Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 276: Timothy Barker Will Be Yours

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha fell into his arms after being hit by the bullet. He held her and had blood all over his hands.

He watched as her face drained of all color and turned tense because of the pain. Cold sweat was beginning to form all over her forehead.

Panic was a word that did not exist in his dictionary ever since he was young, and he felt no such emotion even when the kidnapper pointed the gun at his forehead.

At that moment, however, he was inexplicably flustered.

There were simply too many girls around him, all of whom said they admired him. Even so, he knew deep down that they admired not Timothy, but the power and financial recourse that he represented.

That was his impression of Samantha as well.

It was why he had never expected a girl like her who constantly blabbed about how much she admired him would be so brave as to rush out and save him with such disregard for her own life.

Samantha had lost consciousness at the time, but she still clutched his clothes tightly and muttered something.

He lowered his head to listen.

She did not say things like ‘I’m just glad you’re fine’ as almost everyone says in television dramas.

Instead, she said genuinely, “It hurts! It bloody hurts, damn it! Gahhh… I’m only eighteen! I don’t wanna die! I’m still young! And I haven’t had the chance to hold Timothy’s hand yet! Argh… It’s so unfair!”

Then, her hand tightened its grip on her clothes and she said weakly, “I saved you, Timothy. You must promise to devote yourself to me and return the favor in your next life!”

She then collapsed completely.

As for his thoughts at that moment, he felt that she really was one-of-a-kind, seeing as her little mouth could blab on so noisily even at such a time.

More importantly, she was true to herself.

She asked for something in return immediately after saving his life and did not even bother to feign righteousness.

He could agree to her request, but the conditions had to be changed.

She did not need to wait for the next life. He would grant her wish in their current life.

Before she was pushed into the operating room, he held her hand while he whispered to her and agreed, “Timothy Barker will be yours if you come out of this alive.”

…

Samantha noticed the man’s gaze and happened to make eye contact with him when she turned her head.

She blinked and asked curiously, “Why are you standing there instead of coming in?”

Timothy came to his senses and walked over. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the cheek before asking softly, “How do you feel today?”

“I feel quite good.” Samantha looked up at him and caught a whiff of a faint alcoholic smell on his body. She could not help but ask, “You were drinking?”

“Yes. I just had a meal with Dr. Jameson, so I drank a little,” Timothy replied. “He’ll stay here until the baby is three months old.”

Samantha’s heart skipped a beat.

Everything Timothy did since finding out about her pregnancy was truly flawless and she could not find fault in him at all.

She would have fallen for him more and more had she been oblivious to the truth.

No one could resist such thoughtfulness.

Her nose felt a little tingly and her emotions became a little uncontrollable due to the hormonal changes brought about by her pregnancy.

To prevent Timothy from noticing something was amiss, she hurriedly nudged him and said, “I can’t take the alcoholic smell. Take a shower as soon as you can.”

“Okay.”

Timothy retreated a couple of steps and turned around to head for the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Timothy came out of his shower.

He dried his hair quickly and went to sit down at the desk without disturbing Samantha who was still enjoying her television show.

She originally thought he was dealing with some unfinished documents and glanced over when it was a commercial break. To her surprise, she saw Timothy flipping through a thick book.

What could he possibly be reading?

Samantha was a little curious and looked at him several times.

Although Timothy did not look up, he seemed to have sensed her gaze when he curled his lips and said, “Come over here.”

Samantha did not pretend she did not look at him and got up to walk over.

The man placed her on his lap and let her lean against his chest. Samantha glanced at the book and realized that it was a dictionary.

She cocked her eyebrows and wondered if he was that studious.

Seconds later, she realized it was not the case because she saw that some words had been circled in black ink.

She could surmise what he had been doing but did not mention it outright. Rather, she turned to look at Timothy and asked, “What are you doing?”

Timothy took the pen and circled a word while replying, “Finding inspiration for a name.”

He was choosing a name...

He placed his lips right next to her ear and spoke in a casually pleasant tone, “Any ideas?”

Samantha unconsciously clenched her hands.

Choosing a name was usually a very ceremonial thing to do.

Naming something was the start of attachment and expectation toward that certain thing.

An example would be a cat or car that was purchased and brought home...

Unfortunately, she could not bring herself to expect the child.

In a situation where she neither had control over the child’s fate nor could be responsible for it, she did not want to form any attachment or expectation toward the child.

Otherwise, she would suffer if she ever lost it.

The suffering she was bound to go through would be excruciatingly painful.

She would rather not have the child to begin with, than have it and lose it. Her greatest fear was that she would crumble if she could not bear the weight of all those emotions.

Samantha shook her head and said in the calmest tone possible. “It’s still early, and we don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy. We can settle on a name later.”

“Better to be prepared.” Timothy looked at her tenderly. “You can choose one name for each gender.”

“Then... we’ll have to put a lot of thought into it.”

Samantha yawned deliberately and put her head on his shoulder before saying coquettishly, “Your baby and I are feeling sleepy. Leave the naming aside for now and come sleep with us!”

Timothy smiled and patted her head. “Okay. Let’s go to sleep.”

He carried her tightly, got up slowly, and walked toward the big bed.

…

Harmony was overjoyed to hear that Vincent was going to continue staying in Capital City for another month or so.

She was originally rather worried about having her treatment postponed if the doctor went back abroad. If that happened, she had to first deal with things in the country before freeing up some time for treatment.

Since he was staying behind, she could start the treatment first.

During that period, she could get double the happiness if she could get rid of Samantha and the baby.

There seemed to be no stopping her stream of luck once it started pouring in.

She received a call early that morning as soon as she woke up.

The person on the other end said, “Penelope suddenly came down sick during the past few days. She passed out a couple of times after vomiting and having diarrhea. Her condition is unclear, but she applied to be released for medical treatment and her application has been approved. She’ll be escorted to a hospital today.”

Harmony laughed instantly.

Penelope might be stupid, but she could still understand indirect hints when it came to critical moments.

After nurturing her for so many years, it was finally time for her to be put to good use on one final occasion.

Harmony replied, “There’s something I’d like you to do....”