definitely not now. "Why?" Michael asked while staring at her. Amelia was momentarily stunned. "What do you mean, why?" "Why don't you want the child?" Amelia didn't immediately answer his question because she didn't want to. She had too many reasons, such as her studies and work. She also had to take care of Rachel and support her family. However, none of these was her main reason. She wanted to free herself from the mud that she was mired in. She wanted to make her ambitions a reality. She wanted to live the life that she wanted to live. From Amelia's perspective, a child was nothing more than an obstacle. It would be a burden, so she had to get rid of it. However, none of her reasons had anything to do with Michael, so she was unwilling to share her thoughts with him. "No particular reason," she said. Michael could sense that Amelia harbored animosity toward him. He wasn't willing to find out where her hostility stemmed from, so he didn't press the issue. "If that's the case, I have an obligation to inform you that now that I've discovered the existence of the child, I won't just stand idly by and do nothing. So, I suggest that you carefully think about my proposition before giving me your answer. "This is my name card. Feel free to call me once you've made up your mind." Michael rose to his feet and walked over to Amelia. His tall and imposing figure seemed to bear down heavily on her. Although Amelia didn't look at him, she could feel his intense gaze on her. Inexplicable fear gripped her heart. Only God knew that she had forced herself to muster every bit of courage within her to talk back to him earlier. She was like a child that was forced to put on armor and thrust onto the battlefield. Although she presented herself as being as brave as a lion, in reality, she was weak and timid. She also cracked easily when she was terrified, but she gritted her teeth and persevered. "I don't need that. I've already made up my mind. I get to decide whether I keep or get rid of the child." Michael didn't seem to be bothered that Amelia refused to take his card. He slipped it into the folder that was lying on the table before saying, "You're going to need it." He sounded extremely certain, which gave Amelia the impression that her words had fallen on deaf ears. Amelia felt as if she couldn't continue the discussion with him. She was afraid she would expose her weakness. The moment one showed their vulnerability, their resolve would also waver. Amelia was determined to stick to her convictions. She ignored Michael as she grabbed the folder and left the booth. Michael didn't try to stop her and allowed her to leave. Seconds after Amelia left the booth, Cyrus stepped inside, asking, "Are you just going to let Ms. Warren walk away like this, Mr. Sutton?" Cyrus had been waiting outside the door for Michael's orders. He didn't expect Amelia to open the door and just leave. He wondered if they had failed to come to an agreement. Michael didn't say a word and just hummed in response while wearing an indifferent expression. He then turned around and walked back to the floor-to-ceiling window. Amelia's tall and slender figure was shrinking beyond the window. Although her appearance made her look incredibly weak, he didn't expect her to have such a powerful resolve. She was a stubborn woman through and through. However, Michael wasn't interested in finding out the reason behind her steely determination. He was Michael Sutton—as long as he wanted something, no one could stop him from getting his hands on it. "Send out an order. No one's allowed to give her an abortion." … Amelia made a beeline for the hospital's gynecology department after she left the cafe. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her heart after meeting Michael. To reduce the chances of any complications, she decided to ask the doctor to reschedule her abortion to an earlier date. However, when she tried to seek out the doctor she had spoken with in the past, she was informed that not only would they be unable to proceed with the abortion, but it had even been canceled. Amelia didn't think too much of it at first, assuming that the doctor had canceled probably because she was too busy. She tried contacting other doctors, but all of them denied her their services. Only then did Amelia realize that something was amiss. She decided to try her luck at other hospitals, but their responses were always the same. In the end, a kindhearted doctor pulled her to a corner and gave her a reminder. "Think carefully about whether you've offended someone you shouldn't have recently." Amelia immediately thought about her meeting with Michael and wondered if he was behind this. She rummaged through her folder and pulled out the name card that he had slipped inside. She hesitated briefly before dialing the number. Michael had just stepped out of the bathroom after showering when he received Amelia's call. After Amelia left, he had dropped by the hospital to visit his grandfather, Bernard Sutton. Bernard had been rushing him to get married recently. He had even claimed to be ill and hospitalized himself to force Michael into action, declaring that he would remain in the hospital indefinitely until Michael got married. At first, Michael had no plans to bend to Bernard's whims. However, fate decided that he would accidentally learn of the existence of the child in Amelia's belly. He had dropped by the hospital that night to inform Bernard of this particular development, but Bernard had refused him entry into his room. He even had someone deliver a message to Michael on his behalf. "You can forget about seeing me ever again if you don't find a granddaughter-in-law for me, you brat." If Bernard found out that not only had Michael secured a granddaughter-in-law for him, but there was even a good chance that a great-grandchild was on the way, Bernard would probably be over the moon with joy. He might even pack up his things and immediately leave the hospital. However, Michael wasn't in a rush to let Bernard know what was happening. After all, some of the details of the situation were still unclear. He didn't want Bernard to be disappointed if things ended up falling through. Bernard might as well stay a few more days at the hospital. Their family owned it, after all. Bernard was living a comfortable life with the staff waiting on his hand and foot. It was almost as if he was enjoying a vacation instead of being admitted to the hospital. The only con about the entire situation was that Michael was temporarily labeled as being unfilial. Michael toweled his wet hair as he mulled over his thoughts. His phone that was on the coffee table started ringing when he reached the living room. He grabbed it and glanced at the flashing name on the screen—it was Amelia. He had saved her number after reaching home, not wanting to accidentally block her number, assuming it was just a spam call. She was calling him two days earlier than expected. He connected the call, greeting, "Ms. Warren." Amelia was momentarily stunned when she heard Michael's voice. Her assumptions had been correct—Michael had known that she would call him. "What have you done, Mr. Sutton?" she demanded. Michael didn't immediately answer her and walked over to the wine cabinet. He pressed his phone between his ear and shoulder as he poured himself a glass of red wine. He swirled the wine within the glass before asking, "What are you referring to, Ms. Warren?" His feigned ignorance infuriated Amelia. "You know what you did." Michael leisurely swirled the wine in the glass. The taste wasn't too bad when he took a sip. The corners of his lips curled up into a cold and indifferent smile before he said, "Since you already know what I did, Ms. Warren, I'm sure you understand the circumstances that you're in. I can confidently tell you that no doctor in Southport will perform an abortion for you without my permission." His careless but magnetic voice echoed from the receiver. His tone was laced with provocation, enticement, and warning. Amelia clenched her fists. "What gives you the right to do such a thing?" she demanded. What gave Michael the right? He had every right to do so considering how there was a possibility that the child in her belly belonged to him. "I have the right because I have the power to do such a thing," Michael replied, arching a brow. His tone was arrogant, carefree, and colored with a hint of laziness. It was blatantly obvious that he didn't care about the situation all that much. Amelia had to admit that Michael did have the power to give such an order. She had looked into him in the past. His power and authority far exceeded her comprehension. However, she was still a living and breathing human being. She had the right to decide whether she wanted to keep or get rid of the baby growing within her. Michael had no right to deprive her of that right. "Do you really believe that you'll be able to force me to concede by doing such a thing? Keep dreaming!" "I'll be looking forward to your next move, then." Amelia gritted her teeth as she hung up. She was enraged by Michael's domineering attitude. She had every right to decide if she wanted to keep or get rid of the baby. Although she was weak and pathetic, her womb belonged to her. She had a right to decide if she wanted to give birth to the baby or not. Since Amelia couldn't get a surgical abortion, she decided to have a natural one instead. Michael had the power to stop the doctors from operating on her, but he couldn't stop them from saving her if her life was at risk. Unfortunately, Harry reappeared before Amelia could put her plan into motion. A month had passed since the last time she saw him when the police took him away. Harry had grown a scraggly beard. His clothes were filthy and wrinkled, making it obvious that he had just left prison. Amelia was rooted to the spot when she saw him at the hospital entrance. She immediately whipped around and tried to run away when she snapped back to her senses. After all, Harry was not a benevolent man—he had to be there to settle the score with her. However, Harry saw her before she could make her escape and blocked her path. "Feeling guilty, are you? Why else would your first instinct be to run away after seeing me, you bitch?"