He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 45: Don’t Hurt the Baby

The moment Aiden Sinclair stepped into the banquet hall, he spotted the woman in a fringed dress in the corner.

He hadn’t seen her in a week, and she was already back to her vibrant, stunning self. The rose on her shoulder was particularly eye-catching, delicate and alluring.

The thought that so many other people were seeing this beauty made Aiden Sinclair feel a twinge of jealousy.

Clara Jacobs brought a glass of wine to Aiden. "Aiden, so many people were just asking me about our engagement date, and I didn’t know what to answer. Aiden, have you decided yet?"

Aiden Sinclair held the wine glass, his expression cold. "The time isn’t right. When I’ve secured the Sinclair Group, we’ll make our announcement."

Clara’s mind spun, and she asked gleefully, "Aiden, are you planning to give me the Sinclair Group as a wedding gift?"

Aiden Sinclair neither confirmed nor denied it, simply taking a sip of his wine.

Aiden Sinclair’s gaze fell on the two people in the corner—Nina Walsh and Julian Sinclair were sitting together, their heads close as they whispered, looking incredibly intimate.

"I see some friends over there. I’m going to go say hi."

Aiden Sinclair set down his glass and started toward the corner.

"Okay."

Clara Jacobs took the glass and glanced around. When she was sure no one was watching, she quietly went to the restroom and tossed the glass into a trash can in the women’s section.

Less than two minutes later, Clara Jacobs emerged from the restroom to find that Aiden Sinclair was nowhere to be seen in the banquet hall.

...

Aiden Sinclair had discreetly left the banquet hall and was now running upstairs. He had just seen Julian Sinclair give Nina a room key, after which she had headed this way.

Aiden didn’t know which floor Nina was on, so he had no choice but to search one by one. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

The hotel was quiet. Aiden searched several floors without finding any sign of Nina, and the ominous feeling in his gut intensified.

He reached the fifth floor and saw a single, stray tassel by the elevator doors.

...

Room 501.

"Mr. Mario, I’m sorry to disturb you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nina Walsh, and I’m the general manager and designer for Maelie," Nina introduced herself.

"I know who you are. Julian has mentioned you. Please, have a seat, Miss Walsh," Mario said graciously.

Nina was taken aback. ’Julian Sinclair is actually helping me?’

"You may be Julian’s friend, but I need to see the product first. In the end, the product speaks for itself. If it’s good, we can talk. If it’s not going to make money, then I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t agree to a partnership even if Julian himself asked," Mario said bluntly.

Pulling herself together, Nina said, "This is our company’s collection for this season. Please, take a look."

Mario put on his glasses, his expression serious as he flipped through the product catalog Nina had brought. He went through it slowly, examining every single item with great care.

Nina felt like a student whose homework was being spot-checked by the teacher. Her heart was in her throat.

Finally, Mario took off his glasses. "What school did you attend? I see the influence of the great Emily of Ferelden in your designs."

Nina answered truthfully, "I’ve been learning to make clothes from my grandfather and mother since I was little. My mother studied abroad in Ferelden; she and Emily were classmates."

Mario glanced up at her, then closed the catalog. "Let’s sign the contract."

Nina was stunned by the sudden offer, feeling as if she were in a dream.

Standing in the hallway, Nina pinched herself hard. It was painful.

But a silly grin spread across her face as she clutched the contract, reading the black and white text over and over.

’It’s done! This went even more smoothly than I expected!’

In five days, her collection would be featured on the ALLBUY Mall homepage under the Maelie brand.

She was so overjoyed that she didn’t notice the hand that shot out from the side, dragging her into a room.

A tall figure loomed over her, pressing down like a mountain. Her bag dropped to the floor with a sharp thud.

Fear gripped Nina, but then a familiar, hoarse voice sounded by her ear.

"Nina..."

Aiden Sinclair planted his hands on either side of her, trapping her completely beneath him.

He was burning up, his face flushed an unnatural red. His gaze was fixed feverishly on her lips, and his Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.

This wasn’t the first time they’d been in this situation.

Nina knew he’d been drugged. She pushed at him in disgust. "Clara Jacobs is downstairs. Go to her."

Aiden seemed drunk, murmuring, "I don’t want her. I want you. Only you."

With that, he lowered his head to kiss her, but Nina slapped him hard across the face.

"You’re not just rotten, you’re filthy! You’re disgusting!"

The slap seemed to have an effect on Aiden, though it was hard to tell if it sobered him slightly or confused him even more.

He pulled her into a tight embrace and bit down on her soft shoulder. "I’ve never touched her. All I want is to hold you every day."

Nina froze. Before she could react, Aiden was kissing her again.

This time, he found her lips.

"Wife, you smell so good... so sweet..."

A tremor ran through Nina’s heart, and the hands pushing him away suddenly lost all their strength.

Taking it as encouragement, Aiden pressed his advantage.

’I don’t know what’s happening to me; my body feels like it’s on fire. For a moment, I can’t tell if he’s the one who’s been drugged, or if I have.’

"Be gentle..."

"Don’t hurt the baby..."

Lost in a haze of passion, Aiden froze. His touch softened, and his kisses began to fall over her body like rain.

...

「The next day.」

A taxi pulled up to the main entrance of Maelie, and Nina Walsh stepped out.

Her mind was a chaotic mess. She was filled with regret.

She regretted giving in to impulse and sleeping with Aiden Sinclair again. She regretted telling him she was pregnant.

’Even if he was drugged, it’s not like he would have died from it. There’s a whole line of women waiting for his attention.’

’Ultimately, it was my own fault. I was tempted by his looks, completely bewitched.’

Nina wanted to slap herself hard.

"Young Mr. Walsh, you’re finally here. Miss Quinn called me last night, said she couldn’t get through to your phone," Leo Lloyd said upon seeing Nina.

Nina pulled her jacket tighter around herself. Even though he had been so gentle last night, he’d torn her handmade fringed dress to shreds, as if it had personally offended him.

Nina pushed the thoughts aside, opened her purse, and rummaged through it. Her expression suddenly sharpened.

"What is it? Young Mr. Walsh, are you looking for something?" Leo Lloyd asked, concerned.

’My product catalog is gone. I must have left it in the room this morning, I was in such a rush.’

Thankfully, the contract with ALLBUY Mall was still there. Nina handed it to Leo Lloyd.

"Mr. Lloyd, I’ve secured the partnership contract with ALLBUY Mall. We launch in five days. Mr. Lloyd, have the production line speed up. We have to make sure we have enough inventory."

"Understood! I’ll get it arranged right away!" Leo Lloyd said, thrilled.

Nina turned, walked to the curb, and hailed a taxi back to the hotel.

’I have to go back and get that product catalog.’

...

「The Astral Hotel.」

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, caressing Aiden Sinclair’s handsome features. His phoenix eyes fluttered open. Feeling the warmth in the crook of his arm, he turned his head with a smile.

"Aiden, you’re awake?"

Clara Jacobs looked up at him, her expression bashful.