The Breeding Deal: Brother-in-law's Forbidden Offer

December 31st, New Year's Eve.

Christine and Rebecca were spending the New Year in Ethan's hospital room.

Around noon, Ethan's grandmother called Rebecca, asking why neither of her grandsons was spending time with her. Since Ethan's leukemia diagnosis, the entire family had kept it from the elderly woman, fearing the news might be too much for her to handle at her age.

Rebecca went downstairs and pointed her phone camera at the snowy street scene, telling her that Adrian was still away on business, while Ethan and Christine were vacationing in Mexico, so they couldn't spend New Year's with her.

The grandmother was somewhat upset, questioning why neither of her boys would stay with their own mother. Rebecca quickly consoled her mother-in-law, saying, "Oh, I don't mind being alone at all! Look how peaceful it is by myself. The kids have their own lives now. As long as they're safe and healthy, that's all that matters."

The elderly woman smiled and nodded, saying Rebecca was so understanding, and both Adrian and Ethan were lucky to have such a mother.

After hanging up, Rebecca stood alone in the snow. Across from the hospital was a garden where she watched families of three or four playing in the snow, carrying various New Year supplies. Suddenly, she covered her face and began to cry.

All she had ever wanted was for Ethan to be safe and healthy - but even this simple wish seemed too much to ask from heaven.

In the afternoon, Christine went to the hospital entrance to give Sophie, who had stopped by to visit Ethan, a New Year's gift.

After spending so much time together, Christine had come to consider Sophie, James, Thomas, and the others as true friends. They'd been busy helping Christine with various difficult tasks during this period.

Christine knew Sophie and James had no parents or other relatives. Tonight, James was likely spending New Year's on the flight with Adrian from Thailand back to Long Island, while Sophie would probably be alone in her rental apartment.

Christine pulled out beautifully wrapped presents - new iPhones for both siblings - thanking them for their help throughout the year and wishing them a happy New Year.

Sophie was overjoyed. To show her gratitude, she offered to demonstrate some Taekwondo moves. The young woman immediately took off her coat and started performing kicks and punches in the snow, even throwing in several backflips. Who would have thought such a tiny person could be so energetic, like a wound-up little boy. Passersby at the hospital entrance started tossing coins onto her discarded coat, thinking she was performing for money.

Christine couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh - a rare sight these days. This only encouraged Sophie more, who added side flips and high kicks, until she noticed several bills beneath her feet.

She picked up the money, puzzled. "What's this about?"

The onlookers, seeing her notice, applauded and shouted, "Another one, little girl!"

"Ha…? Oh my god!"

Sophie yelped and darted away, then flashed back to grab the money before disappearing into the snow with a quick "Happy New Year, Miss Christine!"

Christine smiled, pulling her scarf up to cover most of her face before carefully making her way back to the hospital.

Since that morning, she hadn't been feeling well, experiencing dizziness. During her prenatal checkup with Dr. Wong, he had checked her breathing and warned her to avoid catching a cold. She hadn't thought much of it then, but after standing in the snow for fifteen minutes and finding her nose running, she realized she really had caught one, probably from kicking off her blanket last night when she felt too hot.

After consideration, she went upstairs, wished Ethan a Happy New Year from the doorway, then told Rebecca she might have caught a cold and should head home to rest, not wanting to risk infecting Ethan.

Rebecca immediately grew concerned, urging her to go home, get under plenty of blankets, and get some good sleep. She offered to find a driver to take Christine to the hospital tomorrow if she still felt unwell.

Christine nodded, thanking her for her thoughtfulness.

With Sophie and the housekeeper both away, and having given the driver the day off yesterday, Christine had planned to spend New Year's in Ethan's hospital room. Only after realizing she had caught a cold did she make the last-minute decision to go home, fearing she might infect others.

Taking a taxi home, she immediately rushed to the bathroom to throw up, losing all of her dinner. After lying on the couch to recover, she took out a white peach candy to suck on.

Holding the small peach candy, Christine's thoughts drifted to the necklace Rebecca had shown her that morning.

Those translucent spheres, glowing pink under the light.

While she was still resting, Pat called to ask if she'd visit in a few days, saying her grandparents missed her, and so did their golden retriever.

Christine mentioned her cold and need for rest. Seeing her daughter's poor condition over video, Pat offered to drive over, but Christine smiled and waved it off, assuring her mother she could take care of herself.

After hanging up, she sat alone in the living room.

The massive house felt empty - despite the Blackwoods' wealth and luxurious decorations, recent upheavals had torn everyone's lives apart, leaving Christine sitting there alone.

Her husband, parents, in-laws... everyone was absent.

Afraid of dwelling too much on her emotions, Christine stood up, deciding to fix something to eat. Though not hungry, perhaps just lonely, she worried about midnight cravings. She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking through the food Martha and Sophie had left - roast duck, steak, pasta... Finally, after scanning everything, she took out a beautifully decorated small cake and put it in the oven to warm.

Since becoming pregnant, Christine had developed quite a sweet tooth.

While warming the cake, her thoughts inexplicably turned to Adrian.

She remembered Ethan mentioning long ago that his brother didn't like sweets.

But that day - she still remembered - she had baked him an apple pie right here.

He had eaten every last crumb.

So, was it the apple pie he liked, or...

"Ding!"

The cake was ready. Christine carefully placed the warm slice on a plate and set it on the table. Wanting to maintain some New Year's ceremony even alone, she went back to the fridge for juice and glasses. Halfway there, she heard a car pulling up to the house.

Thinking Pat had come despite her protests, Christine headed for the door without putting down the juice. As she opened it halfway, she saw James holding an umbrella by the car door, while Adrian was ducking to step out.

In the heavy snow, the tall man wore a black suit, his face hidden beneath the umbrella. Goose-feather snow covered the umbrella and everything around him. In the vast white landscape, only his footprints marked his path up the steps.

Not until they reached the covered walkway and James closed the umbrella did Christine see his expression.

His face was as cold as the winter air, steel-gray eyes darkened by the snowy night, like black waves frozen in place. His features were slightly furrowed from the cold, his prominent nose ridge leading down to lips pressed into a sharp, thin line.

He seemed thinner than their last meeting, making his features appear even more severe. His black coat emphasized his tall, straight frame, like a dark mountain.

As he reached the final step, he looked up and saw Christine standing there, frozen.

His footsteps stopped.

They hadn't seen each other for a month. She wore house clothes, her black hair loose, cheeks flushed, awkwardly holding a bottle of juice.

Their eyes met - the air grew colder still, Adrian's gaze becoming almost physical, cutting across Christine's face like the winter wind.

Christine pressed her lips together, finally nodding slightly: "Adrian, you're back."