Chapter 6 She Is Pregnant

Jasmine's lips curved into a smile as she jumped off the bed and walked to the full-length mirror by the door.

Seeing her finally get up, Nicola was stunned. "‌Jasmine, you're not thinking of doing something stupid again, are you? Think about your mom back home. If you don't send money from your job, how's she supposed to survive? You can't die."

Jasmine bit down on a hair tie as she brushed her hair. "You're right. I need to stay alive-for my mom. I've thought it through. It's just my first time. No big deal."

She tied her hair into a high ponytail, changed into an all-white tracksuit, pulled on a black baseball cap, and lowered the brim to hide her face.

Slinging a shoulder bag over one arm, she said, "I'm heading out to get something to eat."

"‌Jasmine, wait! People are talking like crazy about you online right now-who knows what kind of creeps are lurking around. Let me go with you!" Nicola quickly started changing clothes and shoes to catch up with her.

But by the time she ran out of the dorm, Jasmine had already vanished.

Panic shot through Nicola as she called Jasmine's phone-only to hear it was turned off.

At that moment, Jasmine was flying down the stairs, practically taking five steps in three. For the past month, she had obediently stayed in her dorm. Partly, it was to give Bruce and Darlene some breathing room. After all, she wanted money, not the man.

Now that Darlene was missing, it was clear that in Bruce's heart, she would always come first. So if Jasmine tried to keep gaining sympathy through public drama and fake suicide stunts, it would be useless. Everyone's attention had already shifted to Darlene.

There was no point wasting more energy on it.

Her earlier chaos had already achieved the desired effect. It was time to pull back.

As Rose always said, a woman working in this industry had to leave herself room-both in life and in strategy. That space could one day be the turning point. And Jasmine hadn't just left them space-she'd left them a whole pile of tragic bait to remember her by.

She walked straight out of university gates, hopped on a bus, and headed to Felix's place.

But when she pushed open the door, she froze.

The living room was a total mess-clothes and pants strewn everywhere.

On the couch, Felix was making love with a young woman.

The woman shrieked when she saw the door swing open, screaming over and over again in panic.

Jasmine took a breath to steady herself, then walked in slowly with a blank expression on her face. She headed straight to the table, picked up the printed pregnancy test results, and flipped through a few pages before walking into the bedroom.

"‌Jasmine, hang on a second," Felix called out casually, not bothered by her sudden appearance at all. He picked up a phone from the table and tossed it to her. "New phone, new SIM card-anti-surveillance."

Jasmine caught the phone, didn't even glance at him, and walked straight into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the window and carefully examined the test reports in her hand. Everything looked flawless-no loopholes.

Back in the living room, the couple went at it nearly all night.

For the first time, Jasmine realized just how much stamina Felix had. No wonder he was Rainbow Nightclub's top male escort-his sex skills were no joke.

After hesitating for a long while, she finally pulled out her own phone and stepped onto the balcony. Without a trace of emotion on her face, she dialed Bruce's number and cleared her throat.

The line rang for a long time without anyone picking up.

But she knew he would.

He had to.

She had given them a whole month of breathing room-more than enough time for him to handle the mess with Darlene and dampen the backlash from her disappearance.

If she reached out now, he wouldn't be too tied up to respond.

Every step she took was calculated, and this one was timed just right.

Sure enough, right before the call was about to time out, someone picked up.

Bruce's deep, smooth voice came through the line, calm and composed. "Hello?"

Jasmine's voice suddenly began to tremble, almost as if she were crying. "Bruce... are you in the capital right now?"

There was a brief pause. "I am."

Her voice shook even harder. "Did you find Darlene?"

"Yeah."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah."

Tears spilled from Jasmine's eyes in an instant. Her throat tightened, and she couldn't get another word out. Her restrained sobs made her sound like the very picture of heartbreak-miserable and fragile. She didn't say anything else.

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and then Bruce spoke again, his voice low and steady. "What happened that night was my fault. I'm sorry. If there's anything you want, just tell me-I'll do what I can to make it up to you."

Jasmine choked out a quiet sob. "Bruce... can you come out for a bit? I want to talk."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

Another stretch of silence.

Just when Jasmine thought he might hang up, Bruce finally said, "Meet me at Nostalgia Cafe. Around-"

Before he could finish, a loud noise erupted from the living room. The woman Felix had brought home let out a dramatic, moaning cry that echoed into the bedroom-clear enough to carry through the phone.

Bruce clearly heard it. He suddenly went silent.

Jasmine's expression tightened. She quickly said into the phone, "I'm at the OB-GYN clinic. Someone just gave birth-it's noisy as hell. Forget Nostalgia Cafe. Meet me at Buzz Plaza instead. We'll talk there."

She hung up before he could respond, glaring at the living room with annoyance. That was close. Almost blew her cover.

With a cold face and her baseball cap pulled low, she grabbed her shoulder bag, yanked open the door, and walked out without even glancing at the live-action porn show happening on the couch.

Felix called after her, "All set?"

Jasmine didn't answer. She slammed the door hard behind her, pouring all her pent-up anger into it.

Nostalgia Cafe was where Bruce and Darlene often went on dates. Darlene loved the style of the place because she liked the Nostalgia River. Every time they had a date there, she would drag Jasmine along.

But tonight's tearful scene really didn't suit a place as romantic as Nostalgia Cafe. One wrong move and things could easily spiral out of control-there would be no room to maneuver.

Just like her usual style, she wore a white tracksuit that day, paired with a black baseball cap and black sneakers. She looked fresh and clean, her 5'9" frame lean and athletic. Her long legs and crisp outfit gave her a striking, commanding presence-cool, poised, and sharp.

By the time she arrived at Buzz Plaza, it was already past 10 p.m.

From a distance, she spotted Bruce leaning against his car. He wore a black cap pulled low over his eyes. He was tall-about 6'2" by her estimate-and undeniably handsome. His features were sharp and elegant, his appearance clean and crisp.

In terms of looks, he was easily the most attractive man Jasmine had ever seen. He had that aristocratic face, the kind that belonged to a medieval prince-noble, composed, and refined.

He always kept a low profile. Unless he was attending some formal event, he stayed out of the spotlight. In those rare public appearances, he'd show up in a tailored suit, always calm and distant. But in private, whenever he went out, he wore that signature black cap-maybe trying to shield that stunning face of his, the one that turned heads without fail.

In that way, he was a lot like Jasmine. She wore hats too, though hers were for a different reason-purely for a sense of safety.

Ever since she sold her first night and started working as an escort, she often kept her face hidden beneath a hat.

Now, he was dressed in a black T-shirt, black jeans, and that same black baseball cap. His frame was long and lean, especially his legs-so straight and long they almost looked unreal. He stood leaning against the car, glancing at his watch every so often.

Funny thing was, his hat was the exact same model as Jasmine's.

She took a moment to stir up her emotions, let the tears rise, and then slowly walked toward him.

Bruce had clearly already seen her, but he didn't move, as if waiting for her to come closer.

She clenched the prenatal test sheet tightly in her hand. By the time she reached him, she was already crying, tears streaming down her face. Her head was lowered, and the drops hit the pavement one by one.

"There were too many people at Nostalgia Cafe," she said softly, voice choked. "I was scared someone might take pictures... and post them online."

Bruce replied, "That won't happen again. Don't worry."

Jasmine nodded and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I'm not mad at you anymore, so don't beat yourself up. It's just..."

At that point, she bit down hard on her lip, trying to hold back the tears, but they only came faster. Her body trembled even more.

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, then shakily held out the test results. "You... you should take a look at this."

Bruce took the paper and glanced down. The brim of his cap was pulled so low that only his pale, sculpted jawline was visible.

The shadow cast by the cap darkened his face, making it impossible for her to read his expression. She couldn't guess what he might be thinking.

From the moment he took that report into his hands, he hadn't moved an inch.