Chapter 4 Give Me A Baby

• Sitting on the bed, she found her fingers trembling. Without giving herself a chance to overthink, she grabbed some fresh clothes, headed to the bathroom, took a shower, blow-dried her hair, changed her clothes, and left the house.
• Sable was in the kitchen with the newly hired family nutritionist preparing dinner. Seeing Liora rushing out, she followed, "Mrs. Liora, where are you going? Dinner isn’t ready yet!"
• “I'm not hungry yet, I'll eat when I get back.”
• "But it isn't right for you to step out on an empty stomach.”
• "Like I said,when I return,I am going to eat.“
• Liora got into the car and told the driver, “Go to the office.”
• The driver was personally chosen by Dashiell, a man of few words. Upon hearing the address Liora gave, he started the car without a second word and drove directly into the underground parking lot of the company.
• The elevator to the CEO's office required fingerprint access. Liora took the staff elevator, checked in at the reception desk first, probably as instructed by Dashiell and his assistant. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, a familiar male assistant was waiting by the elevator door.
• "Welcome Mrs Liora,come with me please!”
• "Thank you.“
• He respectfully led her into the special elevator for the leaders on the left, scanned his fingerprint, and the elevator went straight up, stopping at the 26th floor.
• The top floor of the building.
• “Thank you once more,” Liora said politely.
• “You're welcome.” The assistant's name was Calix. Apart from him, there was a personal assistant named Gideon and a special assistant named Finlo. Outside the CEO's office, there were also two female secretaries responsible for answering internal calls and printing documents.
• Outside the CEO's office was a semi-circular working area. The two female secretaries were busy working. After greeting Liora, they immediately lowered their heads to continue their work. The phone rang incessantly, but they were organized and efficient.
• The pantry was spacious, with the aroma of coffee permeating the entire office floor. Next to the pantry were two lounges. What stood out from other companies was the lack of any green plants here.
• “What would you like to drink?” Calix handed Liora a tablet, took her bag, and led her towards the office. “Please choose, I'll bring it to you shortly.”
• “Just warm water is fine, thank you.” Liora glanced at the tablet. It listed over a dozen rare and precious teas on the market, each costing tens of thousands for just ten grams.
• It wasn't just tea they were drinking; it was a display of wealth.
• Liora stared at the warm water cups on the coffee table. The transparent glass cups were engraved with vintage patterns. She traced the patterns with her thumb. From the moment she entered the office, her heart was in turmoil.
• She feared rejection, but she feared acceptance even more.
• Regardless of the outcome, she wasn’t willing.
• "This was a mistake,I shouldn't be doing this!” She stood on her feet and planned to leave after spending an unknown amount of time but the sound of the door opening came from the entrance. Liora looked up and saw Dashiell just entering, making eye contact with her.
• "I guess this is a sign for me to stay and do it,I can do this!!” She kept encouraging herself and returned to her sitting position maintaining a straight face.
• Dashie was dressed in a black suit, with broad shoulders and long legs, exuding a dominating presence. The profile of his face was sharp as a knife, his eyes and eyebrows pitch black, and his lips were pursed straight, showing no extra emotion. He swept a glance back after lowering his eyelids, and the assistant understood, promptly closing the door behind him and leaving.
• After the door closed, he finally walked towards her with long strides.
• The familiar sense of oppression followed closely, and Liora's heart suddenly races.
• Her ears buzzed, and all she could hear was the intense sound of her heart beating.
• First came the cold scent of cedar, followed by the lingering smell of tobacco on Dashiell, probably from a client or from him spending a long time outside. The smell was faint and not overpowering.
• Liora lifted her eyes slightly. Dashiell had already sat on the other side of the sofa. He unfastened his cufflinks, turned his face slightly, his eyelids slightly raised, waiting for her to speak first.
• The words she had prepared so many times felt stuck in her throat. She fidgeted with the glass in her hand, swallowed hard, and said, "I..."
• Dashiell unfastened his second cufflink, didn’t look at her, just checked his wristwatch, a silent hint.
• It was as if he was indicating his patience was running out.
• "Thank you for agreeing to see me despite your busy schedule!!” She said politely avoiding his eyes but getting no answers from him made her a bit uncomfortable.
• "I want to ask for your help..." She finally forced herself to look directly into his eyes. The pounding of her heart was too loud, and she could barely hear herself speak, repeating the same words, "I know it might sound crazy but I need a child."
• Dashiell's face showed no emotion, just a slight furrowing of his brow, his pitch-black eyes staring at her, his tone calm, "A child? What does a child have to do with me? Stop beating around the bush and cut to the chase,stop wasting my time,time is precious to me."
• "I need you to give me a child!!" Thinking of Leander, Liora suddenly calmed down, "You know, Leander is desperate to die, his will to live is weak. The doctors say that this is not good for his recovery, he needs to adjust his mindset as soon as possible... I lied to him that I am pregnant, so he has the motivation to live."
• "I know, even if he recovers, he won't be able to become a father."
• "He has always hoped to have a child. I want to fulfill his wish." Thinking of Leander crying on the hospital bed, her heart ached unbearably. With a pleading tone mixed with indescribable bitterness, she said, "So, I came to you, hoping you could help me."
• Silence filled the air.
• Dashiell stared at her without saying a word.
• His eyes were very dark, the brow ridge descended straight down from his brow bone without any curves, giving off an overwhelming sense of pressure. His features were more refined than Leander's, with a sharp and elegant appearance in his suit. The aura he emitted was aloof and proud, his expression always cold, appearing indifferent.
• Just like now.
• Liora wasn’t afraid of him, but she couldn't communicate with him calmly. Even if they were sitting at the same table for a meal, she would try to avoid eye contact with him.
• Some people naturally exude a strong presence, even their peripheral vision carries a sense of aggression, just like Dashiell.
• He just raised his eyes, and his dominating aura filled the room, "Enough of your narration,this is not an orphanage,how do you expect me to give you one? This is a total waste of time"
• She hesitated for a moment, blinked her eyes in disbelief, opened her mouth slightly but made no sound.
• "It's just..." She took a deep breath, plucked up her courage, and said, "Be with me..."
• She couldn't bring herself to say that word, her face turned red with embarrassment, and she lowered her head.
• "What??” He stood up with rage and she felt it in his aura,but she wasn't willing to give up.
• "It's your younger brother we are talking about here so please do this favor for us,I beg you.”
• "I see you have lost your senses,I will pretend I didn't hear anything from you and we never met today so leave at once!!!”
• "Brother, please,you are the only hope I have right now,I don't want to lose him please!! Just this one once!!” She went on her knees pleading.