Chapter 7 The Frightened Kitten's Savior

The vulnerable look in Jenessa's eyes seemed to arouse Julio even further. With an eager glint in his eye, he picked up a goblet and brought it to her lips, practically forcing her to take a sip.

"Come on, I won't make things hard for you-just have one drink with me, and I'll let you go. Simple, right?"

The sickly sweet scent of alcohol filled Jenessa's nose, and a wave of nausea washed over her.

She resisted the urge to gag and pushed the goblet away. "Enough!"

The goblet tipped over, spilling its contents all over Julio's expensive clothes.

"You fucking bitch! How dare you?!"

Julio's pudgy face turned red with anger as he raised his hand to slap her.

Jenessa, having no time to dodge, squeezed her eyes shut in fear.

"Ah-!"

A scream pierced the air, but it didn't come from Jenessa's lips, and the expected pain never came to her.

Confused, Jenessa cautiously opened her eyes, only to see Ryan standing in front of her, forcefully pinning Julio's wrist to the table.

Julio writhed in pain, his face contorting in agony.

"What do you take me for, a joke? How dare you lay a hand on my woman? Do you have a death wish?" Ryan snarled, throwing Julio's hand away with force.

Jenessa's heart skipped a beat. Did Ryan just call her "his woman"?

At Ryan's outburst, Julio's face turned ashen. Only then did it dawn on him that he had just crossed a dangerous line.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Haynes! Truly! I didn't realize... I mean, I had no idea she was yours. Well, I-I thought she was just a secretary."

The trembling Julio scrambled to his knees on the floor, begging for forgiveness. "Mr. Haynes, please give me another chance. I promise it won't happen again."

"Too late," Ryan sneered in a grave voice. He then calmly wiped his hands with a handkerchief as though he had touched something dirty. "Julio Sawyer, from now on, WorldLink and all its subsidiaries will cease any cooperation with you."

Ryan's words, albeit brief and to the point, made Julio go limp. He crumpled to the floor in a heap.

Ryan had practically doomed Julio, excommunicating him from the business world. With a formidable force like WorldLink blacklisting Julio, no one else would want to do business with him.

Julio knew his career was over.

Ryan turned to leave but paused when he saw the stunned Jenessa. "Why are you just sitting there? Let's go."

Hearing this, Jenessa hurriedly followed Ryan out, like a frightened kitten scampering after its savior.

Her every movement was mechanical; staring at Ryan's tall back in front of her, she fell into a trance.

Why had Ryan helped her? And he even banned that man from the industry.

Had he done it just because Julio harassed her?

Jenessa's heart fluttered at the thought, but she quickly dismissed it. She couldn't be that important to Ryan, could she?

She hesitated, countless questions swirling in her mind. Just as she opened her mouth to ask Ryan directly, the latter suddenly spoke. "I have something else to do, so go home by yourself."

Jenessa nodded, her questions remaining unspoken.

As soon as she got back home, a maid brought over a cup of herbal tea.

"Mr. Haynes said you encountered something terrible today, so he had us make you this. It can help calm your nerves. Please drink it."

Jenessa stared at the herbal tea in surprise. Did Ryan really order the household staff to do this?

Thinking of the baby in her belly, she gently shook her head and said, "Thank you, but I don't feel like drink it."

The maid, however, winked at her meaningfully and whispered, "There are some herbs in it that are beneficial for fertility."

Jenessa was stunned, not understanding Ryan's intentions. Could he really be considering having a baby with her, as his grandma had suggested?

For a moment, a flicker of hope lit up in Jenessa's heart.

If her guess was right, then Ryan might want to keep the baby!

Jenessa retreated to her room and fished out the folded pregnancy test result from her pocket, wondering whether she should break the news to Ryan.

Lost in thought, she failed to notice when Ryan entered.

"What're you doing?" Ryan's voice startled her.

Jenessa jumped, her heart racing. Without thinking, she instinctively hid the document behind her back and stammered, "N-nothing."

Ryan approached her, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you hiding? And why are you so nervous?"

"Nothing! Really!" Jenessa insisted, gripping the document tighter, all the color draining from her face.

At her reaction, Ryan's suspicion only grew.

He swiftly reached for her hand behind her, easily snatching the paper from her grasp and unfolding it to read the results.