Chapter 153 - 151: I’m Pregnant, It’s Shawn Lane’s
Ever since she learned that Beatrice Lynn was pregnant with Shawn Lane’s child, Mrs. Lane had been on edge.
She could overlook other matters, but this was different. The patriarch of the Lynn Family and her own father were very close. If her father really took pity on the Lynns and decided to foist Beatrice on her son, she could never accept it.
Even though she had a soft spot for Beatrice, having watched her grow up, her thoughts mirrored Walter Lane’s when it came to their son: the Lynn Family’s social standing was nowhere near high enough to match the Lanes.
Besides, the thought of using pregnancy to social climb was disgusting—as nauseating as swallowing a fly.
"Darling, you have to give me some advice on this. I really don’t know how to bring this up with Beatrice."
That night, before bed, Mrs. Lane was still agonizing over the matter. She just wanted Walter Lane to come up with a plan quickly so she could deal with Beatrice Lynn.
The longer she waited, the more complicated things would become. Once Beatrice started showing, the situation would be much harder to handle.
Meanwhile, Walter Lane’s attention these past few days had been fixed on the plot of land he’d lost. He’d sent men to investigate the identity of the winning bidder, but it turned out they had applied for identity encryption. Their information would be concealed by the Real Estate Transaction Center for three months.
This was a privilege available to individual bidders, typically used to prevent their identities from being disclosed immediately after the auction.
Walter Lane had called in favors, but no one was willing to bend the rules for him. Leaking a bidder’s identity during the confidential period was a violation of the Land Transaction Act. Besides, the confidential period was only three months. After that, the bidder’s identity would be made public through standard procedures, and Walter Lane would find out then.
So it was just a matter of time. Everyone advised Walter Lane to wait, telling him he would find out as soon as the confidential period was over.
"Have you confirmed it?" Walter Lane asked, putting down his phone with a hint of irritation.
Mrs. Lane replied with a thoughtful, serious expression, "I don’t think Cecilia Sterling would have any reason to lie to me about something like this. A lie like that would be too easily exposed, so it’s most likely true. Besides, Beatrice was acting very strangely during dinner at our house the other day. Thinking back on it, it seems very plausible."
Hearing this, Walter Lane furrowed his brow and considered it for a moment before saying, "You’ve watched her grow up. Perhaps if you appeal to her emotions, you can persuade her. Tell her that she and Shawn are still young and that having a baby now won’t benefit either of them. The main thing is to convince her to get rid of the child. We can offer her some compensation afterward."
Mrs. Lane was about to speak when Walter Lane’s phone rang again. He answered it hastily. "Well? Did you find anything?"
The next second, his expression darkened, a clear sign the news wasn’t good.
"I see." With that, he hung up the phone again.
Seeing his reaction, Mrs. Lane swallowed her words and changed the subject. "Still haven’t found anything?"
"They’re all tight-lipped. After all, the person’s identity will be public in three months. No one’s willing to risk breaking the law to do me a favor when time will reveal the answer anyway."
"What about the security footage? Did you find anything there?"
"She was wearing large sunglasses that covered half her face." Walter Lane shook his head.
Mrs. Lane didn’t know much about the corporation’s affairs. She just said, "Then try not to think about it. The land belongs to them now. What difference does it make if you find out who they are?"
Walter Lane snorted. "I suspect someone was pulling strings. I’ll find out who’s behind this eventually."
Hearing this, Mrs. Lane silently pressed her lips together and said nothing more.
The next day, she invited Beatrice Lynn out for afternoon tea.
They met at a high-end, open-air restaurant in Aethelgard. Beatrice Lynn, a far cry from her listless state of the past few days, arrived wearing exquisite makeup. Despite her efforts, however, the exhaustion in her expression was still obvious.
As soon as they met, Mrs. Lane spoke first, her voice filled with concern. "Beatrice, you look so pale. Haven’t you been resting well?"
To her surprise, Beatrice Lynn simply shook her head and got straight to the point. "Mrs. Lane, I’m pregnant. It’s Shawn’s!"
This sudden, unprompted confession completely stunned Mrs. Lane. Her expression froze, and she stared at Beatrice Lynn in utter shock, momentarily forgetting how to react.
’And here I was, still trying to figure out how to bring it up.’
But Beatrice Lynn simply offered a faint smile and continued, "That night Shawn was drunk at a bar. You were worried and asked me to go look after him, and... well, that’s when it happened."
Mrs. Lane snapped out of it and asked, her expression a little strained, "You’ve been to a hospital to confirm it?"
Beatrice Lynn nodded.
"Beatrice, dear, you and Shawn are still in college. You two..."
"Mrs. Lane, you don’t need to say it. I know you wouldn’t want me to have this baby." Beatrice Lynn cut her off, calmly opening her purse. She took out two slips of paper and placed them in front of Mrs. Lane. "I’ve already had the procedure. You can all relax now."
Mrs. Lane took the papers doubtfully, but as she read their contents, the heavy weight in her heart was instantly lifted.
"Oh, you poor child. For something this important, you should have let me go with you." She looked at Beatrice Lynn, her words carrying a hint of genuine heartache and pity.
"It was my mistake, so it was my responsibility to handle it. Mrs. Lane, I never intended to cause you or the Lane Family any trouble. It was an accident."
Mrs. Lane felt a growing sense of guilt.
"Beatrice, this wasn’t your fault alone. Shawn shares the responsibility. I will make it up to you," she said, her eyes filled with pity. But thinking of her son, she still had to press on. "But I have to ask you for one more thing. Can you promise not to tell Shawn about any of this?"
Before Beatrice Lynn could respond, Mrs. Lane continued, her expression pained. "He’s been in a terrible state lately. I really don’t want to burden him with this. You understand, don’t you?"
"Of course. You’ve known me since I was a child, Mrs. Lane. Naturally, I feel for you." Beatrice Lynn nodded gently, showing no sign of resistance.
’Beatrice is still as sensible as she was when she was little,’ Mrs. Lane thought, greatly relieved.
She glanced at the iced fruit juice in front of Beatrice and quickly feigned concern. "Let me get you a pot of hot fruit tea. You shouldn’t be having cold drinks right now; your body is weak and needs to recover its warmth."
"Later, I’ll buy you some nourishing supplements. You must take good care of yourself and build your strength back up, all right?"
Beatrice Lynn nodded obediently again. "I will. Thank you, Mrs. Lane. I’ll pass on the tea for now. I’ll ask you out for a chat again once I’m feeling better. I should probably get going."
With that, she stood and picked up her bag. Seeing her leave, Mrs. Lane quickly offered, "Should I have my driver take you?"
"No need to trouble yourself. Goodbye, Mrs. Lane."
Beatrice Lynn bid her farewell with a serene expression. The moment she turned away, however, her face transformed. Her eyes filled with a dark, ruthless malice, as if she had become another person entirely.