Chapter 771 Okay, I Swear
Adeline's knee hit the cold, unforgiving marble floor with a painful thud.
In that instant, the old injury from six years ago on the Radiance Springs bridge flared up, sending a sharp pain through her knee.
Gritting her teeth, she tried to get up but found she couldn't, leaving her kneeling on the ground.
Howard hadn't expected Daisy to kick Adeline down so forcefully. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, and he instinctively moved to help Adeline up.
But then he hesitated, his hand hovering in mid-air before he pulled it back.
He was the one who had told Adeline to reflect on her actions. If he helped her now... Daisy might not be pleased.
With that thought, Howard furrowed his brow, silently deciding to make it up to Adeline later. He spoke in a cold, hard tone, "Adeline, I'll handle the matter of Jasper killing your mother. I'll make sure he pays for it."
"But you..."
He glanced down at the pale-faced woman kneeling before him.
"Right now, in front of me, Oliver, Daisy, and your mother in the emergency room, you need to swear that you'll never see Jasper again. If you break this oath..."
Howard's gaze fell on Adeline's still-flat stomach.
"If you break this oath, the child you're carrying won't be born safely."
Howard's words made Adeline look up sharply.
She stared at Howard, her eyes filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief.
"Dad."
She rarely called him that, "How can you..."
Adeline placed a hand over her flat stomach, "How can you use something like this to force me to swear!"
"This child..."
She bit her lip, looking at Howard with a glimmer of hope, "You know whose child this is!"
Howard's eyes narrowed slightly, "It's precisely because I know whose child it is that I'm making you swear this oath."
Howard crouched down, lifting Adeline's chin, "Do you really think you can fool me?"
"Brandon is willing to acknowledge this child, which is why I'm giving you a chance."
He turned away, unable to meet Adeline's eyes, "Adeline, swear it."
"If you don't, this child won't survive. We're in a hospital. If I force the doctors to give you an abortion, it wouldn't be difficult. And even if you tell others about this, once they know who the father is, no one will think I'm being unreasonable."
"Dad!"
Howard's words made Oliver furrow his brow deeply. He stepped forward to shield Adeline.
"Adeline is your daughter!"
"The child she's carrying is your grandchild!"
Howard let out a cold laugh, "Grandchild?"
He turned his icy gaze from Adeline to Oliver.
"She's still young. She can find another man and give me a cleaner grandchild! Do you expect me to hold my grandchild and constantly be reminded of the father?"
Howard's words made Oliver bite his lip hard.
Taking a deep breath, Oliver stood firmly beside Adeline.
"If you can't tolerate the Foster family bloodline, then neither can I."
"When are you gonna deal with me, Dad?"
Howard's face turned beet red with anger, his chest heaving.
"Oliver, I'm talking to Adeline. This has nothing to do with you!"
"You're different from her child!"
"How so?"
"Adeline's child and I are both part of the Phoebe and Foster families!"
"And my mother."
Oliver's eyes bore into Howard's face.
"My mother, Esther, is also a Foster, Mrs. Lily Foster's biological daughter."
"Are you gonna kick me out and destroy the painting in the living room, and tear out all the wisteria in the garden too?"
Every word Oliver spoke was firm and resolute.
Howard, furious, turned and slapped Oliver hard.
The slap was so forceful that Oliver's body swayed slightly.
Holding his swollen, bleeding face, Oliver sneered, "Mr. Phoebe, are you embarrassed?"
"You've always been good at making life difficult for those around you."
"First it was Mother, now it's Adeline and me. Who's next?"
"Are you gonna start tormenting Adeline's child once it's born?"
Howard, seething with rage, clutched the railing for support, barely able to breathe.
Daisy hurried over, supporting Howard while glaring at Oliver and Adeline.
"Oliver, why make things so serious... Dad's just upset about Jasper killing Mom, so he wants Adeline to swear. You're putting Adeline and Dad at odds. Maybe Adeline is willing to swear."
Daisy walked over, her gaze fixed on Adeline's face.
"Adeline, look, because you won't swear, Oliver and Dad are like this... If Mom wakes up and sees the family in chaos, she'll be heartbroken... And..."
Daisy's eyes darkened, her gaze shifting to Adeline's stomach, "This child has been through a lot and is still strong."
"Even if you swear, as long as you don't see Jasper, nothing will happen. Or..."
Daisy's voice rose, "Or do you care so much about Jasper that even though he killed your mother, you still want to see him, and that's why you won't swear?"
Adeline bit her lip, staring at Daisy, speaking slowly and seriously, "Even without today's events, I wouldn't see Jasper again."
"But I won't swear on my child!"
This is a life, not a bargaining chip!
Howard's eyes narrowed, his lips curling coldly.
"If you won't swear and still want to see your mother's killer... then there's no need for this child."
He glanced at Daisy, "Daisy, get a gynecologist."
"Okay." Daisy stood up, looking at Adeline with a hint of pity.
"Adeline, don't worry, the gynecologists here are very professional."
"In just half an hour, they'll take care of everything cleanly!"
With that, Daisy walked away.
Adeline knelt there, listening to Daisy's high heels clicking away, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed painfully.
She knew Howard wasn't joking this time.
Her child...
Adeline took a deep breath, tears blurring her vision, and slowly raised her right hand, "Fine, I swear."
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