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CHAPTER ONE

Chapter 1 A Painful Separation

"She's the woman who can bear my child?"

"She's the woman who can bear my child?" "Yes, Master Nicholas. She's the only one in the entire Brentwood City who is genetically compatible with you." In the darkness, Tessa Reinhart was half-delirious as she lay on the king-sized bed, clutching and clawing at her thin clothes. She felt as if flames were licking her body, and she whined, "It's so hot, I can't stand it..." The door closed with a heavy thud, and a towering figure sauntered over to the bed. Tessa tried to open her eyes to see the person approaching, but all she could make out were the blurry edges of what would otherwise have been a rather chiseled face. Even so, she could still feel the dominance that radiated from the person, and as he drew near, the air around her suddenly grew so dense that she could hardly breathe. The next moment, she felt a weight pressing down on her. The heat of her body seemed to wane as soon as the hard contours of the man's body molded against hers. Relieved and tempted by the inexplicable coolness that washed over her, Tessa arched her back fearlessly as though to close even more distance between herself and the man, wriggling impatiently as she mumbled, "More..." At that moment, Nicholas Sawyer's gaze darkened, and a sense of hot urgency ran down his spine. "Don't move," he whispered huskily, seductively, his voice like velvet. The Sawyers had extremely rare genetics, but rarer still were women who could bear Nicholas' offspring, and this mewling woman beneath him happened to be one of them. He would never have intentionally gotten close to women, much less fool around like a rogue. The only reason he was doing this tonight was to fulfill the duty, Remus Sawyer, his grandfather, had given him. Little did he know that he would be overcome with such an intense desire for this woman, whom he had never met before. Presently, the woman in his arms completely ignored his orders as she writhed and ran her hands all over him, the soft curves of her silhouette pressed precariously against him. Gulping convulsively, the man turned into a hungry beast, ferocious as lust cascaded over him and made him grab hold of Tessa by her waist, flipping her over. "You asked for this!" "Ah!" Suddenly, a searing pain went through Tessa, and she stiffened at the unfamiliar sensation. The pain itself was so extreme that for a minute, she was almost lucid. Who is he? she asked herself frantically, belatedly. What am I doing here? She recalled going over to her stepmother's to demand the inheritance her mother had left for her, only to be drugged by the latter. When she woke up much later on, she had found herself confined in this strange place. An abrupt and rough thrust cut off her thoughts. "Ow..." she cried out piteously, protesting against the violation, but the man didn't show any sign of stopping as he continued to have his way with her, his assertion evident and overpowering. Drops of sweat trickled down the man's body, and amidst his low grunts and her tortured panting, he went on to thrust tirelessly into her, switching positions as he pleased as he reduced her into something like a rag doll. With one final shriek, Tessa felt an intense wave of pleasure crash over her like a tsunami. She threw her head back as she rode out the euphoria, then collapsed onto the bed, completely blacking out. Her long hair slid over one slender shoulder, and Nicholas saw her birthmark, which was a shade darker than her pale skin and was shaped like a delicate butterfly about to take flight. … Ten months later, in the delivery room of Prime Hospital, Tessa's sweat had soaked through the bedsheets as she clutched the protective rails on either side of her, her knuckles turning white. "Argh! It hurts!" she cried while enduring the pain that tore through her abdomen. "Keep pushing harder. I can see the baby's head..." "Wah—" A loud baby's cry resounded in the deathly silent delivery room, heralding the birth of a new life. "Your duty has been fulfilled, and from now on, the child has nothing to do with you!" The cold and impassive voice filled Tessa's ears as she lay ashen-faced on the hospital cot, so weak and drained that she couldn't even lift a finger. All she could do was watch wide-eyed as her child was carried away by someone else. "M-My baby..." Hot tears streamed past her cheeks uncontrollably. After the night she had spent with that man, whose identity she still did not know, Tessa found herself kept under housewatch. Not long after that, she discovered that she was pregnant. The person guarding her to keep her from escaping told her that if she were to deliver the baby safely, then her brother, Timothy, would get the best treatment there was for his medical condition. Upon hearing that, Tessa agreed immediately and without a second of doubt. Timothy suffered from a condition that atrophied his calves, and with his heart growing weaker day by day, he was confined to bed most of the time just to stay alive. After their mother passed away, their vicious stepmother, Lauren, cast Tessa out of the house and cut off the funds for Timothy's medical treatment, leaving him on the brink of death. When Tessa agreed to give birth to the baby even without knowing who the father was, she couldn't be bothered about it. She had lost everything and everyone but Timothy, and she would have given her life willingly if it meant saving his. But as the baby grew in her and she began to feel his first kicks and his strong heartbeat, she started to become reluctant about making good on her promise to hand the baby over as soon as she gave birth to him. After all, he was a part of her—her very own flesh and blood! And now, he was taken away from her forever. … Meanwhile, outside the hospital, a luxurious Maybach was idling in the dimness of the night. An elderly man sat in the backseat of the car, his hair entirely gray and his face somber. There was a sharp gleam in his eyes, and the air seemed to grow still around him, for he commanded a sense of fearsome authority. Not long after, a doctor marched over to the car with a newborn in his arms. "Congratulations, Old Master Sawyer. It's a little prince!" When the elderly man heard this, his eyes lit up with unadulterated joy, and he grinned as he took the crying baby into his arms. "How wonderful! This is a cause for celebration! I finally have a great-grandson!" Then, the joy seeped out of his voice as he barked grimly at his assistant next to him. "Tell Nicholas that that woman sold this baby for ten million and fled into the night!"

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CHAPTER TWO

Chapter 2 Setup

Five years later, Tessa sat in the lounge of a luxurious private yacht treading through the waves of the expansive, glittering blue sea. She had an arm around her mahogany-colored violin as she quietly tuned it. The other members of the orchestra took up their own space around her, chattering excitedly among themselves about the owner of this very yacht, who happened to be the regaled Little Prince of the Sawyer family. Rumor had it that the Little Prince was already worth billions even though he was barely over four years old, and his great-grandfather—Old Master Sawyer—did not hold back when it came to celebrating the young boy's birthday. In fact, this very yacht was his gift to the Little Prince, and he bought it without so much as batting an eyelash. "Hey, why do you think the Sawyers appointed our orchestra to perform during the Little Prince's birthday celebration? I mean, there are plenty of other orchestras more famous than ours!" "Who knows? I only heard that it was the Little Prince who hand-selected us to perform today. It's only thanks to him that we get to perform on a glamorous yacht like this one, and our fee practically quadrupled for this event!" At the mention of this, the other members of the orchestra began to sound off their envy. "We should all be so lucky to have only one-tenth of the Little Prince's riches. Think about how easy our lives would be then!" "Destiny favors some over others, and the Little Prince seems to have taken almost all the favor! Our jealousy of the little boy is all we have to our name." …… Upon hearing this, Tessa felt the corners of her lips curl up in a bitter, humorless smile. Indeed, she thought darkly, there are those whom destiny favored and granted them victory from the moment they were born, just like the Little Prince of the Sawyer Family. Then there were those like her, who had fallen behind before the umpire could even shoot the blank and start the race. Tessa's father was a piece of scum who fooled around behind his wife's back and ignored all the things she had done for him, abandoning her and forgetting their past struggles together as soon as his business peaked in its success. When Tessa's mother passed away, Tessa and Timothy had no one else to rely on but each other. As a result, Tessa had been forced to sell her own flesh and blood just to get the money for Timothy's medical treatment. I never even got to see my baby… she thought ruefully. Every time she was reminded of this, a searing pain tore through her heart, threatening to rip her to shreds. Now that she thought about it, her baby ought to have turned four this year, which was around the same age as the Little Prince. I don't even know if it's a dashing baby boy or an adorable baby girl. I don't know where the baby has gone or if he's doing well... Suddenly, her eyes grew misty, and she couldn't help the prickling sensation in her nose that signaled oncoming waterworks. Just then, a shrill cry pulled Tessa out of her thoughts. "Tessa! What are you doing here?" The mistiness in Tessa's eyes cleared as she turned in the direction of the voice, only to see someone whom she wished she never had to see for the rest of her life—Sophia Reinhart! Sophia was dressed in an elegant evening dress, and her face was delicately made-up. There was a haughty tilt to her chin as she looked down her nose at Tessa, just like she had six years ago. Tessa grimaced in disgust at the sight of Sophia, for she didn't expect to see her here. "Hah! So it really is you!" Having made sure that the woman in the lounge was Tessa, Sophia crossed over to her, the sound of her stilettos clicking against the floor echoing throughout the room. When she came to a stop in front of Tessa, she sneered arrogantly, "I didn't think you'd still be alive. Why, I was under the impression that you and that useless brother of yours died a long time ago!" Timothy… Tessa gritted her teeth. If Sophia and her mother, Lauren, hadn't so brutally cut off Timothy's medical funds, Tessa would never have needed to give birth to that man's child, let alone go through the devastation of parting with her own flesh and blood. This vicious mother-and-daughter duo is responsible for all my tragedies! Hatred flashed in Tessa's eyes as she retorted snarkily, "If you and your b*tch of a mother are still alive and kicking, then of course, Timothy and I are perfectly fine as well. We're just waiting for lightning to strike the both of you heartless witches dead!" "You—" Sophia was at a loss for words, stunned by Tessa's retort. As far as she remembered, Tessa had always been too timid and unsure of herself to fight back. "It's only been a few years since we last saw each other, but it looks like time sure has made you a vicious shrew." "No, I'm not as vicious as you and your mother," Tessa replied coolly. Right now, her priority was to make sure the performance went on without a hitch, and this was not the time to be bringing up the past. With that in mind, she rose to her feet so she could seek out a quiet place to practice, not wanting to spend another minute longer with the eyesore that was Sophia. Sophia, on the other hand, grew even more incensed at the sight of Tessa's graceful indifference. She couldn't help but recall how hard she had worked alongside her mother to throw Tessa and Timothy out of the Reinhart Residence. She thought she had won. But for some reason, she still felt as if she was beneath Tessa even as she stood here before her, all glamorous and dolled-up. Be it the looks or the grace, Tessa was the true winner between the both of them! At the thought of this, jealousy flashed in Sophia's eyes. She's supposed to rot away on the streets as soon as we cast them out of the family! How dare she show up here at this lavish event like the world is her oyster? Sophia's gaze fell upon the extremely valuable violin that Tessa was currently carrying, and malice colored her features. Looking around to make sure no one was paying attention to her, she slid her foot out over the floorboards. "Ah!" Tripping, Tessa hurtled forward, caving into gravity as she crashed to the floor unceremoniously. Following her fall, a tuneless sort of grunt came from the violin as it toppled to the space in front of her. High-pitched tweaking sounds emitted from the broken violin as two chords strained and snapped in quick succession. Coincidentally, Trevor Oswald—the orchestra manager—came through the door at that moment, and when he saw the scene before him, all the color drained from his face. Horrified, he exclaimed, "Tessa! I can't believe you broke the violin! Madam Sawyer was the one who lent it to us out of goodwill, and there's only one of it in the whole world! We wouldn't be able to pay for it even if we sold the entire orchestra!" Tessa blanched. "I-It wasn't my fault!" She scrambled to her feet and turned to glare balefully at Sophia, snapping, "It was hers! She was the one who tripped me on purpose!" "Me? Don't make up lies to cover your own backside!" Sophia put her hands up, denying the allegations with utmost innocence. "You tripped over your own feet, so don't go around accusing me for your own mistake!" Then, she crossed her arms as she eyed Tessa with wicked amusement. "If I were you, I'd go apologize to Madam Sawyer right away and beg for her forgiveness, then quit the orchestra altogether. I'm sure you don't want your mishap to drag the orchestra's reputation through the mud." "She's right! Come with me right now, and we'll go ask Madam Sawyer for forgiveness." Trevor reached for Tessa's wrist and began to pull her out the door. "Also, you don't have to go up on stage after this. Our orchestra has no need for a musician as clumsy as you, so leave after the performance today!" Leave the orchestra? This made Tessa's blood run cold, and she was ashen-faced as she thought wildly, No! If I lose this job, I won't have the money to feed myself and Timothy. I can't leave the orchestra! "Mr. Oswald, I really didn't—" But just as she was about to plead her case with all her might, a childish but calm and collective voice sounded from the doorway. "Why should she be the one to apologize? The one who should go in her place is that lady over there!"