Chapter 10

Amelia: [ZeroSpecter, I've admired you for so long. Please accept my friend request, I'm begging you.]

I clicked accept, wanting to see what she was up to.

Amelia: [Hello, ZeroSpecter, I'm Amelia, Mr. Smith's personal assistant. Sorry to bother you.]

Personal assistant?

A cold smile curved my lips as I grew more curious about how she would wear this fake mask in front of strangers.

In the following messages, Amelia's tone became even more humble.

Amelia: [Mr. Smith has admired you for a long time. This project is crucial for the Smith Group's future strategy. He takes it very seriously. Would you be willing to meet with him in person? You can choose any time and place!]

I didn't reply, just tapped my fingers on the desk, enjoying the hunter's patience.

Sure enough, she couldn't hold back. Messages came one after another, her tone increasingly flattering: [ZeroSpecter, don't worry about the price at all. Mr. Smith said as long as you're willing to help, there's no budget limit!]

[Or if you have any other requirements, no matter how difficult, we'll do our best to meet them! We just ask that you give Mr. Smith a chance to meet.]

Looking at those almost humble pleas on the screen, thinking of how she acted so fake around James and so arrogant around me, I found it incredibly ironic.

After a brief silence, her message style suddenly changed, with hints of unclear ambiguity in her words.

Amelia: [ZeroSpecter, someone at the top of the industry like you must have plenty of admirers, right? I just wonder if anyone truly understands what's in your heart?]

Amelia: [To be honest, I've always really admired and been curious about technical geniuses like you.]

Amelia: [Work is important, but life needs some spice too, doesn't it? If you're willing, maybe we could meet privately first, have a drink, and chat about lighter topics?]

Right after that, she actually sent a photo.

Not a naked temptation, but even more calculated.

In the photo, she wore a silk slip nightgown with the straps slightly fallen, showing her delicate collarbone and smooth skin.

Her eyes looked dreamily at the camera, with warm, dim lighting in the background creating a perfect atmosphere.

Amelia: [The night is long. Would I be lucky enough to share a drink with someone like you?]

Seeing these naked messages trying to trade with sex, a strong wave of disgust rushed to my head.

To gain benefits for James, she could actually act this way toward a "stranger" she'd never met.

Anger surged in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm.

I mimicked the cold, aloof tone belonging to "ZeroSpecter" and typed a reply: [Not interested. Even less interested in your personal invitation.]

After clicking send, I didn't stop. With cold mockery, I added another line, like dropping a stone to disturb her fake calm.

ZeroSpecter: [Also, as far as I know, Mr. Smith seems to have a wife. Isn't it inappropriate for Ms. Martinez to make such an overstepping invitation as a 'personal assistant'?]

This sentence hit like a precise blow, and the other side instantly fell silent.

A full two or three minutes passed before her reply finally came.

Amelia: [ZeroSpecter, nothing gets past you. James does indeed have a wife in name, but that woman really can't handle the responsibility.]

My eyes turned cold, my fingers paused, waiting for her performance.

ZeroSpecter: [She...]

Amelia's words were full of unspeakable helplessness and hidden contempt.

Amelia: [She just used some shady methods to barely climb up to the Smith family. Whether it's her background, upbringing, or abilities, they're all...]

Amelia: [I believe someone as perceptive as you, ZeroSpecter, can understand the helplessness in this... Everything I'm doing is for Mr. Smith, for the Smith Group.]

Looking at Amelia's words on the screen that twisted the truth, painting herself as a selfless contributor while trampling me into the mud, an extreme sense of absurdity and cold anger crashed in my chest.

I held back the urge to expose her immediately and respond with the most vicious words, only replying in "ZeroSpecter's" tone with one last sarcastic sentence.

ZeroSpecter: [Is that so? Seems like Mr. Smith's 'family matters' are more interesting than his 'business matters'.]

After sending this, I ignored whatever excuses or continued slander she might send next and directly closed the chat window.

I didn't want to waste more words with her. Just as I was about to block her, a special alert suddenly popped up at the top of my phone screen.

It was from the monitoring program I'd planted in Robert's phone, detecting unusual communication and location information.

I immediately switched to the monitoring interface. The light dot representing Robert's location was stopped at a high-end café not far from the Smith Group.

At almost the same time, the system captured an encrypted number that briefly contacted him.

After screening through my preset rules, although the number's registration information was heavily disguised, tracing it back led to Amelia.

Amelia and Robert really were in contact!

And they were secretly meeting at this critical moment?

All the mysteries seemed to point in this direction.

I had to go to that café!

I needed to hear with my own ears what they were plotting.

I grabbed my bag, told Andrew I had an urgent matter to handle, and hurriedly left the studio.

I flagged down a taxi. My heart was racing, both excited about uncovering the truth and feeling an indescribable unease.

When I reached the café, I found a hidden corner.

Through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, I could clearly see two people sitting in a booth inside, Robert and Amelia.

Robert looked a bit nervous. After glancing around, he took out a manila envelope from his briefcase and pushed it toward Amelia.

Amelia quickly opened it and pulled out several sheets of paper.

The distance was too far to see the specific text, but on one of the papers, the black area outline representing an ultrasound image struck my brain like lightning!

This was a real pregnancy test result?

Anger and a sense of being completely fooled instantly clouded my mind.

I couldn't hide anymore. I rushed out from the corner, pushed open the café door, and walked quickly toward their booth!

"You two..."

A small figure in a pink princess dress suddenly shot out from the side like a cannonball.

She spread her arms, looked up at me with her little face, and screamed so loud that everyone in the café could hear.

"Bad woman! Don't you bully my mommy! You hit my mommy! You're a big bad person!" While shouting, Isabella used all her strength to lunge at me.

Those small hands, with a fierceness that didn't belong to a child her age, pushed hard against my stomach.

I stumbled backward uncontrollably, my waist hitting hard against the cold metal display rack behind me.

The falling pain in my lower abdomen became clearer and clearer, like an invisible hand crazily stirring and tearing inside.

"The baby... my baby..." I reached out helplessly, trying to cover my stomach, trying to hold onto that small life that was rapidly slipping away, but my consciousness, like a receding tide, was quickly swallowed by darkness.