?Chapter 471:


    He made it sound like he was doing it for her sake, but Doreen knew better. These were just excuses. Ste must’ve gotten to him again, that had to be why he suddenly changed his mind.


    Doreen shook her head in desperation. “I don’t care about marriage. I’ll stay single my whole life if I have to. Mr. Walsh, please—it’s our child. You can’t be this heartless!”


    She tried to grab his arm, but Marc pulled away, clearly annoyed.


    Before she could say anything else, he stood up and said coldly, “You’ve got one week to get ready. I’ll take you to get the abortion next week. The baby’s still small—it won’t affect your health too much. I’ll pay for the hospital and anything else you need to recover.”


    Doreen wasn’t ready to ept that.


    She wanted to argue, to fight for her future one more time, but Marc didn’t give her the chance. He walked straight to the door, pulled it open, and disappeared into the night without looking back.


    Doreen stood frozen, shocked by how quickly things had changed.


    She had already made up her mind to keep the baby and had even counted on Jazlyn convincing Marc to marry her.


    Everything had been going ording to her n until Ste got in the way. Why did she have to ruin it all now?


    Her jaw clenched as she stared nkly at the floor. Her chest swelled with bitter resentment. This was all Ste’s fault.


    “You want war, Ste?” Doreen muttered between clenched teeth. “Fine. Let’s see who gets thestugh.”


    As soon as Marc walked out of the riverside vi, he slid into the backseat of his car and coolly instructed Kody, “Get me Willow Lawson’s number.” Kody didn’t ask questions—he simply nodded and, within moments, forwarded the contact to Marc’s phone.


    Without even pausing to think, Marc tapped the unfamiliar number and brought the phone to his ear.


    Meanwhile, Willow was lounging in the Lawson estate’s plush living room, a facial mask stered over her face, when her phone buzzed. Barely ncing at the screen, she picked up the call.


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    “Hello?” she said, sounding rxed.


    “Miss Lawson, I presume? This is Marc Walsh. I’m sure my name rings a bell.” His voice was calm and self-assured.


    Willow sat up straighter, peeled the mask from her face, and narrowed her eyes with curiosity. “And why exactly are you calling me?”


    Marc let out a low chuckle. “I hear you’re engaged to William. I imagine you wouldn’t be thrilled if your fiancé had a little too much chemistry with another woman, would you?”


    Willow’s mood shifted in an instant. “You’re referring to Ste, aren’t you?” she asked tly.


    “Ste and William’s rtionship isn’t as simple as you might think,” Marc said smoothly. “If word gets out, it could stain your engagement and the Lawson name. You’re a clever woman, Miss Lawson, so I’m sure you get what I’m saying. I saw Ste step out of William’s car just today. Who knows what went on between them? I’m just giving you a friendly heads-up. But if you’d rather turn a blind eye, consider this call a glitch in the matrix.”


    Willow’s perfectly polished nails dug into her palm—not enough to break skin, but hard enough to leave a pale imprint.


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