Affection, Deception, Offspring

"Divorce? I do not agree!" The Madam sat on a leather sofa in the parlor, talking on the phone to her grandson Gabriel, completely unaware that Sophia had come out of the room.

Her face turned red with anger as she sternly reprimanded, "You've been gallivanting overseas with that woman for a year. Have you ever considered Sophia's feelings? From the beginning of the pregnancy until now, she's been alone. This time, you must come back to accompany her for the birth!"

Sophia stood there with her more than eight-month-old pregnant belly, her face losing all color in an instant as she tightly clenched her hands.

From the time she became pregnant until now, her husband Gabriel had been overseas. She thought he was busy with work, but never did she expect that he was with another woman, and now he wants a divorce.

“Gabriel” Tiffany’s voice faintly came through the phone. "Tiffany is in trouble, I have to stay here with her."

"You scoundrel! What about Sophia and her unborn child?" Madam's head throbbed with pain from her grandson's words. "Your behavior is irresponsible. I cannot allow any flaws in the character of the Lancaster family descendants."

Gabriel sneered, "Grandmother, it is you who is irresponsible. You knew very well that I didn't like Sophia, yet you still played matchmaker and forced me to have a relationship with her."

From the moment they got married, he had already planned when he would divorce her. Sophia was never the one he wanted to marry. Sophia stood there, her large belly swaying, her face as pale as paper.

After two years of marriage, Gabriel was extremely cold towards her, never allowing her to get close to him, let alone have any intimate relationship.

She naively thought that she had melted his heart of stone, which was why they had been so passionate that night. Little did she know that Gabriel lost control because he had been drugged!

Outside, Betty came out of the kitchen and immediately noticed Sophia standing nearby, her slender legs soaked in blood. She screamed in panic, "Blood... Madame is bleeding!"

The next moment, Sophia collapsed to the ground. Right before she fainted, she suddenly felt a sense of relief.

In an instant, the entire Lancaster family was in chaos. After finally getting her to the hospital, Mrs. Lancaster anxiously waited outside the operating room.

After three hours of struggle, the doctor came out and said regretfully, "Madam has lost too much blood and her will to live is weak. We have done our best. Of the three children, only one survived."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lancaster fell backwards, but luckily Mrs. Liu quickly caught her. Mrs. Liu's eyes turned red as she choked, "Madam, please accept my condolences."

Gabriel, who received the news in Country M, suddenly fell back into his seat.

On the sofa, Gabriel remained silent for a few seconds.

"Gabriel, my condolences." Tiffany lay on the hospital bed, her face filled with worry.

When Gabriel wasn't looking, a hint of satisfaction flashed through her eyes. It's even better that they are dead, now she doesn't have to worry about them anymore.

Then Tiffany lowered her head, as though filled with self-blame. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't been distracted, I wouldn't have been hit by the car and you could have gone back to accompany her through the pregnancy."

Gabriel furrowed his brows and spoke in a calm tone that didn't reveal any emotions. "You should rest here properly. I'll have Alex stay with you."

With Sophia in a critical stat, he had no choice but to return to his country, but looking at Tiffany's injuries, he couldn't leave just yet.

Tiffany acted obediently, nodding her head and understanding his intentions. "Yes, you should hurry back and take care of everything."

One day later, Gabriel returned to his country, only to be met with an urn containing the remains of a mother and two children.

Mrs. Lancaster no longer had the heart to scold him and had Aunt Liu hand him a medical report. "Sophia suffered from prenatal depression. She kept it a secret from everyone, just so we wouldn't worry."

"Gabriel, you were right. It's my irresponsibility that killed Sophia." Said Mrs. Lancaster.

As he watched his grandmother cry in self-blame and cover her face, Gabriel felt a heavy feeling in his heart.

He clenched the medical report tightly in his hand, the visible veins on his hand showed just how strong his grip was. It seemed as though he wanted to crush the report into pieces.

Although he didn't like Sophia, he never expected her to die.

...

Five years later, in a famous business building in Country M, a confident, composed, and stunningly beautiful woman stood at the podium, speaking fluent English.

She introduced her design concept with a captivating presence. With her petite face and delicate features, she looked like a perfectly sculpted work of art, with twinkling starry eyes, shining brightly.

"Above is my Starry Sea collection. I welcome your feedback."

Someone in the audience started applauding, followed by a wave of applause.

Sophia...now known as Scarlett, smiled faintly, radiating confidence. After the applause died down, a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes stood up.

"Scarlett, your designs this time are outstanding. I believe you will receive even more applause at Fashion Week."

Scarlett humbly smiled and replied, "Thank you for your compliment. This achievement is not only mine, but also the result of my team's tireless efforts in assisting me with this collection."

"You are all amazing. Our company is honored to have such talented designers like you. Oh, by the way, our new boss from Country Z will be joining us tomorrow. You should also attend the gathering."

Scarlett nodded and agreed.

Five years ago, she came to Country M and studied here for two years before successfully joining this publicly-listed company, which was ranked among the top five in the fashion industry. She became a fashion designer.

After three years of hard work, she went from being a small designer to the head of a design department, capable of leading a team. Her annual salary also significantly increased.