After the Secret Wedding Rise of My Queen

Chapter 251 She Wasn't Pregnant

D*mn it, d*mn it, d*mn it!

Eva felt humiliated, like a fool, completely disregarded by Kaleb.

This was all Isabel's doing!

This was all Isabel's doing!

Kaleb moved slowly toward the harp, his eyes fixed on Isabel below him.

The girl had delicate, almost flawless features: a small nose, soft pink lips, and skin that seemed to glow with a fair radiance. His gaze drifted down to her hands, resting gracefully on the strings, slender and elegant, her nails unpolished but radiating a soft natural pink hue.

Without warning, the sound of the harp ceased.

Isabel looked up at Kaleb, puzzled. Why was he staring at her like that? Did he think she was playing games again?

Rising to her feet, Isabel met his gaze without any emotion and said, "Don't overthink it. I just felt like playing a bit more. I wasn't trying to seduce you."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Well, I'm done now. I should be going."

With that, she didn't spare him another look and simply turned, brushing past him as she walked away.

A strand of her dark hair lightly grazed Kaleb's nose, releasing a subtle fragrance that wasn't like the perfumes Eva often wore, but rather a natural, personal scent. She had a natural scent? After all these years together, he never noticed it!

The stray hair floating in the air instantly captured Kaleb's focus, making him reach out instinctively, trying to stop Isabel from leaving.

Just as his hand neared hers, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around Isabel's waist, pulling her toward him.

The event unfolded so unexpectedly that no one saw it coming.

Isabel tripped and collapsed into the man's firm, wide chest.

She froze for a second, then quickly gathered herself, hearing his rich, smooth voice come from above her. "What's taking so long to get upstairs?"

At his words, Isabel nervously scratched her neck, a slight blush spreading across her face.

Kaleb stood there, his hand still extended in the air, his face filled with discomfort and embarrassment.

"It's not my fault. Some people just have faces that beg to be slapped, and I'm too kind to turn them down," Isabel said, her voice playful and teasing, making Xander smile. However, to Eva and Cindy, her words were a direct insult, and it stung more than ever.

"Let's head upstairs."

"Sure."

Xander offered his arm to Isabel, and she took it without hesitation, walking side by side with him up the stairs.

The security guard didn't even try to stop Isabel and Xander as they made their way upstairs.

They actually went up!

This left everyone completely speechless.

Before, when Isabel had tried to go up, they had openly ridiculed her, but now, she was walking straight into the venue rented by the Bennett Group, right in front of them.

"Kal, Kal! What's happening?" Cindy stammered, barely able to get the words out.

"How did Isabel manage to get into the Bennett Group's annual meeting venue? That's the Bennett Group, right? Could it be... she works there?"

Kaleb frowned, a sudden realization hitting him. This man with the last name Bennett-how could they be allowed into the Bennett Group? Could it be that he wasn't a gigolo after all? Maybe he was even a member of the Bennetts? "Kal, do you think he could be from one of the Bennetts' side branch?" Eva asked, approaching with her own theory.

Kaleb thought the same; this person couldn't be from the main branch.

Even though the Bennetts' patriarch kept out of the public eye, he was still aware of a few things.

The former Bennetts' patriarch had three brothers, and he was the eldest. Kaleb had met the other two brothers including everyone in the family. The only ones who had not appeared in public were the current patriarch of the family and his

younger brother.

There were rumors that the current

patriarch had a terrifying

appearance, wasn't interested in

women, and remained single to this

day Xander obviously wasn'thim.

The patriarch's brother had been disabled in both legs after a severe car accident when he was younger, so it couldn't be him either.

It seemed, as he and Eva had suspected, that Xander must be from one of the Bennetts' side branch, probably someone with little significance or status.

If Xander were truly from the Bennetts, why hadn't Isabel mentioned it to them? The only reason could be that it wasn't anything impressive.

This thought gave Kaleb a small sense of relief.

But just a little. After all, Isabel had been taken by that man, and they were even married ...

The more Kaleb dwelled on it, the worse his headache became.

Eva gently pulled at Kaleb's sleeve, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Kal, I don't feel well," Eva said, her voice soft and pleading.

Kaleb snapped out of his thoughts and immediately glanced at Eva's stomach. "Let me help you to a private room to rest."

"Okay." Eva leaned into Kaleb's embrace.

The warmth in his arms caused a wave of complicated emotions to stir in Kaleb's chest.

"Should I call a doctor again to take a look at you?"

Eva shook her head. "It's not necessary. I'm just feeling a little worn out. I've read about pregnancy, and it's normal to feel tired at this stage."

"Then let me help you get some rest."

"Yeah." Upstairs, Isabel watched as Eva and Kaleb walked off together.

Eva certainly knew how to play the role and she pulled it off well.

Isabel couldn't help but wonder, if Eva fakes another pregnancy, what will she do if she can't actually conceive?

Will she pretend to miscarry again?

Isabel tapped her chin thoughtfully, analyzing the situation.

She didn't think Eva was foolish enough to go that far. Eva had no other option now-she had to get pregnant and have a child to secure her place as Kaleb's wife.

If Eva can't get pregnant, she only

has one choice left-she'll have to carry on with a fake pregnancy until the day she "gives birth" and claim the child as her own.

Isabel had initially planned to expose Eva's deception early, hoping to make Kaleb and Laurel lose trust in her.

But then she realized that wouldn't be satisfying enough. So, she decided to wait until Eva was supposedly about to give birth, then reveal the truth.

That would be far more satisfying.

"He's gone, and you're still staring." A chilling voice suddenly spoke from behind, sending a jolt of unease through Isabel.

She turned around and found herself facing the man's almost shadow-like expression. "Huh..."

Is he jealous again?

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Xander's presence.

"I'm not watching him, I'm watching Eva," she quickly explained

Xander narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical of Isabel's words.

"Really! I'm not lying to you. I was watching Eva's belly-she's not pregnant, she's just faking it."

"Oh," Xander replied indifferently, without showing any further reaction.

Isabel blinked in surprise. Wouldn't anyone else have had a more dramatic reaction to that?

"Aren't you curious at all?" Isabel couldn't resist asking.

Xander's eyes dropped to Isabel's stomach. "I don't care about other people's bellies. This one's the only one that matters to me."