Chapter 813: A Boy or a Girl?

"You can go home now," Manuel said directly to Susan.

"I have something to do. I'll leave when I'm finished," Susan replied, avoiding eye contact. She wanted them gone.

"President, perhaps we shouldn't disturb Miss Phillips," Clara suggested softly.

Manuel departed with Clara, leaving Susan to watch them go. She suspected Clara's closeness to Manuel was deliberate, a thought that saddened her. She turned her attention back to her computer.

Manuel entered the elevator, followed by Clara.

"If there are any files for me, leave them on my desk. Don't bother me with them," Manuel instructed.

Clara looked dumbfounded, then nodded hurriedly. "Yes, sir. The finance department needs this document urgently; I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I didn't mean to." Her remorse was evident.

Manuel forbore from criticizing her.

"I've only been here half a month; I'm still learning the rules," Clara explained, her eyes welling with tears.

"Don't worry about it. Just don't do it again," Manuel said more gently.

"Yes, sir," Clara replied.

Manuel remained silent until the elevator stopped. As he exited, Clara watched him, a displeased expression on her face. She had intentionally sought him out. Having worked there for half a month, she knew of Manuel and Susan's relationship and their lingering feelings for each other. Clara, having fallen instantly in love with Manuel, couldn't accept the possibility of a reconciliation.

Clara held herself to impossibly high standards. Many men had pursued her, but she dismissed them, believing herself beyond their reach. From the moment she saw him, she considered Manuel her ideal: cultured, talented, refined, wealthy, and supremely capable. He was, in her eyes, a perfect man, and exclusively hers. She joined Phillips Bank to pursue him, even foregoing a City Hall position, defying her father's wishes for the sake of her infatuation. Manuel was universally appealing, the best man she knew.

Recently, Clara discovered Manuel still harbored feelings for Susan. He seemed to care for her deeply, even when he appeared critical. She believed his request for Susan to return wasn't intended as a reprimand, but rather a manifestation of his unhappiness at her absence. Clara was determined to prevent their reunion, vowing to make Manuel hers, no matter the cost.

In a high-end private hospital, Hannah felt her abdomen swell. She wondered about the fetus's rapid development. Undergoing a pregnancy checkup, she lay comfortably on the bed. Oscar granted her some freedom, but guards shadowed her whenever she ventured out.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Hannah asked abruptly.

The question stumped the doctor. Northfield law prohibited revealing fetal gender. While doctors might privately disclose it to close friends, he hesitated, unsure how to respond to such a prominent patient. He worried about offending Hannah or breaking the law.

"Forget it," Hannah said, unwilling to embarrass him. Perhaps she genuinely didn't care. The question had only resurfaced after Susan's recent visit, sparking conflicting emotions.

The doctor, drenched in sweat, fretted over having displeased Hannah. Hannah sensed his anxiety and wished to reassure him, but she couldn't reveal her divorce from Oscar, as it hadn't been publicly announced. Ultimately, Oscar controlled everything; Hannah held no agency.

After the checkup, Hannah reviewed the healthy fetal report in her car. Oscar also received the report on his phone during an international conference. The news of his baby's well-being distracted him completely.

"Commander," Lillian whispered.

Oscar quietly put down his phone and resumed the conference, recognizing the inappropriateness of his distraction.

Lillian glanced at his phone, noting the test results. While outwardly calm, she clearly felt a pang of resentment. Oscar's constant preoccupation with Hannah remained a mystery to her.