Chapter 388 Cut Ties
Courtney spoke rather calmly, as if she was telling a story of another.
However, Alexander, despite being the listener, couldn’t put himself at ease. Although he didn’t spend much time with Tina, the little girl had brought him massive warmth—one that even Jordan couldn’t give him. A little girl so persistent and optimistic yet was going through so much suffering. Both of his kids—one cursed with a disease while another doomed with mental issues—weren’t born with the best health. He couldn’t help but question what mistake he made in the past that led him to opt for surrogacy.
“Had Elijah always been by your side whenever Tina’s asthma happened?” Alexander was attempting to comfort himself by asking the question. At that moment, he no longer had the desire to fight with Elijah. All he wanted was someone to be by Courtney’s side whenever the child collapsed. And if Elijah had indeed been by Courtney’s side during such critical times, he would admit that his connection with Courtney was far inferior to that of Elijah’s and hers.
Nonetheless, Courtney shook her head. “I didn’t know him yet when I arrived in America. That was when Tina’s body was at its worst. Every single day, I could hardly sleep, fearing that her breath might stop when I woke up the next day.”
Alexander frowned, not knowing what he should say.
“It’s quite problematic as a new parent, not knowing the do’s and don’ts. I had nobody to guide me as well. Eventually, I learned them all by myself, and that’s how Tina grew into how she is now. Sometimes, I can’t help but think that it’s a bad thing for a child to be so mature.”
She herself was too mature for her age when she was little. Due to that, she would never fight and was always forgiving. Sadly, that also meant forgoing the pampering and spoiling she could have possibly received.
Hearing that, Alexander felt the urge to hug Courtney.
Suddenly, the light of the emergency room went out as a bunch of noises interrupted their conversation.
“How is she?” Courtney hastily questioned.
The doctor took off his mask and answered, “She’s fine. We managed to save her. The child’s safe, but for now, she’ll have to be transferred to the ICU for some time. Will one of you head to the reception to manage her hospitalization procedure?”
“I’ll go.”
Both Courtney and Alexander blurted in unison.
“Allow me.” Harry, who had been waiting anxiously at the side, said, “I would have felt extremely guilty had the operation failed. Let me do it. I’ll leave you two to have a proper chat.” When they were on the way to the hospital, Harry was panicking, wondering how Tina crawled into the car trunk. If that cost her her life, he couldn’t even imagine how he should explain himself to Scott, as well as Alexander and Courtney.
After watching Tina get transferred to the ICU, Courtney and Alexander headed to a nearby coffee shop. It was already afternoon, yet the two had yet to have their meal thanks to the emergency. After placing their orders, they remained silent.
Courtney took a sip of her coffee and softly stated, “I know how important Jordan is to you. It’s the same as how important Tina is to me. Thus, as much as I want to take custody of Jordan, I’ve never decided to do so. That, and I know Jordan wouldn’t be willing to leave you.”
Stunned, Alexander suspiciously tensed his brows. This isn’t what Elijah said back at the golf club. Instead of questioning her, he decided to listen to what she had to say next.
“Back then, you guys mistook me for the surrogacy partner. When I knew I was pregnant, my first thought was to abort the kid. I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford raising a child alone as a mere sophomore.”
When she brought up the past, the environment turned somewhat strange, and Alexander couldn’t help but feel awkward. “But you threatened me using your company.”
Courtney took a deep breath. She was visibly still upset by the incident. “What could I do? The closer I got to delivering the child, the greater the remorse I felt. I didn’t want to hand the child over anymore. A child’s life is not as simple as an item’s, and my child’s life at that. Hence, when the doctor told me there was another, I bribed him not to reveal it. And so, I brought Tina out of the country.”
She lifted her head to observe Alexander’s behavior, only to find a weird, indescribable expression on his face. He then stated, “Believe it or not, but I never knew about the threat. It was the butler who made the mistake with the surrogacy and decided to hide it from me.”
Surprised by the revelation, Courtney lowered her head and stirred her coffee. “That’s no longer important. What’s happened has happened, and I gave birth to a pair of twins. You got one, and I respect that. But Tina doesn’t have a healthy body, and I wish to keep her by my side.”
Alexander was visibly perturbed. He had never once mentioned not letting Tina be with her. “So that’s all you wanted to say to me?”
Courtney hesitantly nodded. “The court hearing that’ll take place in 10 days, I’ve decided not to attend it. It’s no good for anyone blowing things out of proportion. I don’t want the children to grow up with people pointing fingers at them. Thus, I offer a peaceful resolve.”
“A peaceful resolve?” Alexander’s heart skipped a beat.
Sensing the relief on his face, Courtney continued, “I’ll bring Tina to America with me, and we’ll come back every six months to see Jordan. I won’t meet you nor will I mention anything bad about you in front of him. All you have to do is send him over to Aunt Alicia. What do you think?”
At those words, the sympathy in Alexander’s heart waned as it was replaced by a burning rage. After everything, all the concerns she had was for the kids, and none for him. A long while later, he coldly glared at her. “Since you’ve signed the agreement with Louis in the first place, the kids, including Tina, should belong to the Duncans and not you. But given her health condition and how attached she is to you, I don’t mind handing her over to you. However, I won’t allow a meeting between you and Jordan. Sorry for troubling you all this while. I’ll compensate you for any loss caused.”
“Compensate?” Baffled, Courtney’s face stiffened.
“Since you’re not attending the hearing for the children’s sake, it’s only right that I compensate you.”
“Who asked for compensation?” Courtney’s face paled as she realized his implication. “Alex, you’re not hearing me. I wanted—”
“Enough,” Alexander interjected. “Isn’t that your intention, to cut ties with me? After everything that has happened, what do you still have left to say? Now tell me, how much did it cost to have you pretending around me for the last six months?”
