Chapter 5 Suspicions (3)

• "Catherine." Her name came coldly from Lucian's lips, his face looking grim. The open box of birth control pills she had thrown at him a few months ago came to mind. His first intuition was that Catherine had deceived him again. So he said harshly, "You're a liar. Do you dare to lie to me?" The possibility made Lucian's face horribly ugly.
• "Lucian," Catherine's soul was so wounded that she was not willing to endure another insult. At this moment, he looked at her as in the past, as if she were a bothersome insect.
• "Pity, I won't allow it again," Catherine smiled smugly. A ray of light shone on her beautiful face, giving her a lovely smile, her eyes full of stubbornness. As she looked at Lucian's face, she opted for a bored expression. "Why are you angry? This child is not yours."
• He fell silent for a moment, then squinted his eyes slightly, looking at her, analyzing her. There was a hint of suspicion inside him. His eyes traveled over Catherine's stomach. "Not mine?"
• Who does she think she's fooling? Does she think it's so easy to deceive him?
• "Of course, you are not the father... After our divorce, I started a new relationship and, as you can see, it bore fruit."
• Lucian's eyes narrowed and the storm began to form. There was a feeling of annoyance inside him, a feeling he could not explain. He squeezed Catherine's hand tighter, causing her pain. Deciding to be cruel, she pulled her hand away, looking at him with disdain. "I am only six months pregnant. The baby in my womb cannot be your child."
• She raised her voice a little and smiled, trying to look happy. "This is Sergio's child."
• He looked at her without saying a word. His gaze returned to scan her abdomen; the degree of bulging was approximately the same as Gianna's, but she claimed to be six months pregnant. The darkness on his face faded a little, but seeing the happiness on Catherine's face, a trace of discomfort and disdain shone in his eyes.
• She had shouted many times how much she loved him, and jumped into Sergio's bed as soon as they divorced? Now that her pregnancy is evident, why hadn't she heard Sergio say he was going to marry her?
• With a snort, without looking at her, he passed by her and walked to the bathroom.
• It's not that Catherine didn't feel Lucian's gaze and know what he thought of her, but she didn't want to have any contact with him again. After his figure disappeared around the corner, she felt the strength of her whole body drain and she couldn't even move to reach her table. The pain and warmth of Lucian's hand in hers still lingered.
• The brutality that shone in Lucian's eyes was evident and she couldn't stay still. She had to somehow prevent him from harming the child. Thinking about the possibility of losing her son staggered her. A pair of large hands grabbed her waist just in time.
• She froze for a moment and turned her face to see that it was Marcus. She hadn't realized when he arrived and was standing behind her.
• "Sister, I came to find you. But the waiter said you've been in the bathroom for a long time."
• "I'm fine," Catherine shook her head. "Let's just go."
• "Are you sure you're okay? You don't seem okay at all. You should rest when you get home. I'll ask Dad not to give you any more work."
• "I'm fine, don't worry," Catherine reassured. Marcus rolled his eyes. "I have to take care of you. If something happens to you or the baby, Sergio would end me. So let's go home."
• Catherine had no objections and walked even faster to leave. Lucian had just come out of the bathroom at that moment. Upon hearing the conversation between the two, his eyes darkened deeply.
• In reality, her son is Sergio's.
• He walked to the table where his mother was waiting.
• Sitting in the car, Catherine's heart was beating fast. Seeing Lucian's cold and dark gaze, she feared he would discover the truth before the child was born.
• "Sister?" Marcus took her hand, looking at Catherine with concern. He knew something was wrong. "What happened at the café?"
• She shook her head, trying to calm the excessive beating of her heart. Feeling the baby kick in her belly at that moment, her face turned a little paler. Did the baby also feel it, feel that his father hates him? She gently covered her abdomen with her hand, feeling the fetal movement, almost seeing the baby kicking in her belly.
• My baby...
• "Sister?" Marcus looked at Catherine, noting her abnormal appearance. Realizing that she still had not reacted, he stopped the car and pulled over to the side of the road. He was about to say something, but then he saw Lucian coming out of the mall parking lot.
• No wonder. With the answer in his mind, Marcus couldn't help but think that if it weren't for the good relationship between the two families, seeing Lucian intimidate his sister in this way, he would feel the need to beat him to death. Ignoring the anger forming inside him, he started the car again and drove back home with Catherine.
• ---
• When Lucian returned to the table where his mother was waiting, there were other people in the café. Lucian was stunned for a moment, motionless. Brenda saw her son's expression, felt a little embarrassed, and quickly reached out and gestured for Lucian to sit down.
• "My son, what a coincidence, Mrs. Rinaldi is here shopping too. Come and say hello."
• "Mrs. Rinaldi." Lucian sat down next to Brenda, his voice indifferent, as if the people with them didn't mean anything special.
• "Hello, it really is a coincidence." Mrs. Rinaldi nodded with satisfaction when she saw Lucian and looked at Brenda. "Brenda, you're lucky that your son is so considerate and takes time to go shopping with you."
• "Ohhhh, your daughter is also very considerate." Brenda was pleased by the compliment and was happy to see Marta talking enthusiastically about Lucian.
• "Lucian, this is my daughter... Natalia." The woman who had just been introduced by her mother pointed to the girl from the plane a few days ago. "Natalia, this is Lucian."
• "Mayor Landong, it's good to see you again." Natalia's lips lifted with a slight smile. Approaching him a little, she said, "I didn't expect fate to be so whimsical."
• Seeing the smile on her face, Lucian extended his hand expressionlessly and shook hers. Feeling the tips of her fingers on his palm, he furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly and withdrew his hand. He sat there and took a sip of coffee.
• "But... do you two know each other?" Brenda noticed the small movements between Natalia and Lucian, and all attention was drawn to Natalia's words.
• "I already knew Mayor Landong," she explained with a smile. "I went to Washington on a business trip a few days ago, and when I returned, he was on the same plane."
• "Really? What a great coincidence," Brenda said, looking very happy. "You two are truly meant to be."
• "Yes, it's destiny," Natalia repeated, but Brenda shook her head, looking a little annoyed at Natalia.
• "Why do you keep calling him Mayor Landong? It's not necessary here. Besides, in New York, the mayor is not an official. Just call him by his name."
• Natalia did not respond, looking at Lucian's indifferent face, slightly biting her lower lip, her expression doubtful. "I don't think it's a good idea."
• "It's nothing bad, it's just a name," Brenda said, looking at Natalia satisfied.
• "She comes from a good family and is very beautiful. She would be a good candidate as a wife for my son, and she would give us many grandchildren with suitable genes for the family," Brenda thought to herself.
• Brenda turned to look at Lucian, truly helpless in front of her son's cold face. "Son, can you say something?"
• Lucian glanced at Natalia, who had the look of a frightened deer. He complied with his overbearing mother and said, "It doesn't bother me if you call me by my name."
• "Thank you, Lucian," Natalia said kindly, with a touch of shyness on her face. Brenda looked at this scene and smiled very happily, winking at Mrs. Rinaldi.
• At that moment, Mrs. Rinaldi suddenly said, "Oh, I just came in and saw a new style of jewelry at Tiffany's. Mrs. Landong, would you like to come with me to see the new designs?"
• "Yes, of course," Brenda followed her, adding, "Speaking of which, my niece and daughter-in-law bought new designs."
• "Really? Then let's go see." Mrs. Rinaldi had already stood up and was walking towards the exit. Natalia wanted to stand up, but her mother gestured for her to stay seated.
• "Darling, please accompany Lucian. We will go shopping, and it will be boring for you young people."
• "Let's go."
• "Let's go," Brenda said quickly, worried that her son might regret it, and took Mrs. Rinaldi's arm and left.