Selina Hollander was considered a time bomb if they kept her in the company after garnering a lot of bad press.The company had to put a lot of public relations effort into concealing her negative reputation during her contract term.“Let her leave then,” Xyla Quest said in nonchalance when she heard the actress' demand.Everyone was shocked and promptly made their opinions heard.“Ms. Quest, are you sure?” Georgie Clementine asked.“Yeah, she’s a famous actress now. For someone born after the year 2000, she’s highly regarded by people in the industry.”“I think it’s a waste if we let her leave just like this.”“I think so, too. Should we discuss this further?”However, Xyla didn’t seem concerned. “Do you think X Entertainment is lacking actresses?”She could groom a new actress whenever she wanted.Over the past few years, the company produced many successful actresses.“I think you’re being too careless,” a high-level executive said.“I don’t like keeping time bombs like
Xyla Quest finished with work after replying to each email. She immediately stood up, checking the time on her computer again to discover that it was already seven o’clock in the evening.Outside the French windows behind her, she could see lights of greens and reds everywhere.Turning around, she walked over to those windows, mesmerized by the lively night scenery of the city that came into sight.The spotless mirror in front of her reflected her appearance right now.She seemed tired.Feeling some stiffness, Xyla pinched her neck and gently rotated her head slightly, feeling much more relaxed after.She remained standing near the windows to observe the view outside for a while. She then picked up her limited-edition Hermes purse and phone before preparing to leave.Right then, the office door opened, and Stanley Batton strolled in.He wore a white shirt and formal black pants, his long legs apparent with his shirt tucked in.He had the perfect body proportions.Despite se
Things were the same at home.Sharon Lindt, Wilson Batton, the nannies, and the two children were on the playmat. The twins were laughing while the adults entertained them.It was the sight Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton were used to seeing whenever they got home.They went to wash their hands first before approaching their kids and eagerly took them from the nannies.Xyla held onto Leon Batton while Stanley had Lynette Batton in his arms.The twins widened their smiles when they saw them. The moment their eyes met, the couple's eyes lit up, as well.“I’m going to visit Annabeth tonight,” Sharon said with a smile on her face.“It’s Annabeth’s delivery due date, isn’t it?” Xyla asked.“Yes, tomorrow’s the date. Annabeth is already preparing for it in the hospital.”“Okay, I’ll come with you," Xyla announced. "It’s better to have an extra pair of hands.”“All right, sure,” Sharon replied.“I’m coming too,” Stanley stated.“You should stay at home to look after the children.
“Okay,” Annabeth Cates nodded gently, feeling a contraction in her abdomen as her face perspired from the pain.Josh Batton, Xyla Quest, and Sharon Lindt started to feel nervous when they saw her like this.Josh held her hand tightly. “I’ll get a nurse to check on you right away.”He pressed on a button to get the nurse. “Can you send someone in here? My wife is in pain.”Annabeth clenched his hand while dealing with the unfamiliar pain that felt significantly worse than her period cramps.She knew how painful childbirth could be, but she didn’t expect to feel like she was being run over by a truck.Her stomach was in excruciating pain.Her usually calm husband began to panic along with Sharon and Xyla.At that moment, Josh could feel his heart aching.Soon, a nurse walked into the ward to check on Annabeth’s condition.“How is she? Can you give her a shot of anesthetics?” he asked right away.Removing her single-use gloves, the nurse shook her head at him. “Not for now when
Annabeth Cates was drenched in sweat and wearing an apprehensive look in her eyes as she looked at Sharon Lindt. “Really? Will it really be over in ten minutes?”Sharon nodded.She continued to grit her teeth and tolerated the pain upon hearing that the duration wasn’t all that long.Time went by very slowly.Ten minutes felt like ten centuries.After ten minutes, she felt the pain intensifying, so she turned her attention to the nurse. “Hurry, I think it’s hurting even more now. Is it almost time?”The nurse quickly approached while putting on another pair of gloves to check her progress. Then, she nodded. “Yes, it’s time. You’ve dilated pretty quickly. Please wait a moment, Ms. Cates. I’ll page for the doctor to give you anesthetics right away.”She took her phone out and called the director of obstetrics, who arrived five minutes later with a tray of some medical equipment for the anesthetic injection.There was a needle as thick as a knitting needle on the tray and a tube
“Honey, how do you feel right now?” Josh Batton asked with a panicked expression. "Are you sure you don't feel any pain at all now?"He was afraid Annabeth Cates was only saying it to console him.She nodded with a smile. “Yeah, don’t worry.”Sighing in relief, he hastily brushed his tears away before peering at the doctor. “Doctor, my wife won't be feeling any pain anymore, or will it still hurt after a while?”The doctor nodded. “She won’t feel any further pain.”“Thank you,” he breathed out, finally able to stop worrying.“You’re welcome. It’s my job,” the doctor told him before leaving some instructions to the nurse and left.It took quite a while for the cervix to dilate, but it was more tolerable without the pain.Josh, Sharon Lindt, and Xyla Quest fed her all her favorite food from chocolate, water, and some sweetened snacks she liked to boost her strength.She felt so moved when she saw them doing all these for her.It felt great to have people taking care of her when
The intense pain caused Annabeth Cates’ vision to turn dark and drenched in sweat as if she’d just jumped into a pool of water.“I can’t take it anymore! It hurts so much! What’s going on? Didn’t you say it wouldn’t hurt?” she cried out. Her face was pale, sending Josh Batton into panic mode.He immediately turned to one of the medical staff in the delivery room. “What’s going on?”The doctor frowned. “The anesthetic effect must have worn off. We rarely see this happening. It usually lasts until after the delivery process is over for most people.”“What do we do now?” Josh asked, unable to stand seeing his wife in distress. “Can we give her another shot?”The doctor shook his head. “It’s too late. The baby is almost out.”He felt hopeless, and his wife felt the same way.She was in so much pain at that moment that she would soon lose her mind.“Ahh! It hurts so bad! Help! Help me!” The intense contractions were turning her vision pitch black.She gripped Josh’s arms with eve
“I don’t know how other people get through it, but I really can’t take it anymore. Josh, kill me now! I can’t stand it.“God, if I did anything wrong, please punish me with death. Don’t torture me like this," Annabeth Cates pleaded.At this moment, she could finally understand what it felt like to go through living hell.She was going mad. She needed release. It was agonizingly slow as she tried her best to deliver her baby, feeling like she might die on this bed.“Josh? If I die, please take good care of our child,” she cried as she told Josh Batton.“I can sense I really might not make it. Promise me you’ll live a good life with our child after I’m gone,” she stuttered with tears falling down her face.She could feel death approaching her right then and was genuinely afraid that she might leave him soon.She felt so happy being with Josh all this while, so much so that she was reluctant to leave him.However, he hastily brushed his tears away to cast a stern gaze at her. “D