âShe will, but thereâs nothing she can do since the surveillance camera was broken.â
After giving it some thought, the man continued, âI noticed her eyeing your tummy a few times. She probably thinks itâs normal for you to bump into others with that huge tummy of yours.â
The pregnant woman leaned against her seat and rubbed her tummy. âThatâs good to know. I canât believe we got paid one million for a small favor like this! We really lucked out this time!â
âI think thereâs more to this than meets the eye,â the man said with a worried frown.
âStop worrying about it, Darling! We did exactly what he told us to! Besides, he did say itâs okay if we fail. Iâm just glad we still get to keep the one million! Letâs use this money to go on vacation in Moranta! I want to deliver my baby there!â
Unlike her concerned husband, the pregnant woman was planning her dream vacation.
She even dreamt of getting permanent residency in Moranta and using the remainder of the money to start a small business.
âHey, Darling! Could you apply for our visas tomorrowââ
She was talking so fast that she ended up choking on the orange.
âWhatâs the matter? Are you okay?â
Noticing that her face was turning purple, the man slowed the car down and looked for a spot to pull over.
While he was busy glancing left and right, he didnât notice the traffic light in front of him turning red.
A huge truck then came speeding from the left side and crashed right into their car.
Bang!
Although Carl kept telling Rayna that he was old enough and didnât require babysitting, she spent the rest of the evening with him anyway.
She was originally planning on heading back after he fell asleep, but got a little sleepy at around eleven due to her pregnancy.
Thinking she would have a hard time hailing a cab that late at night, Rayna went to sleep in the guest room instead.
Lucky was sleeping on the carpet beside her bed when she woke up the next morning.
âMorning!â she said while giving Lucky a pat on the head.
Rayna then entered the bathroom and completed her morning routine in a hurry. It wasnât until she came out to get changed that she realized the scarf was missing.
She turned around and glanced at Lucky as she asked, âDid you steal my scarf?â
Lucky simply wagged its tail and stared at her with an innocent look in its eyes.
Rayna tried threatening it with a glare, but to no avail.
As she still needed to make breakfast, she had no choice but to leave it at that.
After going downstairs, she saw Carl working in the kitchen. The house was filled with the nutty and sweet smell of oatmeal.
âYou know how to cook oatmeal?â Rayna exclaimed in surprise.
âAh, Ms. Rayna, youâre awake!â Carl turned around and shot her a glance while standing on a stool to reach the countertop.
âYes, itâs the only dish I know.â
âNot bad. At least you wonât go hungry if youâre home alone! Iâll wait for you to make breakfast, then,â Rayna said with a smile.
âOkay! Itâll be ready soon!â
About ten minutes later, Carl served two steaming hot bowls of oatmeal.
The little boy shook his legs as he sat down in front of Rayna.
After taking a few sips of oatmeal, he looked up at her and asked, âHas my mom contacted you yet, Ms. Rayna?â
Rayna paused slightly when she heard that, but she was quick to regain her composure. âNo, she hasnât.â
âShe hasnât called me in a long time either. Is Dad really that busy with work? Have they forgotten that Iâm waiting for them at home? Ms. Rayna, do you think something mightâve happened to my dad?â Carl asked unhappily.
Rayna felt her heart skip a beat. She rolled her eyes at him and said impatiently, âYour parents are fine, so stop worrying about them. Theyâre probably just too busy with work to contact you or something.â
She then gave him a pinch on the cheek as she continued, âBesides, isnât it great to have Mr. Curtis looking after you? He can give you all the nice food and drinks that you want!â
âIt is great. I just miss my parents, thatâs all.â
Rayna pursed her lips and asked with a smile, âIâll try giving them a call in the afternoon. If they really are too busy to come home anytime soon, then I will take you there to see them. What do you say?â
âReally?â
âYes, thatâs right. Have I ever lied to you? The people at Sanders Group are scheming to take over the company while your mother is away. Theyâve been spreading rumors about bad stuff happening to your mother, so you mustnât believe the stuff you hear on the news. Listen only to what I tell you, okay? Iâll make sure to help your mother manage Sanders Group,â Rayna said.
Carl nodded. âGot it. Mommy told me about Sanders Group before. I wish I could grow up faster. That way, I could help relieve some of her burdens.â
As much as it pained Rayna to hide the truth from Carl, she had no choice but to try and play it cool. âItâs fine. Your dad is back, isnât he? Look, youâre growing just fine. Grow any faster and youâll steal the hearts of all the girls in the country! Canât have that now, can we? Just remember to ignore the rumors and trust only what I tell you. Iâll take care of the rest.â
âOkay, I trust you, Ms. Rayna!â
Rayna breathed a sigh of relief when she saw how much Carl trusted her.
Carl asked Rayna if she would like to drive the sports car to work, but she turned his offer down without any hesitation.
Almost everyone recognizes Curtisâ Pagani. I will never hear the end of it if my colleagues see me pull up in this car!
With that in mind, Rayna left the residential area and hailed a taxi instead.
On the way to the office, she pulled out her phone and read through the news.
Sure enough, the news of Jasmineâs car accident overseas had made it onto the headlines of various news websites, thanks to the help of some people.
She took screenshots of those headlines, sent them to Ella and Jasmineâs secretary, and had them contact the respective news companies.
On top of that, there was another news article that caught Raynaâs attention.
According to the article, a truck had rammed into a sedan on the road, causing it to flip over. The pregnant woman in the passenger seat died on the spot. The man had been rushed to a hospital and was in critical condition.
While incidents like this were common in the news, Rayna recognized the couple from the pictures published. Their names and the carâs license plate number were revealed, too.
Wait a minute... This is the couple that bumped into me yesterday!
The news shocked her so much that it left her stunned for quite a while.
Just yesterday, she was planning on having someone find more information on them using the manâs phone number and address.
As Rayna continued going through the news article, she found out that the tragedy happened because the man got distracted when his wife choked on her orange and didnât pay attention to the road.
Rayna couldnât help but feel sorry for the couple when she recalled how big the womanâs tummy was.
The baby wouldâve been born very soon, and yet...
She instinctively rubbed her tummy at the thought of that.
Her babies had been rather active throughout the night and the morning after, but she wasnât mad at them in the slightest. If anything, it only made her want to protect them even more.
The mere thought of Curtisâ cold attitude upset Rayna deeply. âIâm sorry you three have to come to work with me. Donât worry; Iâll do my best to protect you all.â
No, these are my babies. I can raise them just fine on my own!
Rayna got really busy with attending meetings and going through mountains of documents upon arriving at the office.
When she did have some free time, Rayna would call Gabriel and ask about the situation in Xyperia.
The first few times she called Gabriel, he would stammer while replying as he was uncertain about the situation as well.
When Rayna called again two days later, however, he told her, âMr. Faymon has located Mr. Xavier. Heâs fine, but...â
âBut what?â Rayna asked anxiously.
Gabriel let out a sigh a few seconds later. âMr. Xavier lost his cool when he found out that Ms. Sanders was still unconscious in the hospital. He then confronted Old Mr. Xavier about it, and the two of them got into a fight.â