Love and Devotion No Longer His to Claim (Angela and Dexter)

"That's a secret, Mr. Bamford. You're overstepping." Angela leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes.

She hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. Severe sleep deprivation had left her with dark circles under her eyes.

"Then you'd better protect him well. I reckon that the Jewell family will catch on soon. Once they show up at the hospital and cause a scene, it won't end well," Dexter warned.

"Don't worry. I won't let anyone harm Mia and Leo," Angela said with absolute confidence.

Surprised, Dexter instinctively glanced at her. "Can you tell me why you care so much about Mia? She must be special to someone as heartless as you, right?"

Angela raised an eyebrow at him. "Because when I look at her, I see my old self." Dexter instantly froze.

When he looked at her again, her eyes were already closed.

...

Zayn was under house arrest for a full week. By the time he was finally allowed to go out, he looked gaunt, weak, and utterly drained. The moment he and the Jewell family caught wind of Mia's delivery, they rushed straight to the hospital.

Angela happened to be there at the time, accompanying Mia through her postpartum recovery.

"Mia! Mia!" Florence's shrill voice echoed through the corridor, sounding rather flustered.

"Mrs. Jewell, what is the meaning of this?" Angela stepped out of the hospital room, her expression calm and composed. "This is a hospital. Aren't you afraid someone will complain about your screaming and lack of manners?"

Florence was already furious, and upon seeing Angela's infuriatingly nonchalant demeanor, her face contorted in rage.

"Angela! This was your doing, wasn't it? My grandson was perfectly fine! How could he suddenly be gone? What did you two do? What are you hiding?" Her sharp voice was grating.noveldrama

Angela instinctively took a step back, a look of distaste flashing across her face. "Mrs. Jewell, do you even hear yourself? First of all, the child was lost because Riley provoked Mia into an early miscarriage "Secondly, let's not forget that the child wasn't your grandson to begin with."

"You... This is our family matter. It has nothing to do with a wretched woman like

you, so mind your own business!" Florence trembled with fury, looking like she wanted to strangle Angela.

Angela merely shrugged. "Mrs.

Jewell, at this point, you should be thinking about how to explain this to your son. After all, you were the one who chose Riley for him. What happened to the child is tied to your decisions, whether you like it or not."

With that, she turned to leave.

But before she could get far, a nurse's panicked cry rang out behind her. "Ma'am? Ma'am, are you okay?"

Angela halted mid-step and turned around, only to see Florence collapsing to the floor, seemingly unconscious.

"Ms. Graham, how could you say such things? Even if you deny it, Mia's baby was still Mr. Jewell's child! Did you really have to infuriate her like this?"

A fierce-looking old maid beside Florence spoke. She acted much like the

attendants who once served noble ladies back in the day.

"Send her to the emergency room for now," Angela said.

The doctor later confirmed that Florence had fainted due to extreme stress and emotional turmoil.

She was placed in a room on the

first floor, whereas Mia remained on the third. Angela didn't want

Florence to wake up and cause more trouble. So, she stationed Joanne at the hallway entrance and instructed her to stop anyone from disturbing Mia.

Zayn arrived shortly after. Even after hearing that Florence had fainted, he didn't bother to check on her. Instead, he made a beeline for Mia's room, only to be blocked by Angela.

"What are you doing here? A pathetic coward like you isn't welcome." Angela's smile was cold, her anger barely contained as she looked him up and down.

Sure enough, once a woman got married or had a child, her fate was no longer her own. And it was even scarier if she was stuck with an incompetent man.