"The company has already given me a final warning," Ryan's voice was tense over the phone. "If you keep going like this, once your contract expires at the end of the year, they won't renew it. Director Xu's second female lead role is your last chance. Think carefully."
Elena gripped the phone tightly, her teeth pressing into her lip until it bled slightly. "Ryan, I know this opportunity is rare, but I'm only working to pay for Sean's treatment…"
"Sean's condition is critical. I have less than a month to find a bone marrow match for him. Even if I earn all the money in the world, what good is it if he doesn't survive?"
Hearing this, Ryan's previous scolding melted into regret. "I… I'm sorry, Elena."
The faint creak of the door suggested Lucian had returned. Elena quickly cut him off. "It's fine, I'll hang up first!"
She ended the call and immediately stood, moving toward the door.
At that moment, the door swung open, and a disheveled couple, entwined in each other's arms, appeared in her line of sight.
Clara was panting, her cheeks flushed with a coquettish annoyance. "Ah, Lucian, right here at the door! You really are impossible!"
Elena froze. A chill ran down her spine as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. She took a step back instinctively.
The woman in Lucian's arms was unmistakable: Clara, the rising star of Shenghua Entertainment, whose face often graced entertainment news. Elena could hardly not recognize her.
Vivian had once joked that Clara's rise was suspiciously fast; now it seemed her speculation was true—not only did Clara have a benefactor, but the benefactor was no ordinary man.
Lucian's status was well-known in Southville. Whoever he wished to elevate—or crush—would see countless people rushing to obey without him lifting a finger.
Seeing Lucian and Clara so intimate, Elena's heart ached, but her concern for Sean quickly overrode it.
She hadn't come here for this. She needed Lucian's bone marrow. Without it, Sean would die.
"Ah—"
A sharp scream shattered the air.
Lucian frowned, his voice as cold and detached as ever, "What is it?"
Clara, clearly startled, stared at Elena, covered in bruises and blood, as if she'd seen a ghost. "Lucian… there's a hideous monster in your house!"
Elena snapped back to the moment, meeting Lucian's gaze. His usually striking eyes darkened, a flash of what looked like disgust passing through them. Then, almost immediately, he looked away, as if she were beneath his notice.
Clara raised her guard. "Who is she? Why is she in your house?"
Lucian replied lightly, "The housekeeper."
Those two words pierced Elena's heart like needles, invisible yet tearing at her insides.
Clara doubted this, but seeing the prepared dinner eased her mind. She leaned coquettishly against Lucian. "Lucian, you should ask your housekeeper to leave. She scared me. I don't want to see her at all."
Lucian's hand slipped into his pocket as he entered the room, his face shadowed. "Did you hear that? Clara doesn't want to see you. Leave."
Elena clenched her palm with her fingers, forcing herself to stay calm. She blocked their path before Lucian and Clara fully entered. "Lucian, I need to speak with you alone."
Lucian's gaze dropped to her, his handsome face frosted with cold. "And why should I?"
"I… Lucian…"
Clara cut in sharply, "Hey, what's with the housekeeper? Don't you have any sense? Don't you know I have important matters with Lucian?"
Lucian tilted Clara's chin, his eyes flashing with a low, seductive amusement. "Alright, don't be angry. Anger doesn't suit you."
"If she refuses to leave, we can let her stay and watch—it could be entertaining, don't you think?"
Clara pouted, "No! I get shy with strangers around. And she's so ugly—I can't… you know, get in the mood."
Lucian's long fingers lifted her chin. "Then what do you want? It's up to you."
Clara quickly kissed him and then shot Elena a glare. "Get out, or I'll have Lucian fire you immediately!"
Elena forced a faint smile, her eyes lingering with quiet amusement. "Sorry, Clara. The one leaving is you."
Clara's face flushed with rage. "What did you say?"
Elena's smile deepened as she swept a strand of hair aside. "Clara, I've been a very careless housekeeper… I'm carrying Lucian's child."
"My child is nearly three months along. That's why I wanted to speak with Lucian alone. But Clara… are you sure you want to hear what comes next?"
Clara's eyes went wide, disbelief etched across her face. "Impossible! You're lying. Lucian would never…"
Lucian's handsome face darkened, his voice cold and deadly. "Go back."
Clara gaped. "Lucian… you can't really—"
"I said, go!"
Her face a mask of fury, Clara stomped away, leaving a suffocating silence behind.
"My child?"
Lucian's voice was sharp, his aura radiating intense wrath. "Elena… how long have you been carrying my child? Five years?"
Elena lowered her head, guilt tightening her chest. Her earlier defiance toward Clara was gone. "You wouldn't talk to me alone, so I had no choice but to say it this way."
"Fine. Now it's just the two of us. What is it you want to discuss? Still hung up on my bone marrow?"