Substitute For Love: The Devil Millionaire's Lies

Outside the delivery room, a woman with elegant make-up was wandering anxiously. She just couldn't calm herself down. Her daughter-in-law was admitted in the hospital for her delivery. But after what seemed like an eternity, the baby was not given birth yet.

A man and a woman were sitting outside the delivery room. Compared to the woman pacing restlessly, they were calm. The man had his eyes closed and the woman was focused on fixing her make up with a small mirror.

"Auntie Alice, don't take stress. You're making me feel dizzy." This woman was a little impatient. She continued to paint her lips, which looked even more flirtatious now under the bright light.

"Selina is giving birth the successor of our Fang Family. How can I not be anxious?"

Vivian Ding put away her mirror and looked up. "So what? Are you feeling any better by pacing like that? You're not the one who's inside the labor room giving birth. So, just calm down."

At that moment, the door of the operating room opened. A nurse came out with a sheet of paper in her hand.

"Nurse, how's it going? Is it a boy or a girl?" Mrs. Fang, whose name was Alice, walked over to her cheerfully.

But the nurse frowned. "The baby has not come yet. Are you the patient's relative?"

"Yes, yes. I am the patient's mother-in-law," Alice said to the nurse anxiously.

"The patient is in a critical condition now. She has lost too much blood and her life is in danger. Here is an agreement for you to sign. You need to decide whose life will be of the higher priority to you and sign these papers."

"What? You mean Selina is having a difficult labor? This can't be happening!" Alice froze in her place. She couldn't process the news.

Before she could think about it, Vivian stood up and blurted, "What are you waiting for? The baby is definitely of the highest priority."

Spenser Fang had been silently listening to the others with eyes closed. He finally opened his eyes and looked up.

"Spenser, what do you think?" Alice was in a dilemma.

However, Spenser had an emotionless expression on. After thinking for a while, he simply said, "Save the baby!" Of course, to him, the baby had the higher priority.

Vivian sneered as soon as Spenser said that. "Aunt, you heard? Even Spenser agreed with me to keep the baby!"

"But..." Before Alice could say something, she was interrupted by Vivian again. "Don't waste any time. Spenser, just sign the agreement."

Spenser came over and took the pen from the nurse. Seeing that, a complacent smile appeared on Vivian's face. As he was about to sign the agreement, a haggard looking woman rushed in and grabbed his hand to refrain him from signing. "No, Spenser! You cannot do this!"

Everyone was taken aback for the sudden interference. The person who dared to hold Spenser's hand was an anxious looking old lady in a plain-dress.

She was the mother of the patient. Seeing her, a trace of embarrassment finally appeared on Spenser's face. His eyes wavered for the first time.

"Spenser, how can you treat Selina like this? Hasn't she suffered enough after she married you? Now you're even ready to sacrifice her life. How could you be so cruel? I could accept it if you don't love her even after she married you. I could accept it if she had no status in your family. But now, it's the matter of life and death. Are you going to take her life as well? What had she done to deserve such a punishment?" The woman choked out the words, laced with anger and blame. It was true that Selina Wang had suffered too much after she was married to Spenser.

"Since Selina is now a member of the Fang Family, we'll take the decision. You'd better not interfere with our family affairs, or you will get into trouble," Vivian exclaimed uncaringly.

"I'm Selina's biological mother. I have the right to decide about her life," Selina's mother, Jane, retorted.

"She is a member of the Fang Family. We'll take the final decision for her life." Vivian didn't give in and gritted her teeth.

"Vivian Ding, you should shut up. You are not a member of Fang Family just yet. The real member of Fang Family is my daughter, Selina, not you. You are no more than a shameless woman!" Jane retorted angrily.

"You!" Hearing the word "shameless", Vivian's face flushed out of anger. The incident that happened a year ago had been a disgrace in the eyes of the public even until now. She didn't expect that Jane would say it aloud.

"Well, stop arguing. Both the expectant mother and the baby are in danger. If you can't make a decision now, you may lose both. You'd better sign the paper as soon as possible!" The nurse interfered anxiously.

"Save the mother!"

"Save the baby!"

Jane and Vivian exclaimed at the same time. Both of them looked at Spenser expectantly. After all, as the patient's husband, he had the final say.

"Spenser, please. She is my only daughter. I hope you can save her for the sake of my old age! I can't see my daughter die before my eyes!"

"Spenser! She is just trying to win your sympathy! Don't listen to her. If you love me, sign it and keep the child!" Vivian refused to back off.

Spenser hesitated. He was in a dilemma. On one side was his current wife, and on the other side was his lover for many years.

"Have you decided yet?" The nurse pressed. After watching them arguing for a long time without making any decisions, she was running out of patience.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at Spenser. They waited for his final decision.

"Spenser." This time, it was Alice who spoke.

Spenser turned towards his mother.

"We should keep the mother." Alice said the final words quietly.

Hearing this, Jane held Alice's hand in relief and thanked her with tears in her eyes, "Thank you, Mrs. Fang!"

Alice gave her a half-hearted smile. "There's no need to thank me, Mrs. Wang." In fact, it was the Fang Family who should be saying sorry to Selina and her mother.

Jane couldn't anymore hold back her tears. She requested Spenser with teary eyes, "Spenser! My good son-in-law, please sign it quickly! Time is running out. If you delay it any longer, I might lose my daughter forever."

Her voice trembled as she said so.

Spenser nodded and was about to sign his name when Vivian blurted out, "Okay fine. If you want to save the mother, I'll accept that. But let me make it clear in advance that after giving birth to the baby, Selina must break off all relations with the Fang Family and promise not to come back ever again. If she and the baby both survive, she'll have no claim on the baby. The baby will stay with the Fang Family!"

Vivian's words stabbed through Jane's heart like a sharp knife, immobilizing her.

"Vivian, just listen to yourself, what are you saying?" Alice frowned.

"Aunt, don't you think it's a reasonable request? The baby is the flesh and blood of Spenser and belongs to the Fang Family. Don't you want him or her to stay with you? I did this for the sake of your family, Aunt!" Vivian tried to rationalize her words and win back the support of Spenser's mother.

"But there is no need for Selina to break the tie with us!" Alice stated, unable to comprehend her words.

"Why shouldn't she leave, Aunt? Spenser is mine. How could she continue to be entangled with his life?" Vivian glanced at Spenser. She was greatly dissatisfied with his silence.

Alice hesitated, looking at Spenser. She didn't know whether she should support Vivian's demand.

"What's your decision'? Are you going to sign it or not?" The nurse interrupted. "It's getting late and you still haven't made any decision! Do you want me to arrange for some tea until you sit down, drink it and take the decision leisurely?" She had lost her patience by now.

Jane thought for a moment. She loved her daughter so much and couldn't see her suffer anymore. So, she agreed quickly, "Okay! I accept that! Spenser, can you sign the agreement now?" As long as it saved her daughter, she would agree to anything.

Spenser said nothing. He only glanced at Jane briefly before signing his name on the paper.

The nurse took the papers from him and left quickly. Jane sat down on the chair as the nurse walked away. She felt frustrated. Her heart twisted thinking how would Selina react when she found out that she had to give out her baby to the Fang family. Would she blame Jane for losing her child?

Jane felt very conflicted. On one hand, she hoped that the baby could come to this world safely, but on the other hand, she was disheartened realizing they'd take the baby away. She felt even more upset apprehending the heartache Selina would go through.

When everyone was waiting outside anxiously, the baby was delivered inside the labor room. Not long after the nurse entered the operation room, the baby's crying came through.

"The baby! The baby is born! The baby is finally born!" Alice was the first one to exclaim in excitement.

But Jane sat there motionless, apprehending the worst.

Hadn't they decided to keep the life of Selina? Why did she hear the baby's cry then? Were both the mother and baby safe? Did they both survive? Jane was so happy realizing that. But her happiness was short-lived. The thought of the new born baby belonging to the cruelty of the Fang Family broke her heart.

She sat there unmoving, unable to decide whether she should feel happy or sad.

Shortly after, the nurse came out and informed, "Congratulations! Both the mother and the baby are safe!"

Everyone wore different expressions on their faces for different reasons except Spenser. He still wore his stone-cold expression.

Alice hurriedly asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy!"

"What? A boy? That's great. God bless us! Fang Family has got an heir!" Alice grinned from ear to ear.

Jane looked at them forlornly before glancing at the nurse and asked weakly, "Nurse, can I go in and see my daughter now?"

"Yes, you can, but don't stay with her for too long. Don't let her talk too much. She needs rest. By the way, try not to stimulate her in any way."

"Yes, I know. I won't do that!" As soon as the nurse approved, Jane rushed into the room to see Selina.

Alice exchanged looks with the other two, then addressed Spenser, "Spenser, let's go and see Selina and my grandson."

"No!" Spenser refused immediately. "I still have work to do in the company. I'm leaving now. I'll see her later." After saying that, he rushed out of the hospital.

Vivian looked at Alice complacently. "Aunt, I think I should just go and see a lawyer and prepare the divorce papers. Selina must sign it as soon as she wakes up tomorrow."

"How can you do that, Vivian? Didn't you hear the nurse's words? Selina can't be stimulated right now."

"It's none of my business whether she can be stimulated or not! Even if she had died today, it was a matter between Wang family and the hospital! But anyway, she must divorce Spenser!" Alice was about to say something, but before she could, Vivian turned around and left.

"Vivian!" Alice watched her running up to Spenser as quickly as possible. She held his hand and left with Spenser without looking back as if she hadn't heard her call. Alice could only sigh at Vivian's behavior before she turned and went to see Selina and the baby boy.

In the operating room, Jane went and stood beside Selina's bed. It was hard for her to watch her daughter like that. Selina's pale face and dried lips made her look even more pathetic. Selina opened her eyes slowly and focused on Jane with a faint smile on her face. She looked extremely tired.

Jane wiped off her tears. She wanted to say something but remembering the nurse's warning, she stopped herself. Selina thought her mother was crying seeing her condition.

"Selina, are you feeling better now?" Alice walked in and asked gently.

Selina shifted her gaze on her mother-in-law and smiled. "Mom, I'm fine! As long as my baby is healthy, this is nothing. Bring the baby to me. Can I see him please?"

Alice's face lit up at the mention of the baby. She stepped forward to the baby crib and exclaimed, "Wow! Look at him! He's so cute. His eyes are like yours and nose is like Spenser's. But his mouth looks like a combination of both of you!"

The baby's skin was smooth and bright. His dark eyes were like two black gemstones embedded on his delicate face. Under his small nose was a pair of cherry pink lips. The more Alice looked at him, the more she grew to love the little boy.

Alice stared at her grandson adoringly, before turning her attention to Selina, who said, "Eh? Mom, why didn't Spenser come in?"

"He..." Alice hesitated for a moment. She looked at Jane feeling a little embarrassed. Jane stared back at her in confusion. He was outside just now. Why didn't he come in?

"He... Uhm... He was just outside, but he got called away to work. I heard that there were documents that urgently required his signature, so..." Alice stammered.

Disappointment spread all over Selina's face when she heard the news. Jane snorted, "What kind of document could be so important? Does he really have to sign it now?"

Alice didn't know what to say, but Selina hurriedly explained for Spenser, "Mom, this is normal when you're running a business. Sometimes, there would be urgent documents that need immediate attention. If these things aren't checked on time, Spenser could risk losing millions of dollars."

The truth was that Selina was just comforting herself and her mother. She forced herself not to think about it too much. After such a long time, she had learned her position in the Fang Family. She wouldn't expect Spenser to treat her the same way he did before.

"Oh? Really?" Jane pretended to be confused and asked in a low voice. Deep down, she thought, 'My dear daughter, why are you still being so considerate and concerned about him?' Moreover, she wondered why the members of the Fang Family couldn't cherish someone as kind as her daughter.

"All right! Selina must be tired. The nurse just said that she shouldn't talk too much. She needs her rest. Let's go now!" Alice immediately tried to end the conversation between mother and daughter, afraid that if Jane stayed longer, she would reveal more about the cruel decision than she wanted to.

Jane took a look at Alice and nodded. And after briefly exchanging a few more comforting words, the two women went out.

The following day...

Selina woke up to the sound of two people arguing outside.

"No, you can't do this to my daughter! She just gave birth to the baby..." It was Jane's voice that came from outside.

"You'd better stay away from me. Have you forgotten what you said at the door of the delivery room yesterday? I'm just here to fulfill my obligation."

There was no mistaking that the other party was Vivian. 'What is Vivian doing here? And why is my mother quarreling with her?' Selina wondered. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Vivian coming in aggressively. Behind her was a man and a woman. Selina recognized the man as a lawyer of the Fang Family. He was carrying something in his hand. But she couldn't tell who the other woman was.

The sight of them immediately gave Selina a bad feeling.

"Selina, here's a check for fifty million dollars. Take this money now and cut off your relationship with the Fang Family! Think about it. Fifty million dollars is quite a lot of money. That should be enough!" Vivian said coldly.

Selina could only stare blankly at the check being waved in front of her. She didn't know how to react. It took her a long time before muttering, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Didn't your mother tell you that your child was sold to our Fang Family?"

"What? Sold?" Selina screamed in confusion as she looked at Jane. With guilt written all over her face, the latter tried to explain herself, "Selina, it's not like that..."

"Of course, technically, the money isn't being paid to buy the child. Spenser is the child's father, after all. But we hope that after taking this money, you will cut all ties with this baby and regard him as nothing but a stranger!" Vivian interrupted Jane.

These words snapped Selina to her senses. She had always thought that this day would come. She just didn't expect that it would come so soon. The moment Vivian returned to Spenser, the happy life she had worked hard to establish collapsed in an instant.

Thinking that the baby was about to be separated from her, she immediately stood up and took the little boy from his crib. She shouted, "I won't let you have my child. No way!"

"No way? Humph! Don't forget that the baby also belongs to Spenser. We can take this to court even if you protest. Don't worry about him. We've already hired a nanny for the baby. Don't try to fight us. Take the money and leave the country. Live your life in peace!"

As Vivian finished her words, she turned to the woman behind her and ordered, "Lily, go and get the child."

The fat woman nodded and walked up to Selina. Shocked, Selina took a step back, holding the baby in her arms. She screamed, "What are you doing? Don't you dare take away my baby! He's mine!"

But Selina, who had just given birth, was no match against Lily. With little effort, Lily tried to pull the baby away from his mother. Selina could only cry as she begged, "Please, please don't do this. If you're a parent as well, would you be able to bear being separated from your child?"

But Lily just shrugged her shoulders and sneered, "Humph! I don't care about that. The only thing I care about is the salary Miss Vivian is going to pay me every month. She's giving me ten times more than I could possibly earn from other employers. We need to work hard to get more money, don't we?" She then gave a forceful tug to completely separate the baby from the crying Selina. But Selina still clung onto her child, unwilling to hand her baby away.