Early in the morning, Carlos had come to Axel's beach house. Just as Axel was about to leave for work, Carlos intercepted him.
"What's wrong, Carlos?"
“Sorry, Boss. Your phone is off, and I can't reach you at home. So I had to come here early in the morning."
"Tell me what's wrong?"
"You better not come to the office until the next few days."
"What is going on?" Axel looked worried. Nothing like this had ever happened before.
"There have been many journalists in the office since yesterday. They even stayed overnight in the office yard."
"What?"
"They… are suspicious of your sudden wedding and the annulment of your engagement to Miss Clarissa. They try to find out about Ms. Blair’s past. They assumed Ms. Blair purposely blackmailed you through her marriage and pregnancy."
Axel massaged his temples. "What does all that mean? Blair not a liar!"
"I'm just conveying what I heard from them, Boss. They said that you paid off all of Ms. Blair's debt."
Axel clenched his fists and cursed. "Where did they get the news about the debt? Something's wrong here."
"Carlos," Axel called. "Please don't say anything to Blair. If she finds out about this, I will not forgive anyone who did it."
"Okay, Boss."
***
"What? Cheater?"
Blair gripped her phone tightly. She had just read a news article in one of the electronic media. There it says that Blair accidentally tricked Axel through her marriage and pregnancy.
A few seconds later, a message came to her cell phone. Blair skimmed through the message and got even angrier.
"If you don't hand over the amount of money I asked for, then I will reveal all the evidence of our close relationship in the past to the media. The rumours about you being an impostor are only the beginning, Blair. I have evidence of our affair until you got pregnant before meeting Axel."
Blair quickly deleted the message. Her body shivered violently.
"Andrew! All this is your doing?"
Blair rushed to check her stash.
"He asked for quite a lot of money, even bigger than my current savings. What should I do?"
Blair was so nervous and panicky.
"Where should I find the rest of the money to silence this jerk? I can't tell Axel either. If Axel finds out, he'll kick me out of here and think of me as a fraud."
***
Celine had just left a beauty clinic after a routine skin health check-up. Celine was about to get into the car when a man approached her. He handed Celine a business card.
"Excuse me, ma’am," said the man. "I'm a journalist from Radar Infotainment. Are you Mrs. Celine Barney? Can I do an interview?"
"What? Sorry, I have nothing I can share with you guys."
Celine's personal driver and bodyguard intercepted the man.
"Axel Barney… will inherit all of the company's assets. Are you going to let that happen?" shouted the journalist.
Curious, Celine also ordered her driver to let the man speak.
"So you're starting to take an interest in what I have to say?" asked the reporter confidently. "I have news about your daughter-in-law–Blair Tanzel."
Celine's attention was focused entirely on the reporter.
***
Axel and Blair both panic. They both are going to go about their own business. But at the same time, someone knocked on their door.
In the doorway, Axel and Blair exchanged glances.
Celine came to their beach house. Celine's face showed anger.
"You guys want out?" Celine scolded. "You'd better postpone it. There's something important I want to talk to you two about."
Axel dan Blair needed help to avoid Celine's arrival. The three of them sat in the living room with severe faces and an attitude that was so uncomfortable.
"What's going on here?" Celine shouted.
Axel dan Blair just be quiet.
"I heard your marriage was never legalized," Celine spoke while holding back her emotions. "And you, Blair, have a lot of debt. "
"And you, Axel… you married her and paid off all her debts. You're using this girl to trick me? So you can take control of the company; you bought a wife and a fake heir? What is going on!" Celine shouted. "Why don't you answer me?"
"I'm sorry," said Blair stammered. She didn't know what to say anymore.
"You're sorry? I didn't know what to say in response to this fact. Have you two gone mad?"
"This is great!" pointed Celine at Axel while they were still silent. "You broke off your engagement with Clarissa and chose to marry this girl just to create scandal and chaos in our family and company? Is this the only thing you can give?"
"Yes, right!" answered Axel loudly. "This is the best thing I can do. I really choose the woman I love without betraying anyone. It's not like you who tried to deceive my father and take over the company by underhand!"
Slap!
Celine slapped Axel's face.
Blair open mouth wide. She couldn't believe it all.
Axel didn't reply, nor did he avoid Celine's slap. He only glanced sharply at his stepmother.
Celine looked still angry and wasn't satisfied with giving him a slap. She wanted to slap Axel one more time. Blair stood up and immediately held Celine's hand.
"Stop! Don't hit him anymore. This is my fault. Nothing to do with Axel at all. All these problems have arisen because of me."
Celine glared sharply at Blair and also Axel. She straightened up.
"Okay! You have less than a month to finish all of this, Axel. Just in time for the day of reading the will from your father regarding who has the right to hold the company and be the alpha leader in our family, you should have finished everything."
"There's nothing needs to settle. I am the heir in the Barney family. I will be the alpha and lead this company."
"Not...until you fulfil all the requirements put forward by your father through his will!"
"I have met all of those requirements, Celine. I've married the girl I chose and was destined for me. I will also have an heir–a baby currently being Blair bladder in her stomach. I have fulfilled all the conditions put forward by my father."
Celine growled. "Your father, in his will, stipulated that you marry Clarissa Jordan. She's destined for you."
"That thing can be terminated if I have the rightful heir to the girl I love. And that heir will be born into this world in less than a month."
Celine laughed in disbelief.
"You can't use a baby in the Blair’s stomach as a reason. I need concrete proof. Do a DNA test to prove that the baby is indeed your child. Who would believe it based on mere talk? Especially a baby from an immoral woman like her!"
Celine stared intently at Blair.
Blair's tears that were held back finally spilt too. She knew that she was pregnant without a husband and without marriage. But getting humiliated like that feels so painful.
"The baby in the Blair’s womb is my daughter!" Axel replied firmly.
Blair and Celine both turned towards Axel. Blair is so afraid that the lie will be revealed. And Celine was so scared that the threat given by Axel might come true.