?<strong>Chapter 181:</strong>


    Adrian was shocked upon hearing the news. He couldn’t fathom anyone else being the father. Could Joelle possibly be involved with another man? Although she and Rafael had grown close recently, Adrian doubted she would move on so quickly. Despite her actions, he still believed she wasn’t the type to engage with someone else so soon after their own tumultuous history.


    His certainty wavered slightly, though. He admitted to himself that he could never bepletely sure. Adrian had always been singrly devoted in his rtionships, sticking to one partner at a time, and he knew transitioning to another rtionship after a divorce would take considerable time for him.


    “Could the child be mine if it isn’t yours?” he retorted.


    Katherine sneered, “It has nothing to do with you. Don’t tter yourself thinking otherwise.”


    “It’s not for you to decide. Katherine, if you’ve been keeping this from me, I assure you, yourpany won’t have a future in Illerith,” Adrian threatened before abruptly ending the call.


    On the other end, Katherine caught her breath, shaken by the exchange. She immediately dialed Joelle, needing to ry the conversation.


    At that moment, Joelle, who had just left the delivery room, was embracing the joy of her newborn daughter. “Hello? Kathy,” she greeted, eager to share her happiness.


    “Joelle, Adrian just called me. He’s aware that you’re pregnant!”


    The news wiped the smile off Joelle’s face. As her phone was on speaker, Rafael overheard and took over the call. “‘Kathy, it’s Rafael here.”


    “You’re there too,” Katherine noted, a hint of surprise in her voice. “Well, please, start from the beginning.”


    Katherine recounted Adrian’s words, emphasizing his determination to locate Joelle wherever she might hide. “Adrian seems quite serious. But how did he find out about the pregnancy?”


    Rafael and Joelle exchanged bewildered looks—they had kept the pregnancy tightly under wraps. Even Shawn, busy with his business overseas, had only been told a few days prior, and his reaction had been less than supportive, chastising Joelle throughout the night. The only usible breach could have urred during Joelle’s hospital encounter with Katie.


    Although vignt, Joelle feared her privacy had beenpromised. “It doesn’t matter,” she concluded with calm resolve. “Even if he knows, I’ll ensure he doesn’t find us.”


    Rafael affirmed, “Don’t worry, Joelle. I’ll safeguard you and your child.”


    Katherine exhaled a weary sigh. “I suppose visiting you at the hospital is off the table then? Adrian’s likely to have me followed.”


    Joelle offered aforting smile. “No need for visits. The baby’s already here.”


    “Wait! What?” Katherine’s voice soared in volume, prompting Rafael to slightly pull the phone away. “Show me, please!”


    Eager, Rafael activated the camera. On Katherine’s screen appeared a crib beside a weary yet blissfully content Joelle. Katherine’s gaze lingered on Joelle’s pale, tired features, alight with maternal joy.


    Suppressing a surge of emotion, Katherine’s eyes then drifted to the crib where the newborny, her face a delicate bundle of newborn wrinkles. This tiny baby emerged from Joelle. Her best friend gave birth to a baby!


    “Joelle, you’re incredible!” Katherine’s voice cracked with emotion. As Joelle’s tears began to flow—tears of joy—shemented, “It’s just a shame you can’t be here to hold my girl.”


    “A girl?” Katherine reached for tissues, dabbing at her tears. “A girl is wonderful. They’re so gentle, so kind.”


    “Yes,” Joelle murmured, gazing adoringly at her daughter, a new chapter unfolding with this tiny addition to her life.


    After the call, Katherine was abuzz with joy yet pained by the secrecy necessary. Sharing the news broadly could risk exposing Joelle’s new family. Nheless, she couldn’t contain her tionpletely and typed a message to Frankie. “I have wonderful news! My best friend has weed a beautiful girl!”


    Shawn, traveling at the time, couldn’t help but smile upon reading the message. What a serendipitous moment! He had just received a call from Joelle, announcing the arrival of her daughter. Despite his irritation over being kept in the dark, the joy of weing another Watson to the family outweighed his frustration.


    As Shawn prepared to reply, his assistant chimed in, “Mr. Watson, I came across something quite coincidental recently.”


    “Oh? What’s that?”


    “It appears that Miss Nash’s pseudonym is Ke.” Miss Nash was Katherine, who had carved out her own path despite her father’s prominence.


    Without looking up from his phone, Shawn replied, “That is indeed a coincidence.”


    But he suddenly paused, struck by a realization. Rapidly connecting the dots, Shawn considered the timing of Joelle’s pregnancy—it matched precisely with the date he stumbled upon a pregnancy test at their home. Joelle had maintained her secrecy wlessly, possibly even using Katherine’s name for hospital visits to cover her tracks.


    And Katherine—was it possible she was pregnant too? Yet, her recent heavy drinking didn’t add up. Katherine was many things, but reckless with her health she was not.


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