Chapter 346

"Steven, you really went all out, didn't you?" Bria muttered under her breath. “Just to keep your and her kid safe, you'd lie to my face like this."

“And Lucie..... is she clueless too? Or are they both in on this, trying to play me?"

She kept replaying it in her mind, trying to figure it out, but the more she thought, the messier it all got.

"Whatever. Doesn't matter if she knows or not. I'm not letting her have Steven's baby. He might have changed his mind about me, but he's still my man. No one's taking him away. Lucie, I won't let you steal Steven from me.”

Bria circled the city on the highway for an hour before she finally headed straight for the Antiques Market.

Inside, Lucie was in full boss mode, directing her team and the higher-ups as they did a massive inventory and checked the yearly accounts.

"Ms. Anderson, there's a woman named Qiu here to see you," her assistant announced.

Lucie looked up, surprised. "Bria? What does she want?"

"I'm not sure. Should I let her in?"

Lucie paused. She knew Bria probably wasn't here for anything good, but curiosity

won out—she wanted to see what Bria was up to this time.

"Let her in."

"Yes, ma'am."

A few minutes later, the receptionist brought Bria into Lucie's office.

"Bria, what brings you here?" Lucie asked, her voice cool.

Bria stood up slowly from her wheelchair, giving Lucie a long, interested look. “Just wanted to see you, and... maybe talk about Cody."

Lucie's expression hardened. "I don't think there's anything we need to talk about." Bria just smiled, a little too sweet, with a hint of sarcasm. She looked around the office and gave an exaggerated nod of approval. "Wow, Ms. Anderson, you really are a powerhouse. So capable. You must have built up quite a fortune by now." Lucie frowned, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "What are you trying to say?" Bria let out a short, cold laugh. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm genuinely impressed. The more successful you are, the better life will be for my son."

Lucie's chest tightened, and her throat felt dry. "Bria, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Bria replied, settling back in her chair, her eyes drifting pointedly to Lucie's stomach.

Lucie felt a prickle of unease. “Cut the games. If you have something to say, just say it. I'm not a fan of riddles or half-truths."

Bria's lips curled into a knowing smile. “It's nothing big. I just came to deliver this.”

She pulled a bright red wedding invitation out of her bag and set it on Lucie's desk. "You're invited to my wedding with Steven."

Lucie felt her heart drop. She barely glanced at the invitation. “Thanks, but I probably won't have time to make it."

Bria shrugged. “Doesn't matter. I've given you the invite. Whether you show up or not is up to you. I'll be going now."

She turned her wheelchair toward the door, but just before leaving, she stopped and looked back, her gaze sharp. "Oh, by the way, Steven's planning to send Cody abroad for treatment."

"What?" Lucie's eyes widened in shock.

Bria smiled faintly. "He'll probably bring Cody back when you're about to give birth: I don't know if you're having Steven's baby because you want to, or for some other reason. treat your childlike my

Either way your baby is Steven's

own.

Afte

baby too."

Lucie's mind started to spiral. She hurried after Bria. "What are you getting at? Are you saying Steven will bail on me once the baby's here?"

Now that she thought about it, it seemed totally possible. Steven always kept his word with other people, but with her, he could turn on a dime. Promises meant nothing. And she never stood a chance against him.

"In any case, thanks on Cody's behalf," Bria said. "You're a great mom. Everything you've built-one day, it'll belong to my son so c course, I wish you all the success and money in the world."

With that, Bria wheeled herself out, leaving Lucie standing there, pale and shaken, a cold sweat prickling her skin.

There was definitely more to Bria's words than she was letting on. She was hinting

at something—maybe even warning her.

"What did she mean? Did Steven tell her something?"

Lucie dropped into her chair, panic rising in her chest.

Steven was a master manipulator. There was nothing he wouldn't do. If he could

trick her into having Cody, he could fool her into having this baby, too.

"Steven... is he lying to me again? Is he setting another trap?"

"And is Cody even really sick? Even if he does have leukemia, it's not a death sentence these days. Do they really need cord blood? Even if they're half-siblings, there's guarantee they'll be a match!"

The more she thought, the more tangled up she felt. This was exactly like Steven—

he'd do anything to get what he wanted, no matter what.

"No. I have to find out the truth. And there's no way I'm having this baby."