Chapter 4 Forced Marriage

At that moment, the attending doctor smiled and said to Shirley, "Please rest assured, the child in your belly is healthy!"

The color drained from Shirley's face, her eyes widened as she grabbed the doctor who was measuring her pulse. Her voice trembled as she asked, "What did you say? Pregnant? Are you saying I'm pregnant?"

Although she had always liked children and wanted to have one, she only wanted to have a child with William. This child shouldn't have come.

She thought the nightmare was over, but it seemed to follow her everywhere.

But why? Why was fate so cruel, pulling her back into that reality, and making her endure punishment once more?

Meanwhile, Keith outside had reached the peak of anger.

"No way! Grandma, there's no way I will marry her!" Keith was on the verge of losing control, "I absolutely will not marry a woman I don't love!"

Grandma Nelson looked at Keith with a cold gaze and said sternly, "Keith, you better think it through! Our company is currently collaborating with an Italian enterprise. Soon, their boss and his wife will visit us. And what they value the most is family values! If they find out that you have impregnated a woman and then abandoned her, do you think they would view the Nelson Family Group positively?"

When Keith heard his grandmother's words, his emotions instantly calmed down.

He lit a cigarette, and by the time he finished smoking it, he was completely composed.

Grandma Nelson saw that her grandson had finally stabilized his emotions and continued, "My position is clear. You must marry her, instead of letting her secretly give birth to this child and abandoning her. The Italian company is going to sign a ten-year contract with the Nelson Family Group, and I absolutely won't allow anything to ruin this deal!"

"Nelson Family Group absolutely cannot be without an heir! Keith, you should know how many of your uncles have been eyeing the position of the president! If you cannot have an heir, then the slightest mistake you make will shake your position!" Grandma Nelson calmly continued, "When faced with internal and external challenges, Keith, don't you know what you should do?"

Keith was indeed shaken. Grandma was right. The reason he could occupy the position of president was because Grandma had pushed him into it against the objections of his uncles. Those uncles of his were seething with jealousy and hatred.

But in the past years, he had performed remarkably, increasing the market value of the Nelson Family Group by thirty percent, sealing the mouths of others.

He wasn't an immature kid, he was just unwilling to let others control his marriage.

A month ago, his news with Shirley had already been exposed, and some people had criticized him for it. If he handled it poorly again this time, it could really have a negative impact. Moreover, the representatives of the Italian company probably already thought that the woman in the news was his wife.

He finally looked up at Grandma, exhausted, and said, "Grandma, I can agree to marry her and let her give birth to this child."

Only then did Grandma Nelson nod in satisfaction. This grandson had always been her greatest pride. Not only was he intelligent, but he was also sensible. He understood how to weigh the pros and cons and how to judge the situation. As the heir of the Nelson family, he had to make sacrifices.

"Go and comfort that girl, Keith. Grandma believes that you will know what to do," Grandma Nelson reached out and patted her grandson's shoulder before leaving contentedly.

Keith watched his grandmother leave, his eyes lowered, and his eyes were hiding emotions that others couldn't understand.

He would get married, but it was impossible to live with this woman. It was just a marriage contract, and he had nothing to lose.

******

Shirley sat on the bed, hugging her knees, silently sobbing. The medical staff around her had no idea what had happened, and they looked at each other in confusion.

Being able to conceive the heir of the Nelson family was a great joy! Why did she look so sad?

Could it be that she never wanted to get pregnant with this child in the first place?

But that shouldn't be the case...

Keith approached from outside, his long and straight legs accentuating his exceptional handsomeness. His exquisite and perfect facial features, especially his narrow and slightly raised eyes, were incredibly charming and elegant.

"Boss... Madam... She..." the doctor couldn't help but speak.

"I understand. All of you, leave," Keith exerted his authority, and his entire being emanated an aura like an emperor. The others immediately lowered their heads, not daring to disobey his command, and quickly left.

Shirley heard the voice and suddenly looked up, and her tears fell uncontrollably like broken beads when she saw the man standing in front of her.

At this moment, she already knew who the man standing in front of her was.

Shirley also calmed down. She understood what being a part of the Nelson family meant. Since the Nelson family wanted this child so badly, even if she gave birth to the child, they would never let the child stay with her! But the child was hers, how could she allow the child to be taken away as soon as it was born? The thought of that scene made Shirley unable to stay calm anymore.

Although Keith only glanced sidelong at Shirley, he was already certain that this woman had fallen into his trap and could not to resist anymore. Retreat was sometimes the best strategy, and it was one of his tactics.

"So, what do you want?" Keith didn't give Shirley more time to think. "I'm very busy."

Shirley lowered her head and thought for a moment. She knew she could never go back to William anymore. She had no way out. Just because she had spent a night with Keith in the hotel, she had almost been kicked out of the house by her Grandma. If news of her pregnancy reached home, she and her mother would be done for. She wouldn't be able to return home, and the company would also fire her. It would be a hopeless situation.

Shirley gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I choose to get married to you! I know that the Nelson Family also needs this child. As long as we get married, I will have the child."

"Since you agree, then prepare for the wedding," Keith didn't wait for Shirley to finish speaking and turned to leave the room. "You can take a long vacation and rest."

Shirley's supervisor received the notice: Shirley was given special treatment by their CEO, and allowed to take a long vacation with full pay and bonuses during the leave.

The whole office was amazed when they heard the news.

A female colleague who often bullied Shirley and easily dumped her workload onto her felt a bit panicked. How could the CEO suddenly give such a privilege to a low-level employee? Could it be that there was some unknown secret between them? Could it be because Shirley had made advances towards the CEO?

The other female colleagues in the office instantly regretted it! If they had known this would be the outcome, they would never have missed this opportunity!

However, before these few people could take action, someone had already paved the way for them. A female colleague from another department heard about what had happened and dressed up attractively, waiting on the route that Keith took to work, pretending to accidentally bump into him, and immediately got fired.

Upon hearing this result, those eager female colleagues were instantly doused with cold water. No one dared to make any rash moves.

But everyone became even more curious. Why did their boss care so much about a small person like Shirley?

Shirley received the most perfect care in the hospital. A top-notch medical team served only her.

Shirley walked around in the garden downstairs, feeling suffocated from staying in the ward every day. But she hadn't walked for long when a group of nurses surrounded her.

"Madam, it's quite windy today, and you're in the early stage of pregnancy. It's better not to expose yourself to such strong wind," the head nurse said, following her every step. "The chairwoman has instructed us not to let anything happen to you."

Shirley looked at the large group of people following her and realized that she wouldn't be able to go for a walk. She reluctantly stopped and said, "Okay, I understand."

Unable to walk outdoors, Shirley could only wander inside the ward. When she returned to her floor, she saw a group of chefs pushing a food cart towards her room. Shirley was taken aback. What were they planning to do?

Shirley quickly returned to her room and pushed the door open, only to see several chefs placing dozens of exquisite dishes on the table. The chefs saw Shirley and immediately stood at attention. "Madam, this is the lunch the chairwoman ordered to be sent. If you don't like it, we can change the flavors."

Shirley was astonished by the sight. Did they prepare so much food just for her lunch?

"No, I can't eat so much alone," Shirley hurriedly replied. She found it hard to adapt to suddenly being the center of attention, coming from being an ordinary girl from the countryside.

"Mr. Keith will come to dine with you. These are his regular lunch dishes," one of the chefs replied.

Shirley suddenly felt embarrassed. Did she misunderstand something?

Wait, what did he say? Keith would come for lunch?

Before she could ask the next question, she heard a uniform and disciplined voice outside the door, "Good afternoon, Mr. Keith!"

Shirley's body stiffened, and she didn't dare turn around. Although she had agreed to marry Keith, he was still a stranger in her subconscious mind.

As Keith entered the room, he saw Shirley standing with her back to him and immediately said, "Why are you still standing there? Let's eat."

As soon as Keith sat down, someone immediately brought a hand towel for him to wipe his hands. After using three towels, Keith elegantly picked up his knife and fork and ate with grace.

Although Shirley didn't like this man, she had to admit that he looked good no matter what he ate. The people around her also gave her a towel, and Shirley accepted it, wiped her hands, and returned it to the person next to her. Following Keith's habit, the person wiped his hands with three towels before pulling out a chair for Shirley.

Shirley could only sit opposite Keith and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, you didn't need to come."

Keith elegantly wiped his mouth and replied, "The moment I decided to marry you, it became my duty, of course, just a duty."

Shirley understood Keith's meaning, and she no longer acted pretentious. She silently ate the food the chef had prepared for her.

Keith glanced at her and coldly said, "You've eaten three pieces of salmon."

Upon hearing this, the chef immediately removed the salmon plate.

Shirley couldn't help but laugh and cry. "Do I need someone to monitor what I eat?"

"Of course, I don't care what you eat, but you can't neglect the child in your womb," Keith said directly to the chef, "Bring her a bowl of ginseng soup."

Shirley was about to decline when her phone suddenly rang. She turned her head and looked at the number on the screen, a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes.

Flipping her phone over, she placed it upside down on the table, and the ringing immediately stopped.

"Why didn't you answer the call?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

Shirley continued to eat with her head down. "It's an irrelevant call."

An irrelevant call? If it was irrelevant, why did it make her eyes look so sad?

Keith only glanced at Shirley and didn't say anything more.

The two of them ate in silence.

After Keith finished his meal, he immediately left. Once the chefs took away the plates, Shirley picked up her phone. There were several missed calls on it already.

As she looked at the familiar name, Shirley felt a mix of emotions in her heart.

Ever since the day she accidentally slept with the wrong man, she hadn't answered a single call or replied to a single message from William.

Her attitude had been so clear, so why couldn't he let go? Why did he continue to call her and tell her interesting things happening abroad as if nothing had happened?

Had he never suspected that she had changed?

Why?

Wouldn't it have been better if he had disappeared too? Maybe then, she would have been better off.

But it had been two months now, and he called and messaged her every day. Seeing him talking to himself on the other end of the line, was like a knife cutting through her heart.