Chapter 148

Chapter 148 When Jason woke up the next morning and opened his eyes, Estrella was no longer by his side. She had already left, leaving him to wake alone. The look on Jason’s face was, as one might expect, less than thrilled.

At the law firm, no sooner had Estrella settled at her desk than her phone buzzed with Jason’s call. “Getting a little too bold, aren’t you, Estrella? Flaking on me?”

Balancing the phone between shoulder and ear while her fingers danced across the keyboard, Estrella retorted, “Who’s getting bold? I’ve got a busy day at the office, but don’t you worry. I’ll swing by the hospital as soon as I’m done here.”

“Estrella, don’t tell me you’re planning to sneak off for a check-up, looking to hog the baby all to yourself?” Jason’s suspicion sounded as if Estrella was already carrying their child, and she was plotting to run off with it.

Estrella couldn’t help but laugh, standing up from her seat to find more privacy in the fire escape stairwell. “Of all people in this town, your Nelson family is rolling in it. You’ve got the heftiest bank account, and the highest status. Clinging to your coattails is my daily grind, just hoping to bear you a child. Why would I ever keep a baby from you? I’m counting on that kid to get a slice of your fortune.”

Before Jason could respond, Estrella continued, “I’m not that foolish. I’m just swamped with a case that’s hitting the courts soon, and I can’t be distracted. I promise, I’ll head to the hospital once I’m done.”

She added, “Besides, I didn’t feel any morning sickness today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to the office at all. Oh, and just so you know, I’m in the fire escape, which has spotty reception. Gotta hang up now.”

“Hello... hello...” Estrella murmured into the phone before pulling it away, pretending the call had dropped, and with a grimace, Jason ended the call on his side.

You can’t stay mad at someone who’s all smiles. Estrella had explained herself with such patience that Jason had no choice but to let it go and hung up. Let her play her game. He’d see how long she could keep this up.

Back in her office, after Jason hung up, Estrella was welcomed by a co-worker’s teasing. “Got a boyfriend, Estrella? Was that a call from your man?”

“Sure was, Estrella replied nonchalantly.

Boyfriend? She had been married for two years, a fact she preferred to keep out of workplace gossip. So Estrella deflected questions with simple answers, preserving her privacy.

“Estrella, the court just rang. They need you over there.”

Chapter 14 “On my way,” Estrella said, grabbing her car keys and heading out.

Friday traffic was slow, and as Estrella tapped a rhythm on her steering wheel, her gaze caught the sleek Maserati approaching.

It was the same car she’d noticed a couple of days ago.

Estrella watched the girl in the passenger seat, and could hardly believe her eyes. Her intuition told her that it couldn’t be just a simple resemblance. It was impossible to have someone so alike, even in temperament.

As traffic inched forward and horns blared behind her, Estrella stepped on the gas and continued on her way. She brushed past the white Maserati and immediately pressed the speed dial for Bryce. “Bryce, I need a favor.”

“No problem, shoot me the details,” Bryce chuckled. “Heck, I could be your assistant at Justice Guardians LLP.”

“You’re on, but no salary,” Estrella joked back.

“As if,” Bryce scoffed. “I don’t work pro bono.”

“So about that favor I just asked, are you doing it or not?”

“I’m in.”

Estrella chuckled and forwarded the Maserati’s license plate number to him. As a lawyer, Estrella had a hunch that there was something fishy about this, and it might be linked to the fire that had occurred three years ago.

In fact, there were many things Estrella found suspicious, like why Landon insisted she marry Jason. Before the fortune-tellers came into the picture, Landon had briefly broached the subject of marriage, which she had brushed off due to their incompatibility. But after consulting her own fortune-teller and facing pressure from her parents, she had found herself in the current predicament.

After sending Bryce the information, Estrella drove to the courthouse to wrap up her work. Exiting the courthouse around two in the afternoon with a nauseous feeling creeping back, she decided to visit the hospital. She needed to get some medicine for what could be a recurring bout of gastritis.

By three-thirty, Estrella had her results in hand when Jason’s call came through. “Where are you?”

“After finishing work at the court, I came straight to the hospital. Got the results. I’ll snap a photo for you.” With that, she sent Jason the picture of her medical report.

Jason’s voice was cold. “Estrella, you don’t have a husband.”

Estrella chuckled. “Then what are you?” She quickly added, “No need to make a mountain out of a molehill. Did you see the report? Gastritis, that’s all. I’m used to handling hospital visits on my own.”

7/2 Chapter 148 “I saw it,” he replied, his tone softening. “Got a meeting tonight. I’ll be home late.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Estrella asked the doctor, “Could you prescribe some folic acid and a few other vitamins, please?”

“Sure. I’ll get those ready for you.”

Past ten that evening, fresh from a shower and ready for bed, Estrella heard Jason return, a faint trace of alcohol on his breath.

“You’re back,” she noted.

“Didn’t work late tonight?” he inquired.

“Everyone deserves a break,” Estrella replied, moving closer to hang his suit jacket on the rack.

Jason watched her, his gaze then shifting to the medical report on the table. He paused, picked it up, and flipped it open. It confirmed what she had sent earlier: no pregnancy, just gastritis.

Jason’s gaze drifted over to the folic acid and vitamins laid out on the table. Estrella, noticing his attention, chimed in, “Well, I figured since we’re planning on it, might as well start taking them, right? We’re going to need them eventually.”

Jason responded with a nonchalant “Hmm,” setting aside the report he had been reading. However, it was clear that his spirits weren’t as high as they had been a few days earlier.

Estrella, picking up on his mood, prodded gently, “Not thrilled because we’re not expecting yet?”

After her words hung in the air, Jason reached out, pulling her into his embrace, his chin resting on her shoulder. “A bit disappointed,” he admitted.

The night before, Marie had been so confident that Estrella was pregnant, and Jason, caught up in the moment, believed he was on the brink of fatherhood. But it turned out to be a false alarm.

Estrella didn’t know that earlier that morning, Jason had asked his secretary to buy a whole array of maternity and baby items.

Now, all those preparations seemed to be useless.

Feeling Jason’s disappointment, Estrella’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t anticipated such a strong reaction from Jason. After all, he had always been reluctant about having children.

Tilting her head to look up at him, Estrella softly called out, “Jason, actually...”