Chapter 252: I Won’t Give Birth

Chapter 252: Chapter 252: I Won’t Give Birth

"How could you be so vicious? You beat her to this state and you think you’re in the right?" Terrence Lloyd’s face was dark as he furiously berated her. "She’s a celebrity who relies on her looks for her career! You’re trying to completely ruin her!"

Jean Fanning scoffed, her eyes full of scorn. "She’s just some slut who can’t be seen in the light of day, a woman who sells herself. Even if I do ruin her, I can afford to pay for it!"

"You’re completely unreasonable! You shrew!" Terrence Lloyd had lost all patience. His tone was cold and resolute. "I can’t live like this anymore. Let’s get a divorce!"

For years, he had grown tired of Jean Fanning’s crudeness and arrogance. She didn’t have a single gentle bone in her body.

If it hadn’t been for his family’s financial difficulties back then and his mother’s insistence on an arranged marriage, he never would have married a woman like her.

"A divorce is fine by me." Jean Fanning showed no fear, her aura sharp and intimidating. "You cheated during the marriage. You’re the one at fault, so you’ll leave with nothing. Don’t even think about taking a single cent of the family assets!"

The moment Mother Lloyd heard the word "divorce," she rushed upstairs, beating her chest and stamping her feet as she loudly tried to stop them.

"Don’t you dare get a divorce! For all these years, Jean Fanning has willingly served me, managed the household, and tolerated your fooling around outside. How has she wronged you? What gives you the right to even mention divorce!"

"Mom, stop being unreasonable!" Terrence Lloyd was getting agitated. "If you need someone to take care of you, I can just hire a few more maids!"

"You bastard!" Mother Lloyd was so angry she raised her hand to slap him.

Amid the chaos, a faint, pained groan suddenly sounded.

Roya Winters clutched her lower abdomen tightly. Her face was as pale as a sheet, her brows knitted together, and a fine cold sweat broke out all over her body from the unbearable pain.

In the next instant, a startling crimson slowly spread down the hem of her white skirt, blooming like a winter plum blossom on snow—a shocking sight.

The noisy room fell into a dead silence.

The expressions of Terrence Lloyd, Jean Fanning, and Mother Lloyd all changed drastically.

Roya Winters was rushed to the hospital. After a night of emergency treatment, the bleeding was completely stopped, and the fetus in her womb was safe. They had managed to save it.

The moment the doctor announced the happy news of the pregnancy, an ecstatic joy erupted in Terrence Lloyd’s eyes. Unable to contain his excitement, he turned, grabbed Mother Lloyd’s arm, and announced the good news.

"Mom! Did you hear that? You’re going to have a grandchild!"

Mother Lloyd’s gaze froze on Roya Winters’s flat stomach. Her expression was complicated. She subconsciously glanced at the silent, cold-faced Jean Fanning beside her, her own attitude unyielding.

"As for the Lloyd family’s grandchildren, I will only acknowledge the ones Jean Fanning gives birth to. I won’t recognize any born from anyone else."

These words completely ignited years of pent-up resentment in Terrence Lloyd. He shot a disgusted look at Jean Fanning, his tone sharp and sarcastic.

"If she could get pregnant, she would have by now after all these years. Who was it that used to blame me every day, saying there was something wrong with my body and that I was delaying the continuation of the family line? Now the truth is out. It’s crystal clear whose problem it really is."

Every word was intended to humiliate.

Jean Fanning’s face was calm and impassive, but her eyes held a bone-chilling glint as she stared straight at him.

"If you want a divorce, fine. You cheated during the marriage, so you’re the one at fault. You must leave with nothing. Otherwise, I will not sign."

"Jean Fanning, you’re being completely unreasonable!" Terrence Lloyd flew into a rage, speaking as if he were entirely in the right. "You can’t continue the Lloyd family line—that makes you a sinner to this family! And you dare ask me to leave with nothing? In your dreams! Considering you’ve diligently served my mother for three years, I’ll generously compensate you with ten million. Take the money and get out of the way!"

To him, ten million was already charity. He felt that giving her a single cent more would be a waste.

"Ten million?" Jean Fanning let out a sudden, cold laugh, the chill in her eyes cutting to the bone. "You think you can get rid of me with that, so you can be with your mistress and her bastard child? Terrence Lloyd, do you really think I, Jean Fanning, am that easy to bully?"

She leaned forward slightly, her voice laced with pure menace. "The evidence of your shady accounts, illegal transactions, and private asset transfers over the years... I have it all. If you push me, I will ruin your reputation and leave you with nothing."

Terrence Lloyd’s face turned ashen. He tried to threaten her into submission. "Jean Fanning, don’t be a fool! If I go down, you won’t even get that ten million in compensation!"

"I don’t care." Jean Fanning was fearless, ready to risk it all. "If I don’t get a satisfactory outcome, no one gets a happy ending. If you won’t let me have it my way, I’ll drag you down with me."

In the past, she had endured and given in only because Mother Lloyd treated her well, and out of respect for the bond they had formed over the past three years. She hadn’t wanted to tear everything apart.

But Terrence Lloyd had pushed her step by step with his heartlessness. He couldn’t blame her for not holding onto old feelings.

’Every man for himself.’ If Terrence Lloyd’s family hadn’t been so wealthy and generous with living expenses over the years, she would have divorced him long ago. Why would she have endured it until today?

Seeing this, Mother Lloyd was about to try and mediate, but Jean Fanning gently took her hand, her tone sincere.

"Mom, don’t worry. Even if he and I divorce, you will still be the elder I respect. I will continue to take good care of you."

Several properties in Maridia were already in her name anyway. She didn’t need to depend on Terrence Lloyd at all.

These words instantly moved Mother Lloyd. The old woman’s eyes grew warm as she immediately turned to scold Terrence Lloyd.

"Terrence, you absolutely cannot treat Jean Fanning unfairly! Give her a hundred million in compensation!"

Terrence Lloyd was stunned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Mom? Whose mother are you, anyway?"

"Otherwise, I will never agree to your divorce!" Mother Lloyd’s attitude was firm, and she refused to back down. "She’s not even asking for half the family assets. You should be counting your lucky stars!"

After speaking, she turned to Jean Fanning and asked gently, "Gina, what do you think? Is that acceptable?"

Jean Fanning knew exactly what was going on.

Terrence Lloyd had a net worth of nearly a billion. A mere hundred million was nothing to him. But she also knew when to quit while she was ahead. If things really got to the point of mutual destruction, both sides would lose face. If she completely enraged him, she would end up losing more than she gained.

She took the opportunity to de-escalate, adding a condition. "A hundred million is acceptable. In addition, the two villas, one in the Northolme North Suburbs and one downtown, must also be transferred to my name."

"Impossible!" Terrence Lloyd rejected it without a second thought, his expression turning ugly. "Those two villas are worth nearly fifty million! Your appetite is too big! You think you can walk away with over a hundred million from a divorce? Dream on!"

Seeing this, Mother Lloyd immediately pulled rank as the elder and applied pressure.

"Give them to her! It’s just two houses. You have a huge fortune, are you really short on assets?"

Seeing Terrence Lloyd remain silent and evasive, the old woman laid down an ultimatum, her tone resolute.

"If you don’t agree, I’ll move to the entrance of your company tomorrow and hang myself! I’ll let everyone see what an ungrateful, heartless bastard you, Terrence Lloyd, really are!"

Faced with this combination of soft and hard tactics, Terrence Lloyd was cornered and finally gave in completely.

"Fine, fine, fine! Give them all to her! We’ll draft the contract and sign the divorce agreement today!"

Jean Fanning couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on him. She readily signed the divorce agreement that same day. They agreed to formally process the divorce in one month.

She didn’t return to Maridia immediately, either. Instead, she took Mother Lloyd and moved straight into the downtown villa.

Just as they finished settling in, the villa’s doorbell suddenly rang.

Jean Fanning opened the door to find a stranger standing outside.

"May I ask who you are?"

"Someone asked me to give this to you."

After speaking, the person pushed a folded note into her hand, turned, and hurried away.

Filled with confusion, Jean Fanning unfolded the note. After reading its contents, she quickly said a few words to Mother Lloyd, grabbed her bag, and headed straight out the door.

...

「Inside the VIP room of a private hospital.」

With a face covered in cuts and bruises, Roya Winters stared blankly as she raised a hand to her stomach, her eyes filled with confusion and panic.

’How could I be pregnant?’

She and Terrence Lloyd had been together for some time, and they had been strict about using protection every single time. There was no possibility of an accident.

’The hospital’s test must be wrong!’

Terrence Lloyd sat by the bed, looking at her pale face. His eyes were full of gentle adoration, and he couldn’t hide the joy in his voice.

"Being pregnant is a wonderful thing! You just focus on resting and carrying the baby, and give me a healthy, chubby son. As soon as Jean Fanning and I finalize the divorce, I’ll marry you in a grand ceremony and make you my proper Mrs. Lloyd."

He had long coveted Roya Winters’s beauty, figure, and gentle temperament. When the child was born, it would surely look like her. It would inherit her outstanding looks, and the Lloyd family’s genes would definitely be improved.

Roya Winters’s head snapped up, her voice filled with angry accusation.

"Terrence Lloyd, did you tamper with something behind my back? I was on birth control!"

She was a popular celebrity at the height of her career. She valued her figure, looks, and career prospects above all else. Having a baby meant her body would change, her looks would suffer, and she would have to face a long pregnancy and postpartum recovery.

The entertainment industry was fickle and fast-paced, with a constant stream of new talent. The moment she took a break and left a gap in her career, all her resources, popularity, and status would be snatched up by newcomers. Everything she had worked for over the years would be for nothing.

More importantly, she had never genuinely liked Terrence Lloyd, let alone ever thought about marrying him.

She had deliberately put on a false front, playing along and catering to his whims, only because she saw him as an obedient, wealthy man she could use—her most reliable backer at the moment.

"It was just an accident," Terrence Lloyd said, avoiding her question. His tone was firm as he tried to placate her. "This child is a gift of fate. Just relax and give birth."

"I’m not having it! If I have this baby, my life will be ruined!" Roya Winters had an emotional breakdown, crying and screaming her refusal with red-rimmed eyes.

"How would it ruin you?" Terrence Lloyd coaxed her patiently in a soft voice. "After you have the baby, I’ll pour all my resources into promoting you. I’ll get you all the top commercial deals and film roles in the industry. I guarantee you’ll return to your peak after giving birth, without losing an ounce of popularity."

"I’m still young! I don’t want to be tied down by a child! Terrence Lloyd, you schemed against me! You’re so selfish!"

Roya Winters cried and thrashed about, her emotions spiraling out of control, filled with the bitterness and despair of being manipulated.