After Michael's departure, Wendy's lips quirked into a wry smile. She sank to the ground.
Just as she had expected, he did not want her to bear his child.
Knowing Michael's personality, Wendy was afraid that if he learned about her pregnancy, he would only suspect her of faking her pregnancy by conceiving with another man. If that happened, Wendy herself would be in danger and so would the baby.
Wendy needed to think carefully about what she could do to protect the baby inside of her.
The following few days, Wendy did not report to work at the company.
Of course, Yvonne felt the happiest about that.
From her perspective, her attempt to frame Wendy had worked.
Even though Michael had guessed that Yvonne was the real culprit, he did not do anything to her. On the contrary, It was Wendy who had gotten fired.
The only thing Michael did not expect was for Wendy to be so obedient this time.
In the past, he had often told Wendy that she was fired, but she continued reporting to work the following day as if nothing happened.
Michael could not help but wonder what Wendy was up to this time.
"Mr. Lucas?" said Mr. York, surprised to see Michael in a trance.
After all, Michael was always very serious in his work.
"Yeah?" Michael returned to his senses. He looked at Mr. York and asked, "Where were we?"
"I've finished my report, would you like me to repeat it?"
"Yeah." Michael nodded.
Feeling thirsty, Michael raised his glass to drink some water. Yet, after picking it up, he realized it was empty. There was not a single drop of water in it.
Michael frowned, suddenly feeling angry.
"Where is my assistant? Doesn't she know that I'm out of water?" he asked.
"Miss Stewart has not been to work for a week. She used to be the one handling all these affairs," replied Mr. York. "Miss Taylor has taken over all her duties. I think she is currently having a tea-break on the third story."
Back when Wendy was around, Michael would make someone else redo everything she did if he wasn't happy with it.
As such, her departure from the company should not have affected anything.
However, since Yvonne had taken over Wendy's position, there was nobody else Michael could instruct to redo these chores.
That led to their current situation.
Michael rubbed his forehead but did not say anything. He simply informed Mr. York, "Continue with your report."
Michael rose and poured some water for himself while listening to Mr. York's verbal report.
Mr. York should have left right after he was done reporting.
Yet, after taking two steps to the door, Mr. York turned his head and said, "Mr. Lucas, I know that I shouldn't meddle in your personal affairs. However, Miss Taylor has now taken over the position of your personal assistant. On a personal level, know you want to keep her by your side. However, on a professional level, she is not a qualified assistant."
Afraid of incurring Michael's wrath, Mr. York immediately turned around and left after he had said his piece.
Mr. York was aware of the relationship between Wendy and Michael, and he also knew why Michael hated Wendy so much.
However, Mr. York could tell that Wendy genuinely loved Michael from the past few years of observation.
He always felt that Michael was too cruel to Wendy.
As a subordinate, he knew that he should not interfere. Hence, he had kept mum all this time.
....
Wendy stayed home for an entire week. Without having to go to work, she thought about many things at home.
Zen visited her once and even lent her some money.
Wendy knew that her present predicament was a consequence of her own decisions.
If she had not fallen in love with Michael, her present self would have been more like Zen-she would have continued to pursue a career in design, then met someone suitable, gotten married, and started a family.
But there were no do-overs in life.
Her present self had to wreck her brains to find a way to protect the baby in her belly. She knew that the best solution would be to agree to a divorce with Michael.
After their divorce, she could find a quiet place to recuperate and give birth safely to her baby.
Since Michael hated her so much, she was confident that he would not try to find out about her after their divorce. However, Wendy felt indignant. She thought, 'I've endured so much over the last three years, all for the sake of protecting this marriage. No matter how Michael treated me, I never once agreed to a divorce. How can I willingly get divorced right now?'
Clutching her phone tightly, Wendy decided to give Michael a call and have a proper discussion with him.
She thought that Michael's attitude toward her might improve.
The call only went through after a long time. Wendy said in a weak voice, "Michael, you haven't been home for a week. I made your favorite dishes tonight, why don't you come home for dinner?"
She did not hear any response from Michael. Instead, she heard Yvonne's voice over the phone, asking, "Michael, who are you talking to?"
Just as expected, Yvonne was by his side. After all, Yvonne was Michael's personal assistant now.
The reason why Yvonne joined the company was so that she could always be by Michael's side. Hence, Wendy did not think it was strange to hear her voice.
She did not dare to flare up, but she could not bring herself to feign nonchalance either. She continued, "You promised me that you would come back at least once a week."
Wendy did not originally have any intention of bringing up their agreement. After all, Michael would get angry every time she raised this issue.
However, she knew very well that Yvonne would never let Michael return home for dinner. Hence, this was the only thing Wendy could do.
No response came from the other side.
Nothing was heard except a beeping that signaled that Michael had hung up.
Wendy waited for Michael for one whole hour, but he did not return.
She had already reheated the dishes on the table thrice, and they had long since turned unsightly.
If things were as they were in the past, Wendy would not have had the appetite to eat as well. However, things were different now. She touched her belly.
She had to eat for the baby.
Before she was discharged from the hospital, the doctor told her that her long period of malnourishment was not ideal for fetal development.
If she wanted to keep the child, she had to recuperate at home for a long time and nurse herself back to health.
Otherwise, it would be difficult for the baby to survive even three months. It was precise because of this that Wendy did not return to work.
She picked up her chopsticks and had just taken a bite when a noise was heard at the door.
Wendy immediately set down her chopsticks and stood up. She walked to the door happily.
Michael entered the apartment and changed into his bedroom slippers. He glanced at Wendy before stepping into the living room.
"You're finally home, I thought you weren't coming back," said Wendy as she followed behind Michael. She pulled out the chair at the dining table, and with a smile, said, " I just started eating. Why don't you join me?"
Without saying a word, Michael sat down on the chair. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a few bites.
Thereafter, he stood up again and said coldly, "I'm done."
With that, he turned around and began to leave.
As Wendy watched Michael cruelly turn away, she stood up. She said, "Michael, can we please talk?"
Michael's footsteps came to a halt. A moment later, his phone started ringing. When Michael answered the phone, his voice was much gentler, "Alright, I'll make my way there right now. Just wait for me at the restaurant."
After hanging up, Michael continued walking out of the apartment. The only thing that could be heard was his cold voice, saying,
"We have nothing to talk about except for divorce."