Chapter 2
Andrea arrived at her husband's office ahead of him. Every step felt unbearably heavy, her heart splintering with pain, as the memory of what she had just witnessed in the parking lot replayed relentlessly in her mind.
The office was quiet, the air conditioning blasting cold, yet none of it could cool the burning anger boiling in her chest. Cedric wasn't there yet. His secretary—another new face, Andrea noted bitterly—had mentioned he was still busy. Obviously, busy entertaining his latest fling.
As she sat waiting, each passing second slashed at her like a blade, the betrayal and humiliation burrowing deeper, carving wounds that never seemed to heal.
Andrea had been married to Cedric for nearly three years, and in all that time, not a single day had he been faithful. From the very beginning, his infidelities had been blatant, as though he never cared if she got hurt or shamed in the process.
And confronting him had never been easy. Every time Andrea dared to speak up, Cedric would twist her words, hurl the blame back at her, and drag her down with accusations that stripped her of dignity. When insults weren't enough, he lashed out with venom sharper than any blade—sometimes even dragging her mother into his cruelty.
With every word, Andrea was eaten alive by the pain, swallowed by the silence that had long since become her prison.
But she had no choice but to stay in this living hell. Because beyond her love for Cedric as her husband, she was bound to the contract she had signed with the old Sytengco patriarch: she would remain Cedric's wife and provide an heir to the family, in exchange for the continued financial support for her mother's treatments.
So even if Cedric shattered her every day, even if her soul bled from silent suffering, she endured it all—because every moment of her sacrifice meant her mother's survival.
A long, agonizing stretch of time passed before Cedric finally arrived. When the door swung open, his cold gaze immediately met hers. He hadn't said a word yet, but Andrea already saw the irritation darkening his face—like it was nothing new, like her presence was always an unwelcome intrusion.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was icy, laced with annoyance, as though Andrea had no right to step foot in his office.
"For almost three years, Andrea! And you still don't get it—I don't want you showing up here at the company! You don't belong here! Your place is at home! Drown yourself in housework because that's the only thing you're good for, the only purpose you serve!"
Andrea swallowed the sting of his words, forcing herself not to falter under Cedric's glacial glare. With trembling hands, she braced herself, stood her ground, and stepped closer. From her bag, she pulled out a folded document and offered it to him.
"Cedric…" Her voice was soft, but steady. "I want you to be the first to know."
He snatched the paper from her hand, skimming it lazily, like it was just another useless piece of paper buried in his workload. But moments later, his brow furrowed, disbelief flickering across his face.
Despite the tremor of fear and pain inside her, Andrea found a fragile smile breaking through her lips. Her eyes shone with a light she hadn't felt in years as she whispered the words she had long prayed to say.
"Cedric… I'm pregnant."
Her voice shook, but it brimmed with hope. For the first time, she was bringing him good news—something she believed could finally draw them closer.
Andrea's lips trembled as she forced a brighter smile, clinging desperately to the fragile thread of hope."Cedric, I'm pregnant," she whispered again, her voice breaking between joy and fear. "It worked this time. We're going to have a child, Ced. You're going to be a father."
Tears gathered in her eyes, shimmering with anticipation. "Isn't this what we've dreamed of for almost three years? For the artificial insemination to finally succeed… and now it has. We're having a baby."
She stepped closer, her heart hammering in her chest. "You'll have your heir."
Her arms began to rise, ready to embrace him, hope shining on her face—but before she could even touch him, Cedric shoved her away, hard.
She stumbled forward, nearly falling, but barely managed to catch herself before hitting the floor. Her eyes widened, not from the physical pain, but from the crushing weight of rejection.
In a single instant, the joy and hope that had just bloomed inside her shattered like fragile glass.
With sheer contempt, Cedric crumpled the paper in his hand and flung it at her.
Andrea froze as the balled-up document struck her chest and fell helplessly to the floor.
"Finally!" Cedric spat, his voice dripping with venom, his lips curling into a mocking sneer. "Now I can walk away from this hell you call a marriage! At last, I'm free from the chains of being tied to someone like you, Andrea!"
Andrea's world tilted, his words deafening. She blinked, stunned, not immediately understanding what he meant."C—Cedric… what do you mean?"
Leaning back, Cedric smirked cruelly as he dropped a bomb meant to obliterate her completely.
"The sperm they used for all those artificial inseminations? They weren't mine, Andrea. Not a single one. Did you really think I'd ever give you that part of me?"
Her lips parted, but no sound came. She could only stare at him—this man she had once believed was worth every sacrifice.
"With Clarinda's help, they used other men's sperm on you. Pathetic, isn't it? Took you forever to even get pregnant. But finally, you did. And now you're carrying another man's child. Which means I finally have the perfect reason to erase you from my life—for good."
Andrea's knees nearly buckled, her breath stolen from her lungs. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Just moments ago, she carried the happiest news of her life—yet now Cedric had cursed that same life growing inside her womb.
Her hands trembled as she stared at her husband, this soulless man, unsure how to defend herself or the fragile child within her.
"Now it's easy," Cedric sneered. "I'll twist the story, win everyone's sympathy. I'll forge proof, spread it, and make them believe you cheated—got yourself pregnant with another man's child. Angkong will have no choice but to believe me. And don't you dare cause a scandal, Andrea…" He jabbed a finger at her face. "Or you'll walk away from this annulment with nothing. Not a single cent."
Meanwhile, inside the towering Yapchingco Energy Systems International (YESI) building…
The Executive Chairman of YESI was just about to leave his office, slipping on his suit jacket, when the door burst open.
His male executive assistant rushed in, breathless, face pale, voice unsteady as he forced the words out."Sir… we have a problem. A very serious one."
The Chairman stilled, one hand frozen on the polished surface of his desk, eyes narrowing at the interruption. A storm brewed in his gaze as he turned toward the man.
"What kind of problem?" His voice was calm but laced with steel.
"Sir… a call just came from Tiongson Medical Hospital."
The Chairman halted mid-step. The weight of those words filled the room like lead. Slowly, his eyes darkened, his composure hardening into something lethal.
"What happened to my fiancée?" His voice was low, commanding—yet beneath it lay the edge of worry.
"It's not about Miss Gwen, Sir," the assistant stammered. "It's about the sperm sample you deposited at Tiongson Medical Hospital. Sir… they just reported it's been stolen."
The Chairman, already on his feet, froze in disbelief. His eyes widened, then blazed with fury."What?!" His roar thundered across the office. "Stolen? How the hell could that happen under their watch?!"
His fists slammed against the desk, rattling everything on it, his face a storm of unrestrained rage.
The male secretary kept his head bowed, unable to meet his boss's furious eyes, nearly choking on his fear.
"Sir… it's confirmed. Your sperm sample was stolen from the hospital. And according to the initial investigation, it was delivered to another facility—an institution called OrientCare Medical Plaza."
The Chairman spat out a curse, his voice vibrating with fury."Fix this, Guillermo! Now! Before it spirals out of control!" His glare was sharp enough to cut steel. "That sperm sample was not just any sample. It was mine!"
Executive Chairman McKenzie Drew Yapchingco was no ordinary man. He stood at the peak of power and wealth, the iron hand ruling over Yapchingco Energy Systems International—a conglomerate that fueled nations and dictated the rhythm of global economies. With influence that stretched across borders, he was both feared and revered. His decisions could raise empires or raze them to ashes.
For him, legacy was everything. His name. His bloodline. His empire. Each one a pillar that defined his existence. That was why the stolen sperm sample carried a weight heavier than gold or oil. It wasn't just biology—it was the seed of his lineage, the continuation of the Yapchingco empire. In the wrong hands, it could be weaponized, twisted into scandal, or worse—used to bring forth an heir he had not chosen.
For a man who built his empire on absolute control, the thought of losing dominion over something as vital as his own blood was intolerable. That sample was not simply important—it was priceless, irreplaceable, and dangerous in anyone else's grasp.
The male secretary swallowed hard, palms damp, still unable to meet the chairman's blazing stare. His voice wavered as he vowed, "Understood, Sir. I'll take care of it… I promise."
He bowed deeper, as though submission could shield him from the storm of McKenzie Yapchingco's wrath. Failure was not an option. To serve this man was to live under the crushing weight of perfection—one mistake could cost him his future, or worse, his life.
"But, Sir… there's something else you need to know." His voice dropped, hesitant, almost a whisper.
"What is it? Speak. Now."
"According to the report I just received, Sir… your sperm sample has already been… used," the assistant stammered. "It's been injected into an IVF patient at that hospital."
The chairman's eyes snapped open wide, his face darkening as a vein throbbed violently at his temple. He slammed his fists against the desk again, the impact rattling papers everywhere.
"What the—?!" His voice dropped into a dangerous growl, every syllable laced with fury. "Do you even understand what you're telling me? My bloodline, my legacy—used by some random IVF patient?!"
The secretary froze in terror, knowing all too well the magnitude of his employer's wrath. McKenzie Drew Yapchingco was like a devil unleashed, his fury capable of crushing anyone who dared cross him. The very air in the office turned suffocating, each heartbeat echoing his assistant's fear.
Leaning forward, McKenzie's glare sliced into him like a blade."I will make every single person involved in this outrage pay. No one will escape my wrath. And as for that IVF patient…" His voice was lethal, final. "Find her. Immediately."