?Chapter 969:


    But Linsey couldn’t let him do this. Not like this. Not alone.


    “No,” she said firmly, stopping him. She turned to face Alissa and Bart. “What exactly do you want?”


    Alissa had only mentioned making Collin pay. She hadn’t rified what would happen to Linsey.


    And now, Linsey realized—they had contacted her as soon as they arrived. That meant they had a n. And that n involved her.


    As Linsey stood her ground, even a little, Alissa’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. She spoke slowly, her voice smooth and heavy with meaning. “You should’ve said this earlier.”


    She stepped closer, her voice soft. “You know, Linsey… Gorman loved you more than anything. He told us more than once—if he couldn’t marry you, he’d rather stay single forever. No wife. No children.”


    The moment those words left her mouth, Collin nearly lost control. His fists clenched, his body tensed.


    Alissa’s meaning was clear. Did she want Linsey to marry the dead?


    Linsey’s arms tightened around Collin, her gaze cutting through Alissa like steel. “So what’s your endgame here? Are you trying to trap me into marriage? Gorman is dead. Who exactly am I supposed to wed? Does the Green family keep spare men in reserve?”


    “Of course not,” Alissa’s voice carried the calm of someone delivering a weather report. “Six years ago, at our insistence, Gorman froze his sperm at an overseas facility. Since you were his greatest love, the woman he died protecting, you should honor that sacrifice by carrying his child.”


    The words struck Linsey like lightning splitting a clear sky.


    Collin surged forward, his body bing a wall between them, radiating menace. “Absolutely not. Don’t even entertain the thought.” The sheer audacity left him reeling! These people actually expected Linsey to cooperate with them to have a child through IVF.


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    Linsey’s hands turned to ice, shock coursing through her veins. She had braced herself for countless scenarios. She thought Alissa and Bart might demand exorbitant sums of money or a lifetime of servitude to their family. But this? The thought of bearing Gorman’s child had never even crossed her mind. It struck her aspletely insane.


    Suddenly, everything made sense. This exined their desperate rush to find her the moment they arrived in Grester, not even bothering to collect Gorman’s body first. They cared more about a potential grandchild than they ever had about their actual son.


    Alissa caught sight of Linsey’s appalled expression and let out a harshugh. “Wipe that look off your face, Linsey. Think rationally. Gorman died saving you, and now we’re left with nothing of him. We’re not demanding your life. Just one child to preserve his legacy. Is that really so unreasonable?”


    With that, her eyes drifted pointedly toward Collin.


    Alissa found his arrogance almost amusing. This man truly believed he could single-handedly shield Linsey from everything. His overconfidence had handed them the perfect opening. Had Collin arrived with an army of bodyguards, controlling Linsey would have been impossible. Instead, fate seemed to smile upon their scheme, clearing every obstacle from their path.


    Satisfaction bloomed across Alissa’s face as her tone turned almost conversational. “Besides, you’ve already been through childbirth once, so you know what to expect. One more pregnancy shouldn’t pose any challenge. You’re still young—a few months of recovery, and you’ll be perfectly fine. What could possibly frighten you?”


    Linsey’s fingers twisted into Collin’s shirt, her pulse hammering against her ribs. Any lingering hope that Alissa and Bart might abandon this twisted demand finally died. The moment Alissa voiced this deranged proposal, Linsey realized any hope of rational discussion had vanished. No sane person would demand that a woman, with her own fiancé, bear a child for their dead son.


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