?Chapter 851:


    “Do not ask so many questions.” Sonia pushed the bowl toward her. “It is good for you. Drink it while it is hot; it loses its potency when it cools.”


    Leah eyed the dark liquid, her stomach twisting at the smell alone. “Mom, what exactly is in this?”


    Sonia’s gentle demeanor shifted, her tone firm. “I told you, do not ask. I would never harm you, Leah. Trust me.”


    The unwavering look in Sonia’s eyes left little room for argument. Holding her breath, Leah brought the bowl to her lips and forced the concoction down.


    The moment she set the bowl aside, nausea surged. Her body rejected the foul substance violently. She barely made it to the bathroom before she fell to her knees, heaving into the toilet.


    “Mom,” she rasped, gripping the porcin rim, her body trembling.


    “What did you make me drink?”


    “Something to secure your position in the Ashton family.” Sonia stepped inside, unshaken. She held out a ss of warm water and continued, “A child will anchor you in the Ashton family. The Ashtons worship power and despise the weak. Many…


    Without leverage, you will be trampled. But if you carry Bruce’s child… everything changes.” Leah’s fingers unconsciously drifted to her stomach. Her mind raced.


    “Think about it,” Sonia pressed. “Farris is getting old. If you give birth to Bruce’s heir, the Ashton family will have no choice but to treat you with respect. And if you secure a stake in Farris’ shares, your position will be untouchable.”


    She sped Leah’s hands, her voice soft yet insistent. “No pain, no gain. The best remedies are often the hardest to swallow. Even if it is unpleasant, you must do this. Have you forgotten everything you endured to win Bruce’s heart? You almost lost your life saving him, and now… now is not the time to let that sacrifice go to waste.”


    Leah opened her mouth, but no words came. A long silence stretched between them before she finally exhaled and murmured, “I understand.”


    She had orchestrated a car ident once—a perfectly executed n to appear as Bruce’s savior.


    g?lnσν????s﹒??????, the heart of fiction


    It had worked. She had won his affection. But she couldn’t risk doing something like that again.


    Thest time had been too close. One wrong move, and she wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale. She wouldn’t make that mistake twice. And yet… tonight, she had seen it. The way Bruce had looked at Corrine. A flicker of something she had hoped was gone. A quiet shift in his heart, which was a bad omen for her.


    She understood that if she were pregnant with Bruce’s child, her ce in the Ashton family would be firmly secured. But would that truly be enough?


    Leah’s hand lingered over her stomach again. She lowered her gaze, hiding the glint of cold calction in her eyes.


    “By the way, how are things with Andromache?” Sonia’s voice broke the silence.


    Leah hesitated, then replied carefully, “She epted the gift, but her response was… ambiguous.”


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