A brilliant smile spread across Estelle's face. "Spoken like a true sister-in-law. My nephew is so lucky to have a mother like you. And my brother is lucky he married you."
"I'm not your sister-in-law anymore," Annika said, her voice gentle but firm, more like a correction than an argument. "Conrad and I are divorced. It's not appropriate to call me that."
Estelle's smile didn't falter. "True! But even though you're divorced, we still care about you. Besides, you've given the Beryl family a child. That's a huge contribution. My grandfather doesn't know yet. He'll be ecstatic when he finds out."
Was Estelle reminding her that the Beryl family would want Monroe back? Annika said nothing more, but her arms tightened around her son.
After Yazmin and Estelle left, Lana watched them go. Estelle’s final, meaningful glance at Annika and the baby had put her on edge. "Annika," Lana whispered, "what if the Beryl family tries to take him?"
It was a question Annika had already considered.
Monroe woke up, his big eyes darting around as if searching for something. His little pink lips began to move, looking for something to eat. When he found nothing, his mouth turned down, and he started to cry. The sound of his cries after such a traumatic ordeal tore at Annika's heart.
Lana hurried out to prepare a bottle. She returned shortly and put the nipple in Monroe's mouth. He quieted down, his pale cheeks still glistening with tears. Annika gently wiped them away, watching her son drink his milk. Her thoughts returned to Lana's question.
"Lana, I went to such great lengths to keep Monroe with me. They can't just take him away because they want to."
Despite her words, Lana could tell Annika wasn't confident. Even when the Sargent Group was at its peak under Marcus, it could never have competed with the colossal Beryl Group, let alone now.
Lana thought for a moment. "Annika, maybe we should leave Seafall City."


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Regret Arrived Three Days Late