Chapter 398: Premature Birth

"What is it?"

"It’s about Miss Sheridan. You’ve only been gone a day, and things at Sheridan Group are in an uproar again. The other shareholders are all pressuring Miss Sheridan to hand over her shares. The whole company is in chaos."

When Quentin Blackwood was around, none of them dared to make a move.

Quentin Blackwood rubbed his temples. "It’s a trivial matter. You handle it."

Although many matters awaited him in Aethelgard, Quentin Blackwood had no desire to return just yet.

Lustre was a different kind of place for him. Here, he could temporarily escape all the clamor.

"Understood." Zane Linton hung up. By the time he arrived to handle the situation, Joy Sheridan had already transferred her shares and was crying her eyes out.

When she saw it was Zane Linton, Joy Sheridan asked with red-rimmed eyes, "Zane, why are you here? Where’s Quentin?"

"Miss Sheridan, President Blackwood is very busy."

A flicker of something crossed Joy Sheridan’s eyes, and then she said, "They were all pressuring me. I didn’t want to transfer my shares to them, so I gave them to Uncle Quinn. He doesn’t care about the company’s business and isn’t that interested in it. He’ll definitely give the shares back to me later."

The Uncle Quinn she spoke of was the person she had made a deal with.

On the surface, this man appeared unambitious at the company, but in reality, he was incredibly cunning.

The deal Joy Sheridan struck with him involved him eventually transferring the Sheridan Group shares back to her. She used the fact that everyone was pressuring her as a pretext to openly transfer her shares to Uncle Quinn.

"Zane, where is Quentin? I haven’t seen him at all these past two days." Joy Sheridan’s heart was still set on Quentin Blackwood alone.

After her grandfather’s funeral, the number of times she had seen Quentin Blackwood could be counted on one hand.

"As I said, President Blackwood is very busy." After speaking, Zane Linton left to attend to some matters.

Joy Sheridan gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment.

’He went to Lustre. I know it. He must have gone to see *her* again!’

’That meddling Ivy Sherwood, always lingering like a ghost. She’s going to be the biggest obstacle between Quentin and me. He can’t let her go; he still cares about her.’

’And that Ivy Sherwood must be the one still clinging to him after he broke up with her. She’s probably texting and calling him every day, completely bewitching him again.’

’No, I have to go to Lustre too. I need to make Ivy Sherwood understand that *I* am Quentin’s girlfriend!’

’I’ll make her watch how sweet Quentin and I are together while she can’t do a thing.’

’I want to watch her fall into utter despair, completely and utterly heartbroken!’

...

At the Lustre hospital, Caleb Blackwood had already had his wound treated. He then called his company to make some preemptive moves and prevent the Mercer Family from attacking the Blackwood Group.

He also had the hospital director’s family kidnapped. That was the only way to threaten the director and ensure he wouldn’t be sold out.

Meanwhile, Silas Blackwood, whose face was swollen like a pig’s head from the beating, waited anxiously outside the operating room.

Anna Nash had been rushed into surgery, and her condition was unknown.

Silas Blackwood was frantic. This was his only flesh and blood. He had asked before and had been told it was likely a son.

If anything happened to the child, his family line would truly be finished.

He didn’t even have time to get his own injuries treated; he was far more concerned about the baby’s condition.

He paced back and forth, making Sylvia Blackwood dizzy just watching him.

"Brother, can you please sit down and rest for a bit? Stop pacing around. It’s not like this will help Anna get any better."

Sylvia’s words were like stepping on a landmine for Silas. He exploded instantly, slapping her hard across the face. Sylvia’s cheek immediately swelled up, red with the imprint of his hand.

"You have the nerve to talk? Didn’t you know she was pregnant? How dare you attack her? You even kicked her! Why don’t you try kicking yourself a couple of times!"

"I was just anxious! It’s Anna’s fault for being such a bitch," Sylvia whined, clutching her face, feeling utterly wronged.

"It’s because you’re stupid! You couldn’t even handle such a simple task and just let the Mercer Family get their way! Let me tell you, if anything happens to my son, you’re dead!"

"Brother, Anna was deliberately targeting me! Why are you blaming me?"

"Sylvia, sometimes I don’t know if you’re just plain stupid or what. Couldn’t you just have let her have her way? Don’t you know how delicate her condition is? Or are you just trying to kill my only child, thinking you’ll be the one to inherit the Blackwood family fortune?"

Silas was furious, and his words were harsh.

Sylvia’s eyes welled with tears. "Brother, how could you say that about me?"

"Am I wrong? Sylvia, you know better than anyone what you’re really thinking."

The two of them argued so fiercely that they eventually disturbed a doctor.

"This is a hospital. If you’re going to argue, can you please take it somewhere else? You need to be quiet."

Only then did Silas Blackwood quiet down, sitting there fuming.

After a long time, the light above the operating room finally went out. Silas Blackwood hurried forward.

The doors to the operating room opened, and Silas asked impatiently, "Doctor, how is the baby?"

In his eyes, there was no wife, only the child.

The doctor said, "We’ve managed to save both the mother and the child for now. However, the baby is too small and premature. He can’t even breathe on his own yet and will need to be in an incubator for a long time. Whether he will be alright depends on his development later on. Premature babies also face many potential problems in the future. The family should be prepared."

"Doctor, you have to save my son! You must save him, no matter the cost!"

"Sir, please calm down. It’s our duty."

Silas Blackwood went straight to see the baby. No one went to see Anna Nash, who had barely survived the ordeal. Cold sweat still beaded on her forehead.

The baby had been born. When Sylvia kicked her, she had intentionally turned her belly toward the blow.

’This child isn’t Silas’s. It would probably be discovered sooner or later, and if it was, I’d be a dead woman. It’s better to find a way to get pregnant again while everyone’s attention is on this baby.’

’Get pregnant with another Blackwood child...’

’Only then, with a real heir, could I establish my foothold in the Blackwood Family.’

’Once I was pregnant, the Blackwoods wouldn’t dare to do anything to me. I could still rise in status through my child.’

’And Caleb Blackwood has offended too many people. I don’t know how much longer the Blackwood Family can last. I have to use this opportunity to transfer as much of their assets as possible.’

’Even though I’m now Mrs. Blackwood, I have no significant funds of my own. Even Silas doesn’t have much money.’

’The real money is all in Caleb Blackwood’s hands, and getting money from him will not be easy.’

Anna Nash stared at the ceiling, her eyes filled with calculation.

She and Caleb Blackwood were, in fact, the same kind of person: both very clever and utterly unscrupulous in achieving their goals.

’So what if Caleb Blackwood is a meticulous planner? I can still out-scheme the Blackwood Family.’

A new plan was already forming in Anna Nash’s mind. ’I have to hurry. Before the Blackwood Family collapses completely, I need to get my hands on a large portion of their fortune.’

’Or rather, before Caleb Blackwood dies, I will become his sole heir.’