Chapter 344 - 331: Two Red Lines? (Part 1)

An unknown amount of time passed before a nurse called her number. She hastily stood up and answered, "I’m here!" like a schoolgirl, then gave an embarrassed smile.

The test results confirmed it: she was pregnant.

The report showed she was just six weeks along.

Counting back, it had been about six weeks since Elliot Sheridan had gone to prison.

Time had passed so quickly. This baby was such a surprise, already with her for a month and a half without her even knowing.

The doctor glanced at her chart, then up at Georgia Thorne’s face. Seeing how young she looked, he assumed it was her first pregnancy and made a point of going over the necessary precautions for expectant mothers.

Georgia Thorne listened intently, then asked a critical question, "Um, Doctor... I had a miscarriage once, after a fall. That shouldn’t have any major effect on this baby, right?"

’This child... this would be her first child with Elliot Sheridan. The embodiment of their love.’

"That shouldn’t be an issue, but you must be extra careful with everything."

Georgia Thorne went straight from the hospital to her company. Sam Yates called, asking why she wasn’t at her apartment.

Georgia Thorne casually made up an excuse. "Something came up suddenly. I’m already at the office now."

Sam Yates didn’t say anything else, just "I’ll be right there," and hung up.

Georgia Thorne tossed her phone aside. With the pregnancy report tucked in her bag, she still found it difficult to calm her racing heart.

At nine o’clock, Sylvie and the others began to arrive at the company one by one. Georgia Thorne lowered her head and started to work.

Ever since finding out she was pregnant, Georgia Thorne had become careful about everything.

She was eagerly anticipating the child’s arrival and didn’t want a repeat of the last tragedy.

For lunch, Georgia Thorne went to a porridge shop near the studio for some nutritious congee. She’d heard it had been in business for over a decade and was always incredibly popular.

Since becoming pregnant, Georgia Thorne couldn’t really stomach greasy food. This kind of light, nutritious congee was much more suitable for her.

During a break in the busy afternoon, she did some online shopping.

The manager of the dyeing factory called to tell her the fabric was ready, but their truck had broken down, so they couldn’t deliver it.

So, she had to go pick it up herself.

Georgia Thorne took Sylvie, who wasn’t busy, and had Sam Yates drive them over.

They first checked the sample piece and found the workmanship to be decent; the pattern hadn’t bled at all.

"It won’t bleed the moment it’s soaked, will it?"

"Of course not. We’ve soaked it many times. Here, watch if you don’t believe me!" The manager put the sample fabric in a basin of water and scrubbed it vigorously. The pattern didn’t smudge.

They hadn’t printed much fabric with this pattern. After inspecting it, she felt assured and had Sam Yates load it into the car.

"Please hurry and finish the rest of the fabric for us!"

"Of course. As soon as it’s ready, I’ll have someone deliver it to you!"

Sam Yates carried all the bolts of fabric in a single trip.

It was already dark on the way back.

The two women in the back seat were leaning against the seatbacks, fast asleep. Suddenly, the car swerved sharply, throwing them both violently to the side.

Georgia Thorne and Sylvie were jolted awake.

Sylvie, thinking she was having a nightmare, opened her eyes and cried out in alarm, "What’s happening?! What’s happening?!"

Sam Yates’s gaze shot to the rearview mirror, tracking the car behind them. His eyes darted to Georgia Thorne. "Are your seatbelts on tight? Something’s happened. I need to speed up!"

As soon as he spoke, Georgia Thorne and Sylvie scrambled to fasten their seatbelts, tugging on them to make sure they were secure.

"What’s going on?" Georgia Thorne asked.

Seeing they were both buckled up, Sam Yates looked forward again, stomped on the gas, and explained, "We’re being followed!"

"Followed!" Sylvie yelped. She tried to look back, but the car swerved again, and her head slammed hard into the window, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"It hurts!" Sylvie clutched her head with one hand, her other hand fearfully gripping the grab handle overhead.

Georgia Thorne’s first instinct was to shield her abdomen. The veins on the back of her pale hands stood out as her fingers dug into her own skin.

’I have to protect this baby. I absolutely cannot let anything happen to it!’

Sam Yates slammed the accelerator to the floor, glancing at the black cars behind them. If he wasn’t mistaken, these were the people behind the car that had previously hit Georgia Thorne.

In her tense state, Georgia Thorne also glanced back. The road was dimly lit, and with their car speeding, she couldn’t make out the drivers’ faces at all.

This stretch of highway was in poor condition. It led out to the suburbs and was riddled with potholes. The car bounced violently, jostling Georgia Thorne and the others inside.

The violent shaking churned her stomach, and a wave of nausea washed over her. She felt the urge to vomit.

"Just hang on a little longer! We’ll be in the city in a few minutes!" Sam Yates said, his voice full of concern. He eased his foot off the gas for a second, and one of the cars pulled up alongside them.

The black car matched their speed, pulling up right alongside Georgia Thorne’s window.

Just as Georgia Thorne was squinting through her own tinted window, trying to see the driver of the other car, its back window suddenly rolled down. Someone inside thrust out a steel baseball bat and swung it violently at their car.

The first blow spiderwebbed the glass. Sam Yates swerved, trying to create distance, but the other car relentlessly pressed in.

A second blow followed, and the cracks spread across the entire window. Sylvie nervously tugged on Georgia Thorne’s sleeve. "Miss Thorne, get away from there! The glass is going to shatter!"

Georgia Thorne wanted to move, but her seatbelt was on, and in her panic, she couldn’t even remember how to release it.

It was clear these people were determined to kill Georgia Thorne. Gritting his teeth, Sam Yates threw caution to the wind and floored it.

Georgia Thorne was terrified, not for her own life, but for her child’s.

This baby was a hard-won hope, and Georgia Thorne bit her lip, forcing herself to endure.

The car next to them rammed into their side. Georgia Thorne’s body was first thrown to the left, then violently snapped back, slamming her against the right-side door.

For a moment, the entire right side of her body went numb.

The situation was critical, and Sam Yates, focused on driving, had no way to check on the two women in the back.

The slightest mistake on his part would allow these thugs to force them to a stop, and the consequences would be catastrophic.

’Just a little more. Once we’re in the city, we’ll be safe!’

Sam Yates put everything he had into speeding ahead, but the cars behind him matched his pace, seemingly determined to trap him.

When Elliot Sheridan first went to prison, he had anticipated that something like this might happen and had tasked Sam with protecting Georgia Thorne at all costs.

To be precise, he had been watching over her even before her last car accident, though he’d been operating from the shadows, rarely noticed.

Georgia Thorne kept her head down, simultaneously terrified and trying to comfort Sylvie.

Sylvie was timid by nature and had lived a safe, peaceful life; she had never experienced anything like this.

She had been frightened to the point of tears the moment the other car hit them.

"Miss Thorne, are we going to die here?!"

"No. Sam’s an excellent driver. We just need to make it into the city and we’ll be okay!" Her voice was steady and reassuring, but it was a front.

Finally, just as the adjacent car was about to ram them a third time, they crossed into the city limits. With traffic cameras everywhere, the car beside them abruptly slowed, and the others following them also fell back.

Only after confirming they weren’t being followed anymore did Sam Yates allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief and slow down.

He didn’t drop his guard completely, though. "Are you two all right? We’ve lost them!"

Georgia Thorne managed a pained nod. Beside her, Sylvie was sobbing, her face a mess of tears. "I really thought I was going to die!"

Letting out a breath, they took stock. Both of them were bruised to varying degrees from being thrown around.

To be safe, Sam Yates drove Sylvie home first, instructing her not to tell anyone what had happened that night.

Those cars were clearly after Georgia Thorne. Their goal was either to kill her or kidnap her to eliminate a potential problem.

Sylvie didn’t know the details, but she understood that a life-and-death situation like this was serious. She nodded grimly. "I understand."

"You should rest at home for the next few days," Georgia told her. "Don’t worry about coming into work."

Even though it was over, the traumatic memory would linger. She would need time to calm down.

"Right, I’ll tell people you’re away on a business trip. Don’t mention this to anyone."

On the drive to her apartment, Georgia Thorne sat in the passenger seat, leaning her head against the cool glass of the window with her eyes closed.

Sam Yates slowed the car, driving smoothly. He watched Georgia Thorne carefully out of the corner of his eye, looking for anything unusual.

Apart from her exhausted expression, there was her hand... it seemed to be protectively covering her abdomen the entire time.

’He couldn’t help but recall the pregnancy test he’d accidentally seen fall out of her bag. Could she really be pregnant?’

’And if so, should he tell Elliot Sheridan?’

Georgia Thorne wasn’t asleep; she was just thinking with her eyes closed.

’Why did they attack me? Was it personal, or was there another motive?’

’Was this connected to my last "accident"?’

She mulled it over until her head hurt. ’I really am not cut out for these kinds of plots and schemes.’

’I have no idea how *he* could stand it all. He had even managed to fool me!’

’Was I the only one who had been kept in the dark, while everyone else already knew?’

’Sam Yates works for him. Does Sam know the truth?’

When Georgia Thorne got home, her limbs felt like jelly. She couldn’t bring herself to do anything.

She poured some food for Blue, then crawled into bed.

She was plagued by nightmares all night. She dreamed that something terrible had happened to Elliot Sheridan, dreamed of a pool of blood beneath her, dreamed that their second child was gone.