Chapter 4

The smiles faltered.

They didn't believe a word of it.

Especially Gabriella Jennings.

"Sara, no one understands your attitude toward relationships better than I do," she cooed, rubbing her swollen belly with a smug, self-satisfied air. "Get angry if you want, but are you really going to marry just anyone out of spite?"

Her gaze drifted down to her stomach, then back to me.

"Do you remember what we used to talk about? You said you might not want kids and joked that I should have one for you. Well, I jokingly agreed back then, but now—" She patted her belly. "It's coming true."

Zane Vance stepped forward, eager to pile on. "Right. And remember last time I said I wanted ten apartments, and you got upset? Well, I've decided to change the plan."

He straightened his posture, chest puffing out like he was bestowing some great honor upon me. "After we get married, I'll get a vasectomy. We'll adopt the child Gabriella is carrying. That way, you can become a mother without any of the pain."

He wasn't done.

"And if you aren't satisfied with the gender, Gabriella and I can always have another one for you."

"Think of it like those period dramas you watch," Zane continued, his voice dripping with condescension. "You can treat Gabriella like a concubine or a kept woman. It doesn't matter. You'll be the one in charge—the main wife. *My* wife. That should be enough for you."

A pause. His expression shifted, turning grave.

"But in the future, you need to treat Gabriella better. For you, for me, and for the child... she really has sacrificed too much."

Their words were utterly fantastical—bordering on insanity—yet their expressions remained dead serious.

I nodded slowly, feigning deep thought. Setting my lunch box on the side table to free my hands, I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen a few times.

"Alright," I said.

Zane and Gabriella blinked. Almost in unison: "What's alright?"

A bright smile spread across my face. "Zane, I know you want to marry me for the apartments, but I really don't want you to feel so wronged or pitiful."

I held up the phone. "So, I've thought it through. I'll give you ten villas as a wedding gift."

Their faces lit up with naked greed.

"Really?" they breathed.

"Of course it's real." I turned the screen toward them, displaying the order confirmation. "I even paid for expedited delivery. You should hurry home—these paper villas will likely be delivered early tomorrow morning."

It took a moment for the realization to hit.

The "villas" I had ordered were paper replicas—funeral offerings meant to be burned for the dead.

Their expressions snapped from delight to fury in a heartbeat.

"Sara Delgado!" Zane roared. "Don't push your luck. We've been together for so long; we were practically husband and wife already. I'm offering to make it legal, and you're throwing it in my face?"

"Yeah, Sara." Gabriella stepped closer, her sneer sharpening. "I'm giving you my child and my man. What exactly are you dissatisfied with?"

They grabbed at my arms, trying to physically corner me.

I froze. Struggling too hard wasn't an option—Gabriella was heavily pregnant. If anything happened to her or the baby, they would pin the blame on me without hesitation.

*Should I call for security? Scream for help?*

A deep, commanding voice sliced through the chaos from behind me.

"What is the meaning of this?"

I turned.

Before I could say a word, Zane released my arm, his arrogance evaporating instantly.

"CEO... uh, sorry, sir. We'll leave right away."

Gabriella, sensing the shift in atmosphere, grabbed my hand and tried to drag me along. She lowered her voice to a desperate hiss.

"Even if you really got married, you can always divorce. How could some random husband be better than Zane? He probably only married you for the demolition compensation, too." Her glare burned into me. "Marrying Zane is the only safe bet. You know his roots; you know his bottom line!"

Zane echoed her in a frantic whisper. "Last time, the company suffered because you made a scene. You are *not* allowed to come here and cause trouble again. Even if you're getting apartments, I'm a grown man—I can't be jobless."