Chapter 113: Aren’t you afraid of dying?
It was almost midnight.
Noah still hadn’t returned to his bedroom. He remained in the study, reviewing a stack of documents spread across his desk.
Just then, the door opened.
Tessa walked in carrying a bottle of wine and two crystal glasses.
Noah glanced at her briefly before lowering his eyes back to the documents.
She noticed his indifference but chose to ignore it. Wearing a bright smile, she walked toward his desk.
"You did a great job," she said cheerfully. "That finance company is on the verge of collapse. Its stock price has plummeted."
She placed the wine bottle on the table. "The clients are losing faith in Elias Rowan."
A satisfied laugh escaped her lips. "He is finally in trouble."
She poured red wine into one of the glasses before sliding it toward him.
"Meanwhile, we secured the partnership with Novacrest Global. Sinclair Group is rising to the top. No one can stop us now."
She leaned against the desk with a smug smile. "I wonder if Elena regrets leaving you and the Sinclair Group."
At those words, Noah slowly lifted his head.
Completely immersed in her fantasies, Tessa failed to notice the icy look in his eyes.
"If she doesn’t regret it now," she continued confidently, "she will soon. Once Elias Rowan’s empire starts crumbling, she’ll realize she made the biggest mistake of her life. She’ll come crawling back to you and beg for forgiveness."
She smiled smugly. "I can’t wait to see her on her knees."
Bang
Noah slammed his palm onto the desk.
Tessa jumped in fright, her words dying in her throat. When their eyes met, she saw nothing but cold fury in his gaze.
"If you are done talking," he said frostily, "leave."
A flicker of unease crossed her face, but she quickly forced another smile.
"Oh, come on, Noah. I’m here to celebrate with you. Don’t ruin the mood."
She walked around the desk and stopped beside him. A seductive smile curved her lips as her fingers slowly traced down his arm.
"You worked so hard to secure the Novacrest deal. We finally succeeded."
She picked up the wineglass and held it toward him. "Have a drink with me. Forget everything else tonight."
Noah stared at the crimson wine for a brief moment. Then, without warning, he knocked the glass away.
"Ah..."
The crystal glass flew from Tessa’s hand and shattered against the marble floor. Red wine splashed across the tiles as broken shards scattered in every direction.
Tessa stared at the mess in disbelief. She then turned her glare at him.
"What are you doing?" she nearly shrieked. "Have you lost your mind? I was only trying to celebrate with you."
"You wanted to drink with me?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are pregnant. And you supposedly have a serious heart condition."
He slowly rose from his chair. "Yet you brought a bottle of wine to celebrate."
His sharp gaze locked onto hers. "Aren’t you afraid of dying?"
Tessa sucked in a sharp breath. A wave of panic swept through her.
Over the past few days, she had been living comfortably in the Sinclair mansion. The servants catered to her every need, and everyone treated her like a precious treasure.
She had almost forgotten the web of lies she had spun to trap Noah. Now that he mentioned her heart disease, her mind went blank.
"Tell me honestly." His voice was low but intimidating. "Are you hiding something from me?"
The last trace of color drained from Tessa’s face. It was the first time Noah had openly questioned her, doubted her.
She couldn’t allow him to discover the truth.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, forcing an aggrieved expression onto her face. "What could I possibly be hiding from you?"
Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
In the past, that pitiful look had always softened Noah’s heart. But not tonight.
He no longer trusted her blindly.
"Really?" His gaze became even colder. "You know better than anyone that you have a heart condition."
He took another step toward her. "And you are carrying a baby. Yet you came here in the middle of the night with wine."
A sneer tugged at the corner of his lips. "A woman who fought so desperately to secure her position, who schemed against Elena and drove her away, would never risk her own life so carelessly."
His voice dripped with suspicion. He stared straight into her eyes. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he grew.
His expression darkened. "I wonder whether you ever had a heart condition at all."
Tessa’s heart nearly stopped. "Are you... Are you suspecting me?"
Her voice trembled. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
"You saw the medical reports yourself. The doctor confirmed everything. How could I possibly fake something like that?"
Noah fell silent.
It was true.
He had personally seen the reports.
The doctor had confirmed that her heart had been severely damaged after she was stabbed while protecting him. If she hadn’t shielded him from that knife, she wouldn’t have ended up with a failing heart. She wouldn’t have been living under the constant threat of death.
How could he question the woman who had once risked her life to save his?
And now, she was carrying his child. Despite the danger to her own health, she had insisted on keeping the baby because she loved him.
Yet, he was standing here, doubting her.
His brows knitted together. The conflict inside him grew fiercer.
Then Elena’s tearful face flashed across his mind.
His chest tightened. If Tessa hadn’t driven Elena away, none of this would have happened.
As he thought about what Tessa had done to Elena, he grew angrier.
"Do you really think I’ll trust you blindly after everything you’ve done?" His voice thundered through the study. "You lied to me. You pretended to be weak and pitiful just to frame Elena. You even hired men to kill her. You did everything you could to force her out of my life."
His eyes burned with fury. "And now you expect me to believe every word that comes out of your mouth?"
Tessa instinctively took a step back. Facing his terrifying glare, she could barely keep herself standing steadily.
"It’s all my fault." His voice turned bitter. "If I hadn’t trusted you so blindly, Elena would still be by my side."
A deep look of regret filled his eyes.
"I made that mistake once." His fists slowly clenched. "I won’t make it again. I’ll never trust you the way I did before."
"How can you say that?" Tessa shouted, her voice shaking with anger and desperation. "You loved me."
She grabbed his collar tightly. "You married me. You promised you’d stay by my side no matter what."
Tears streamed down her face. "And now you are yelling at me because of Elena?"
She tightened her grip. "I’m carrying your child. Yet all you can think about is her? I even helped you destroy Elias Rowan’s reputation. I did everything I could to make Elena regret leaving you. I wanted her to come crawling back to you."
Her breathing became ragged. "And you are still not satisfied?"
Noah’s expression hardened. He gripped her wrists and forcefully removed her hands from his collar.
"You didn’t do it for me." His voice was cold and unwavering. "You did it to satisfy yourself, to satisfy your ego. You wanted to see Elena humiliated. You wanted to watch her fall to her knees and beg."
He stared at her without the slightest warmth. "But I would never allow that."
His tone left no room for argument. "If Elena ever comes back, I’ll give her the place she truly deserves."
Tessa’s eyes widened in disbelief. "W-What?" Her lips trembled. "You..."
She stared at him as though she had misheard. "Are you saying that you are planning to give her my place?"