Meet Austin Again!

After that, Maria resumed her normal life once again. Fredrick forbade her from doing any other shoots during her pregnancy, and Maria, considering the baby inside her, agreed. She rested at home every day, occasionally strolling on the streets accompanied by servants.

Pregnancy didn't seem to bring too many physical changes to Maria, so she gradually overlooked her condition until one evening, as she shared dinner with Fredrick as usual. Fredrick cut a piece of steak and offered it to Maria's mouth, but Maria found the beef overwhelmingly fishy, and her stomach immediately turned. She hurriedly pushed back her chair and rushed to the bathroom, violently leaning against the sink and vomiting.

Maria was disheveled as she clung to the sink, vomiting uncontrollably. Fredrick, worried, stood outside the bathroom door and asked, "Maria, are you okay?"

Maria shouted, "Don't come in." She was too disheveled and didn't want Fredrick to see her like this.

Fredrick frowned and called for a maid to go in and clean up for Maria. Once Maria managed to stop, the maid standing nearby quickly wiped her mouth and tidied up. Only after Maria regained her composure did she slowly emerge.

Fredrick asked gently, "Are you feeling better?"

Maria intertwined her fingers with Fredrick's, "I'm fine now, don't worry."

Fredrick said, "I've instructed the maid to prepare some light food. Would you like to eat a little something?"

Maria nodded slightly.

As Maria ate her food in small bites, she felt the abnormality of pregnancy for the first time, realizing anew that there was a tiny life growing inside her.

In the days that followed, Maria began to experience frequent morning sickness, leaving her somewhat exhausted. Fredrick felt sorry for Maria enduring the torment of pregnancy, but all he could do was hold her and gently soothe her.

Gradually, Maria noticed a slight bulge in her lower abdomen, and the realization that the little life inside her was growing made her feel a sense of novelty. Despite the troubles pregnancy brought, she still looked forward to her child growing up.

At night, as Maria nestled in Fredrick's arms and watched him, usually strong and cold, gently rubbing her sore waist, her heart would flutter. She had a fleeting illusion that Fredrick might genuinely like her.

But whenever such absurd thoughts arose, Maria would shake her head, forcing herself not to indulge in them. Fredrick only wanted her to give birth to a healthy child, and she was merely a vessel for reproduction. How could a powerful and influential man like Fredrick fall for a woman like her?

Fredrick felt Maria staring at him intently, his sharp eyes softening as he looked at her. "What's wrong, baby?"

Maria buried her face in Fredrick's sturdy chest and mumbled, "Why did you choose me to sign the agreement with you?"

Fredrick chuckled, "A girl with a clean background, innocence, and beauty, isn't that a good choice?"

Maria felt even more dejected, closing her eyes and leaning against Fredrick. Indeed, Fredrick chose her only because she was a suitable candidate. Once she gave birth to the child soon, she would have nothing more to do with Fredrick. What was she deluding herself with?

One evening, as Maria waited for Fredrick to sleep beside her as usual, Fredrick pulled her close and said, "My mother has invited you to attend a charity ball the day after tomorrow. Would you like to come?"

Maria recalled the awkward encounter with Fredrick's parents and asked curiously, "Why invite me?" After all, she was supposed to leave Fredrick once she gave birth to the child in a few months.

Fredrick ruffled Maria's hair, "Because you're carrying my child, and everyone needs to know who the mother is. But if you don't want to go, it's okay."

Maria shook her head, "She's your mother, and I shouldn't decline her invitation."

Two days later, Maria wore an elegant silver gown and accompanied Fredrick's mother, Selena, to the charity ball banquet hall. Although Maria was pregnant, fortunately, her belly wasn't yet noticeable, and the gown concealed any signs of her condition.

The charity ball was attended by many famous and powerful people from various fields, making Maria feel somewhat uneasy among the crowd. Fredrick's mother, Selena, however, seemed accustomed to such high-end events, confidently mingling with the entrepreneurs.

A noble lady exchanged a few pleasantries with Selena before raising her eyes to scrutinize Maria standing beside her. Maria felt a bit constrained, and the lady, who had never seen Maria before, assumed she was some young relative of Selena's, filled with curiosity: "Mrs. Selena, it's rare to see you bring a girl out. This young lady is quite beautiful and well-behaved. Who is she from?"

"She...," Selena sighed softly, seemingly reluctant to mention Maria to others, "She is Fredrick's wife."

The noble lady was somewhat surprised: "That's wonderful news! You've been trying to arrange matches for Fredrick, but he's always refused. Now that he's married, you must feel at ease."

Selena pursed her lips, unable to say much more with Maria present.

She had her reasons for bringing Maria along. Firstly, she didn't want Fredrick's child to be labeled as illegitimate. Secondly, she wanted Maria to witness the true upper crust of society, hoping that it would inspire shame within her and encourage her to leave quietly after giving birth, without causing any further complications.

Maria could tell that Selena didn't like her, but she couldn't just stand there awkwardly. With a pure smile, she addressed the lady: "Hello, I'm Maria, Fredrick's wife. I came here today specifically with Mrs. Selena to broaden my horizons. It's truly an honor to meet such an elegant and beautiful lady like you."

The noble lady was delighted by her words. "Fredrick has indeed found a sweet-talking wife. If only my son could find someone as good as her."

Selena, unsure how to explain further, waved to Maria: "Maria, I need to speak with Mrs. Evelina for a while. Why don't you go for a walk by yourself?"

Maria nodded and obediently left. She knew Selena was just trying to get rid of her, but she didn't have much choice.

Maria asked a waiter for the location of the VIP lounge. Standing for too long had left her pregnant body unusually fatigued. As she climbed the stairs to the second floor, she accidentally bumped into a familiar face.

"Maria, is that you?"

Maria looked up and saw Austin's handsome face. She didn't expect to encounter Austin here and exclaimed in surprise, "Austin, were you also invited?"

Austin nodded. "Yes. Maria, where are you headed?"

Maria pointed behind her, "I'm going to the lounge."

Austin thought for a moment before saying, "Let me come with you. I have something to talk to you about."

Maria, of course, couldn't refuse Austin's invitation and followed him into the lounge she had reserved.

Sitting on a single sofa, Maria gazed at Austin seated opposite her. She instinctively covered her abdomen, which wasn't visibly protruding, but she feared Austin might notice something different about her and wanted to maintain her best appearance in front of him.

Austin, with his irresistible puppy-dog eyes, smiled warmly at Maria and said, "I'm preparing for my next film, and there's a role for a younger sister that's still open. I think you'd be perfect for it. Are you interested in auditioning?"

Maria was taken aback and lowered her head, "I'm sorry, I've been feeling unwell lately and can't make it."

Austin's expression showed a hint of disappointment, but it was quickly replaced by a polite smile, "It's okay. I just thought the role would suit you. Is it because you've been too tired from previous shoots?"

Maria shook her head, "No, it's a personal issue."

Maria felt deeply frustrated. It was such a great opportunity, and Austin had even personally extended the invitation to her, but she was pregnant, and she could only watch helplessly as the opportunity slipped away.

After a brief silence, Austin stood up and said, "I'll leave now. Take care of yourself."

As Maria watched Austin leave, she felt a heavy weight on her heart. The physical toll of pregnancy had already been excruciating, and now she had to forgo another chance to work with Austin. Unable to contain her emotions, Maria's tears began to fall, and she covered her face, silently weeping. Austin remained as sunny and charming as ever, while she was just a helpless woman forced to sell her body for a living. What right did she have to chase her fantasies?

After a brief moment of catharsis, Maria wiped away her tears and regained her composure. She still had to meet Selena and couldn't let her see through her distress.

Adjusting her emotions, Maria left the lounge.