CHAPTER 152: CHAPTER 152: ONE LAST EMBRACE

Josephine Thompson suddenly turned her head, her eyes full of disdain, as if looking at something filthy: "Nathaniel Gallagher, don’t push your luck."

She instinctively shrank back, her hand tightly guarding her abdomen, as if he were some flood or beast.

Nathaniel Gallagher’s tenderness froze instantly, and a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

He smiled, pretending to be hurt: "I just wanted... to say a proper goodbye. After all, once the baby is born, we’ll really won’t have any more chances."

"No need."

Josephine turned her face away, her voice as cold as ice, "I can’t bear your farewell. Now, immediately, please leave at once."

Her tone left no room for maneuver, not even sparing him a glance.

Nathaniel Gallagher stood still, looking at her tense profile, his fingers unconsciously clenched tightly.

"Josephine, won’t you even give me one last hug?"

Josephine Thompson’s heart surged with anger, "Leave me immediately."

"Alright, I’ll go. You... take good care of yourself."

He turned to leave, his steps heavily hit the floor.

Josephine Thompson did not look at him either, turning to return to the hospital bed.

However.

Just as she turned around.

Behind her, Nathaniel Gallagher suddenly and domineeringly embraced her.

"Ugh... let go, what are you doing?"

Nathaniel Gallagher held her tightly, burying his head against her neck, "Honey, let me hold you properly one last time, I swear, just one last time."

He embraced her tighter, as if to merge her into his body.

Josephine’s mind panicked, she tried to break free, "Let go."

"Don’t resist, I really just want to hug you one last time. Just a hug, be good, listen."

After saying this.

He nuzzled his jaw behind her ear.

The intense breath, like fire, stirred her sensitive nerves.

Josephine’s heart grew more anxious, she forcefully tried to pry his fingers off, hoping he’d release her.

"Nathaniel Gallagher, let go, let go..."

If it’s just one last hug.

That wouldn’t be a big deal.

But every time he said hug.

Later it would escalate to a kiss.

And from a kiss, it would escalate to sleeping together.

Moreover...

He was extremely troublesome, greedy, and fierce.

Once entangled with him, he would never let it end.

What terrified and repulsed her even more was.

She couldn’t control her body, couldn’t endure his teasing.

He would swiftly bring her to the first ’peak’, making her completely lose her ability to resist.

In the end, she could only let him do as he pleased, over and over again...

"Bang!"

Unable to break free, she could only resort to old tricks, stamping hard on his foot with her heel.

Unfortunately...

She was wearing flats today, rendering them ineffective compared to high heels.

"Sss—" Nathaniel Gallagher only winced slightly in pain.

Not like last time when her high heels hit his toes, causing him to hop around in pain for ages.

"Let go, let go, let go—"

Stamping, elbowing, scratching, prying, pinching.

She used every attack move she could think of.

"Sss—, do you hate me that much? You won’t even let me have that last hug?"

Josephine Thompson’s nails dug deeply into his arm, her voice trembling from anger and panic: "Hate? Nathaniel Gallagher, you’re not worthy!"

She suddenly tilted her head.

Using all her strength to ram into his jaw.

"Thump—" a dull sound.

Nathaniel Gallagher grimaced in pain, his grip finally loosened a bit.

Josephine Thompson seized the opportunity, pushing him away as if breaking free from shackles.

She staggered backward a few steps, her back heavily hitting the edge of the bed, making her gasp in pain.

Nathaniel Gallagher saw this, his face turned pale in fright, "Be careful."

Josephine Thompson clutched her abdomen, glaring at him cautiously, her eyes bloodshot: "Nathaniel Gallagher, try touching me again!"

Nathaniel Gallagher, holding his bruised jaw, looked at her with darkened eyes.

Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks flushed with anger. Her cold and stunning eyes were now like a blazing fire, both fierce and intense, yet somehow tugging tightly at his heart.

"I just wanted to hug you..."

"Get out!" Josephine Thompson interrupted sharply, grabbing the water cup on the nightstand and throwing it at him.

This time she missed, and the cup fell to the ground, splashing water on his pant leg.

"Josephine, don’t get so agitated. I’ll go, I’ll leave, okay!"

"Get out!"

She almost screamed, tears uncontrollably welling up, "Do you think I’m easily bullied? Do you think whenever you want, you can just control me?"

Her voice carried deep despair, like a little beast driven to the brink, using snarls to mask frailty.

Nathaniel Gallagher looked at her like this, his heart felt blocked by something, stifling.

He wanted to say he didn’t do it intentionally, that he just couldn’t bear to let go. But as the words reached his lips, they turned into silence.

He knew, now anything he said would be wrong.

"Alright, alright, I’ll go, I’ll go."

Finally, he gave her a deep look and turned to walk out of the hospital room.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut.

The hospital room finally fell silent.

Josephine Thompson slid down to the floor along the side of the bed, tightly hugging her knees, her suppressed sobs finally spilling out.

What she feared had never been his embrace.

But rather her own damn uncontrollable body and mind.

She hated herself even more for always being easily overridden by him, without the ability to resist.

He was despicable enough... to even be able to control the timing of her ’losing control’.

Luckily, this time.

Because she was pregnant, he dared not forcefully act recklessly.

Otherwise, she would have been carried to bed by him, becoming the little prey hunted by his claws.

...

In the next three days.

Josephine Thompson adjusted her emotions and state, devoting all her energy to affairs at the antique gallery.

Sixteen precious antiques gone missing.

Nathaniel Gallagher helped her recover nine, simultaneously getting back the money that Curator Sterling had sold them for.

The remaining seven had already drifted abroad.

Although he sent people to continue the investigation, there’s a high probability they can’t be retrieved.

"Hmm~, I can only rely on myself for the rest."

She had the lawyer interface with the police, organizing the clues from the theft case into a booklet and handing it over. She also contacted several influential seniors in the artifact field, asking them to keep an eye on illegal trading channels.

Every day, apart from necessary checkups and rest, she was either on calls or sorting through data on the computer.

Ruby: "President Thompson, you don’t look like you’re in the hospital; it’s more like you’ve moved your office here."

Josephine Thompson gave a faint smile without responding.

Keeping busy was the only way not to think about Nathaniel Gallagher or those infuriating matters.

That afternoon, she had just finished a call with a friend overseas. Learning that two stolen jade artifacts had appeared in The Sunda Archipelago’s black market, the phone suddenly rang.

She took a deep breath, opened the chat box with the housekeeper, and typed: "Increase security at the warehouse, I’ll visit tomorrow."

"Okay, Miss, I’ll arrange it right away."

After sending it.

She shut off her phone, leaned against the headboard, and closed her eyes.

Now.

She had only one goal:

Retrieve the collections, safely give birth to the child, and then completely disappear from his world.

Early the next day.

Josephine Thompson, accompanied by a nurse, went to the temporary warehouse of the antique gallery.

The warehouse was situated in a secluded villa at the outskirts of the city, surrounded by surveillance cameras.

Professional security personnel guarded the entrance.

The housekeeper and police were already waiting there, rushing to greet her as she alighted from the car: "Miss Thompson, why did you come personally? The road here isn’t good for your health."

"I can’t relax about this."

Josephine Thompson’s gaze swept over the neatly arranged display cabinets in the warehouse, "How’s the inventory check going?"

"It’s all verified, except for the previously stolen seven items; the rest are intact." The housekeeper handed over a list, "Here, this is the detailed record."

Josephine Thompson took the list, her fingertips grazing the familiar names of the collections.

Grandfather’s former favorite blue and white plum vase, the Hetian jade ornament from The Luminous Dynasty, and that inscribed ancient painting...

Each one carried memories.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the aching in her heart: "Has there been any news from The Sunda Archipelago?"

"They’ve said they’ve located the hideout of the underground gang, planning to take action soon."

Uncle Sterling sighed, "Just afraid they might destroy the collections in panic."

Josephine Thompson remained silent for a moment, suddenly speaking: "Uncle Sterling, help me contact President Lynch at the auction house."

"Miss, you want to..."

"First auction off some non-core collections."

She lifted her gaze, her eyes steadfast, "One, it can recoup funds to intensify investigations. Two, it can lull the other side into thinking we’re trying to minimize losses, relaxing their guard."

The housekeeper paused, then nodded: "You’re indeed thoughtful, I’ll get on it right away."

Just as they spoke, Josephine Thompson’s phone rang; it was a call from the lawyer.

"President Thompson, Mr. Gallagher’s side sent over a document, said it’s a supplementary agreement concerning the recovery of antiques, needs your review."

Josephine Thompson frowned: "Didn’t I say before, he shouldn’t interfere in subsequent matters?"

"They said... this is a token of Mr. Gallagher’s regard, hoping you’d take a look even if you don’t collaborate." The lawyer’s tone carried some difficulty.

Josephine Thompson remained silent for a few seconds: "Let him keep it with you, I don’t have time to look at it now."

After hanging up, she rubbed her temples.

Nathaniel Gallagher was always like this, infiltrating her life in various ways. Like an invisible net, trying to trap her firmly.

By the time she returned to the hospital, it was already dusk.

The sunset spilled through the window into the room, casting long patches of light on the floor.

Josephine Thompson had just sat down when the nurse came in with the medication: "President Thompson, it’s time for your prenatal medicine."

She took the cup of water, just about to take the medication, when the door suddenly opened.

Nathaniel Gallagher stood at the entrance, his deep feelings tinged with a trace of melancholy and heaviness.

Josephine Thompson’s movement halted, her expression instantly turning cold: "Who let you in?"

Nathaniel Gallagher didn’t speak, directly walking up to her, placing the thermos he was holding on the bedside table, his voice hoarse: "I had Housekeeper Sterling make bird’s nest soup, have a bit."

"Take it away." Josephine Thompson turned her face aside.

Nathaniel Gallagher crouched down, his gaze level with hers, "I know I scared you that day, I’m sorry."

This was the first time he apologized so straightforwardly, his tone carrying a trace of barely discernible vulnerability.

Josephine Thompson’s heartbeat skipped inexplicably, yet she remained hard-hearted: "No need, Mr. Gallagher. Between us, apart from the child, there’s nothing to say."

"There is." Nathaniel Gallagher looked into her eyes, articulating each word, "I’ve found out, the leader of that underground gang owes gambling debts, planning to sell the stolen antiques to a buyer in The Khasran, the time is this weekend."

Josephine Thompson suddenly turned to look at him: "How do you know?"

"I have my channels." He took out a piece of paper from his pocket, "Here’s the location and time for the transaction, give it to the police, they’ll be prepared."