A Graduation Gift

Taking a glimpse at Lionel, Jill hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke out, "I know you don't like Cassandra, but she was selected by your father. It won't be easy for Ivy to replace her as your wife, Lionel.

Maybe, we should talk to Ivy. If she agrees to carry the pregnancy to term and give you the baby, we can pay her off with a huge sum of money. We can make the whole sum negotiable, so as to find a fair deal for both sides." Lionel didn't even know how he felt about that decision. Ivy had been with him for so many years, and he had promised her a lot of things. Right now, it seemed that the marriage he had promised her wasn't going to come true.

To add to that, there was no way she could face the possibility of being stripped of the right of a mother. It would be too cruel for her.

Carefully studying the hesitation on Lionel's face, Jill knew that it was hard for him to break up with Ivy, in whom he had been emotionally invested for years.

But Jill persisted, regardless of his feelings. "How about, you let me do it on your behalf, if you feel too bad about talking her into the deal?" she suggested.

Given the current state of things, the best person to carry out this task would be Jill.

However, she underestimated the resistance the pregnant girl would put up.

"This baby is mine. No one can take it away from me!" Ivy shouted.

To her, Jill must be kidding. She had been waiting for the day, when she would become a legal member of the Tang family, for so many years. If she was just after the money only, she could have chosen a sugar daddy, anyone wealthy enough to shower money on her. What she really wanted wasn't the small pay-off that Jill was offering. It wasn't even mere love from Lionel that she wanted. The girl had her eyes set on the capture of entire Tang Group.

As a common trend in the society, a woman could turn her life upside down by a good marriage. For seven years of her relationship with Lionel, Ivy had painstakingly planned for her turning point. How could she just give up for the paltry pay off that Jill was proposing?

Over the years, Ivy had come to know that Jill was a cunning woman and not someone to deal with easily.

That emboldened the girl more. "Whether the baby will bear Luo or Tang as the surname, is yours to decide," Ivy threatened. There was no way she was going to let Jill have the last word on this.

Inside, she told herself, 'I don't really care what the surname of the baby is. What I really care about is getting legally married to Lionel!

Now this baby is my last chance and my bargain chip. I have to make full use of it.'

"I'm pregnant with your son's baby, Madam. The only thing I want is for him to be responsible and give me a home. Given the complications I'm having with the pregnancy, I only want to live with him until the baby is born. After that, if Tang family doesn't approve me as a daughter-in-law, I'll leave the baby to your family, go overseas and never come back again!" Ivy declared her terms with her teary eyes.

It was difficult for Jill to tell whether the tears were genuine or she was just being melodramatic.

"All these years I have been with Lionel, believing we were meant to be a perfect couple. That was until Cassandra Qin came in and ruined our relationship. Now I have realized that Lionel and I may be just doomed to part our ways. The only thing I ask for now, is to have him take me in for the next few difficult months of the pregnancy. Is it too much to ask just for a few months of him taking responsibility?" Ivy challenged.

This was indeed her last chance. If she could just outwit Jill on this, she would be closer to pulling her real clincher. As a woman herself, Jill could feel for Ivy and her choice to trade the baby only for a few months of living with Lionel. With an open heart, Jill fell for the deal.

"Rest assured. We will treat the kid as part of the family! He is my first grandson! You can start preparing yourself to move in. I will talk to his father about the arrangement once I find a chance."

After seeing Jill off, Ivy, while still in tears, smiled sarcastically.

'Women are the most fragile creatures in the world, but are also the most cruel ones in the meantime.

heart of stone to obtain what she desires; while a woman with a heart to love is bound

are able to battle face to face now.

to that. How about you?' she

dancing. Everyone was in a sprite, enjoying the lively and cordial atmosphere. It was

dark night. The main entrance was paved with a red carpet to

the show with a perfectly timed late arrival.

came through the door, they made heads turn, and elicited excited talks form

milk white evening dress, and the

different in her own right, both looked stunning.

ethereal, drawing envious eyes from the women all over. They just couldn't take

low tones about the identities

suit, he looked stunning

a genial smile and signaled

into his, and put

was as beautiful as a picture. They were the most perfect couple

the other woman beside

didn't even honor her with a simple glance. To make it worse, he had all

could she win the affection of

scene in the eyes of everyone else, was a

to the dance floor gracefully. You'd think think they were professional dancers.

in the room, giving her an even more elegant sparkles, but she

ear, "You are so captivating

and it was not the second, but she would never acquire the skill of remaining calm

was noticed by Cloris, who was closely watching the two. Jealousy engulfed her like a raging

hand to her and invited her for a dance,

obviously a familiar face, but the name seemed

was Arthur Zhuang, the head of Dawn Star Group. Of course, his

slender hand on his. Following behind him, she moved onto the

noticed they constantly got close to the pair of Cassandra and Rufus.

what Cassandra and Rufus were talking about because of their soft voices and the noisy background, she could tell that Cassandra was really enjoying it, as indicated by the big grin on her face. Like a dagger, that grin pierced right through

are you not with your wife

this question deliberately, intending to get straight to the burning issue on

I am

politely, not taking offence at the private

were married. I was thinking that your wife might have failed to attend for one reason or another, like

something wrong in her statement, just as she

is married?" he