Chapter 1 She Does Not Know Who He Is

It was late at night. A black full-size Lincoln SUV is driving into an extravagant mansion in A City’s most expensive suburb. Inside the mansion. Bianca Rayne’s eyes were covered with a silk blindfold. He did not want her to know who he was. “Don’t be afraid. Take deep breaths. “You can do it, Bianca. There’s nothing more important than getting Dad a liver transplant so he can live. It’s fine to sacrifice a little for Dad.” She could not ignore the sound of the car entering the mansion. Now that it had come to this, all she could do was keep talking to herself, to persuade and comfort herself. When Luke Crawford walked in, his body tall and his spine straight, he immediately saw Bianca, who was standing in his room. She was young, in the prime of her youth— “H-Hello…” She could sense his body approaching, so she instinctively took a step back despite the blindfold, stuttering as she greeted him stiffly. She had thought that the past few days of mental preparation had left her numb to everything, so she would not shy away. Now that it was actually time, though, she still could not help but feel scared. How pathetic. The urge to run was strong. Luke did not know if what he was doing tonight was right, but he did know that he desperately needed to find a woman and have a kid before his next birthday. That was what Old Master Crawford demanded. Luke looked down on the petite girl from above. “What are you afraid of?” The man’s voice was deep, mellow, and mesmerizing. Bianca was a little shocked. Why did he have such a young-sounding and melodious voice? How could a middle-aged old man have such an amazing voice?” “I don’t have any sexual diseases, neither do I have any sick fetishes,” the man said, his voice deep and rich. He seemed to be comforting her. He was certain that she was not shy. No, she was scared of him. Before she could recover, she heard that man continue, “Let’s begin.” The man spoke without warmth, as though he was announcing the start of a conference. He sounded so spectacularly solemn. The next second, she was lifted into his arms! … This was the first time Bianca had been carried by a man like this, and her heart nearly stopped. “If it hurts, remember to tell me to stop!” Luke said again. He thought he was being quite considerate by reminding her. This only scared Bianca even more, though. He reached out his hand to grab her. She retreated away from him. “Don’t retreat!” The man barked harshly, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He abruptly grabbed her fair and slender wrist, pulling her into his embrace and warning her in a low voice, “Don’t back away.” Bianca did not dare to pull away anymore, because his words made her face flush in an instant. Still, if he really was a young man with money and good looks, why would he have to pay for a child with a normal woman like her? Could it be that he was really, really ugly? So ugly that no woman would be willing to have his child, even though he was filthy rich? “I have a question.” “Speak.” The man’s voice was filled with impatience, and his warm hand was peeling off her clothes with some haste. “It was supposed to be an IVF procedure, so why… Why did you want to do it the natural way suddenly?” That was the question plaguing her mind. The man’s warm breath blew on her forehead. As soon as she asked that, she gasped at the sudden touch. Her little yelp immediately put some emotion in Luke’s voice. He said, “I don’t want to lose a single chromosome, so I prefer it if we cut the middle man. Is that a good enough reason for you?” The next moment, he pinched her tightly with his large hand! “Ow…” There was a thin layer of sweat on Bianca’s forehead. Her brain was not working… She struggled, but he pinned her down forcefully and easily kept her motionless! She was a tender flowering bud. Luke knew that if he had to do this if he wanted children, and he thought that the only way he could ease his guilty conscience— was by treating her as gently as he could. He frowned slightly, his breathing growing heavy. It felt like he was about to lose control of his body’s primal instincts. That night, Bianca felt like a blade of leaf drifting on the water. She experienced all sorts of feelings, pain, tears, helplessness, drowsiness… … Bianca did not know when he left. When she woke up, she looked at the clock and saw that it was three in the morning. The butler, Faye Thomas, was not asleep yet. She walked over to Bianca and said very respectfully, “Allow me to take you to the bathroom, Miss Rayne!” “Thanks, but I can handle it myself.” Bianca was a little dazed, and the dried tears on her face made her skin feel a little stiff. She could not bring herself to expose her unsightly body to the female butler. Faye retreated out of the room. After that, Bianca got out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. By the time she washed herself down and returned to the room, the sheets and covers in the bedroom had been switched out. That night, she had a dream. She dreamed of that year when she was in middle school, studying in the small town her grandfather was from— It was a spring full of showers, and she was with her female classmates, looking over the wall as they sneakily peeked at the basketball competition going on in the court of the high school next year. The idol of the school was so cool and handsome, his every move stealing their hearts as he played ball. That was the senior who had transferred from another school, the boy called Crawford. … The next day, Bianca woke up, her entire body feeling unnaturally weary and sore. She stood in front of the washbasin, holding up her toothbrush and staring at the mirror for a long time. Dazed, she remembered the dream she had last night. That upperclassman in her memories, Crawford, was the prince of every girl’s impractical dreams. Back then, she was small, worthless, and bullied at school. She did not even understand what love between a man and a woman meant yet, so when she was at her most helpless and desperate, she had greedily fantasized that she had an older brother who would protect her. Later, when she reached the age to entertain her first thoughts of romance, she realized that the boy who suddenly appeared in her mind was that upperclassman named Crawford who had only studied for one year at the high school next door before vanishing. Her thoughts wandered off, but she was soon called back to her senses by the water overflowing from the sink. She shook her head and inwardly cursed herself for being so repulsive! 'Bianca, you don't deserve to like him anymore!' … She locked herself in the room. That night, Bianca received a message. That man was here again. Faye was quite surprised. After all, the young master had been here just last night, so why was he back here again tonight? The mansion erupted into a flurry of activity. They had to get everything ready ASAP! Bianca already felt like her body was falling apart, but she could not bring herself to make any requests regarding the frequency… Luke was wearing a pair of classy black trousers and a white shirt. After he entered the mansion, he went straight to the bedroom Bianca was staying in. She did not dare to say anything. She barely even breathed! The room was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping would be unbearably loud! Luke held his coat in his right hand, lifting his left hand. His eyes were fixed tightly on the blindfolded woman, and then he put his large palm on the back of her neck, pulling her toward him gently until she was right up against his body! Bianca stumbled, stiffened, and held her breath. She did not dare to move even a muscle! Luke lowered his head to look at the girl who was practically in his embrace. His throat flexed, and he pursed his thin lips, his gaze falling on her clean and fair face, about the size of his palm. His eyes gradually grew hotter, his gaze scalding as it moved downward slowly. Finally, he looked at her tender lips… However, the contract had clearly stated one thing: no kissing. Damn it, he was actually starting to regret one of the conditions he set! “Let’s begin,” the man said, his voice hoarse. He threw his coat aside and turned off the lights as he lifted her into his arms. She furrowed her brow deeply in the darkness and sank her teeth into the pillow! She did not dare to make a single sound!