Billionaires with Benefits

148 148. Unwanted Pregnancy

Linda was panicked. Clara was rushed to the hospital immediately because she was sick. While Ryan, the designer was only treated at home because he immediately realized and cried over a dirty dress. However, he soon recovered after Linda said she would pay him five times as much if he would work on a new dress. After that, Ryan immediately returned to the boutique to rework the dirty dress. He used everything at his disposal to make the new dress.

Meanwhile, Clara was still unconscious. Patrick, who accompanied his wife to send their daughter to the hospital, asked Linda to just go home. His wife looked very tired because she was preparing for Clara’s engagement party which was only a short time away.

“Go home. You need to take a rest. I will wait for Clara here,” Patrick said while stroking his wife dearly.

Linda looked doubtful. How could she let her daughter be with her father? So far, the two of them have never been on good terms. They often get into fights because Patrick was hard on Clara.

“I want to wait for Clara. She must be feeling very anxious and scared. I understand that it’s unusual to get engaged at such a young age, isn’t it?” asked Linda, begging to be left with Clara at a critical moment.

“Linda, don’t you believe me?” asked Patrick, slightly offended. “I’m her father. Trust me.”

Linda smiled bitterly. How could she believe it? All this time Patrick had not shown that he deserved to be called father to Clara. He only thought about what Clara could give in return for having been cared for so well by the Decker family.

“I—”

“I’ll call you when Clara wakes up. You can come back later after you have had a good rest at home,” Patrick offered, hoping that this time Linda would agree. “Don’t let yourself get sick from exhaustion too.”

.....

“Okay. I’ll go home first,” Linda said resignedly. She did admit that she was tired. If she got sick, Patrick would be in trouble.

Patrick felt relieved. He kissed his wife’s tired face and let her go when the driver was waiting outside the hospital.

Not long after, doctor Andrea Evans, the doctor who was in charge of Clara’s case, called Patrick. The female doctor in her sixties then asked him to talk in a private room.

“She’s pregnant,” said the female doctor with a straight face. She knew Clara and Patrick well. She knew that a smart and very intelligent 16-year-old girl should not have a pregnancy at such a young age. Clara still wanted to be a doctor. The presence of an unwanted child can eliminate her self-confidence.

“Impossible. My daughter can’t possibly get pregnant at such a young age. She’s never even had a date,” Patrick said, not believing the results of the examination.

“The test results are not wrong, Patrick! Clara is indeed five weeks pregnant,” said doctor Evans.

“Five weeks?” Patrick asked himself. He was trying to figure out who the father of Clara’s baby was. Was it Dave? However, Clara and Dave had only been dating for three weeks. They did seem to like each other, but there was no way to go that far.

Patrick then remembered that Clara had slipped out of sight five weeks ago when he was out of town. The girl stayed a night at a friend’s house. Clara must have done something wild, stupid, and embarrassing then.

Patric growled, his teeth grinding so loudly that doctor Evans heard him. “Stupid kid! She’s smart, but not smart enough not to get herself pregnant!”

“I know you’re panicking. But here’s the truth. I hope you can support—”

“Support?” he asked coldly. Anger was clear in his amber eyes. “Why should I support this stupid pregnancy?”

Doctor Evans paused. She looked at Patrick with a cold gaze. “What do you mean?”

“You have to pretend this pregnancy never existed. Only you and I know about this,” Patrick glared at Doctor Evans who wanted to avoid him. “That includes Clara and Linda.”

Doctor Evans shook her head slowly. She didn’t want to see Patrick with that cold stare. According to her, Clara should be involved in decision-making.

“I can’t do it, Patrick. Your daughter’s case is not trivial. The womb is not as healthy as other women’s wombs. This could be her first and last pregnancy,” Doctor Evans whispered, begging Patrick to reconsider his decision.

“If you can’t, please pack your things immediately, and I’ll find another doctor who will do it for me,” Patrick said coldly. He was like a father who did not care at all about his daughter.

“Patrick!”

“No objections!” Patrick insisted. “And just remember, I will not let people who are against me live comfortably and quietly.”

Doctor Evans could only widen her eyes in disbelief. During this time, she tried to live honestly. However, she did not expect that her honesty would be tested.

“Remember! I hold the secret to your malpractice failure. If you don’t obey me, I will spill everything to the public and your career will be destroyed instantly,” Patrick threatened the woman in a deep whisper.

“Why?” asked Doctor Evans later. “Why do you have the heart to do this … to your daughter?”

“She’s getting engaged to Dave Johnson next week. Make sure there’s nothing in her womb at that time,” Patrick said without pity.

“You are mean, Patrick!” Doctor Evans’ hands were shaking. “What will you tell Clara if she can’t have children in the future?”

“Sometimes, life does require me to act like this, Andrea!” whispered Patrick without looking at Doctor Evans. “It’s not easy living like me. Many employees depend on my company for their lives.”

Doctor Evans fell silent. She swallowed the bitter pill of her weakness in front of Patrick.

“This engagement cannot fail. Clara had to sacrifice for the sake of many people.” That was all Patrick said before he left Doctor Evans’ room. The man didn’t even look back to correct his words. He did consciously negate the existence of his future grandchild.