Chapter 3

I had brought a copy of the contract specifically for him to review.

When his eyes landed on the clause: *[Microchip implanted in the male subject. During the pregnancy, the female subject can transfer the fetus to the male subject's body via the chip, and the male subject will carry and deliver the child.]*—his face turned completely white.

He pointed at me, his lips trembling, but no words came out.

"I didn't scam you, Carter. You signed your name on this contract without even reading it. I told you to look over the terms, but you were just so confident, wasn't you?"

"This is insane!" Helen jumped up. "Son, tell the doctor to get rid of it right now! A man being pregnant? This is unnatural and disgusting!"

I sat comfortably on the empty bed opposite them, enjoying their sheer panic.

Carter nodded rapidly, staring at his slightly bloated stomach. "Yes! I want an abortion! Take it out!"

"Carter," I interrupted, my voice dripping with ice. "Let me remind you to check Clause 173. If you terminate this pregnancy without my consent, you owe me a contract breach penalty of fifty million dollars."

He stared at me in disbelief.

With shaking hands, he flipped to the very last page of the contract. Right above his signature, printed in bold, was indeed that exact clause.

"No... this can't be..."

He muttered, his world crumbling. "I didn't see this clause when I signed!"

"A signed contract is legally binding. You're the head of a legal department, Carter. You of all people should know how the law works."

"You were too arrogant. You didn't even read what you were signing. Now, that baby is in your belly. You either carry it to term, or you pay me fifty million dollars."

"Fifty million?! Are you insane?!"

Helen shrieked, lunging forward to grab the contract, but my security guard blocked her effortlessly.

She turned and grabbed Carter’s arm. "Son, don't listen to her! This is a scam! We'll sue her!"

"Yes! This contract is illegal! Men cannot get pregnant. It goes against the laws of nature! A judge will definitely declare this contract null and void!"

I shook my head and tossed a newspaper directly onto Carter’s face. "Our lab’s technology has already been approved and patented. It's trending all over Twitter and Instagram. You want to sue me? Good luck finding a lawyer who will take on my family's legal team."

As I stood up, my bodyguards took a step forward, their towering presence immediately silencing the Reed family.

"Take good care of your body, Carter. I expect a healthy, chubby baby."

"The contract states that our lab will monitor your vitals 24/7. Don't try anything stupid."

Carter nodded numbly, suddenly turning docile.

For the next month, he actually sent me daily updates via Snapchat, proving he was doing prenatal yoga, eating healthy, and staying sober.

I almost thought Carter had accepted his fate. That was until my phone flashed with an emergency alert from the lab.

*[WARNING: Subject's vital signs abnormal. Chip energy fluctuation exceeds safety threshold.]*