The Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 113: [Volume 1] - - poisoned.

The clatter of utensils on the table was the only sound breaking the silence as Esme sat quietly, her usual air of detachment returning now that the child was asleep.

She wore a simple T-shirt and lower, looking fresher than she had all day, yet the atmosphere in the room felt thick with unspoken tension.

Ray watched her closely as they ate, the contrast between the lively Esme with the child and the one now sitting before them gnawing at him.

He put down his knife with a soft thud, unable to bear the silence any longer.

"I was thinking..." he began, his voice cutting through the quiet. Esme, mid-bite, paused and set her knife down, tilting her head slightly, signaling her attention. But her expression remained neutral, without a flicker of emotion.

"I was thinking that it might be good for us to talk about having a child," Ray continued, his voice carrying a weight of expectation.

Esme looked at him calmly, not a trace of apprehension on her face. She considered his words for a moment, then picked up her fork and spoon again, as if the conversation hadn’t fazed her in the slightest.

"If you want to," she said, her tone almost indifferent, "what’s the hurry? We can think about it later."

Ray’s jaw tightened at her response. It was that same indifference, the same careful distance she always kept from these moments. The contrast between the warmth she showed the child earlier and this cold detachment was frustrating him. His voice rose slightly, more insistent this time.

"But I want to talk about it now."

The tension in the room thickened. Esme paused again, her utensils hovering over her plate, but she didn’t meet his eyes this time.

Esme’s hand hovered over her plate for a long moment before she finally set her utensils down, her eyes slowly lifting to meet Ray’s. The quiet between them stretched, thick and almost suffocating. Ryan, seated beside Ray, shifted uneasily but said nothing, sensing the tension pulsing in the air. Aaron watched the interaction from across the table, his gaze flickering between the two as if bracing for something to break. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Esme leaned back slightly in her chair, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp and unreadable. "You want to talk about it now," she echoed softly, her voice calm but with an edge of something unspoken—discomfort, perhaps, or maybe just frustration. It was hard to tell with her.

Ray’s frustration was palpable, his hands curling into fists on the table before he forced them open, trying to remain composed. "Yes, I do," he said, his voice still carrying that slight tremor of impatience. "We’ve been dancing around this for too long, Esme. I’ve been waiting for...for you to be ready. But every time it comes up, you brush it off, and I can’t keep pretending like it doesn’t matter to me. I need to know where you stand."

Esme’s gaze remained fixed on him, her expression unreadable as she studied him. There was a brief flicker in her eyes—something like weariness or maybe even resignation. She sighed, lowering her head slightly before speaking, her voice quieter this time. "It’s not about brushing it off, Ray. It’s...complicated."

"Complicated?" Ray’s voice sharpened. "What’s so complicated about wanting to build a family together?"

As Esme’s tone shifted to a more serious one, her usual calmness faded. She spoke with a heavy weight in her voice.

"Because the Aron group isn’t strong enough right now. We need to stabilize it first, and then we can take over the child. It was clearly written in that contract, so I don’t understand why you’re in such a hurry." Her eyes were sharp, demanding an answer, the tension palpable in the air.

"Esme, we’ve already given you three months. We want a child that’s all we’re asking. Even after I or my brother become pregnant, it will still take another three months for the child to be born. Can’t you even protect and ensure the safety of fetus stage for those three months? If you can’t manage that, then what can you do?"

Ray’s voice, sharp with frustration, made Esme’s head throb. She didn’t want to shout, didn’t want to engage in a fight right now. All she craved was to stay calm, to keep things under control.

She took a deep breath, attempting to reason, her voice steady but weary. "Ray, it’s not that simple..."

But before she could finish, Ray cut her off, his temper flaring, eyes narrowing as his anger seemed to reach its peak.

"Not that simple? What could possibly be so complicated? All you need to do is manage the company. It’s already started, Esme. I’m not asking you to build it from scratch. We’ve given you three months! And still, nothing. I want a child. I want this to happen quickly, like we agreed in the contract. So how can you just stand there, silent and waiting?"

His words hit her like a relentless wave, crashing over her patience.

Ray’s voice, now edged with desperation, grew louder. "Three months, Esme! That’s all I’ve asked for. We don’t even know how long it’ll take for us to get pregnant, and then we’ll need three more months to bring the child into the world. We’ve already given you four or five months! So why aren’t you taking this seriously?"

As soon as Esme heard Ray’s unreasonable words, she felt like everything was crashing down inside her. Frustration surged through her, and before she knew it, she slammed the table and stood up.

"Do you think it’s all so easy? Then why can’t you just do it?" she snapped, her voice trembling with exhaustion and anger. "I’m sitting there, always working, even when I’m so tired I can barely think. And yet, you’re shouting at me."

Esme’s eyes flashed with a mix of anger and weariness.

Esme couldn’t believe it. After everything she had been through, she wasn’t about to sit quietly and take this.