He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 19: Taking Medicine to Protect the Fetus
With nowhere else to go, Nina Walsh went to the factory.
Leo Lloyd and a few veteran employees were pulling an all-nighter to rush out the sample patterns. When he saw Nina, he showered her with concern.
Nina composed herself and lied, saying she needed to supervise the pattern-making process, and would be staying at the factory for the time being.
Leo Lloyd didn’t suspect a thing and led Nina to the workshop.
Since Nina had designed the clothes herself, she knew exactly how the final product should look. With her there to guide them, the work on the samples progressed much more smoothly.
Nina stayed up with them for half the night. The moment she hit the bed, she fell asleep and didn’t wake until two in the afternoon the next day, startled by her ringing phone.
As soon as the call connected, Wendy Sherman’s furious voice came through.
"Nina Walsh, you have ten minutes to get your ass over here, or I’ll tell everyone you got pregnant from an affair!"
Nina was instantly wide awake. "Wendy Sherman, what nonsense are you talking about!"
"Stop pretending. I know what that medicine you’ve been hiding in your bag is. It’s prenatal medication!"
...
Forty minutes later, Nina appeared at the entrance of a restaurant downtown.
Wendy was waiting at the entrance, her expression ugly. She had called Nina dozens of times, but the bitch hadn’t dared to answer.
The moment Nina got close, Wendy furiously raised a hand to strike her. But Nina caught her wrist, twisted it inward, and Wendy’s palm ended up hitting her own face.
Nina said, "Wendy Sherman, if you’re not afraid of the Grants seeing this shrewish side of you, by all means, continue."
Wendy immediately pulled her hand back and glanced around. The curious onlookers who had been watching all quickly looked away.
With a dark expression, Wendy ordered, "My mom has an appointment with Declan Grant’s mother. When you see her later, you’re going to bring up the marriage contract. I want you to tell the Grant Family that you want to marry Declan Grant, the sooner the better."
Nina froze for a moment but quickly figured out Wendy’s scheme.
The Shermans realized they couldn’t secure a legitimate marriage into the Grant Family, so they were planning to use Nina’s engagement contract to lock in the union first.
Once news of the alliance between the two families was out, the Shermans would find some excuse to ruin Nina’s reputation, allowing Wendy to take her place as the bride.
After all, compared to any other woman, Nina was the easiest to control.
Seeing Nina’s silence, Wendy continued her threats. "Nina Walsh, this is your last chance. If you dare to disobey me, I’ll have someone get rid of that baby in your belly and completely destroy your reputation!"
Nina’s hands, hidden in her pockets, clenched into tight fists. ’No one is going to touch my child.’
No one knew how thrilled she had been that day in the hospital when she heard Declan Grant say the baby was still there.
After so many hardships, her child was still stubbornly rooted inside her.
The child hadn’t given up on her, and she would fight to the death to bring this baby into the world. It was her only hope for survival.
"Wendy Sherman, don’t push me. If you push me too far, things won’t end well for you either."
Wendy crossed her arms. "Nina Walsh, don’t even think about using that accident from five years ago to threaten me again. My dad already paid someone to destroy all the evidence and leads. So watch your mouth. If you dare to say one word out of line, I’ll have you thrown into a mental hospital. Who’s going to believe a lunatic then?"
Nina cut straight to the point. "Others might not believe it, but Declan Grant will."
The color drained from Wendy’s face. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Nina held her head high and walked past her. Wendy chased after her and grabbed her arm, hissing, "Don’t forget, we still have your mother’s urn!"
Wendy dragged Nina straight through the door.
The moment they entered, both of them froze.
Inside the room, besides Hayley Vance, Mrs. Grant, and her prospective daughter-in-law Shirley Thompson, were two other women dripping with jewels who had appeared at some point.
Originally, Hayley had only invited Mrs. Grant for afternoon tea, but Mrs. Grant had brought Shirley along.
While Wendy was outside waiting for Nina, Shirley happened to run into Clara Jacobs and Aiden Sinclair’s mother, Sophia Sawyer, who were also there for tea. So, with a quick greeting, they had all sat down together.
Nina glanced at the stern and unsmiling Sophia Sawyer, then lowered her head and said nothing.
Hayley introduced them enthusiastically. "Wendy, this is Mrs. Sinclair, and this is Ms. Jacobs. You know Ms. Jacobs, right? The famous actress, you see her on TV all the time. Ms. Jacobs is Young Master Sinclair’s girlfriend."
The elegant Sophia Sawyer lifted her chin and corrected, "Fiancée."
"Mom—"
Clara Jacobs threw herself into Sophia Sawyer’s arms with a shy smile. Sophia’s proud and cold demeanor vanished as she smiled, took Clara’s hand, and held her in a treasured embrace.
At a glance, the future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were as close as sisters, a sight that was the envy of others.
Shirley Thompson, being good friends with Clara Jacobs, chimed in to support her. "You all probably don’t know this, but our Clara received a confession from Mr. Sinclair when she was just eighteen. Back then, Clara’s father thought she was too young for a relationship. Later, when Clara went to study in Ferelden, Mr. Sinclair pursued her across a thousand miles, flying to Ferelden more than a dozen times a year just to see her. In the end, Clara was truly moved by his devotion and decided to come back. Mr. Sinclair is the real deal. I’ve never seen anyone in Crestfall dote on his wife more."
"It’s not that dramatic," Clara said, her face flushed with a shy blush.
"Oh, come on," Shirley teased. "Just think about how much effort he put in for you when you came back. You wanted to act, so he immediately had people work through the night writing a script and setting up a production team for you. You wanted to be an independent designer, so he instantly established a brand and company for you. You wanted to get engaged, so he immediately went to Veridia to have a luxurious wedding gown custom-made. The way I see it, Mr. Sinclair would give his life for you."
"You’re exaggerating," Clara said modestly.
Sophia Sawyer pulled Clara into her arms, beaming. "It’s what he ought to do. Forget that boy—even I absolutely adore our Clara. In my eyes, you are the most perfect daughter-in-law I could ask for."
Wendy was filled with envy, but inwardly she was resentful. ’She’s just an actress. What’s there to be so smug about?’
Aiden Sinclair was fluent in the Ferelden language and often flew to Ferelden. Wendy used to think it was for business trips, but now she realized it was to see Clara Jacobs.
Nina kept her head down, sipping her water, her head nearly falling into the cup. Suddenly, someone shoved her.
Wendy said with a laugh, "Don’t be so envious, sister. Aunt Grant has liked you since you were little. When you marry into the Grant Family, she’ll surely dote on you like her own daughter."
Shirley, who always spoke her mind, asked, "Who is your sister marrying?"
This was the exact question Wendy was waiting for. She quickly jumped in, "The Sheridan Family and the Grant Family have been friends for generations, and there’s been a marriage contract since we were children. Since Nathan is engaged now, the contract naturally falls to Brother Declan. Isn’t that right, Aunt Grant?"
Having her family’s private matters brought up in public, Mrs. Grant looked displeased. "There is indeed a marriage contract, but it’s with the Walsh Family, not the Sheridan Family. Since it’s been brought up, let me ask you, Nina Walsh, do you want to marry Declan?"
All eyes fell on Nina. She was caught in a dilemma.
With Clara Jacobs and Sophia Sawyer present, she absolutely could not let them find out she was pregnant. But she didn’t want to give in to Wendy Sherman’s wishes either.
When Nina didn’t respond, Wendy kicked her under the table. "Don’t be shy, sister. Hurry up and say you want to marry Brother Declan. You two always played so well together as kids."
A stern expression appeared on Mrs. Grant’s face. "Nina Walsh, didn’t you tell me last time that you had a boyfriend?"
Nina looked up at Mrs. Grant, her lips parting with difficulty. "I..."
Just then, the door to the private room opened, and two tall, imposing figures walked in.
Clara Jacobs exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Aiden, what are you doing here?"
