Chapter 69 - Settlement and Compensation

It had been a week since her last appointment with her doctor, and Luna was excited to see her brother who was recently discharged from the hospital to recuperate at home. Julian was supposed to stay for another week but insisted on going home as he was ashamed that his new brother-in-law was the one paying for his medical bills. 

When Luna arrived at her mother's house, she was saddened to see the situation of their living arrangement. If she hadn't married Hero Li, her situation would be no better. 

The doorway was the same as every other in the block, straight with clean lines. Yet, it led to her mother's home, and in that was its specialness.

"Luna? How long have you been standing here?" Elaine was surprised to see her daughter standing outside her door in a daze. "Come inside before you catch a cold. It would be bad for you and for your baby if you get sick." 

Elaine held Luna's arm and dragged her inside the comfort of her home. Although it wasn't as huge as Hero's villa, her mother's home was very warm and homey. 

"Mom, are you sure it's okay for Julian to go home now?" Luna asked as she helped her mother in the kitchen to prepare her brother's lunch. 

"He insisted on going home, and the doctor agreed with him as long as he would stay in bed for another two weeks before returning for his therapy." Elaine placed the bowl of soup in a tray before reaching out to hold Luna's hand. 

"What about you? How's your pregnancy going?" 

Luna smiled, knowing she wouldn't be alone to deal with this pregnancy. 

As they finished their lunch, Luna helped her mother tidied up the kitchen before they heard the doorbell rang. Luna told her mother she'd be answering it and left Elaine in the kitchen. Opening the door, her brows rose as she saw a man in his late forties wearing a black suit and carrying a briefcase. 

"Is this where Mr. Julian Jiang resides?" the man asked, eyeing the old and small place. 

'Yes, and you are?" Luna had a bad feeling about this. She didn't like it one bit… that this man was standing outside her mother's door. 

"My name is Atty. Xia; I'm Mr. Edward Xu's attorney. I won't beat around the bush, Miss Jiang. I'm here to offer a settlement for Mr. Jiang's accident so my client wouldn't have to face legal cases." 

"From what I understand, your family has just spent a fortune for his surgeries, and my client is willing to reimburse the amount you spent. My client offers you a million yuan so we can settle this issue as soon as possible."

The lawyer attempted to step inside the house, but Luna blocked his way by extending her arm. Edward Xu had the guts to offer them compensation so that they wouldn't push the case. Was he afraid that the court would pressure him to reveal Sienna Jiang's involvement in the staged accident?

A million yuan? Would that be enough as compensation for her brother's suffering under Sienna's schemes? 

If this man arrived at the time she was desperate for money, Luna might be tempted to agree to his offer so long as she could save her brother's life. Alas, she'd sold herself to Hero Li, saving her some dignity for her to spare.

"Mr. Xia, do you think a million yuan was enough to make your client run away from his responsibilities. Not only did Edward Xu almost kill my brother, but he'd also taken and ruined my brother's future." 

Noticing the harsh tone on Luna's voice, Mr. Xia was taken aback from the fierce glint in her eyes. Didn't Sienna Jiang say that this woman was easy to coerce? 

The man pushed his glasses up and regarded Luna Jiang. 

"Miss Jiang, what happened was an accident. My client has no intention of harming your brother. If you've seen the police report, you should have known by now that the accident happened because the brakes didn't work when your brother was crossing the street." 

Luna laughed and shook her head. Sienna must be thinking she was still as stupid as before. Her husband was right. Those people around thought that she was naive and had made a fool out of her because she never resisted or had the backbone to retaliate.

The lawyer chuckled and shook his head. 

"Miss Jiang should take my words into consideration. I'll be honest with you. You cannot win this case without proper backing. You don't know who you are trying to mess with." The man snickered.

Did this woman think she had the right to say no? Although she was a Jiang, her status compared to Sienna was inferior. Not only was she inferior, but she was also the unfavored daughter of the Jiang family. 

How dare she act like a young miss with a high status when she was just a daughter born from a mistress? 

Luna remained silent. Of course, she knew what the lawyer meant by that. Not only her family had financial issues, but Edward Xu's family was also close to the Jiang family. It wasn't like the Jiang family would stand up to protect her and Julian. 

"So Miss Jiang, I suggest that you accept this compensation and not to cause trouble for both parties. 

"Oh, you think I'm scared? I like to see how strong Edward Xu is. Please tell me to pay me a visit one of these days. My man and I will be expecting his arrival, ah." Luna smiled. 

The lawyer frowned. Was she talking about Jasper Mo? According to his research, she and Jasper Mo used to date; but the latter was now engaged to Aiko Chen? Was she bluffing to intimidate him and his client? 

"Mr. Xia, maybe you should go. This settlement and compensation… I'm sorry I cannot accept this. Your presence alone is already a slap on our face. Daring to compensate us for harming my brother? Does your client think that he could just harm anyone and pretend everything will return to its previous state by throwing money to our faces?" 

---

Luna watched her husband step out of her room and then ġrȯȧnėd as sudden dizziness hit her. She never thought that being pregnant could be difficult. As she entered the twelfth week of her pregnancy, the symptoms had started to show up. 

She could feel her waist thickening although her bump was still small, and her brėȧsts had grown bigger. As the sickness subsided for a while, she started to feel hungrier; and she worried if she was eating just enough for her and the baby.

If anything, she might look like she'd gained a little weight around the middle or might not look different to anyone else at all around her.

Hero reappeared, holding his ŀȧptop and a glass of fruit juice on his other hand. Following behind him was Little Amber who was staring at her mommy worriedly. 

Mommy had been spending more time in bed recently and been throwing up. Then, there was that one time her mommy fainted, and Little Amber panicked and cried. She thought that her mommy was dying. She was afraid that Luna wouldn't wake up anymore, leaving her alone once again. 

Luna shifted on her bed and sat up. Ever since Little Amber and Hero slept on the same bed with her that night, the two had invaded her room and had chosen to share the bed with her. At first, she was uncomfortable sharing her bed with someone who wasn't Fluffy. 

It was such a good thing that Hero placed a bed huge enough for the three of them, or else she would end up sleeping on the floor with her dog. 

"Thanks," she thanked her husband as he gave her the fruit juice before settling next to her and started working on his ŀȧptop. Recently, Hero could be found working at home as the symptoms of her pregnancy continued. 

"You can't feel the baby yet. Baby still too small," Luna ran her hand on Little Amber's silky locks and watched her wide eyes as the child rubbed her stomach. 

As Hero focused on his work, the silence beside him had brought him back to his reality. Taking a side glance, he found his wife and daughter taking their afternoon nap together. He took the remote control of the television from Luna's hand and turned it off before resuming his work. 

Luna woke up to an overwhelming urge to vomit her lunch, dragging herself out of the bed carefully to not wake up her sleeping daughter before she hurried towards the bathroom. She bȧrėly made it on the toilet before she began vomiting. 

She threw up everything until there was nothing left in her stomach, but the acid and nauseous feeling she had at that moment. 

Oh, gods above did Luna feel miserable at the moment.