Chapter 312
“Uncle Hardy, have some water.” Luna held out a cup of warm water to Hardy.
Hardy’s manager, Edward Wheeler, sat in a chair behind them munching on nuts. He shook his head and said, “People who don’t know might think Luna is your daughter.”
“Here’s water for you too.” Luna poured a cup for Edward as well.
From a young age, Valerie had forced her to flatter Clayton, shaping her into a pleaser. Too young to understand self interest, Luna only knew Hardy was kind to her. She not only wanted to repay him but also be good to everyone around him.
“Good girl.” Edward took the cup and bent down to hug her.
Hardy scooped Luna up and said, “Back off, smoker. Your breath stinks.”
Edward wished Hardy would just stay silent since every word out of his mouth seemed to annoy him. Edward exhaled into his palm and smelled the cigarette smoke, unable to help laughing.
Hardy carried Luna to the gym. To help the esports players stay in shape, Edward made them exercise here after long hours in front of computers.
The gym was empty now, so Luna played with a fitness ball while Hardy easily did pull–ups.
When Quentin told him the news, Hardy was shocked. Since his student days, Hardy’s life had been simple–just classes and gaming, no other distractions, and he’d never even had a girlfriend. But the DNA test Quentin showed him confirmed he was biologically Luna’s father.
Quentin explained that when Audrey mentioned Luna was allergic to pecan cake, he’d impulsively decided to run a paternity test on Hardy and Luna.
Hardy stood stunned for a long time, then asked in disbelief, “Could it be my dad has a bastard son out there, and Luna is his kid?”
Quentin replied, “Unless your dad’s bastard is your identical twin, no way.”
The usually silent Hardy grew even quieter. He couldn’t figure out how he, a virgin, had suddenly gotten a daughter.
Quentin patted his shoulder. “Instead of suspecting your dad, think–could someone have drugged you and stolen your sperm?”
“Absolutely impossible.” Hardy had quietly tried to run into Valerie before, but she’d shown no reaction to him. Only after she learned he’d given Luna gifts did she start flattering him.
“Uncle Hardy, your phone is ringing.” Luna’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
He took the phone from his pocket and answered.
“Hello, Mr. Cruz? It’s Jeana,” the woman said.
“Jeana, what’s up?” Hardy held the phone and walked toward the door, not wanting Luna to hear negative talk about Valerie.
“Well…” Jeana reported how Valerie was refusing rehab and skipping her meds.
Hardy said coolly, “If she doesn’t want to take the pills, leave her be. Do as she likes.”
After learning Valerie had abused Luna, he’d lost all sympathy for her. He hoped she’d stay bedridden forever, so she’d stop hurting others.
Jeana went on, “When we got back to the room, we ran into a couple in the hallway. Ms. Patterson cursed at them horribly. The wife didn’t argue–she just smiled at her.”
“Then Ms. Patterson went crazy, ripped out her IV catheter, and started bleeding everywhere. While I went to get a doctor, her bed rolled down a slope. She fell out and hit her head,” Jeana added.
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Hardy gripped the hallway railing tightly. “The bed rolled by itself?”
“Yes… and no.” Jeana said, “We checked the security footage. The couple didn’t touch the bed–Ms. Patterson was thrashing so hard, that the bed slid on its own. I’ll send you the video later.”
“Glad no one else got hurt.” Hardy relaxed slightly. “Thanks for letting me know. If she refuses rehab, just stop forcing her. I’ll transfer your play soon
After hanging up, he sent Jeana this week’s wages and received a video. When he opened it, he saw Yann and Audrey in the footage.
Though introverted, Hardy cared deeply about his friends. He immediately called Yann.
Just then, Yann had finished showering and wrapped his arms around Audrey, who smelled of soap. “I’ll be gentle,” he murmured.
Men’s words–especially in bed–were completely unreliable.
Audrey wrapped herself in a blanket and pushed against his chest. “Can I say no?”
“Honey…” Yann took her hand and pressed it to his crotch. He’d been hard since his shower, and now that the doctor had given the okay, he had no excuse left to hold back. He ached to be close to her.
Audrey yanked her hand back. “What if we hurt the baby?”
“Quentin said it’s fine,” said Yann.
“Well, you can go have sex with him,” she retorted, softening quickly, “He’s not the one carrying the baby.”
Yann pulled her close, letting her feel his urgency, but his voice was pitiful. “Now that we have the baby, you don’t want me anymore?”
She said, “That’s not true. Don’t twist my words.”
His warm breath tickled the back of her ear as he wrapped an arm around her waist, thickened by pregnancy. “It hurts when I hold back. You care about the baby but not me.”
Looking at his wounded expression, Audrey wondered how skipping sex for a short time had turned him into a kicked puppy.
- She turned around, cupping his burning cheeks. “Promise you’ll stop if I say so.”
“I promise,” he said.
She said, “If you don’t listen, we’re not doing this again until the baby is born.”
Yann said, “Okay.”
The moment her hands relaxed, Yann pulled the blanket away. His eagerness made her laugh. “Lie on your side,” he said.
Though eager, Yann still had some self–control. He guided her onto her side in his arms, about to start, when the phone by the bed rang.
He ignored it, focusing on finding the right angle.
But the persistent ringing finally got to Audrey. “Answer it–might be important.”
Yann thought nothing was more important than this moment, but under her urging, he reached for the phone. It was Hardy–rarely talkative, so a late- night call must mean something urgent.
“Make it quick,” Yann snapped into the phone.
Hardy frowned at the tone. “My nurse said she saw you and Audrey at the hospital today.”
“Get to the point,” Yann said.
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Chapter 312
“I saw she was in a wheelchair–was she hurt?”
Yann wanted to curse, but not in front of Audrey. He forced patience.
“She’s pregnant. I’m going to Be a dad. You should take her out for dinner tomorrow with Quentin to celebrate.” Then, he hung up. The man who always kept his phone on turned it off and started making out with Audrey.
