Built His Empire Then Watched It Burn When He Cheated novel Chapter 646

Her tone was calm, but every word hit like a knife twisting deeper.

"The family never interfered with his dating life. We only reminded him to treat those girls well while it lasted.

"But that courtesy ends when the relationship does. He knows his limits. That's why his previous girlfriends never lasted more than six months, and each one left with a generous settlement.

"There was never any drama. Zane has taste, and those girls had enough sense to walk away quietly.

"But this time, it seems he made a mistake. Ms. Sweeting, tell me—what did you do to end up carrying his child?"

Mary Clark's voice never rose, but the softness in it made every word sting sharper than a shout.

Jessica had known Zane dated before. She'd assumed the breakups were due to work or personality differences.

Now she saw the truth. Those women had never mattered to him. They were just placeholders.

He was a lawyer, one who needed a spotless public image. Having a "girlfriend" had been nothing but part of the show.

And she, Jessica, wasn't even that. She was something less.

No one was told that she was his girlfriend.

Her face drained of color. Her fists tightened, her throat closing up.

"I didn't manipulate him," she said hoarsely. "This baby was an accident."

Zane had always been careful with protection, so Jessica never imagined she'd end up pregnant.

She hadn't planned to justify herself, but Mary's words were pure venom. The woman clearly believed she had trapped Zane on purpose, maybe even sabotaged the protection to get pregnant.

"If you say it was an accident, then fine, it was an accident," Mary said, her tone cold and measured. "But there's no point in dwelling on it now."

She nodded once, then continued with practiced indifference.

"Since it was an accident, it should be handled like one. I'll arrange the best doctor for you. We can have it taken care of this afternoon."

Jessica's whole body went cold.

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