At that moment, Steven's shrill ringtone cut through the heavy silence. He frowned, annoyed by the ringing, and glanced at the caller ID.

He was disgruntled to see Jessica's name flash on the screen, but he put the call through nonetheless. "Hello?"

Jessica was anxious. Although she knew she would have to deal with this someday, she couldn't help but feel nervous about bringing the matter up with Steven. "Do you still remember our discussion from last night?"

Steven racked his brain and finally remembered what Jessica told him last night. He answered gruffly, "Yes."

Jessica sensed that he was being cold and distant, but she knew it was in her best interests to go for broke at this point. "Care to tell me what you were thinking, Steven? I don't want my kid to be born into instability. At the very least, you can't abandon my child like you did with Zachary."

Steven's temples throbbed even more. He could see where Jessica's concerns lay, given what he had done to Zachary before.

In hindsight, he had been irresponsible toward Zachary and failed the child as a father. Not only had he brainwashed Zachary into hating his mother, but he had also ended up abandoning Zachary after Annalise walked out on both of them.

He hadn't even checked up on Zachary after that.

Suddenly, Steven felt like he had unwittingly let a lot of people down.

Meanwhile, Jessica grew uneasy when she did not hear anything from Steven's end. She asked, "Did you hear what I said?"

Steven replied icily, "Yes. I just want to know what you plan to do about all this."

Jessica cut to the chase. "I want you to undergo a vasectomy. I want you to promise that you will not have any children other than Zachary and my baby. Only then will I believe that you won't abandon me and my baby no matter what happens."

She wanted the reassurance and Steven's loyalty, even though the baby wasn't his.noveldrama

She was starting to get antsy when Steven did not answer her. Not that it stopped her from resorting to blackmailing him. "If you can't promise me those, I'll terminate the pregnancy. I'd sooner abort the baby than have him constantly worry about whether his father will walk out on him."

Steven was not angry when he heard this. Instead, he was inexplicably relieved. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He said, "I suggest you sleep on it because once you get rid of the baby, I will not give you a cent, regardless of your finances. As for my wish to have a kid... Well, let's just say I can easily find someone else to bear my children.

"So, think long and hard-do you want to get rid of the baby? In the meantime, I'll see if I feel like having someone else bear my children."

There was something like glee in his tone. Jessica bit her bottom lip as she gritted out, "Oh, I've thought about it."

She knew that the person who held their ground would emerge victorious. If she so much as hinted that she cared about the baby, Steven would use it as leverage against her.

As such, she said, "If you don't agree to my terms, I'll make an appointment to abort this baby right now."

Steven asked darkly, "Are you threatening me?"

Jessica did not answer him and instead said, "No, I'm telling you that this is not a negotiation."

"The money I gave you the last time should be enough to cover your abortion fees," Steven said, his voice devoid of warmth. "You could make an appointment for tomorrow if you don't mind."

Jessica froze.

However, Steven had grown tired of arguing with her and hung up.

She stared at her phone in disbelief. She never expected Steven to show such cruel resolve. Did he truly not want the baby anymore?

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!