Chapter 10

Claire was a slim woman, hardly looking like she was pregnant. Harriet quietly observed the woman sitting with her legs crossed in a short skirt.

“You want the child? A child that’s not even born yet?”

“Miss Millet, you wil be hospitalized until you give birth. Of course, we’ll cover all hospitalization, delivery, and postpartum care costs.”

“That’s a given.”

Claire interrupted, crossing her legs the other way.

“I can’t work as an actress while I’m pregnant. I’ve just started to make a name for myself. How will you compensate for that loss?”

“Of course, we’re prepared to pay as much as you want in exchange for the child. Don’t worry.”

“Hmm. How much are you offering?”

Claire raised her eyebrows and emphasized money by rubbing her thumb and forefinger together. Harriet, without blinking, signaled to Yvonne, who stood behind her. Yvonne retrieved a pen and a blank checkbook from her coat and handed them to Harriet.

Without hesitation, Harriet tore out a blank check and wrote down an amount.

“200 million Berks.”

“What?”

“We’ll give you 200 million Berks. Separate from the previously mentioned costs.”

Claire’s eyes widened at the unexpectedly large sum, her mouth agape. 200 million Berks was enough to buy a decent house in the capital.

“Is that really… No, no.”

Indeed, it was the Vanetti family. This was an opportunity to secure a solid fortune. It was like a pumpkin rolling in on a vine!

“I’m giving birth to an heir for your family. Shouldn’t you be a bit more generous?”

Harriet’s expression, which hadn’t changed a bit, cracked slightly. Oblivious, Claire continued arrogantly.

“I should at least get double that, and in advance. It’s not like I haven’t seen the whims of rich nobles before.”

Though she boldly named the amount, Claire felt nauseous at the enormous sum before her. As an unknown actress, it was an amount she wouldn’t earn in ten years of hard work.

“Hey! That’s enough!”

“Alright.”

Just as Yvonne, watching the greedy reaction, was about to intervene, Harriet cut her off and calmly tore out another blank check, writing 200 million Berks on it.

“That’s better.”

With a triumphant smile, Claire reached out like a hawk snatching prey to grab the blank check. Just as she was about to touch the dream-like money, Harriet put it back in her bag.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Trust comes first in any transaction.”

“What?”

Harriet stood up and looked down at the flustered Claire. Dropping the formal tone, she harshly pointed out.

“Your current attitude doesn’t inspire trust. There’s no guarantee you’ll safely deliver the baby, nor that the child is indeed Theodore Vanetti’s son.”

“What did you just say?”

“Do you know how many women Theodore has? How many have claimed to be pregnant?”

There had been similar incidents before the marriage. Most turned out to be self-made schemes or scams. The reason they couldn’t dismiss this one outright was because the timeline of when Theodore spent the night with her matched perfectly with her weeks of pregnancy.

“You!”

Claire’s face flushed red with embarrassment at the disdainful look, as if she were a pr*stitute. She stood up, pointing and ready to retort, but the icy golden eyes stopped her words cold.

“First, have the baby. Then we’ll confirm if it’s truly his child. The promised money comes after that.”

“…”

“And show some respect. Be careful with your words, no matter who you’re speaking to. Don’t be vulgar.”

Despite her cold eyes, Harriet smiled slightly and turned to leave the café. Claire, having missed out on a fortune, slumped down in despair.

“You should have been more moderate with your greed.”

Clicking her tongue, Yvonne quickly followed Harriet.

“Senior!”

Looking around, she saw only passing pedestrians. Her urgent footsteps headed into a dark alley. Harriet was sitting, leaning against the wall.

“I knew this would happen. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Harriet, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, refused Yvonne’s attempt to support her. Yvonne sighed softly and knelt down to pat her back.

“Should I get some medicine?”

“Is there a pharmacy nearby?”

“I’ll look for one.”

“…Thank you.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Yvonne stood up again and disappeared among the passersby. Harriet, staggering to her feet, leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

Facing a woman who tried to bargain over her unborn child made her feel as if she were dealing with a giant cockroach.

“She’s just like her, isn’t she? That woman.”

“She’s becoming more and more like her. I guess you can’t escape a lowly birth…”

“Poor Margaret. She lived her whole life looking only at Franz, and then suddenly he brought home an illegitimate child.”

Watching Claire reminded Harriet of her own biological mother, who was often the subject of gossip among the elders in her family. A woman who seduced a wealthy man with a wife and child, gave birth to her, took the money, and vanished without a trace.

Her unforgivable and incomprehensible, disgusting and dirty mother’s existence always held her back and dragged her into the mire. No matter how fine the clothes she wore, how high the education she received, or how exquisite the cuisine she tasted, she couldn’t change the blood that ran through her veins.

Once, a cousin openly mocked Harriet about this, leading Franz to angrily banish him abroad.

“If anyone dares to speak about Harriet’s mother, and if this fact becomes known outside, I will surely bring the person who spoke carelessly and punish them.”

Since then, no one dared to speak of it, but for Harriet, it was an unforgettable fact. The secret of her birth, which she could neither deny nor escape, was like shackles around her. This was why she couldn’t confidently demand the position of heir, despite showing superior performance and management skills compared to her elder brother, Theodore.

“Are you alright?”

While Harriet closed her eyes and tried to steady her breath until Yvonne returned, she sensed someone’s presence. The gentle voice sounded familiar, prompting Harriet to slowly open her eyes.

It was a young gentleman, neatly dressed and wearing a fedora pulled low. Thinking that his jawline and mouth seemed familiar from somewhere, Harriet smiled faintly.

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“That’s a relief. Actually, I’m a doctor, and my clinic is right next door. I was wondering if I should take you there.”

“My companion will be back with medicine soon, so there’s no need for that…”

As she waved her hand to decline, Harriet’s eyes caught sight of the doctor’s bag in the man’s hand. She had met quite a few men by now, but never a doctor. Yet, for some reason, his face seemed familiar, which was odd.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask your name?”

“Oh, just a moment.”

The man smiled and pulled out a business card from his pocket. As Harriet read the card, her eyes widened in surprise.

[Psychiatrist Eugene Gray.]

It was the man she had met at a social gathering not long ago. She thought he was using an alias like her, but it turned out to be his real name.

“Did you attend the Lennon social gathering recently?”

“How did you…”

The man, equally puzzled by the sudden question, soon seemed to realize something and fell silent.

“Annie… right?”