The reporters' gazes snapped toward Marcus Valentine.

Sharp questions came one after another.

"Mr. Valentine, please address the oligospermia rumors directly!"

"Is there a blood relation between Miss Sherwood's unborn child and you?"

Camera flashes were blinding.

Marcus's jaw was tight, his eyes fixed on Mina.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"The hospital diagnosis of oligospermia is a fact, but I've been undergoing treatment recently."

"As for the child…"

He paused, his voice dropping low.

"He is, of course, mine."

The reporters erupted in murmurs.

Marcus strode over to Mina and grabbed her wrist.

His grip was a bit too firm.

Mina looked up at him.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she still cooperated, stepping in front of the cameras.

She knew this routine all too well.

A marriage among the elite was always a performance.

They could tear each other apart behind closed curtains.

But under the spotlight, they had to play the perfect, loving couple.

Just like her uncle and his wife.

One kept a mistress, the other had a boy toy.

In private, they could come at each other with kitchen knives.

But for the media, they were always hand in hand, all sweet smiles.

Mina put on a practiced smile, standing shoulder to shoulder with Marcus.

Marcus turned slightly, his fingers brushing through her hair.

The gesture seemed intimate, but his eyes were cold.

"Our relationship is strong. Please do not spread baseless rumors."

"The Valentine Group's new quarterly strategy is far more worthy of your attention."

The reporters weren't having it.

"How can a man with oligospermia impregnate a woman? It defies medical science!"

"There have long been rumors about Miss Sherwood's chaotic private life."

"Did you two really marry for love?"

Marcus's face darkened.

He was about to speak, but Mina beat him to it.

"Our marriage is indeed an arranged one."

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Marcus's knuckles turned white.

The reporters excitedly raised their microphones.

But Mina gave a light laugh.

Her smile held an indescribable melancholy.

"But it's also because I love him."

She turned to Marcus, her gaze seeming to travel through a long stretch of time.

"I've loved him since I was eighteen."

"That summer, I was young and reckless. I offended the wrong people."

"After school, I was cornered in an alley. He was the one who got me out."

The boy in her memory had a lollipop in his mouth, spinning a game console deftly in his fingers.

He leaned lazily against the wall, the setting sun casting a golden halo around him.

"You're too loud. Shut it."

He didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

"Don't make me do this."

Just one offhand sentence like that scared off a whole group of mean girls.

Mina's voice was soft, but every word was clear.

"From that day on, this brash yet kind boy took root in my heart."

"To outsiders, he seems arrogant and domineering."

"But I know the person he is at his core has never changed."

Marcus stared at her, dumbfounded.

He had long forgotten that incident.

Yet now, his heart inexplicably raced.

As if she had truly loved him deeply for years.

An absurd thought grew wildly.

It even made him temporarily forget about the child of unknown origin.

The reporters, however, pressed on.

"Miss Sherwood, even a fabricated story needs limits!"

"Mr. Valentine's diagnosis is there in black and white. How do you explain it?"

"Just admit it's a shotgun wedding. Why drag in some youthful romance?"

"Is the fetus really Mr. Valentine's?"

Mina looked up at Marcus.

The curve of her lips was stubborn.

"It's his."

The reporters scoffed.

"Proof?"

"How does a man with oligospermia father a child? Do you take us for fools?"

"There are claims you were seeing multiple men simultaneously. Is this true?"

"Mr. Valentine, are you really going to raise another man's child?"

A vein throbbed at Marcus's temple.

Mina suddenly took a step forward.

"I can prove it."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the room.

Marcus's heart sank violently.

The next second, he heard her clear, resolute voice.

"Since everyone doubts it, let's go to the hospital right now."

"Let's do a paternity test."

The room erupted.

William Sherwood cried out in alarm, "Mina, have you lost your mind? This is absolutely not allowed!"

The reporters immediately swarmed him.

"Why can't it be done? Are you guilty?"

Mina let out a cold laugh and looked straight at Marcus.

"Let's go. To the hospital."