Jane realized she was letting her emotions get the better of her and took a deep breath to calm down. "So, what did the doctor say?"


    "The doctor says this kind of gic disease can only be watched carefully. A real cure is nearly impossible. There''s maybe a tiny chance if we can find matching stem cells."


    "But right now..."


    The butler didn''t finish the sentence.


    Both Sebastian and Robbie had tested positive for the same gic issue. The Ratcliff family had no matching stem cell donors at all.


    Jane''s eyes narrowed.


    Matching stem cells...


    Wasn''t this the perfect excuse to push Reese into having another child?


    This was about Robbie''s life. There was no way Reese would be able to turn her back when it came down to saving her son.


    If that was the case, Reese would definitely agree to have another baby with Sebastian.


    And once she was pregnant, Jane could insist that Reese stay home "for the baby''s health." She could get her to quit her job at ckOak, too.


    That would take care of what Leslie wanted as well.


    "Grandma, am I going to die?" Robbie''s small hand tugged at Jane''s sleeve, his face paper-white as he caught on to their conversation.


    "Of course not, sweetheart." Jane brushed his cheek, her voice gentle. "The doctor said as long as we find the right stem cells, you''re going to be just fine."


    "There''s nothing to worry about, Robbie. If your mom gives you a little brother or sister, we can use the baby''s cord blood to help you get better."


    Robbie''s eyes lit up for a second, but then the hope faded.


    If that happened, wouldn''t that mean his parents might stay together and not get divorced?


    He nced at the test report in Jane''s hand. As much as he wanted Reese to still be his mom, saving his own life mattered more.


    The butler, unable to keep quiet, spoke up. "But ma''am, even if Mrs. Ratcliff gets pregnant, there''s no guarantee the new baby won''t have the same gic problem."


    Jane''s face went cold. "Then she''ll just have to keep trying until we get a healthy one.


    "At sixteen weeks, we can do an amniocentesis. If there''s a problem, we end the pregnancy and try again."


    Once Reese was under her thumb, Jane could control everything she did.


    "Ma''am..."


    The butler''s expression was pained. This would do terrible damage to Reese''s body, and besides, neither Mr. Ratcliff nor Robbie was even showing symptoms yet.


    "Enough! You don''t get to have an opinion in this house," Jane snapped.


    After the butler left, Jane tidied Robbie''s hair. "You want to get better as soon as possible, right?"


    "Of course, do." Robbie nodded, his


    voice small but determined. He was still


    so young he hadn''t even gotten the chance to inherit the Ratcliff family''s empire. He didn''t want to die now.


    "Here''s what we''ll do..."


    Jane leaned down and whispered something in his ear. Robbie''s eyes grew wide with surprise.


    "Grandma, do you really think Mom will agree?”


    "She will," Jane said with confidence.


    "But... shouldn''t we keep this from Dad?"


    Grandma wanted him to pretend to be sick. When the doctor said he was getting


    worse, Mom woulde home and save him by having another baby.


    Robbie just knew deep down that Dad shouldn''t know about this n.


    "You''re such a smart boy." Jane smiled, ruffling his hair. "We can tet your dad know you''re sick, and that he is too and that your condition is getting worse. But he can''t know you''re faking it."


    The stem cells in the cord blood could be kept in storage. Once they had them, they''d be ready for anything-whether Robbie or Sebastian ever needed them.


    Even if Sebastian found out someday, Jane was sure he''d understand.


    "Okay, I get it." Robbie nodded. "Tomorrow I''ll tell Mom I''m not feeling well, so she''lle home to see me."


    Jane smiled, patting his back. "Good boy. Come on, let''s go make some strawberry pudding."