Chapter 12

Genevieve frowned. That car looked familiar. It resembled the one parked in the Burtman residence's courtyard. But there were plenty of cars like that. It couldn't possibly be that annoying man. As the car approached, the people at the construction site's entrance immediately bowed, their expressions full of flattery. Her heart skipped a beat. Could the new boss be in that car? She moved closer, craning her neck to peer into the car. Her face was plastered with a sycophantic smile. But the windows were tinted. She couldn't see inside, but those inside could clearly see her. Tristan looked up lazily, his indifferent gaze landing on the woman outside the window. His lips curled in a cold, mocking smile. As he looked at her, lowly and servile, the inherent submissiveness in her nature seemed unchangeable to him. As Genevieve approached, someone at the entrance grabbed her and pulled her back disdainfully. "What are you doing? Don't block our new boss' way. Move along..." So it really was the new boss! By now, the car had driven into the construction site. She broke free from the person holding her, disregarding everything as she chased after the car. Ethan glanced in the rearview mirror and asked softly, "Mr. Burtman, should we stop?" Tristan played with the half-pendant, smiling faintly. "If you don't want to keep your job, go ahead and stop." Ethan swallowed hard. He decided to keep driving. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Mr. Burtman, Mrs. Burtman just fell!" Tristan arched an eyebrow. "Is it serious?" Ethan rechecked the rearview mirror. "It doesn't look too bad. Someone at the entrance helped her up and threw her out." Tristan tucked away the pendant, his tone disinterested as he replied, "Focus on driving. Don't bother with irrelevant people." Ethan was speechless. When did Genevieve become someone irrelevant? "Mr. Burtman, are you here for an inspection today?" Tristan sat expressionlessly at the table, his long fingers lightly tapping the edge. The sound was enough to make everyone around him nervous. The people in the project office didn't dare breathe too loudly. Suddenly, a data clerk placed several stacks of files before him and spoke respectfully. "Mr. Burtman, these are the previous construction plans and the special plans for all major hazardous projects. Please review them. "In fact, there's nothing wrong with the plans themselves. It was Charlie's negligence—failing to implement proper safety measures—that caused the accident." Though the incident happened months ago, Tristan's sudden request for the related documents made them break into a cold sweat. Tristan gestured for Ethan to collect the documents. Then he turned his gaze to the man who had pulled Genevieve earlier. "What was that woman at the entrance here for?" The man froze momentarily before replying quickly, "She wanted to work on the construction site." Ethan looked at Tristan in surprise. Tristan let out a faint laugh and asked the man, "Why didn't you hire her? It's not like our site doesn't employ women." "Mr. Burtman, you might not know, but she's Charlie's daughter. Charlie made such a huge mistake. How could we possibly let his daughter in? It's just common sense. "That woman's so stubborn and dim-witted. I tried to brush her off, saying she would need to pass the second-class builder exam. But she actually went and passed it! This time, I raised the bar, telling her to pass the first-class builder exam before I would consider it. "I bet she's off studying for that now. She's too thick-headed to get the hint. Mr. Burtman, isn't that just ridiculous?" Tristan straightened, adjusted his suit collar, and looked at the man. "What's your role on this site?" The man trembled and stammered, "I'm... I'm the deputy project manager." "Alright, from now on, you're the project manager." Ethan was stunned. So, whoever made things harder for Genevieve would get promoted? Just how much did Tristan detest her? … Meanwhile, Genevieve's knee was scraped and bleeding profusely. What scared her more was the stabbing pain in her lower abdomen. It was so severe it left her pale. Realizing the fall might have caused more damage than she thought, she hobbled to the street to hail a taxi. She needed to go to the hospital. At the hospital, the doctor first treated her knee. When she described the pain in her abdomen, the doctor asked her a series of strange questions. Questions like whether she was married, whether she had been intimate recently, and whether her periods were regular. Genevieve answered them all truthfully. In the end, the doctor handed her a form for an ultrasound. When she saw the results afterward, she froze. The ultrasound showed a gestational sac in her uterus. She was pregnant! Upon recalling Tristan's warnings, she felt a chill down her spine. Without thinking, she said to the doctor, "I don't want this baby." The doctor gave her a long look and said, "Every child's arrival is a gift. Why don't you go home and think about it for a few days? Besides, you're experiencing abdominal pain, which indicates a risk of miscarriage. Whether the pregnancy will hold is uncertain." Genevieve pursed her lips and said nothing. The doctor prescribed her some medication to support the pregnancy. As she walked out of the hospital in a daze, the sunlight was so bright she couldn't keep her eyes open. She lightly touched her flat abdomen while leaning against a stone pillar, feeling utterly lost. Given Tristan's disdain for her, he would never accept this child. What should she do? Just then, Miriam called, claiming she was sick and ordering Genevieve home in a firm, no-nonsense tone. With no choice, Genevieve limped to the street and hailed a taxi. A heavy slap landed on her face as she walked through the door of her house. Genevieve's mind went blank from the impact. She stared at Miriam's bloodshot eyes in shock. "Mom, what's wrong?" "Don't call me that! I don't have a shameless daughter who ruins other people's marriages!" Hearing Miriam call her such names left her heartbroken. She turned away, took a deep breath, and asked, "What did I do to ruin someone's marriage?" "Don't pretend you don't know! Tristan and Ms. Taylor are about to get married. And you—how dare you shamelessly steal Tristan from her! Three years! How many three years does a woman have? How could she possibly wait?" Now Genevieve understood. Tristan must have told Harper about the three-year agreement, and Harper had vented her frustration to Miriam. Miriam pushed her away in disgust. "Who knows what dirty tricks you used? You were supposed to marry a vegetative man. How did it end up being Tristan? You've made Ms. Taylor cry her heart out. Why don't you just die!" Genevieve stumbled back against the wooden door. Clenching her fists, she looked at Miriam in disbelief. "Did I kill Harper? Did I do something horrible to her? How could you tell me to die?" "You stole her man! You deserve to die!" Miriam shouted angrily. Genevieve wanted to laugh but ended up looking more heartbroken than anything else. "With how you're acting, I really doubt who's truly your daughter." Miriam's expression flickered with guilt before she barked, "It's all your fault! I warned you, but you still went after Ms. Taylor's man. What makes you think you're better than her? If not for some dirty tricks, how could Tristan ever marry you?" "Dirty tricks?" Genevieve laughed bitterly. "The fact that I could marry Tristan and now can't even divorce him—well, I owe all of that to you, Mom." Miriam frowned. "What do you mean?" Genevieve recounted how she and Tristan had registered their marriage. Miriam finally understood, pounding her chest in regret. She watched Miriam's remorse with a mix of despair and mockery. "Wouldn't marrying Tristan be better than marrying a vegetative man?" "Better? Tristan belongs to Ms. Taylor!" Miriam screamed, grabbing Genevieve and dragging her toward the door. "We're going to the Burtman residence to destroy that agreement. Once it's gone, you can divorce Tristan, and he can marry Ms. Taylor!" Miriam rushed forward, completely ignoring Genevieve's limp. Or perhaps she was so fixated on Harper that she didn't even notice Genevieve's injury. The two soon arrived at the Burtman residence. Jennifer was polite, sending Bernard to greet them personally. But as soon as they entered, Miriam dropped to her knees in front of Jennifer, her humiliating posture drawing mocking laughter from Lillian and Marlee. Tristan was there too. He lounged on the couch with his long legs crossed. His indifferent gaze swept over Miriam and Genevieve.