Chapter 2 It's Yours

Shawn Edwards' eyes narrowed as he asked sharply, "And?"

Did she intend to claim a miscarriage and seek compensation from him?

His gaze fell on the woman before him. Her face was pale, but her eyes sparkled brilliantly, reminiscent of the moon in a clear night sky.

Regrettably, this woman had intentions of blackmailing him.

Gazing into the man's icy stare, Ryann was left in shock.

He didn't remember her.

Her heart dropped.

But as she pondered her present circumstances, she inhaled deeply and reminded him, "The night of June 11th, Room 1908 at the Twilight Hotel."

Shawn remained silent.

That enchanting night from two months ago was still vivid in his mind.

He scrutinized the woman and queried, "Were you the one from that night?"

Under his intense gaze, Ryann managed to nod despite the heat rising in her cheeks.

He questioned further, "You're pregnant?"

Ryann nodded once more, her voice barely above a whisper as she cautiously affirmed, "It's yours..."

"How can you be sure it's mine?"

Ryann was taken aback and raised her gaze to meet his chilling stare.

She nibbled her lower lip, her voice tinged with sadness as she explained, "Before that night, I had never been intimate with anyone else. It was my first time. You should remember how it felt that night..."

Shawn's expression grew darker.

He had been drugged that night, his awareness blurred. He hadn't paid attention to such details.

But when he had awoken the next day, he did recall seeing traces of blood on the sheets.

However, even though she had given him her virginity, it didn't necessarily mean she hadn't been intimate with other men after that night.

After all, she was a woman who would boldly enter a stranger's hotel room.

He didn't want to prolong the argument on the street. He pulled out a checkbook, pen in hand, and asked icily, "How much do you want?"

Ryann's hands balled into fists.

She felt humiliated to her core.

She fantasized about being like those heroines in TV dramas, snatching the check, ripping it up, and throwing it in his face.

But then she remembered Stella, lying in the hospital, dependent on her for the medical bills...

Ryann replied with a heavy heart, "Five hundred thousand dollars. I need five hundred thousand..."

The attending doctor mentioned that Stella's surgery would require a minimum of five hundred thousand dollars.

Shawn was about to write a check for one hundred thousand dollars. Hearing her request, he scoffed and added another zero without hesitation.

He extended the check and stated coldly, "Here's a million dollars. Take care of the abortion yourself. I don't want to see you suddenly reappear and keep bothering me about your pregnancy. Do you get it?"

Ryann's head bowed, her hand trembling as she reached for the check.

She believed she must have appeared very ugly as she reached for the check, to the extent that Shawn impatiently pulled his hand back before she could grasp it.

The check slipped from his grasp, fluttering down to her feet and landing on the ground.

The man turned and drove off without a second glance.

Ryann stood motionless for several minutes before stooping to pick up the check.

She lifted her head and straightened her back; a solitary tear splashed onto the cement road.

In the Murphy family's house.

Melinda was supposedly cleaning Ryann's room.

However, the truth was that she was digging through the cabinets, looking for something.

She was checking to see if Ryann had any valuable items she could borrow.

Of course, she had no intention of giving them back to Ryann.

In any case, Ryann was now beneath the servants in the Murphy family's hierarchy. No one would come to her defense if Melinda took her belongings.

However, after a lengthy search, Melinda still couldn't find anything valuable.

She knew that after Phyllis's return, Phyllis had destroyed Ryann's beautiful clothes and bags and taken all the valuable jewelry.

But Melinda was still surprised to find absolutely nothing left of worth!

"What a stroke of bad luck!"

Melinda yanked the quilt off Ryann's bed and flung it to the floor.

"Bang."

An object tumbled out.

Melinda's eyes sparkled. She thought she'd found a hidden treasure of Ryann's. She eagerly picked it up.

But then-

Melinda's expression shifted to shock when she saw what she held.

The very next moment, she dashed out in a hurry.

"Mrs. Murphy!"

Smack-

When Ryann stepped into the room, Lynda slapped her hard across the face.

Lynda was seething. "Where were you? Why did you leave without completing the marriage registration with Mr. Ward?"

Ryann, bearing the sting on her cheek, replied, "I don't want to marry him."

"Why not? Just because he is a womanizer? But what about you? You're no different from him!"

Suddenly, Lynda flung something to the floor and yelled, "You're pregnant before marriage! Ryann, I never thought you'd be so reckless! You shameless wretch!"

Ryann's eyes fixed on the pregnancy test stick on the floor, her mind momentarily blank.

"Despite all our efforts to educate you, your poor origin shows. You've brought disgrace to the Murphy family!"

Lynda let out a disdainful snort and continued in a frigid tone, "Leave! After committing such a disgraceful act, you can't remain in the Murphy family any longer."

Then Lynda dropped a hint to Melinda.

Melinda quickly dashed into the adjoining room, returning with a suitcase she tossed in front of Ryann.

"Miss Murphy... No, just Ryann. Here are all your belongings. Take them and leave immediately!"

Lynda, arms crossed, gazed down at Ryann with disdain as though she were nothing more than an insect. "I've cared for you all these years. Even after Phyllis returned, I never thought to cast you out. But you've shown yourself to be corrupt and beyond redemption. The Murphy family has been generous enough to you. I'm left with no option but to leave you to fend for yourself from now on!"

"Ha-ha." Ryann let out a bitter laugh.

Lynda's brow furrowed. "What's so funny?"

Ryann lifted her gaze, her dark eyes veiled with a misty layer. "The only reason you didn't push me away until now is that you were afraid of the world accusing you of abandoning your adopted daughter once you discovered your biological one. Don't pretend to be something you're not."

Ryann had sensed the Murphy family's changing attitudes soon after Phyllis's arrival and had wanted to leave.

However, the Murphy family stopped her.

It wasn't because they were unwilling to let her go, but because they didn't want to face public criticism!

Now that Lynda had leverage over Ryann, she could finally expel her from the Murphy family. She must be delighted.

Once her true intentions were revealed, a flicker of unmasked anger crossed Lynda's face. "So, you're pointing fingers at me now? If I hadn't taken you in, you'd be on the streets! You don't know how to show gratitude for my kindness. Phyllis was right about you; you are ungrateful! It's no surprise your biological parents left you!"

Ryann's biological parents had always been a sensitive topic in her heart. She tightened her fists and said with a choked voice, "No, I'm thankful for you raising me all these years, even if you saw me as a replacement and only used me to fill the void in your heart!"

She pulled out a card from her bag containing the money from Shawn's check. "There's five hundred thousand dollars in here. Consider it repayment for your care. It's not enough, I know. But considering Phyllis' abuse over the last six months, I should have demanded some compensation for my physical and emotional distress. We're even now. As you've always wanted, we have nothing to do with each other anymore!"

Lynda eyed the card with disgust. "Where did you get this money? Did you offer yourself to others for money?"

Before Phyllis' return, Lynda was stingy with Ryann's allowance. And for the past six months, she hadn't given Ryann a single penny.

Logically, Ryann's card should have been nearly depleted from covering Stella's medical expenses.

How could she possibly have five hundred thousand dollars now?

Ryann didn't want to revisit the humiliating experience of asking Shawn for money. Without much explanation, she placed the card on the floor and bowed deeply to Lynda.

"Please take good care of yourself."

Then, Ryann dragged her suitcase and left without looking back.

As she approached the gate, a voice suddenly sounded above her, saying, "Hey!"