A Phone Call

"Dad, how could you be so cruel?" Laura Thomson covered her rosy cheeks. Her big pretty eyes were filled with dismay.

Mark Thomson glared at his daughter and barked, "You have to do this for our company."

"Leila Owen is also your daughter. Why don't you let her..." She retorted tearfully, her lips trembling.

"Enough, can you even match her?" Mark cut her short and waved his hand without the slightest hesitation in his eyes, "Bring her back to the room; no more mistakes."

Laura shivered in a corner, and her hair stood on end.

A streak of light suddenly came in. Rubbing his hands, a lewd Mr. Giles entered the room, saw the scared girl, and got excited, "Babe; you'll enjoy this."

Laura braced her shoulders and shuddered, "Don't... don't come any closer."

"Bitch, I spent five million yuan on buying you off, so stop pretending." Mr. Giles grabbed her shoulder, and his dark yellow nails dug into her flesh.

"Go to hell!" In her despair, Laura drew out a fruit knife from behind and stabbed the man in the belly.

In an instant, blood stained the floor and streamed to her feet like a blooming mandala.

"Ah!" She screamed and woke up from the nightmare.

She swallowed, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and felt a pricking pain from her wound.

Three years ago, Mr. Giles accused her of attempted murder, and she was found guilty. The same nightmare haunted her every night. It would not kill her but prolonged her throes.

The hellish life in prison was worse than death.

A streak of strong light cast on her face. Laura abruptly closed her eyes. Under the light, her face looked bloodless, and her messy hair covered the wound on her forehead. Three years of imprisonment witnessed her being beaten every day.

"Laura, come out." A jailer opened her cell, but his flashlight never left her for a second.

Laura frowned, wondering where they were taking her at such late hours, but had to obey.

"Lucky day, you got yourself a visitor and might not have to come back again."

"Who is it?" She panicked.

"Why do you care?" The jailer reproached.

She was led into a room with only a stool and a telephone set. In front of her was a glass wall that reflected her terrible condition.

The phone suddenly rang.

A startled Laura bounced up from the stool and had a hunch. This phone call would change her life.

"Hello!"

"Miss Thomson, please excuse me for meeting you in such a way due to your special condition." A senile voice reached her ears. A flustered Laura looked around, found no monitors in the room, and then laid her eyes on the glass.

"I can understand. Anything I can do for you?" Laura involuntarily grasped the phone.

The person laughed from the other end of the phone, "This old man only has one hope: to have a great-grandson. However, there aren't any women around my grandson. As long as you bear his seed in one year, you'll not only have a new identity to live in the world but also receive 30% shares of Future Entertainment."

Laura trembled as his father sold her off to save the very company. "Okay, you have my words." She replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Don't you need some time to think about it?"

Laura bit her lip tightly, and a flicker of hatred flashed across her eyes. She hated every member of the Thomson Family. They sent her to prison while her sister even bribed those prisoners and jailers.

In the past three years, she just wished for death, but the thought of them enjoying her possessions gave rise to such intense hatred that it overpowered her wish to die. Now that a second chance was given to her, she swore she would make her enemies pay.

"No." Laura answered coldly, "I'm in no position to negotiate terms."

"Very well."

As soon as the voice died away, several figures appeared from the other side of the glass. Her pupils contracted. Them?

"Take Miss Thomson to change her clothes."

Following the order, several big bodyguards in black clothes came in, "Miss Thomson, this way please."

Not daring to look at those behind the glass, Laura lowered her head. The legendary Griffith Family was an existence she could never afford to offend.

"Sir, do you really allow Jackson to marry a prisoner?" The butler bent over and reminded his boss.

Reid, Patriarch of the Griffith Family, cursed indignantly, "That brat demanded this. Can I sit back and watch my family die out?"

The butler shut up his mouth. Their young master was crippled by a car accident one year ago, and his fiancée left him. Like being possessed, he longed for that woman.

Then he suddenly asked to marry a prisoner.

"Remember, keep this between us." Reid Griffith said fiercely.

Laura took off the dirty, smelly uniform for prisoners, changed into a backless white dress, washed her face, looked at the woman in the mirror, and smiled.

They took a special passage. After the gate opened, she saw flowers blooming outside. Spring was in the air, and she smelt fragrance. The sunlight landed on her, and her eyes glistened.

"Miss Thomson, please get in." The butler opened the door, urging her to get in the car.

Griffith's Mansion was located in the suburbs, covering around 100 acres. In B City, the price of land was sky-high, and the Griffith Family was in the center of power.

"Jackson lives in this villa. Go in and wait for him." Reid signaled to her to get off.

"Yes, sir." Laura nodded, but Reid's voice came over again.

"Bear Jackson's seed as soon as possible. You can resort to special means."

Laura trembled, hurriedly opened the car door, and fled.

The house was clean, or empty to be precise. There was only some necessary furniture and furnishings. It looked large and a little... scary.

Given Reid's remarks, her husband would be Jackson Griffith? She knew this man back when they were in college. At the terminal show of the freshman year, he watched their performance as a guest. From those female classmates, she learned how great the man was.

But how would such an outstanding man want to marry her? Besides, didn't he have a fiancée?

Laura waited on the sofa for a long time until drowsiness got the better of her. Suddenly, a knock on the woodblock came over, and a person slowly drifted to her.

She slowly lifted her eyelids, but it was all dark in front of her. "I... I am Jackson's wife. If you dare to touch me, he won't let you off."

Her voice was shaky and not intimidating at all.

"I'm here to claim your life..." The voice echoed in her ears.

Laura dared not make a sound. How did this odd person break into Griffith's house? Her life was in her hands. How could she die for no reason!

The knock on the woodblock was getting louder. In her desperation, she felt a teacup on the table and intended to smash his head, but everything just stopped.

She opened her eyes, only to see a nanny pushing over a disabled person.

"Miss Thomson, what is this?" Melody asked curiously.

"I... I slipped."

Was the man in the wheelchair Jackson?

A flicker of suspicion flashed across her eyes, and then she acted as if nothing had happened.

"Aggrieved?" Jackson laid his cold eyes on her and said blandly, "Heh! You thought you could rise to the top, only to find your future husband handicapped."

"No, I never thought that way."

"Get out." Jackson snapped, rolling the wheelchair to the wine cabinet.

Laura bit her bloodless lip, hesitant to leave. Melody bowed deeply to Jackson and turned away first.

"Mr. Griffith." Laura inched her way to the man but knew not what to say. Was it really fine to talk about having a baby as soon as they met?

"Out." Without even a glance at her, Jackson poured himself a glass of wine.

"Let me help you put it back." Laura tried to grab the glass. Before her fingers could touch it, there came a loud crash. The wine spilled all over the floor, and broken pieces were everywhere.

"Don't touch me, you dirty swine."

Laura panicked and realized the reason why they looked for a prisoner. Ordinary girls could not put up with his bad temper. "S... sorry, I won't do this again."

"Mr. Griffith, your hand is bleeding." The broken glass cut his thumb.

The faint smell of blood made her sick, and her head swell. The nightmare resurfaced in her mind. She felt weak and happened to collapse on the man.

"Heh! What a good woman found by my grandpa!" Jackson looked at her with a hint of contempt in his eyes.

Laura immediately got up and remembered her mission. Jackson was not wrong.

She smiled at him gently, "Mr. Griffith, since you understand the situation, why don't you cooperate a little bit? That way, both of us will be relieved. I can have a baby, and you can marry your fiancée!"

"What did you say?" Blazing with rage, his eyes fixed on her.

Laura swallowed and winced, "I... Mr. Griffith, your hand is bleeding. Let me help you bandage it."

"Get lost; I don't need your help." He rolled the wheelchair.

Laura followed the man. She only had two months for this. There was no time for her to waste. Since men were animals, she just needed to work on that.

Jackson ignored the wound and headed to the bedroom. As Laura showed no intention of leaving, he looked back and stared at her, "Get out."

Instead of leaving, she sat down on his bed, "Mr. Griffith, I'm not embarrassed. What are you afraid of?"

Jackson slammed the door so forcefully that it shook. A sign of his rage.

Laura heaved a sigh of relief. Her doing was no different from plucking the hair of a tiger. If Jackson were not disabled, she should have died.

She looked around and saw a medical kit on the wardrobe.

She stood on tiptoe, trying to get it, but several pieces of paper fell off. Inadvertently, she had a glimpse of the content and froze there. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes thick with disbelief.

Mr. Griffith, the only heir to his family and her husband, was... impotent.

"Is it fun?" His deep, husky voice wafted over from behind.

Laura abruptly turned back, "S... sorry."

Not in her wildest dreams had she expected such this! If he were impotent, how was she supposed to finish the task assigned by Reid?

She let out a deep breath, smiled at him, and plucked up the courage, saying, "It's okay since medical care is advanced nowadays. I'm sure you'll be cured."

"Say that again?" Jackson flared up and forced the words slowly out of his gritted teeth.

Laura swallowed, "I... sorry, I was just thinking in your shoes."

"Heh! Really? Weren't you thinking about other men since I can't satisfy you in bed?" Jackson sneered.

Laura bit her lower lip, and tears were welling up in her eyes. Clenching her fists, she dared not say another word.

"Out."

He was the boss, and she couldn't go against his will, "Take a rest; I'll be outside. Call me if you need anything."

As soon as she got out, she heard smashed objects in the room.

She could understand his feelings but still fumed with rage. How could he slander her like that?

Handicap and impotency served him right.

Lying on the sofa, Laura looked into the distance.

She didn't dare to sleep. What happened in the afternoon was still vivid in her mind. Who was that person? Why was her life wanted...

The blinding sunlight slanted in through the floor-to-ceiling windows and landed on her. Laura slowly lifted her eyelids, saw dancing particles in the air, reached out her hand but could not catch them.

"So, you're Jackson's woman?"

Laura was startled by the voice of a girl who showed up out of nowhere.

"Heh, just so-so." Victoria Griffith sneered. There were too many such women. They deliberately approached Jackson with one goal. Money!

Laura hurriedly got up. The girl in front of her was around 18 years old. In a lovely dress, she had two ponytails. Her face was pretty and cute, but her way of speech was vicious.

Upon hearing approaching footsteps, Victoria smiled and dropped her mouth to Laura's ear, "You don't deserve Jackson. You ruin others' happiness by being the third wheel."

"Victoria." Eloise Koch frowned and looked for her daughter. Whenever they came to Griffith's Mansion, Victoria would come here first, and she felt helpless.

"Ouch." Victoria groaned, covered her cheek tearfully, and collapsed on the floor. "Laura, did I do anything wrong? How do you hit me?" She said, her lips trembling.

"Bitch."

Before Laura could react, a burning pain came from her face.

She widened her eyes in disbelief and saw Victoria's smirk out of the corner of her eye. The girl was watching the fun.

"I didn't..." Laura opened her mouth, trying to explain, but the noblewoman raised her hand again. She closed her eyes, ready for the slap.

She was not powerful enough to resist humiliation from the Griffiths.

"Enough."

Eloise abruptly drew back her hand inches away from Laura's face and turned around with a spurious smile, "Jackson, greetings, my unruly daughter clamors to see you."

"Mom, what are you talking about? You're the one who wants Jackson's help." Victoria got to her feet, walked to her cousin, and mentioned nothing of what had happened.

Laura shook her head. The slap just now made her see stars.

This wasn't over. She would slap back one day.

"What, you didn't learn your lesson? Don't you know your place?" Eloise reached out to pinch her.

Laura dodged, looked at Jackson, but met his cold eyes. He showed no intention of standing up for her. "I am Mr. Griffith's wife, and you're challenging his authority."

"Bitch, who do you think you are?" Eloise sized her up and laughed contemptuously, "Can a skinny monkey give birth to a son?"

Laura felt a rush of anger in Jackson. Unaware of it, Eloise continued to shout abuse.

Didn't the other members of the Griffith Family know about his illness? If the woman did, she wouldn't have said such harsh words in the presence of him.

"What are you quarreling about early in the morning?" An irritated Reid came in, followed by a group of people.

At the sight of the old man, Eloise walked over, helped him sit down, and continued to complain, "Dad, do you really want Jackson to marry such a dirty woman?"

"What has it got to do with you? Mind your own business and fix all that mess." Reid tapped the floor with his cane angrily, "This is the staff from the Civil Affairs Bureau. He will issue the marriage license for you."

Eloise's mouth was agape, "Dad, you took marriage too lightly. His marriage partner should be a fair lady. Otherwise, people will laugh at us. Besides, who knows if he has an illegitimate child?"

"Get lost now." Reid drove them away with his cane. At the end of the day, her surname was not Griffith. Daring not to say another word, Eloise led her daughter to walk away.

"Mom, don't worry, although our company owes a debt of tens of millions, we can simply find a scapegoat." Victoria smirked with viciousness in her eyes, "Jackson would not mind paying off the debt for his newlywed wife, don't you think?"

Eloise gave her daughter a thumbs up, "Sounds like a plan! If you get this done, I'll let you stay with that poor kid."

Laura's brows furrowed, and her heart convulsed. From her position, she happened to see the vicious faces of the mother and daughter.

After the formalities were completed, Reid carried the two red booklets happily, "Starting today; you're a registered couple. This old man is waiting for his great-grandson, and you two should do your best!"

The corner of her mouth twitched, and she felt short of breath. Jackson was impotent, but his family still urged them to have a baby. It looked like he didn't have the nerves to tell them about his illness.

She should take pity on herself. After coming out of a cage, she soon jumped into a pit of fire. Jackson's secret should not be disclosed. Otherwise, she would die a terrible death.

"I see, grandpa." Jackson glanced at Laura indifferently and strangely, "We'll try."

"Huh?" While still thinking about his impotence, Laura didn't expect his cue, "Yeah, we certainly will."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Reid said with satisfaction and then heaved a deep sigh, "If you really think so, I'm willing to shoulder all the pressure."

Jackson chuckled, took out a document, and placed it in front of her, "Since this is a deal, a wedding is not necessary, just sign the paper!"

Laura skimmed it through and got a general picture. According to the terms, she was not allowed to cuckold him but then found something wrong.

"Mr. Griffith, are you sure..." She whispered and pointed to Clause 33. If she couldn't give birth to his child in the following year, she should pay the Griffiths ten million yuan as compensation.

Jackson glanced at her coldly, "This is your job."

Laura detected ridicule and gloat in his eyes. He did this on purpose. The birth of a child was not only her job, and he... he was impotent. Wasn't this a death sentence for her?

"You have a problem with that?" Jackson arched his brow.

Laura pursed her lips and smiled, "No." She picked up the pen and signed the contract.

"Well, can I go meet my friend?" She feared that they would restrict her freedom.

"Sure." Reid agreed readily, giving her a cell phone and a credit card, "Although your relationship will not be announced to the public, at the end of the day, you're a daughter-in-law of the Griffith Family. This card is limitless. One more thing, we don't keep loafers. After you are familiar with the environment here, I'll let Jackson arrange a position for you in Griffith Group, and you two can build your relationship."

"Thank you." Laura took it with ease.

"Well then, I should go; remember your promise."

Jackson curled up his lips, "Will do."

After the old man walked away, the smile on Jackson's face froze. Like a different person, he demanded, "Undress."

"W... what?" Laura stammered, unsure of what he meant.

"Stop faking it." Jackson squinted at her menacingly.

Her face turned ashen instantly. What did he take her for? A whore?

"Mr. Griffith, I can undress, but can you?" She suddenly laughed.

"Laura, say that again, I dare you!" Jackson flared up as if he were going to eat the ungrateful woman alive.

"I don't have balls, do you?" Laura looked into his furious eyes, undaunted, "You can look down on me, but both of us take what we need. I can contribute, can you?"

Jackson gripped her hand so forcefully that her knuckles made cracking sounds. Laura was scared. Except for the Griffiths, no one knew that she was here. Even if he had her killed in the middle of the night, no one would find out. After all, no one in B City dared to investigate them.

"This is great, Laura; wait and see." Jackson barked and rolled his wheelchair to leave in a huff.

Laura collapsed on the sofa, her back covered with sweat. God knew how she survived that.

She unpackaged the phone, inserted the SIM card, and input a string of numbers.

After the line was through, her eyes lit up, "Cecilia, it's me."

Cecilia Rollins was lying cozily on the bed eating fruit. The familiar yet strange voice dazed her for quite a while, "Laura?"

"Yes." Laura smiled like a child who tasted honey for the first time.

She and Cecilia were desk mates in junior high. Then they selected different colleges and majors but maintained their friendship. Cecilia was the only one who visited her in prison.

The apple pulp got stuck in her throat. Cecilia coughed for a long time before swallowing it, "Laura, isn't there another two years before your release from prison? Did I remember the wrong date?"

"I have something to ask you. Are you free?" Laura said with a bitter smile.

"Yeah."

When Laura went out, several servants looked at her with strange eyes. She just laughed it off. She didn't want a ride, but the driver insisted. The reason was self-evident.