Chapter 1066
Although Katie was still stern with Anika, her tone was noticeably softer than before. She glanced at Anika’s slightly rounded belly, then called out, “Landry!”
A middle-aged woman appeared almost immediately. She walked over with a smile and asked respectfully, “Yes, madam? What is it?”
Katie spoke to her with reluctant restraint. “Go to the market later and buy a duck. Make her a bowl of your best duck soup. She’s pregnant with Marcel’s child now, and she can’t be lacking nutrition.”
Landry knew about the tension between Katie and Anika. But as a servant, she was an outsider and couldn’t say much, no matter how often she felt sorry for Anika. She glanced at Anika briefly, then turned back to Katie, nodded, took off her apron, and went to prepare for the trip to the market.
Katie let out a heavy sigh and stared at Anika’s belly for a long moment.
“You’re carrying Marcel’s child, and you brought a doctor for my son, so I won’t say anything harsh,” she said at last. “But from now on, you need to take care of yourself and give birth to a baby boy for our family. Marcel is my only child. You can’t let him be without a successor.”
Without a successor…
If this had happened in the past, Anika would have argued immediately. After all, men and women were equal.
But now, guilt weighed too heavily on her. Because of Marcel’s condition, she couldn’t bring herself to fight back.
Elena had also heard every word.
She refused to let her daughter suffer in the Brooks family. The moment she heard Katie demanding a baby boy, her anger flared. She stepped forward, pulled Anika behind her, and faced Katie with a deep frown.
“What are you even saying?” Elena snapped. “You’re an elder—don’t you know to think before you speak? Do you know nothing at all? What does it matter if she has a…”
“…boy or a girl? How can my daughter be responsible for the baby’s gender? It’s not something she can choose! Besides, what if Marcel’s chromosomes determine they can only have a daughter? Are you going to bully my daughter to death if that happens?”
Elena had never fought with someone this fiercely. Katie was equally stunned—and equally enraged. She jabbed a finger at Elena and shouted, “Marcel is my only child. And now he’s in the hospital because of your daughter. If Anika can’t give birth to a boy, what are we supposed to do in the future? Is it wrong for me to want a male heir for our family? Is it?”
“Is that really how you think?” Elena shot back. “You’re well educated, aren’t you? Don’t you know the science behind a baby’s gender? And yet you still have such an old-fashioned mindset…”
It turned into a fierce back-and-forth, both mothers quarreling again for the sake of their children—only this time it was harsher than ever.
Anika stood off to the side and tried her best to stop them, but neither of them would budge. Listening to their argument made her head pound. In the end, she frowned, turned away, and left.
After all, there was nothing she could do.
Meanwhile, at a hotel in Paris…
Not only Annabel, but Susan had also arrived in Paris.