Chapter 267

"Mathew... I.."

"What did you just say?" He stared at her, still stunned at what she had just told him.

Julia was feeling more unwell now as she could see that he was not pleased to hear the news. And somewhere deep inside her heart, something broke that could never be repaired.

"I am pregnant." She held back her tears and lowered her head.

The words once again rang in the young man's mind, and he did not know how to react to it.

All Mathew could think of was how it was not the right time for kids, and how it could jeopardise his plans.

"Were you not put on contraceptives?" He frowned. "Did you not take them?" He accusingly asked.

"No!" Her heart ached when she heard his words. "I did take them... I don't know how it happened..." She could no longer control her tears.

Mathew looked at her, doubting her words, and then frowned some more.

Finally, after taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and hugged her.

"I am sorry, Julia. It just caught me off-guard." He softly whispered, and the girl on his arm suddenly tightened her hug, refusing to let him escape. "It's fine." He stroked her back as his mind entertained the prospect of having a child.

He ruled out the thought of marrying her. It was not something he could do. But that was not an issue as the child could still bear his name.

What concerned him was the reaction of the other ladies whom he planned on courting.

"I will arrange for you to stay out of the country for the duration of your pregnancy." He suddenly said, which froze the girl in his arms. "Take your mother with you."

"Mathew..."

"It's not safe here." He made an excuse. "And it would not be right if the news gets out in the press at this time." He cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes. "I promise I will come to visit you from time to time."

"I don't want it... Let's get it aborted..."

"Julia. It is fine." He shook his head. "You will keep it because I want it."

"You do?" She expectantly asked as her tears ran down her cheeks.

"Yes." He smiled at her. "It's fine." He leaned in and captured her lips, which worked like a charm on her and she calmed down a lot. "Now get some rest, I have to attend to something urgent."

"Okay..." Though reluctant, she knew that Mathew had a lot on his hands right now.

They had just returned from the funeral of his Grandfather, and Mathew also called a meeting of senior executives in the evening.

"Be safe..." She whispered as she watched him leave, and her tears returned.

She could tell that Mathew was not happy. He was not mad, but he was not happy either. It was just as if she did not matter to him, and now she was a burden on him.

Subconsciously, she placed her hand on her abdomen and then she dropped to her knees, crying.

Mathew, who was unaware of his lover's state, smiled as he entered his car.

It was nearly 1 pm, and as usual, Maria Valeca would be at her Cafe at this time. A perfect opportunity for him to approach her and enact his plan.

{The Host must remember that he needs to garner favourability from the girl even after you have applied the Ensnaring Perfume on her.}

"I know." He frowned and nodded his head.

At least, after applying the Ensnaring Perfume, Maria would pay him some attention.

He could not think of any other way to start with her. After all, his wings had been cut and he had to be very careful with everything now.

"Young Master, there is a platoon of guards outside the cafe." The bodyguard in the front seat frowned. "They belong to the Alvarez Family."

Mathew's heart sank when he heard those words and he looked at the Cafe in front of them.

Indeed, there were lots of guards, and it seemed like no one was allowed to enter the premises as well.

Worried about what was going on, he grabbed his bodyguard's phone and dialled Maria's number, waiting with bated breaths for her to pick it up.

Two calls later, the third call was cut, and he quickly dialled again, but the phone had been switched off now.

Taking a deep breath after debating his options, Mathew exited the car and walked towards the cafe.

"The Cafe is closed right now." A guard at the door raised his arm and stopped him.

"It's not closing time." Mathew lightly said. "And I have an appointment with Miss Maria."

"Lady Maria has no meetings scheduled today, Mr. Frost. Please leave." The man who was standing inside the lobby came out and smiled at him.

Mathew recognised him as Maria's right-hand man, and he frowned.

"Tell her I want to see her."

"It's not possible today. Please leave." He asked politely, and Mathew felt cold in his heart.

He was clearly being looked down upon, and now he only had one option left.

"Step aside." He walked forward as if he did not care about their words, and his action took them off guard.

"Mr. Mathew..." The guard who grabbed his hand was about to speak when Mathew pushed him aside rather forcefully, and his own guards stepped forward to protect him from harm.

A scuffle broke out outside the cafe, catching people's attention. And it caught the attention of the two people inside the cafe as well, just as the Child of Destiny had intended.

"What's going on?!" Maria angrily asked when she arrived outside and witnessed what was happening.

She came just in time to watch Mathew display his Shadow Boxing skill, however, she did not seem too impressed by it.

"Hunter, subdue him." Javier, who was right behind Maria, ordered his bodyguard, who immediately rushed forward.

Mathew grimaced when he was forcefully flung away, and he glared at the tall and muscular man who had just attacked him.

{Be careful, Host. This man is in the middle stage of the Great Profound Realm. You are not a match for him.}

The words from the System calmed him down, and then he turned to look at Maria and Javier, who were standing side by side and looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Call the Police." Javier suddenly said, catching everyone by surprise.

Mathew was dismayed when he heard those words, and he knew that it was he who was at fault here. And to make it worse there were surveillance cameras that had caught the incident.

"Mr. Javier..." He narrowed his eyes but realised that there was no point in talking to the Heir of the Alvarez Family. His bodyguard had already dialled the helpline.

Mathew then turned to look at Maria to see her stance. Surely, she would understand that he was worried about her safety, right?

But to this bewilderment, she said something that froze him.

"Marcus. Assist the Police investigation and provide them with the surveillance feed. Do not let anyone leave this place." She instructed her right-hand man.

"Yes, my lady."

"Maria..."

"We are not that familiar, Mr. Frost. You can not call me by my first name." She coldly rebuffed him.

And then, under his eyes, she entered the Cafe again, and Javier followed her inside.

"Have you decided?"

Inside the cafe, as soon as Javier took his seat, he asked the lady who seemed a little lost.

As Keith had advised, he laid the truth bare in front t of her, telling her clearly that she was not in the right to hold the Alvarez Family responsible for her father's death.

Besides, her father was a gangster, and gangsters rarely faced a natural death. It was the life they chose to live by and chose to die by.

Maria too knew these things. She understood the ways of her world, yet she was hesitant to accept Javier's offer.

"You will help me kill Gendou, and in return, you want me to work for you?" She asked after she cleared her mind.

"Yes." He nodded to him. "You will take hold of his forces, make your organisation stronger than it was under your father, and become the sole queen of the Mystich city's Underworld. And you will only have to listen to me."

"Not your family?" She narrowed her eyes.

"No." He shook his head.

Maria meaningfully looked at the young man, and she felt a little strange in her heart.

Putting so much power in her hands was unwise, and why was Javier so sure that she would not backstab him?

"Are you not afraid that I would betray you?" She straightforwardly asked and frowned when Javier started chuckling.

"No, Miss Maria. You won't betray me. You seem like a person who cherishes her life, and nothing would save you if you harm me or my family." He confidently said. "Besides, there is nothing in it for you." He pointed out.

"And how can I be sure that you won't use me and then discard me?" She smiled. "Your offer is a little too lucrative to be sincere."

Javier frowned at her words.

It was just like Keith had said, and he now hesitated as he debated over his next words.

Keith had suggested to him two ways to deal with Maria.

One was to kill her, which he was reluctant to do after looking into her whole life and realising how capable she was. She was undoubtedly a great asset.

And the second method, though quite beneficial to both parties, still made him reluctant...

Javier glanced at Maria, and though he loved Hannah with all his heart, it did not mean that he was immune to another girl's charm and beauty.

And then his father's words rang in his mind.

"If you are concerned about my and my Family's sincerity, we can discuss this cooperation on a personal level." He spoke, catching her interest.

"Yes?"

"Marry me." He said, and her eyes widened at his word's as she looked at him in surprise.

"You are engaged." She pointed out.

"I am asking you to marry me, not to become the future lady of the Alvarez Family." Javier narrowed his eyes. "We can keep it secret from the public if you want that. Or you can officially become my second wife."

Those words made Maria frown, and she kept looking into the young man's eyes.

In the last two weeks, three men had asked her to become their woman.

First was her enemy, Gendou.

The second was the over-confident and handsome Heir of the Oscar Family.

And the third was the Heir of the Alvarez Family.

However, Javier was the only one who was not doing it for her body. She could tell that the Alvarez Family was proposing it because they valued her expertise and talent.

Being smart as she was, she also knew that if she refused to cooperate, she would be killed.

She could not die. Not before killing Gendou...

Recently, she had been keeping an eye on Alvarez Family, and she was not unaware that the daughter of Alvarez Family was having an affair with Keith Argus Demiliore. If things worked out well between them, then the Alvarez Family would have an unshakable backing behind them that she could never even dream of going up against.

"I agree..." She smiled and said, which surprised Javier.

Instead of feeling happy about it, he felt a little worried now, wondering how Hannah would react to all of this when she learns about it.

However, he knew that his father would be very pleased with this outcome as it was going to prove very beneficial to them.