Chapter 59

"You know what you gotta do. Your next mission is to get knocked up by Frederick ASAP. If you can't get pregnant soon, I don't mind having my guys take turns with you. They'll definitely get the job done."

The man's words were dripping with menace, and his tone was pure evil.

Serena shivered all over; she was genuinely terrified.

She still remembered the last woman who got gang-raped by those jerks.

When they carried her out, she was barely recognizable.

Serena thought, 'Sure, that might get her pregnant, but with her body wrecked like that, how could she carry the baby?

"Sir, I'll do my best. Please, just give me another chance."

Serena said,bowing her head to the ground, scared that if he got pissed, he'd have his men gang-rape her right then and there.

The man looked down at Serena, his eyes cold and heartless.

He lifted his foot and pressed it on Serena's head, grinding it with his shoe.

"Next time, I only want to hear about your success. Otherwise, it'll be even worse for you."

"Got it."

Serena buried her head even lower,too scared to say anyth ing else. Only then did the man move his foot away.'"Get out." Serena stayed in her crawling position, and even when she stood up,she was still hunched over. She left the basement in a mess, making sure to reset all the traps before leaving.

With tears glistening in her eyes, Serena wiped them away with her sleeve.After quickly tidying herself up, she hurriedly took a taxi back to Frederick's villa.

Sitting in the car,Serena couldn't stop trembling.

In her heart, she hated Charlotte even more.

She had tried so hard to seduce him without any luck, while Charlotte got pregnant with Frederick's child so easily.

Although she didn't know why Charlotte hadn't told Frederick about the pregnancy, since she knew about it, she would make sure Charlotte could never speak of it.

Charlotte had just tried out a new mix ofher perfume when she sneezed hard.

"Charlotte,did you smell something strong?"

Taylor looked at her with concern.

She had been telling Charlotte not to overdo it, not wanting her to push herself too hard. Pregnant women were natually sensitive to smells, and Charlotte was still working on new perfumes during her pregnancy, which was really pushing it. "No, the stuff I used just now was fine, but I don't know why I sneezed.Maybe I caught a bit of a cold yesterday." Charlotte said casually.

But in her heart, she blamed Frederick.

If she really had a cold, it must be because Frederick had kept her up making love until midnight last night.

"Caught a chill? Should I take you to the hospital? But I remember Jasper saying there are a lot of meds pregnant women can't take, so they have to tough it out. It's so unfair, all for the sake of the baby."

Charlotte reached out to touch her belly.

A gentle smile spread across her face,radiating that maternal glow."Before I became a mom, I didn't think much of it, but now that I have a child, I get it. A lot of times, a kid isn't a burden to the mother; he's her armor. Since having a child, I feel like a whole new person, and I've got the courage to do so many things."

Taylor was at a loss for words.

The word "mother" was probably hard to associate with someone like her.After all, people still mistook her for a guy when she went out.

Sometimes, even when she video-called her mom, her mom couldn't tell her apart from Jasper.

So Taylor really couldn't grasp the kind of maternal love that Charlotte was radiating.

"You'll get it when you have a kid." Charlotte didn't push her to understand her feelings. Taylor stepped forward and gently touched Charlotte's belly. "Hey baby,if you have any sense, don't give your moma hard time. Otherwise,when you're born, I'll spank your little butt."

"Stop saying stuff like that to my baby. I'm already thinking about how to prep for prenatal education. I don't know if I should go with modern music or classical."

Charlotte's eyes were full of dreams for the future.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Are you serious? This baby is just a tiny embryo now. Are you sure he can tell the difference between modern and classical music?"

"You don't get it; this stuff needs to be instilled early. If we wait,my baby will be left behind at the starting line."

Charlotte was more convinced than ever.

Taylor,exasperated, unbuttoned her lab coat. "I can't take it anymore.I'm outta here. Besides, I don't know squat about perfumes."

"Okay."

Charlotte waved her off.

As soon as she entered the lab and started working on her favorite experiments, she felt super happy.

Taylor was about to leave but suddenly turned back. "By the way, Charlotte, are you free tonight? Jasper wants to invite you to dinner to thank you." "Jasper wants to invite me?" Charlotte was a bit puzzled. What did Jasper have to thank her for? If anything, she should be thanking him.

So Charlotte said, "Get in touch with Jasper. I'll treattonight. I just made some new perfume, and I want Jasper to check it out. Besides, last time we went out to eat, we were supposed to welcome him, but he ended up paying. Tell Jasper that no matter what, I have to treat this time."

"Okay, I'll pass on the message. As long as I don't have to pay,it's fine."

Taylor smiled and tilted her head at Charlotte, then turned and left the lab.

Charlotte shook her head. She thought Taylor had gotten over her stinginess, but it turned out that even now, as the owner of a company,Taylor was still so cheap.

This made her question herself, wondering if she was giving Taylor too small a share.

Evening.

The basic formula for the anti-nausea perfume was ready.

Although the formula hadn't been thoroughly tested and refined, the basic framework was there. The next steps would involve testing and adjusting the proportions.

When Charlotte came out of the lab, she had already washed up and changed clothes, but she still carried a faint fragrance.

Taylor had already finished her work and was waiting at the lab door. Seeing Charlotte come out, she immediately stepped forward to massage her shoulders."Charlotte, you must be tired. How's it going?"