Warning from Stark Group Legal Department

"JARVIS, contact the legal department. Have them send a lawyer's letter to San Fernando Valley Entertainment News and this woman named Rosalie Payne. If they keep spreading nonsense, we'll see them in court!"

Tony Stark glanced at the photograph in the newspaper and gave JARVIS the order.

If it had been one of those famous actresses, Tony Stark might have remembered her.

But he had long since completely forgotten Rosalie.

He assumed she was just another woman desperate for money, or someone trying to use this news story to attract attention and become famous.

Tony Stark had seen too much of this sort of thing. After giving JARVIS an instruction, he stopped paying attention to it.

Thomas Clinic.

The next day, Rosalie had Daphne buy another copy of San Fernando Valley Entertainment News.

She discovered that the report about her was gone, replaced by a public apology.

[Yesterday, this newspaper published an unverified news report that had some impact on Mr. Tony Stark's reputation. We hereby offer our sincere public apology and hope to receive Mr. Stark's forgiveness.]

Clearly, after receiving Stark Group's lawyer's letter, the small newspaper immediately surrendered without hesitation.

"How could this happen?!"

Rosalie looked utterly dejected.

Even the only newspaper willing to report on this had backed down. Now, there was even less hope that news of her and Mark would reach Tony Stark.

Knock, knock!

Just then, a series of knocks came from outside the hospital room.

Then, without waiting for Rosalie to answer, a young man in a suit carrying a briefcase strode into the room.

"Hello, are you Ms. Rosalie Payne?"

After entering, he looked toward Rosalie on the hospital bed.

"I-I am."

Rosalie looked up at him distractedly and nodded.

"I'm Grayson Taylor, a lawyer from Stark Group's legal department."

He took out a letter and handed it to Rosalie. With a stern expression, he said, "I am now formally issuing you a legal warning on behalf of Mr. Tony Stark! If you continue to defame Mr. Stark through any news outlet or other public venue, our legal department will immediately sue you and pursue the matter to the fullest extent!"

"No, you can't do this! Mark really is Tony Stark's biological son. If you don't believe me, you can have him come to the hospital for a paternity test..."

Rosalie cried out agitatedly.

"Ms. Payne, Mr. Stark has no obligation to cooperate with you on a paternity test! Stark Group has the finest legal team in the country. Believe me, we can send you to prison with ease!"

Grayson glanced at Mark, who was staring brightly back at him from the crib, and his tone softened slightly. "Look at this little guy. Isn't he adorable? You don't want him to lose his mother right after being born and end up being sent to an orphanage, do you?"

Hearing Grayson's threat, Rosalie's agitated expression immediately crumpled into despair.

"All right, all right. I promise I won't say anything to the media or in public that defames Tony Stark again!"

She was not afraid of his threats for her own sake, but she could not let Mark lose his mother just after being born and then be sent to a place like an orphanage.

"I hope you'll remember what you said today, Ms. Payne."

Grayson nodded in satisfaction, then turned and left the hospital room with a self-satisfied air.

After Grayson left, Rosalie could not help picking Mark up, tears streaming down her face.

"Baby, I'm sorry. Mommy is useless! Mommy can't give you a better life anymore..."

Held in Rosalie's arms, Mark's feelings were complicated for a moment.

This mother of his in this life was shallow and vain. Other than her beautiful face, she was practically good for nothing.

But her love for him, her son, was genuine.

That moved Mark, who had lived a second life.

"Rosalie..."

Just then, Daphne entered the hospital room and handed the bill in her hand to Rosalie. "Your hospitalization, delivery, and nursing fees for these three days come to a total of $8,650. Mr. Thomas asked you to settle these charges, or he'll have to ask you to leave."

"This..."

Rosalie looked troubled as she stared at the charges on the bill.

The money she usually earned on set barely covered her rent and daily expenses. There was no way she could come up with that much money at once.

"Daphne, take me to complete the discharge procedures. Also, sorry for the trouble, but please tell Mr. Thomas that I'll repay what I owe the clinic as soon as possible."

After hesitating for a moment, Rosalie made her decision.

"This... all right. Come with me."

Daphne had originally wanted to persuade Rosalie to stay at the clinic for a few more days so they could continue observing the mother and son.

But she could see Rosalie's predicament and could only nod in agreement.

Fortunately, Rosalie was still very young. Her body was healthy from dancing regularly, and she could already walk normally.

Daphne immediately took her out of the hospital room to handle the discharge procedures.

"Phew... I can finally get out of here!"

After the two women left, Mark, lying in the crib, could not help letting out a sigh of relief.

The hospital room had never received much sunlight to begin with. Only for an hour or two each afternoon did sunlight reach inside.

And Rosalie had been watching him constantly. Every time Mark had spent less than ten minutes in the sun, she would carry him back into the shade.

As a result, he had only collected ten points of sunlight over the past few days. The efficiency was terribly low.

Once he got out of here, Mark felt he should have more opportunities to bask in the sun.

Soon afterward, Mark unknowingly drifted back to sleep.

By the time he woke from his nap, Rosalie and Daphne had returned to the hospital room carrying large bags of things.

Not only had they completed the discharge procedures, they had also bought a stroller, formula, bottles, diapers, and other baby supplies outside.

Daphne placed Mark in the stroller, while Rosalie packed up her personal belongings. Then the two women pushed the stroller out of the hospital.

Rosalie was still somewhat weak, so Daphne had specifically asked Thomas, the clinic's owner, for leave in order to take her home after discharge.

"Daphne, thank you! Without you, I really wouldn't have known what to do on my own."

Rosalie said gratefully to Daphne, who was pushing the stroller beside her.

Back when Rosalie had defied her family's objections and run away from home to make her way alone in Hollywood, she had already fallen out with her parents.

Now that Rosalie had become pregnant out of wedlock, she was even more afraid to tell her conservative Catholic parents.

During these days at Thomas Clinic, Daphne had been the one running around and taking care of her.

"Don't mention it. We're good sisters. It's what I should do."

Daphne replied with a smile.