Chapter 386 – Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel

Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel

“Nigel canceled his business trip and Jared’s having a blast at his place, so he doesn’t want to come back just yet. It’ll just be the two of us for the next three days.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. Is that so? Is it Jared who doesn’t want to come back, or did he convince Jared to stay away somehow?

Elliot could tell what she was thinking. He chuckled and said, “It’s really Jared who doesn’t want to come back.”

Anastasia quirked her lips into a smile. Nigel did have a lot of cool games in his house, so it was rather likely that Jared was reluctant to leave. She was about to move away, but something seemed to have gotten into Elliot as he quickly bent down and caught her lips in his.

Their kisses grew heavier and heavier.

The cozy sunlight shone in through the tall glass windows and scattered all over the living room. Everything was well with the world.

If there had not been a warm lunch waiting for them, Elliot might never have stopped kissing her.

After lunch, Elliot accompanied Anastasia on a walk. It was well and truly springtime now as the gentle breeze carried the scent of grass, and the cerulean skies were clear without a speck of clouds. The entire world seemed to come to life again.

At night, they headed to a nearby Dinner in the Sky restaurant. Elliot had made the arrangements in advance, and they were the only customers in the entire establishment.

The soft and melodic music gave the place an air of romance.

There was a blanket of stars overhead and a beautiful candlelit table in front of them. The air hung with the scent of alcohol and fragrance from the flower decor. As for the man in front of her, he was breathtakingly handsome and he was staring at her lovingly with his deep, soulful eyes.

The music seemed to be expressing a love that could not be described with mere words. The melody tugged at the heart as it flitted cheerily from note to note, and somehow, it seemed to fit the journey that they had taken in their path of love-from the day they first met to the present where they finally could be in each other’s arms.

At 10.30PM, the couple went home and enjoyed a moment that was theirs alone. Anastasia bloomed like a brilliant rose that captivated the heart and soul of Elliot, whose eyes never left her, not even for a single moment.

“Mr. Presgrave, you should shower first,” Anastasia said to him.

“My water bill this month went up too much. Let’s not waste water, hmm? Let’s shower together,” he suggested. In one swift motion, he carried her into the bathroom.

She snorted to herself. Blaming the water bill, huh? I could always just pay this month’s water bill.

However, this seemingly cold and reserved man became quite shameless in her presence.

In fact, thanks to her, he had become the master of romance and quite an expert at setting the mood.

Three days later, Jared dragged his feet as he exited Nigel’s house, but when he saw that his mommy and daddy had come to pick him up, he became an overeager puppy again.

Nigel stared wistfully at the family of three, but he recalled how much he enjoyed singlehood too, so he did not feel too envious.

Late that night, Anastasia jostled awake from sleep. She had subconsciously tried to hug the man who was supposed to be in bed beside her, but the spot was empty.

She opened her eyes and saw no sign of Elliot anywhere, but after giving it a moment’s thought, she figured out where he went.

Anastasia climbed out of bed and went to Jared’s room, and true enough, she saw him sitting on the edge of Jared’s bed for what seemed like eternity.

The warm light cast a shadow on him on the floor and made him look like a statue

Anastasia felt a pang in her heart as she could empathize with how Elliot was feeling right now.

The child who addressed him as mister was in actuality his son, and to have gotten to know him as a stranger at first must feel terribly upsetting and regrettable.

Words could not describe the love he felt for his son.

Elliot sensed that Anastasia was behind him, so he adjusted Jared’s covers lightly and got up to leave.

Anastasia had been standing there for quite some time. She was dressed quite thinly so she was starting to feel a little cold. Elliot’s large hands warmed up her chilly ones as he pulled her back to bed.

The next day, Anastasia received a call from Francis. He called to inform her that Naomi’s court proceedings would begin on Tuesday and asked if she had time to attend. Naturally, Anastasia would make the time for it. She wanted to witness Naomi’s downfall in person and see if Naomi truly regretted what she did.

Tuesday morning, after dropping Jared off at school, Anastasia and Elliot went over to the courthouse.

Francis was already there when they arrived, and he seemed to have worked through his emotions as he was a lot calmer this time.

At ten o’clock, Naomi was brought into the courtroom. Her hands and feet were cuffed, and her hair had turned gray in many areas. She looked as if she had aged ten years. When she saw the people sitting in the stands, she looked over at Francis with pleading eyes and her voice trembled as she called out, “Francis…. Francis…”

Francis looked at Naomi with nothing but pain. There was no love and no concern at all. Naomi glanced at Anastasia, but she knew that with her here, there was no way that Francis would take pity on her and forgive her. Elliot was also sitting beside Anastasia, and compared to them, Naomi looked like she belonged in a different world entirely.

The proceedings started, and Francis’ lawyer began to give an explicit account of what happened. Despite the cold and matter-of-fact tone he used to describe the sequence of events, it was still enough to shock and strike fury in the hearts of anyone who heard it. For the sake of money, Naomi was willing to betray her husband and even go so far as to make an attempt on his life.

The culprits behind the entire scheme were Erica, Alex, and Naomi.

Naomi sat stiffly in her seat as she heard the recount of what she had done. She saw Francis sitting there with his head lowered, and tears of anger and regret began to stream down her face.

She recalled how blissful she felt when Francis married her. He worked hard to build his empire, but he would always provide her a princely sum to spend every month. She was free to do whatever she wanted with it, and her daughter, the one she had hidden away all these years, was able to grow up happy and confident as Francis’ daughter too.

Why did everything turn out this way in the end?

Not only did she ruin her own life, but she also ruined her daughter’s youth and future.

Anastasia remained calm on the outside, but on the inside, she was hoping that her father would not plead clemency for this woman. She wanted Naomi to face the full consequences of her actions.

Francis did not do anything, but toward the end of the proceedings, Naomi turned to him and pleaded with a tear stricken face, “Francis, I know what I did was wrong, and I’m willing to bear the consequences, but please… please forgive Erica. I’m the one who taught her to do everything. She’s not a bad person.” Francis said nothing. Naomi had received an eighteen-year sentence. If she managed to stay alive until the end of her sentence, she would be an old woman in her seventies when she was released.

When she did not hear a reply from Francis, she screamed in tears, “Erica has treated you like a father for 22 years!

She’s only 23 years daughter…” old! My poor

Francis did feel sorry for Erica because she was a child that he had raised, but when he glanced at Anastasia and recalled everything that Naomi and Erica had done to her all these years, he suppressed those feelings.

He had no right to forgive them on Anastasia’s behalf. Anastasia was the only one who could decide whether Erica could be forgiven.

Though it went without saying that Anastasia would not do such a thing, and she would remain unmoved even if Naomi cried until her eyes bled out. She turned to Francis. “Let’s go, Dad.”

Francis nodded and left with Anastasia and Elliot. All of Naomi’s hopes were dashed as Erica would soon be sentenced as well. If Francis refused to help, then her daughter would not receive any leniency either.

Naomi’s crimes made it to the news. She had a short-lived moment of glory as the president of Tillman Constructions, and at the time, she had been incredibly smug about it to the press. Now, that only served to highlight just how far she had fallen.

Elliot and Anastasia escorted Francis to his car and watched him leave before they headed over to their car.

That night, they had dinner at Presgrave Residence. When their wedding plans came up in conversation, Anastasia said to Harriet, “Grandma, I’d like us to keep a low profile for the wedding. I don’t need a grand wedding and I don’t want the reporters to report about our ceremony.”

While it may seem amazing to receive high-profile coverage, it came with a lot of risks. Anastasia did not want their family’s lives to be scrutinized. She just wanted to have a quiet and peaceful life.

Harriet was happy to accept the suggestion. Her biggest concern was not having the ceremony live up to Anastasia’s expectations, but since it was a request from Anastasia herself, she would plan according to her wishes.

The wedding was to be held at the start of May on a private island within the country’s borders. Around a hundred guests were invited.

While they did keep a low profile, Elliot still invested a lot of time and money into creating a lavish and romantic ceremony for Anastasia.

In the days leading up to the ceremony, Anastasia got busy too. She had a lot of decisions to make, such as choosing her wedding gown and the gown for the banquet at night, as well as other minute details for the ceremony. She poured her heart into preparing everything.

As for her guests, apart from friends and relatives from her father’s side, Anastasia also invited Felicia and Grace. While she had friends overseas, she was mindful of the great distance and decided against informing them.

Spring was afoot and the lovely spring breeze came wafting in through the window. Anastasia began to feel a little drowsy. Jared was in school by now, and she had spent the morning discussing wedding details with the wedding planners. Once they left, she got a thin blanket and decided to take a nap on the couch.

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