CHAPTER 143: CHAPTER 143: GOOD NEWS FOR THE SINCLAIR FAMILY

Blake Sinclair didn’t expect that his little secret thoughts would be discovered by her so quickly.

Holly Crowe knelt on the sofa, slowly moving closer to him, then grabbed his hand and pressed it against her stomach.

Her body heat was transmitted through her loungewear.

Blake Sinclair’s fingers instinctively curled up, his nervous hand trembled a bit.

He was about to explain that he absolutely had no intention of pressuring her to have children when he heard her frustrated muttering.

"Have you noticed I’ve gained weight recently? This bit of chub on my belly is quite obvious, isn’t it?"

"..."

Blake Sinclair was stunned for a moment, then chuckled slightly.

Alright, he overestimated her imagination, and underestimated a girl’s obsession with weight.

Holly sighed with despair, leaned back, and casually took off her face mask, tossing it into the trash can.

"Sure enough, my appetite spikes before my period, and I lose control of my weight, shooting up like crazy. Being a woman is tough."

After realizing the situation, Blake Sinclair chuckled lightly, pulling her up with a doting expression, "You’re not fat, you look the same as before."

A dangerous glint flashed in Holly’s eyes, and she glared at him, "Oh? So, in your eyes, I’ve always been this fat?"

Blake Sinclair: "...."

It’s rare for him to have a moment of saying the wrong thing.

Holly pouted and lightly bumped her forehead against his chest twice.

"Forget it, if I’m fat, I’m fat. Once my period is over, it’ll go away. Just some bloating, what’s the big deal?"

Even Blake Sinclair, who has seen a lot, couldn’t help but admire her ability to make peace with herself.

The two light bumps felt like a kitten scratching his palm, tickling and carrying an affectionate coquettishness.

He placed the tablet on the coffee table.

With one hand, he protected the edge of the sofa to prevent her from falling, and with the other, he pinched the soft flesh on her waist, "Actually, gaining a little weight is good, you were too thin before. This is just right."

They have been married for almost three months now.

Back then, she was like a tightly wound string, full of exhaustion.

In these three months, it’s been hard to get her to slowly accept herself and gain some weight back, along with a much rosier complexion.

More importantly, she now starts to rely on him and actively shares her emotional changes with him. This growing trust is more important than anything.

"There’s no need to worry. These are normal body changes before your period, mainly caused by hormonal influences."

"Oh? You even know about this?"

Blake Sinclair admitted frankly, "After knowing you have menstrual pain, I consulted Granny Young for some related knowledge. Since I can’t bear it for you, I should at least find a way to make you feel better when you’re uncomfortable."

His straightforward and sincere care made Holly’s heart sweet.

She suppressed a smile, contentedly nestling in his embrace.

At this moment, her gaze inadvertently caught sight of the tablet on the coffee table. The screen was still lit, showing some house floor plans.

"Why are you looking at these?" She curiously leaned in, took the tablet, and slid twice.

The first image was indeed the floor plan of The Grandflora Gardens, and the second was a larger structural image of a room, which she remembered should be the empty room on the second floor.

"Are you planning to renovate that empty room on the second floor?"

An unnatural look flashed across Blake Sinclair’s face as he reached over for the tablet, "Yeah, just browsing, haven’t decided yet."

"Oh."

Holly didn’t find this strange; she just thought Blake Sinclair might have wanted to turn the room into a second study or a gym or something.

Her phone happened to vibrate, and Celia Stiles sent her a few messages, so her attention quickly shifted.

Seeing her not questioning further, Blake Sinclair also breathed a sigh of relief, unconsciously zooming in and out on the floor plan of the empty room.

He casually asked, "Holly, do you prefer blue or pink?"

"What?" Holly didn’t react immediately, instinctively thinking he was asking about the room’s decor style.

Amused, she thought it was childlike for Blake Sinclair to have such preferences.

"Pink, I guess," she said offhandedly, still staring at her screen.

Blake Sinclair nodded to himself, noting it down silently.

It seemed she preferred having a daughter.

If there was a daughter as cute as her, smiling with crescent-shaped eyes at him, perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

"Oh, maybe blue instead." Holly changed her mind.

Considering the room was for Blake Sinclair, the pink color might not match his usual demeanor.

Blue, huh?

Blake Sinclair’s recently relaxed brows tightened again.

The thought of another unfamiliar male joining their household and splitting Holly’s love and attention in half wasn’t something he could accept. It made his heart feel congested.

But who says blue has to belong to males?

As his mind started to spiral out of control, he simply exited the floor plan app and closed the tablet.

"Aren’t you looking at it anymore?" Holly noticed his actions.

"Don’t look anymore." Blake Sinclair pulled her over, "It’s getting late, time to go to bed."

Hearing the words "go to bed," Holly’s ears tingled.

In certain intimate moments, she always respected her own desires and didn’t see it as something shameful.

Besides, Blake Sinclair had a strong sense of service in that regard, always prioritizing her feelings, so why not enjoy it?

She quickly sent an "chat another time" emoji to Celia and put away her phone.

She just didn’t expect it to literally mean going to sleep, chatting under the covers kind of sleep.

But perhaps because her period was about to start, her body was easily fatigued, and shortly after lying in bed, she fell into a deep sleep in his arms.

Blake Sinclair listened to her even breathing beside him and, confirming she was asleep, quietly went to the bathroom for a cold shower.

...

Lunar Lotus Studio.

The room was filled with the slow whirring sound of the pottery wheel.

Holly was busy preparing her work for the Blue Orchid Cup.

But suddenly she heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground, startling her hand.

She turned around to see Celia standing by the sink with a phone in hand, a spilled bucket at her feet, and water splashed all over the floor.

"What happened?" Holly asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing, just a slip," Celia replied.

Celia glanced at her phone’s message and quickly grabbed a mop to clean up.

As she mopped, she moved from the sink to Holly’s workstation, her eyes occasionally glancing at Holly’s belly.

Her gaze was so obvious that it was hard for Holly not to notice.

"Just say it." Holly put down the carving knife, peeling dry clay off her hands.

Celia hesitated, then leaned the mop against the wall and tapped a couple of times on her phone.

The next second, Holly’s phone chimed with the sound of an Alipay transaction.

With a confused look, Holly picked up her phone. Seeing the amount transferred, she quickly looked up at Celia, bewildered.

"What’s this? Testing me? Trying to bribe me? Or did you sell the Lunar Lotus Studio?"

"No!"

Celia quickly waved her hands, squatting in front of her with a serious expression.

"In our hometown, when family or friends have good news, we give a red envelope to share the joy. You’ve been so good to me, so I just..."

The more Holly listened, the more off it seemed. She hurriedly interrupted, "Stop! Stop! Who has good news?"

"You do, senior. It’s all over the internet, even trending now."

"Me... me?"

"Who else?"

Celia pulled out her phone, "Everyone’s saying the Sinclair Group will soon have a little heir. They say President Sinclair is arranging a big wave of benefits for all pregnant employees and even contacting a design company to decorate a nursery room."

As she spoke, she reached out, ready to touch Holly’s belly out of curiosity, "I never imagined you’d be a mom so soon, senior."

"In broad daylight, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Holly was so startled she jumped off the stool, eager to explain with two mouths if she could, "I’m not pregnant, I’m not pregnant! Absolutely! Not! Pregnant!"

"Huh?"

"Really not! It’s the first day of my period today! Genuine!"

"Huh? Then what’s with the trending topic?"

Celia flipped open the Weibo trending list and moved her phone towards her.

The trending topic [The Sinclair Family’s Good News] had already climbed to fifth place on the entertainment board.

This cryptic title, yet full of suggestive implications, was garnering increasing clicks.

The various "insider" revelations in it sparked wild imaginations.

The eyes reflected on the screen grew wider and wider.

"Ms. Shannon Yarrow, do you see anything in the venue layout that needs adjusting?" the exhibition planner asked respectfully for Shannon’s opinion.

Shannon was staring at her phone, the screen displaying the trending news about the Sinclair family’s good news.

The planner called her again, bringing her back to her senses, and she quickly exited Weibo and turned off her phone.

Recalling the earlier news about Holly’s pregnancy, the hand holding her phone involuntarily clenched until her knuckles turned white.

A complex emotion surged within her, both resentful and jealous.

She let out a gentle breath, reining in her emotions, and put on a poised, graceful smile as she spoke to the planner, "Could you please arrange for one more space in the individual gallery on the second floor’s left side? I wish to add another painting last minute."

"Of course. May I know the style and dimensions of the painting? We need to coordinate with the designer for background decor and lighting adjustments."

Shannon caressed the cool edge of her phone, casting a meaningful glance at the spot on the second floor, and coldly said, "A twenty-four-inch oil painting, it’s a black swan painting."

"A black swan painting? Certainly, I’ll arrange it immediately."

"By the way,"

Shannon seemed to suddenly remember something, "Please also add one more seat to the front row of the VIP section. I nearly forgot, there’s a very important guest whom I must invite personally."

She gazed at the spot on the second floor, an obscure light flickering deep within her eyes.