"What are you doing?" I asked, feeling a bit on edge.

Even though Faris and I were pretty tight these days, his random outbursts still freaked me out sometimes.Content is © by .

He had me pinned with his arms on either side, biting his lip and staring at me. The tension was thick.

His eyes flicked down to my belly and then back up to my face.

"Why are you so jumpy? You're pregnant. You think I'd try something?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, quit messing around."

I gave him a little shove, and he backed off, sitting down where he was before. Faris was always upfront about his feelings. It wasn't that I didn't get it; I just didn't want to deal with it. Things got awkward real quick.

I remembered I had a diamond VIP client scheduled for a massage that afternoon and used that as my escape route.

As I got to the office door, I saw Dakota coming out, looking all surprised, clearly not expecting me back so soon.

Dakota explained calmly, "The water cooler outside ran out, and I needed a drink, so I came to your office to get some."

She did have a water cup in her hand.

I nodded and smiled. "No problem."

I walked into my simply decorated office and looked around. Important documents were locked up, the computer was password-protected, and nothing seemed out of place. Dakota's resume said she was 24, but she acted way older. She didn't talk much, but her sharp eyes seemed to see right through people.

Despite her cool demeanor, she was thoughtful-Every morning, there was a cup of hot milk on my desk, and a green plant appearing next to my computer, and when I woke up from napping, a thin blanket covered me. My secretary told me it was Dakota.

A few days later, I found a nice little apartment, already decorated but never lived in. The owner needed cash fast and was selling it. I liked the decor style and its proximity to the beauty salon, so I bought it without thinking twice.

The day before I planned to move, I invited the Hill family to dinner to say thanks. When I started my business, Aron invested $100,000 as my startup capital. Within two or three months, the returns were several times that amount. I prepared a $500,000 check for Aron as the first dividend. But he refused, saying he'd talk dividends when I really hit it big.

I may have had a lot of bad luck in the past, but meeting benefactors on my entrepreneurial journey was my greatest fortune. Sometimes, in the dead of night, I wondered if God thought he had tortured me enough in the first 27 years, so now things were finally going smoothly. No one was lucky or unlucky forever. People should never look down on someone who seemed insignificant now, because you never knew how strong they would become.

To outsiders, I was the dark horse that suddenly emerged in Seabreeze Harbor's business world, becoming the powerful woman I once dreamed of being. Such smooth success garnered admiration and jealousy.

One morning in early August, I got a call from my secretary. After hearing her anxious account, I rushed to the store.

The ground in front of our store and the door were splattered with red paint, looking like blood at first glance. I stood there, heavily pregnant, calmly surveying the scene.

All the employees stood anxiously to the side, and there were quite a few onlookers. I calmly took out my phone and called 911.

Then, I looked at my secretary and said lightly, "Call those media outlets that wanted to interview me recently and tell them they have ten minutes today."

She looked at me, puzzled, but did as I said.

The media arrived quickly.

By the time they arrived, the police had already taken photos and collected evidence and had left after asking me some basic questions.

The media were excited to encounter news, and the sound of camera shutters and flashing lights filled the scene.

"Ms. Russell, who do you think is responsible for today's incident?"

I smiled. "I think that's a question for the police to answer. I trust they will give me a satisfactory answer."

"Ma'am, Emberlyn Beauty Retreat has grown so rapidly in such a short time; it's truly impressive. Do you think this could be the work of a competitor?"

I thought, 'Is that even a question?'

But I still smiled at their cameras.

I stated. "I don't think so. The business community in Seabreeze Harbor is very friendly and generous. I don't believe anyone would do something so harmful and pointless. Besides, competition isn't a bad thing; it drives development. All competitors are collectively advancing this industry, and I thank each one of them."

As I said these insincere words, my gaze moved past the reporters to the street across.

The woman leaning against the red sports car was none other than Melissa Garcia, the one who had repeatedly made things difficult for me at the club.

I slowly curled my lips into a smile and looked at my watch.

"One more minute."

A reporter suddenly asked, "Ma'am, I see you're about to give birth. It's rare to see a pregnant woman working so hard. I think everyone is curious why we haven't seen the child's father. Is there a story behind this?" Across the street, Melissa folded her arms, wearing a look of amusement.

I gently stroked my belly and smiled serenely. "You rarely see a pregnant woman working so hard, but now you have. That's why I'm successful; do you think? Time's up. That's all for today."

I turned to leave, but the reporters chased after me and surrounded me.

"Please answer, who is the father of your child? Why haven't we seen him? You are an inspirational figure in Seabreeze Harbor, and everyone wants to know your story."

"It's me!" A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, and everyone turned their cameras towards it.

Faris, hands in his pockets and a lollipop in his mouth, walked over. As a well-known figure in Seabreeze Harbor, the reporters immediately recognized him.

When he admitted he was the father, they got excited and swarmed him. Melissa, meanwhile, stood frozen, staring at us in disbelief.

"Is what you said true? Is Ms. Russell carrying your child? Are you secretly married?"

Faris looked at the gossiping reporters with a nonchalant expression and held my hand as if declaring his ownership.

"Of course, it's true. Because of the baby, I even quit smoking," Faris said seriously.

Upon hearing this, Melissa kicked her car, then got in and drove away in her red sports car.

The reporters wanted to ask more questions, but Faris put his arm around my shoulder and said, "That's enough for today. My wife is tired, and I won't allow you to bother her anymore."

As soon as we were out of the reporters' sight, I shook off his hand and looked at him seriously.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

I said, "Why did you say that? Now there's a huge misunderstanding."

Faris shrugged indifferently. "If you don't explain, who will know it's just a misunderstanding? Besides, if I hadn't said that, how were you planning to answer? And what would the reporters have typed?"

I returned to the office in frustration and sat down, with Faris following me in, softening his tone.

"Alright, I admit I acted on my own. Forget it. Have you thought about who might have splashed the paint at the entrance?"

I looked at him pointedly. "I suspect it's your messy love life causing trouble for me."

Faris frowned, seemingly seriously considering my words.

Seeing him like this, I couldn't help but tease him.

"Do you have so many messy relationships that you can't remember which one it is?"

"Bullshit!" Faris swore in frustration. "I've always kept myself clean and never messed around. But someone as charming as me is bound to have admirers. It's just you who dislikes me."

I burst out laughing. "I know you're excellent, and many people admire you. How could I dare to dislike you? Judging by today's warning, those women are quite formidable. So, you should stay away from me and not bring me any more trouble."

Faris leaned in close, smiling mischievously.

"Now everyone in Seabreeze Harbor knows you're carrying my child. If you want me to stay away, do you want people to call me a heartless man?"

I suppressed a hint of schadenfreude and glanced at him indifferently. "You reap what you sow."

Later, my secretary asked why I had proactively contacted the media, as being retaliated against wasn't exactly a glorious thing.

I smiled and said, "The power of the media can put pressure on the other party and also signal that I'm not afraid to make a big deal out of it. Besides, sometimes gossip isn't a bad thing; the publicity effect can be as good as advertising, and it's free."

A few days later, after browsing through the information from potential franchisees from various places, it was already dark.

I turned off the computer and walked out of the office, exhausted.

Dakota had been waiting for me.

I apologized to her. "Dakota, I'm sorry to keep you waiting so late."

Dakota shook her head. "It's okay, but you should take it easy since you're about to give birth."

I nodded, stretched my sore neck, and left with Dakota.

After driving a short distance, Dakota pulled the car over.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Dakota said, "Something doesn't feel right. I'll go check."

She got out of the car, and I followed.

"The tire is flat," Dakota said.

I checked the time and said, "It's late. Let's leave the car here and call a repair shop tomorrow. We'll take a cab home."

Just as I finished speaking, a few men appeared at the end of the street, looking hostile.

Dakota quickly realized they were coming for us and immediately stood in front of me to protect me.

"Get back in the car!"

She had just said that when the men rushed at us, and a fight broke out between them and Dakota.

Dakota tried her best to keep them away from me. But despite her skills, she was at a disadvantage against several burly men.

"Stop! How much money do you want?" I tried to negotiate with the men.

They paused momentarily, and one of them sneered. "We don't want money; we want you!"

With that, they resumed fighting with Dakota.

Despite her efforts, Dakota was overwhelmed and was suddenly struck from behind, causing her to stumble forward but barely stay on her feet.

One of the men took the opportunity to approach me while I backed away, protecting my belly.

He grabbed me and threw me to the ground.

As my hip hit the ground hard, a sharp pain spread through my abdomen.

"Emily!" Dakota called out anxiously when she saw me fall.

The man who threw me down lifted his foot to stomp on my belly, but Dakota lunged at him and fought him off.

Another man suddenly pulled out a knife and aimed it at Dakota's back.

I weakly said, "Watch out!"

But it was too late. I watched helplessly as the knife plunged into Dakota's back, and blood quickly soaked through her clothes.