The Alchemists

L left her room when Dr. Muller came. After all, she still had to fulfill her promise of maintaining her health and seeing the doctor according to schedule. This time, Dr. Muller brought a portable ultrasound device, wirelessly connected to the ultrasound machine at the hospital so they could see their child's gender.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Muller asked. London nodded. L still remained quiet.

"Oh God... please don't let my child be named Terry..." London murmured repeatedly. "Please don't let my child be named Terry ..."

"What are you saying?" L scowled at him. "Who's Terry?"

"Eh, nobody. My annoying brother. You don't need to know." London shrugged.

"I didn't know you had a brother," L voiced.

"You never asked," London answered. He turned to Dr. Muller. "Please, Doctor. I can't wait."

Dr. Muller nodded. He told L to lie on her bed and expose her stomach. Dr. Muller then put the gel on L's stomach and also moved the detector over it. While moving the sonogram detector, he showed the ultrasound image on the tablet to London.

"This is a 4D picture. You can see that this is the head, it's already formed. These are the hands and feet... those are the fingers... and this is the heart." Dr. Muller turned to London and smiled, "Your child is a girl. Congratulations."

London involuntarily exhaled in relief. Ahh... thank God. He would have a daughter like L! He was elated.

Without realizing it, tears formed on both corners of his eyes as his hands touched the tablet and watched the results of the baby's sonogram.

"What small hands..." London murmured in a low voice.

L looked at London's moved expression without blinking.

"Would you like to see the sonogram results, Miss?" Doctor Muller offered.

L expressionlessly shook her head. She then closed her eyes and refused to speak. Her attitude astonished Doctor Muller, but London hadn't given it much thought.

He suspected that L deliberately didn't want to see the results of her child's sonogram because she didn't want to waver. He knew that L was still determined to go and leave their child with London, so she didn't want to have an attachment to the child.

His c.h.e.s.t felt tight thinking of the possibility of how his proposal later tonight would be in vain because L rejected him.

After finishing the consultation and making sure everything was fine, Dr. Muller then excused himself. London and L just sat together in the living room in silence. London's head became heavy and his heart was filled with sadness after he saw the results of his child's sonogram.

He knew he loved his child, but only when he saw the results of the ultrasound directly as if he just met his child before birth, did he feel such a great affection, which he had never felt for anyone so far. He loved the fetus even more than himself.

He knew that his child would really need a mother. He almost cried imagining how sad his child would be when she found out her mother had left him for her career and for the sake of marrying a very rich man.

"You... you don't want to see the results of our child's sonogram at all?" London quietly asked. He turned to L, who was sitting next to him. His hand held up his phone, which had the ultrasound images of their child.

L shook her head. "I understand what you're trying to say. Sorry, I won't change my mind. I don't want this child."

London took a deep breath, disappointed. His confidence weakened seeing L's stubborn attitude. He was afraid to give Veritaserum to L and hear the harsh reality that L didn't want to marry him and care for their child.

He wasn't ready to accept a negative answer. Not today.

Talking with L always felt like facing a wall.

"I'll leave first. There's a matter of urgent business I have to attend to. You don't have to wait for me. I'll go home tomorrow." London finally got up and took his jacket. "I'll send dinner for you."

He needed to calm down and not meet L first. His c.h.e.s.t felt too tight and he almost revealed his identity to her.

Just imagining how his daughter would feel sad and hurt because her biological mother had left her made London almost ignore his logic and tell L everything about him.

That can't happen.

"Where are you going?" L asked, seeing London walk to the door.

"I want to meet my friends and calm down. You don't have to wait for me. I won't turn off my phone," London answered without turning her head. "Don't worry, I won't drink either."

He then went out and closed the door behind him.

London left for the penthouse accompanied by Marc, who was waiting for him in the lobby. When he arrived in his penthouse, he just sat there pondering for the night.

Suddenly, he felt homesick for his mother. When it was almost morning, he decided to contact Finland via Virconnect.

"Mom..." he uttered as the space in front of him turned into a beautiful veranda facing the sea. Finland and Caspar were relaxing by the infinity pool overlooking the beach. London immediately recognized the villa where his parents were as the villa on the F Island.

"Hey... isn't it already dawn in Germany? Why haven't you slept yet?" Finland attentively asked. She squinted at London's unusual appearance. London hadn't had time to change his clothes, and this made his mother wonder because his clothes were very simple. His face also looked disheveled and sad. "Do you have a problem?"

At first, London didn't want to tell her, but because his mother kept pushing, finally everything that had been weighing his shoulders for the past few months were spilled.

Caspar seemed to be rooted to his spot, while Finland pursed her lips with a very surprised expression. Both of them were shocked. For them, London was their little baby. It was only yesterday that this second child of theirs was born, and now, he suddenly brought the news that he would soon become a father...

This was as surprising as when they learned that Aleksis was married to Alaric Rhionen and was pregnant with her child ten years ago.

"Oh... London..." Finland could only repeatedly mention her child's name. She didn't know what to say.

"I don't know what to do, Mom..." London complained with moist eyes. "I tried my best, but she's still stubborn. I think the only way is to tell her my identity. If she knows I'm rich, she won't need to look for another man..."

"No... don't do it. It'll only work for the short term. You don't want to marry a woman who only wants your wealth. You also can't force her to stay for your child if she doesn't want it..." Finland shook her head hard. "I think you need to be far from her now so you both can think."

"Hmm... I want to go to Singapore in a few days, but I still can't find an excuse to take her with me."

"Don't. You don't have to bring her to Singapore. You better come here yourself. Let her experience two weeks without you. If she feels lost, she'll understand that you matter to her. While you can also clear your mind without her." Finland raised her hand as if to stroke her son's head. "Come quickly, I miss you so much."

London was stunned. Away from L for two weeks?

He could have arranged for L to stay in the penthouse and get services and escorts to ensure her safety and health for when London wouldn't be in Germany. Jan could report everything every day.

Ugh...

He realized that what made it hard to leave L in Germany for two weeks wasn't her pregnancy, but rather his own selfishness. He actually didn't want to be separated from L.

He was used to waking up to L singing beside his room.