Chapter 332

"Third," she said, pausing as her voice turned icy, "for those antiques you helped me recover, I'll pay you market price. As for the rest, I'll handle them myself. I don't need your help."

Steven's happy expression faltered for a second.

But he knew now wasn't the time to argue.

“Alright. I'll agree to everything," he nodded stiffly, voice rough.

As long as she stayed to have the baby, as long as she didn't leave just yet, he was willing to promise her anything. He could always figure things out later.

Lucie reached into the nightstand and pulled out a contract.

"If you agree, then sign it."

Steven glanced at the neatly printed document, a flicker of sarcasm in his eyes. He hadn't expected her to be so well-prepared. Clearly, she was in a hurry to get rid of him.

But she was dreaming if she thought it would be that easy.

She'd never escape him. She was his, and he wasn't letting go.

"What's this?" he asked, taking the papers with fake nonchalance.

Lucie's eyes were cold, her face unreadable. “Everything is spelled out clearly. After the baby is born, the umbilical cord blood goes to Cody. After that, the baby and I have nothing to do with the Heath family. You're not allowed to visit, and you can't interfere in our lives."

Every detail was covered in the agreement. It even listed that Steven and his relatives were forbidden from coming within three miles of Lucie's home.

If he broke the agreement, he'd lose custody of both kids and have to pay

outrageous support, damages, and a breach-of-contract fine.

Steven swallowed hard. "Wow, that's a pretty steep penalty. You're not messing around."

"You don't have to sign," Lucie replied coolly.

"Lucie, does it really have to come to this?" he asked, a hint of pleading in his voice. "After the baby is born, it'll be my child too..."

She cut him off, her eyes steady and cold. “The second you decided to trick me into staying, you should have known this would happen. You want the cord blood? Fine, I'll give you that. But don't even think about using a child to keep me here. Steven, I'm not Bria-I won't put up with your crap like she does."

At the mention of Bria, Steven's jaw tightened.

He stared at the line about "voluntarily giving up custody and visitation rights," his fingers clenching until they went pale.

"What if I don't sign?"

Lucie let out a low, mocking laugh. "Then I'll go see a doctor right now and end the pregnancy. As for Cody's mess She glanced at the est results on the table. “Youll figure something else out, won't you?"

Steven saw the determination in her eyes, realized she was dead serious.

He was silent for a few seconds.

Pretending to be reluctant, he picked up the pen and scribbled his name.

Inside, he was almost laughing. Pay a huge fine? No problem-he had more money than he knew what to do with. Women really were too easy to fool.

He almost felt ashamed of himself.

"Here. It's done. Happy now?"

Lucie took the contract, checked his signature carefully, then folded one copy and locked it in the nightstand The other copy she handed to her lawyer, who was waiting right there.

She'd expected Steven to try something, so she'd brought her lawyer as a witness. "Bailey, please keep this safe."

Bailey took the contract and nodded seriously. "Of course, Ms. Anderson. I'll take care of it."

Watching the whole scene, Steven's smirk only deepened. As long as she agreed to have the baby, nothing else mattered to him.

"You can leave now," Lucie said. Her words were sharp and cold.

Steven stayed where he was, staring at her delicate silhouette, his throat tight. "Lucie, I know you're still mad at me But for the baby's

Sake

we just"

"Don't talk to me about the baby," she snapped.

"I don't want to say another word to you. I don't even want to see you. So please,

just leave. And don't bother me again until the baby's born."

Steven felt a sting in his chest. “Fine. I'll keep looking into the antiques, and I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Everything else, you can probably handle on your own. But if you can't, you know where to find me."

He hesitated, then added, "I'm marrying Bria next week, so I might be busy. Lucie, is there anything else you want to say to me?"

Lucie's heart clenched but she kept her voice cold. "There's nothing left to say. Just

go."

Steven let out a long breath, took a step closer. “.....Lucie, I just have one last request. Can I hold you one more time?"