Angel gazed at Tryson, her face radiating confidence, and then she unexpectedly declared, "Why don't you take a moment to reflect, Tryson? I'm not the woman you believe you know."
"What are you talking about?" Tryson retorted sharply.
Angel spoke, "Your parents were right to send me away two months back. Didn't you realize that?" She observed Tryson's face cloud with a frown, clearly showing how deeply her words affected him.
Nonetheless, she had to move forward to guarantee this matter was settled without delay; she no longer expected any tenderness or empathy from him.
Her primary objective was to conclude this agreement while making certain her child stayed beyond the reach of his family.
If they had deceived her once already, how could she rely on them to protect her child now?
She simply wanted to safeguard herself and her child.
"Tryson, you encountered a woman willing to do anything to act as your fiancée before your parents. At that time, I was desperate for money, and just days before your family asked me to leave, I discovered I was expecting Arthur's baby."
"You're lying," Tryson exclaimed, clearly shocked by what she said.
"Did you really think we ever kissed?"
Angel noted, fully realizing that Tryson wouldn't remember the moment they had actually shared an intimate night.
It was a whirlwind evening; she was intoxicated, and he was too, leading to an unexpected encounter.
But then it. All belongs to the past, and ensuring her baby was in the right place was the only thing that truly mattered.
"You're not the only man in my life, Tryson. Besides, you saw it yourself, both I and Arthur are a couple, a dating couple, and that was before I even met you."
"Well then, if what you're claiming is true, why did you accept my offer despite having someone like Arthur?" Tryson said, doing his utmost to keep his simmering anger in check.
"I craved more, driven by my hunger. Arthur is extremely frugal with his spending, and when he heard I wanted such a large sum of money, I had to devise a plan. I desired more, and encountering you presented the perfect chance."
"You—" Tryson started, jabbing a finger in her direction, struggling to restrain the fury simmering within him, yet he knew he had to keep it in check.
What made him suspect that her every word was deceitful?
He felt she was keeping secrets from him, just as she had done during her pregnancy.
"Deep inside, you surely understand that your statements don't quite make sense," Tryson commented, his voice tinged with a trace of hurt.
"And why? If this is going to violate our contract or make you feel insulted, then why not just let me leave your life? You discarded me as if I was worthless to you and got engaged to Riley despite our arrangement. So, explain to me, why does it trouble you that I have a child?" Angel questioned icily.
In the next instant, the room descended into an absolute quiet, but she could still perceive the energy radiating from Tryson.
He was injured and probably experiencing shock—just as she was herself!
She claimed that another man was the father of his child.
Tryson met Angel's gaze, stepped closer, and gently grasped her arm while she was seated on the bed.
"Angel, don't you realize that we have an entire year?" Tryson declared in a frosty voice, his expression showing no remorse. His eyes held a piercing coldness, blinking only once.
"And frankly, I couldn't care less that you're expecting Arthur's child. If you believed you could simply enter my life with that baby, you need to understand that departing from my home whenever you please is not an option," he went on.
Angel's eyes widened with astonishment as she gazed at him, her lips parted in disbelief before she asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what you heard, Angel," Tryson replied bluntly.
Angel spoke with a heavy heart, "It wasn't my decision to return to your house; it was you who brought me back after your parents had already shown me the door. Why not just follow their example and pretend I don't exist, like you've done before?"
"Your parents were well-informed about my reputation for being a gold digger. Given that my social standing and class are not on par with yours, why not just keep everything as it was before? I'll stay on as your fiancée with the gold-digger label, and you can keep seeing Riley. How does that sound?"
Angel said, observing Tryson's unflinching calmness in response to her proposal. What truly caught her off guard was Tryson's unexpected declaration.
"You can express whatever you like, but remember it was you who willingly signed that contract. I didn't coerce you, and if you plan to avoid any legal issues stemming from our agreement, then I expect you to quit Arthur's company and remain at my house as a devoted fiancée instead."
Angel was taken aback by this.
She truly believed her words would distance Tryson from her, so why was he making this demand instead?
She wasn't the right match for him, yet despite this, Angel declared, "There's no way you're going to make me do that."
"Yes, I can, Angel," Tryson replied with determination, "and that's because you're my contracted girlfriend. You stay at my place, follow my rules, and make sure the lawsuit doesn't catch up with you."
Angel swallowed hard. If she was going to remain with him, then—
"You can't set rules for my life just because you made me enter into that contract."
"But I can, Angel, and that's because you are my fiancée."
"Your contracted fiancée." She said.
"I don't care, Angel. The paperwork for your resignation must be delivered to Arthur by tomorrow, and I don't want you leaving my house unless I give you permission."
"You're bluffing; you're not going to do anything."
"Alright, let's find out if I'm really doing that," Tryson remarked. With that, he promptly exited the room.