Chapter 4

The moment Zachary finished speaking, the mood in the ward shifted. Sylvia blinked in surprise, then her face lit up with a smile. "Really? Zachary, are you serious?" At the same time, Raymond struggled to sit up in bed. "Gen's pregnant? That's wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Our family finally has an heir!" Genevieve had to give it to Zachary. He could lie without blinking. In the past, she might have played along. But now, she couldn't care less. Without looking up, she replied decisively, "Not true." All at once, tension hung thick in the air. Both Sylvia and Raymond went rigid, while Zachary frowned. He hadn't expected Genevieve to call him out like that. Still, he suppressed his anger and forced a stiff smile. But when he reached for Genevieve's shoulder, she sidestepped him effortlessly. Awkwardly keeping his stance, Zachary coaxed, "Don't make a scene, Gen. Mom and Grandpa aren't strangers. We don't need to hide anything from them." On the surface, it sounded like an explanation, but it was really a warning. Raymond's eyes darted between them before settling on Genevieve. He sighed. "Gen, tell me the truth. What's going on? I've got your back. Don't be afraid." Genevieve met Zachary's murderous glare head-on, yet she wasn't the least bit terrified. "I'm not pregnant." She paused deliberately. "Because Zachary can't perform." Sylvia's anger flared instantly. "What are you talking about? It's you who can't have kids, and now you're slandering Zachary? You're shameless!" Zachary's veins bulged with fury, and he dropped the act altogether. "Genevieve Whitfield! I covered for you in front of Grandpa, and this is how you repay me? Have you no conscience?" He actually made it sound heartfelt. Genevieve smiled, unfazed. She then turned to Sylvia, who looked ready to lash out. "You say I'm lying? Fine. Make him swear on it—that he told me on our wedding night that he couldn't… you know… Then let's see if he'll ever have kids." Zachary swallowed hard, but no words came out. He had, after all, actually said it. However, he couldn't understand why Genevieve, who was always so compliant, was acting like this that day. Sylvia's heart lurched when she noticed his reaction, but she pressed, "Swear on it, Zachary! She's accusing you. What are you afraid of?" "What's the point of that?" Zachary replied impatiently. With him acting like that, there was nothing left to argue about. Furious, Raymond slammed his hand against the edge of the bed, feeling utterly disgraced. He trembled as he pointed at Zachary. "Y-You ungrateful brat! You've embarrassed this family!" He then turned to Sylvia and ordered, "Tomorrow, make sure he sees the best doctor and receives proper treatment!" This was basically a public confirmation that Zachary really wasn't capable in that department. Sylvia wanted to defend her son, but under Raymond's utterly disappointed gaze, she couldn't say a single word. Raymond glanced at Genevieve, whose expression remained calm. A beat later, he waved them off. "You can all leave. I want to rest." … In the hallway, Zachary said nothing as he gripped Genevieve's wrist, dragging her along behind him. She let him pull her all the way to the hospital entrance before finally stopping and trying to shake his hand off. "Let go," she demanded icily. Instead of letting go, Zachary's grip tightened. He fixed his gaze on her and barked, "Get in the car!" Genevieve raised a brow, then slipped her free hand into her pocket. Her tone was unhurried as she asked, "Where to, Mr. Lambert? The show's over. I'm off the clock." "Go back and cook!" Zachary ground out. "Grandpa's sick, and we can't rely on anything from out there. Make something and bring it here right away!" His tone was commanding as he tried to regain some of his lost pride. Genevieve let out a chuckle and lifted her gaze. "So, you know better than to trust anything from the outside, huh?" In an instant, the image of pinning Regina against the glass flickered through Zachary's mind, sending his heart skipping a beat. But the thought vanished just as quickly. There was no way Genevieve had figured anything out. He figured that it had to be a coincidence. With that in mind, he regained his confidence. Zachary couldn't be bothered to argue further. So, he reached out with his other hand, yanked Genevieve by the arm, and tried to shove her into the car nearby. She didn't resist. Instead, she twisted her body slightly, using his momentum to send him stumbling. In a flash, the tall Zachary lay sprawled in the middle of the bustling hospital entrance. The passersby froze for a split second before bursting into unrestrained laughter. One commented, "What was that? Did his girlfriend just take him down in one move?" "He's a big guy, but he's completely useless!" another added. Zachary stiffened, utterly dumbstruck. He worked out religiously and took pride in his strength. Yet, against the slender Genevieve, all his effort counted for nothing. He braced himself against the ground and looked up, shock and fury etched across his face. The instant he met Genevieve's calm, indifferent gaze, she drew her foot back slowly and bent toward him. "Zachary, touch me again, and I'll make sure you really can't perform." Dust and grit clung to his mouth as he stayed on the ground, utterly humiliated. Around him, people pointed and jeered, and his face turned ashen. By the time he scrambled back to his feet, Genevieve had already gotten into a cab. … In the car, Genevieve made a call. But before she could say a single word, Hannah Brooks' frantic voice burst through the line. "Gen! Something happened! The studio's been robbed!" Genevieve furrowed her brow. "All your unreleased works are gone! And they took almost all the valuable materials!" Hannah cried out. Some of those materials had taken Genevieve ages to source. She felt a surge of anger and hissed, "They've got a lot of nerve stealing from me." Frowning, she added, "Don't panic. Take inventory of what's left and make a list. I'll be there in an hour." After ending the call, Genevieve tapped rapidly on her phone and pulled up the studio's surveillance footage. But the screen was pitch black. Every surveillance line had been precisely cut at the time of the break-in. "Idiots, you messed with the wrong person," she cursed under her breath. … Meanwhile, Zachary drove back to the office, seething with anger. The moment he stepped into the office, Regina—who had been sorting through documents—came over to greet him. She noticed that he was rubbing his lower back and quickly stepped closer. "What's wrong, Zach? Is your back hurting?" she asked gently. Zachary went rigid. There was no way he could admit he had been tripped to the ground by Genevieve. His pride wouldn't survive it. So, he brushed it off. "It's nothing. I just bumped into something at the entrance." Sensing his reluctance, Regina changed the subject. After all, she wasn't genuinely concerned in the first place. She lifted her slender wrist and held it beneath Zachary's nose. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation as she said, "Take a whiff. What do you think?"