A Winding Journey To Achieve Happiness

My engagement party with Laurence Roberts turned into a public announcement of his relationship with Kristina Fletcher, an actress.

Laurence tossed his engagement ring at my feet; his words were like daggers, sharp and wounding. "Eliana, your family's bankrupt. What makes you think you can still marry me? Take this ring and consider it your severance pay, a parting gift from me."

Kristina clung to his arm, laughing with a flirtatious sway. "Miss Harper, don't blame Laurence for being realistic. After all, who wants to be a charity case?"

All the guests on the scene watched as I became the object of ridicule.

Silently, I picked up the ring and turned away, only to bump into a solid chest.

Standing behind me was Liam Roberts, the ruthless and cunning patriarch of the Roberts family, who had somehow appeared without my noticing.

Taking the opportunity, I fell into his arms, and in a moment of desperation, I spoke words that stunned everyone, "Liam, I'm pregnant. You have to be responsible."

...

The room fell into a deathly silence.

The air seemed vacuumed out, leaving only the sound of a piece of paper gently fluttering onto the table.

Laurence's freshly peeled shrimp dropped into his plate with a splatter, staining his expensive shirt.

His jaw went slack, eyes bulging as his gaze frantically darted between Liam and me.

Kristina's grip on Laurence's arm froze, her red-painted nails digging into his skin.

All eyes turned to the man at the center of the storm.

Liam remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on the crumpled ultrasound sheet in his hand. His long fingers held the edge of the paper.

I knelt at his feet, palms sweaty, and clutched the hem of his tailored trousers, afraid to let go.

It was my last gamble.

If I lost, not only would I be branded with eternal shame, but the Harper family's final breath would be snuffed out by me.

I looked up, tears sliding down my cheeks, splashing onto Liam's leather shoes.

I saw his Adam's apple bob slightly.

"Liam..." I spoke again, my voice trembling even more. "I don't want to ruin your relationship, but the baby..."

"Enough!" Laurence leapt up, knocking over the chair behind him. The chair clattered loudly against the floor.

He rushed over and yanked my arm with such force that it felt like my bones might shatter.

"Eliana Harper! You lunatic! You made up such a disgusting lie just to get back at me, huh?"

His eyes were slightly red, spittle flecking my face. "How could you be pregnant with Uncle Liam's child? Uncle Liam wouldn't even cast you a glance. You disgraceful woman, messing around with some random man and then trying to pin it on Uncle Liam."

As he barked, he raised his hand and was about to slap me, hard.

Instinctively, I closed my eyes, curling up.

Yet, the expected pain didn't come.

A large hand intercepted Laurence's wrist mid-air.

Liam remained seated, unchanged, except for the hand gripping Laurence's wrist. "Dare to touch her, and you'll regret it." His voice was quiet, yet it froze Laurence in place.

Laurence's hand trembled, his face turning pale, "Un-Uncle Liam, she's lying. How could this be..."

Liam released his hand, casually picking up a wet wipe from the table to clean his fingers that had touched Laurence earlier.

Then, he folded the ultrasound sheet and tucked it into his suit pocket. He stood, towering over me, and I was slumped on the floor.

His hand reached out to me. "Get up."

I was taken aback, looking at him through tear-blurred eyes.

Liam bent down, grasping my wrist, pulling me up from the floor.

Then, under the astonished gaze of everyone, he wrapped an arm around my waist.

His warm palm, through the thin fabric, sent a shiver through me.

Beside us, Kimberly Roberts, Laurence's mother, seeing her son at a disadvantage, finally couldn't hold back and cursed, "Eliana Harper, you disgraceful woman! How dare you..."

She didn't finish her line, silenced by Liam's dark gaze.

Liam scanned the table's occupants, his gaze landing lastly on the pale-faced Kimberly. "Who did you say was disgraceful, Kimberly?" he asked.

Kimberly shivered, her arrogant sharpness instantly vanishing. "L-Liam, that's not what I meant. I'm just worried you'll be fooled by this cunning temptress..."

"From now on," Liam interrupted her, his tone brooking no argument, "Eliana will stay at the Roberts Manor to take care of the baby. I'll have the wedding arranged. The eighth of next month is a brilliant day."

With that, he didn't spare anyone another glance, turning to leave with me in tow. "Let's head home, Eliana."

As I settled into the black Maybach, my body couldn't stop trembling uncontrollably.

The atmosphere inside the car was suffocatingly tense.

Liam loosened his tie and reclined, closing his eyes as if the earlier dramatic upheaval had nothing to do with him.

I curled up in the corner of the car, protecting my barely noticeable belly, hardly daring to breathe. I had tricked him.

That night in the hotel, the room was pitch black, and I was so drunk that all I only remembered was being with a man. But I wasn't sure if it was Liam.

I was gambling, simply hoping the influential patriarch of the Roberts family sought a reason to suppress Laurence's family branch, which had become increasingly dominant.

I hoped he needed a compliant puppet wife to fend off his family's pressure to urge him to get married.

Yet, I hadn't anticipated that he would accept without question.

The car drove into a wealthy neighborhood halfway up the mountain.

Once it stopped in front of a villa, Liam opened his eyes, staring at me with those deep, piercing eyes.

"Get out," he said flatly.

I fumbled to open the car door and followed him into the villa.

The living room was brightly lit, with the butler, Thomas Hall, and the house staff lined up neatly in two rows.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts."

Hearing that title made my knees weak, nearly causing me to stumble.

Liam was quick to steady me, pulling me into his arms. He whispered in my ear, his breath warm against my ear, "If you're going to act, do it convincingly. Stay strong."

I nodded stiffly, trying to straighten my back.

He instructed Thomas, "Take Eliana to the master bedroom to rest. From now on, her meals and accommodations should meet the standards for a pregnant woman."

"Understood, Mr. Roberts," Thomas replied.

I was led to the master bedroom on the second floor.

The room was absurdly large, decorated in stark, intimidating colors, much like the image of Liam in my mind.

I sat on the edge of the bed, only exhaling deeply once the butler left.

Shortly after, the door opened again.

Liam entered, holding a glass of water.

He approached me, handing me the glass, his gaze fixed on my flat belly.

"How many months?" he asked.

My heart skipped a beat, and I clutched the glass tightly. "Two... two months," I stammered.

In truth, it was only six weeks.

He said nothing, just continued to stare at me, his eyes scrutinizing me as if I were an item up for sale.

After a while, a mocking smile appeared on his lips. "Eliana, you have quite the nerve. You're the first to dare scheme against me."

A few drops of water spilled onto my hand, chilling me to the bone.

I knelt on the carpet with a thud, looking up at him with an entreating look.

"Mr. Roberts, I have no choice now... The Harper family went bankrupt. Laurence called off our engagement and ruined my reputation. I just want to survive. I promise, I'll be an obedient wife. Once the child is born, you can do whatever you want with me. As long as you save the Harper family."

Liam squatted down, lifting my chin with his long fingers, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"What makes you think I'd another man's child?" he asked.

My blood ran cold.

Did he know the truth?

Did he know I was lying?

I parted my lips but couldn't squeeze any word out.

Just as I feared he'd have me thrown out, he released his grip and stood up, pulling out a tissue to wipe his hands.

"Tomorrow, we'll do a paternity test. If I'm the father, I'll settle the Harper family's debts. If it's not..."

He paused, leaning closer, his eyes glinting with a bloodthirsty coldness.

"I'll make you understand what it means to wish you were dead," he muttered.

The next morning, I was taken to a private hospital run by Roberts Group.

We used the private entrance reserved for the elite throughout, avoiding any unnecessary encounters.

As my blood was drawn, I watched the dark red liquid flow into the test tube, feeling like I was waiting for my fate to be decided.

Liam sat on the nearby sofa, engrossed in his reports, not sparing me even a glance.

The three-hour wait for the results was the longest agony of my life.

I sat on the cold hospital bench, replaying the details of that night over and over in my mind- the blurred outline of that man, the familiar cedar-scented cologne, and the small mole on the back of the man's hand.

I stole a glance at Liam's hand resting on his knee.

The back of his hand was clean, devoid of any marks.

My heart sank into despair.

Oh no! I was doomed. I had lost the bet.

Just as I closed my eyes in desperation, bracing for the impending judgment, the doctor emerged with the report. "Mr. Roberts, the results are out."

Liam took the report, scanning it quickly.

I dared not look, keeping my head lowered, awaiting the storm's arrival.

"Let's go." His indifferent voice came from above.

I looked up in shock, meeting his unperturbed gaze.

"Where... where to?" I stammered.

"To get the marriage license," he answered.

My mind buzzed, exploding with disbelief.

Marriage license? So... he was the father of my baby?

I snatched the report from his hand, and there it was, clear as day. "Biological father-son relationship confirmed, probability 99.99%".

At that moment, tears of joy streamed down my face.

It really was him. The man from that night was truly him.

Perhaps I had the luckiest break of my life, actually stumbling upon him that night.

Leaving the City Hall, I still felt so surreal. The glaring sunlight made me feel a bit dazed.

I couldn't believe I had really married Liam, becoming the wife of Laurence's uncle.

Liam didn't give me much time to dwell on it; once in the car, he handed me a document. "This is the acquisition contract for Harper Group. Sign it, and the funds will be transferred immediately."

I opened the contract with trembling hands. The terms were so generous that it seemed more like charity than the acquisition of a bankrupt company.

I signed my name, tears once again falling onto the paper. "Thank you... Thank you so much."

Liam took back the contract, his voice cold. "Don't be too happy yet. Now that you're my wife, you have to fulfill the duties of Mrs. Roberts. There's a charity gala tonight, and Kristina will be there, too.

You know what to do."

I wiped away my tears, my gaze growing resolute. "I do. I'll make sure she understands who the matriarch of the Roberts family is."

That evening, dressed in the tailored gown Liam had sent, I entered the banquet hall on his arm.

All eyes instantly focused on us, whispers of shock and disbelief rippling through the crowd.

Laurence and Kristina were also present.

Seeing me appearing arm-in-arm with Liam, Laurence nearly crushed the wine glass in his hand.

Kristina's face twisted with jealousy, her gaze daggers aimed at me.

Liam led me straight to them. He swirled the champagne flute in his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Laurence, don't you know how to greet your elders?" Liam asked.

Laurence's face turned an ashen gray, veins bulging on his neck as he forced out two words through gritted teeth. "Good evening, Un-Uncle Liam."

Liam's gaze shifted to Kristina. "And you."

In fear, Kristina shrank back behind Laurence; her usual arrogance vanished. "G-Good evening, Mr. Roberts."

Liam chuckled, his arm tightening his grip on my waist.

"You greeted the wrong person. This is my wife. Remember to show proper respect when you see her in social circles," he said coldly.

Kristina's face flushed with embarrassment, seeking help from Laurence with pleading eyes.

Yet, Laurence dared not utter a beep.

As I watched the scene, the pent-up frustration in my heart finally eased a little.

I smiled at Kristina, my tone gentle yet sharp, "Miss Fletcher, I heard your role in the latest drama hasn't been decided yet, right? "What a coincidence! The largest sponsor in that drama just became Roberts Group."

Kristina's head shot up, panic written all over her face.

Her face turned pale on the spot, lips trembling as she looked at Laurence. "Laurence, please say something for me. I've been negotiating that role for half a year..."

Laurence shook off her hand in annoyance. "Shut up! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"

He turned to me, eyes dark with malice. "Eliana, don't get too cocky. Do you think Uncle Liam really likes you? It's only because of the baby you are carrying. Once the child is born, see if Uncle Liam will even spare you a glance!"

Feeling a sting in my heart, I maintained a composed smile. "That's a concern for us to handle; no need for you to worry. After all, you are only Liam's nephew."

Liam seemed uninterested in hearing any more nonsense, guiding me away to mingle with others.