Chapter 1986
Chapter 1986
Hence, while she had kept up appearances by treating the ailing Rosalie as well as she could all the while, the former was actually the one who had secretly orchestrated all the intrigue and ostracism that Rosalie had to contend with.
That included the episode of her wanting to change her name.
The reason for desiring that change stemmed from Rosalie's personal fondness for Vivian's name back in the day. She started to pay close attention to Vivian ever since the day she discovered that there was a megacorporation of equal standing with the Tilan Palace that also had an heiress.
Afterward, she found out that Vivian had led a very blessed life.
With twins for older brothers and parents who saw her as the apple of their eyes, a bright smile was always seen on Vivian's dainty face whenever she made any media appearances.
That made Rosalie extremely envious.
From a sense of envy toward her counterpart for the family she had and her looks, Rosalie eventually arrived at a point where she also wanted to have the exact same name as the other.
Vivian... What a lovely name. I bet it feels great to be called that name.
Egged on by the incitement of her older sister Melinda, the clueless adolescent girl went on to request that Hugo rename her "Vivian."
On that occasion, Hugo stopped short of beating her to death.
Men were naturally competitive. As the leading drug lord in Southeast Astoria, Hugo certainly did not wish for his own daughter to bear the name of someone else's daughter, especially not the daughter of Sebastian Hayes, the man whom he didn't have the courage to take on.
Rosalie almost died that time.
It was only through the efforts of the house steward, Zylan, to reach out to the girl's maternal grandmother's family that the enraged Hugo was convinced to spare the girl's life.
Therefore, Melinda really was no saint.
Rather than going out, Melinda, who sensed something amiss, immediately headed back upstairs to pack her own things in preparation to flee.
Alas, she still acted too late.
Shortly after, with the accompaniment of a loud bang heard coming from downstairs, the door to the courtyard was kicked in from the outside. The place was then quickly surrounded by those who had come for her.
At the hospital, a photo was sent to Solomon's phone sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Lowering his head to inspect it, he discovered it to be a picture of a woman's corpse that had been left to the mercy of the strays.
Then, he turned off his phone.
"Why don't you go take a break, Uncle Solomon? I can keep an eye on things here," asked Susan.
She saw that he was still waiting outside the intensive care unit after she went to the restroom to splash some water over her face to sober up.
Taking note of the tired and whey-faced state she was In, Solomon shook his head.
"You should go home. I'm going to be here, and I've already asked a friend of mine who is a doctor to hurry over from Jetroina. He's going to be okay, so don't worry."
"Really?"
Those words finally brought a smile to Susan's face after a whole day of worrying.
Following that, Susan went home.
With her departure, Solomon was left in the now quiet hospital corridor all by himself. He spent some time looking at the boy who had tubes attached all over his body before he pulled out his own smartphone.
Solomon: I'm sorry, Nancy I wasn't able to protect your son.
His fingertips went pale as he gripped his phone tight. It was a tremendous struggle for him to be able to send that message out.
The feeling was horrible.
Guilt, self-blame, and dread; It had been a long time since the last time he felt these emotions. Toward the end, he no longer wanted to try to make excuses for himself.
Nancy: How Is he doing?
Unexpectedly, that message was swiftly replied to.
Moreover, it looked as though the woman was not too surprised by what happened.
Solomon: He's currently inside the intensive care unit, but if he wakes up in the morning, he should come out of it all right.
Nancy: I see.
Solomon had no idea how to follow up on that.
He stared at those words for a few seconds quizzically, for that response he got seemed extremely odd.
Never taking his eyes off that text message even after he stood to his feet, a thought subsequently struck him asudden.
Could it be him?
At around seven in the morning, the weary figure of a towering individual appeared at the entrance of the hospital. His presence shocked Susan, who had also arrived around the same time.
"M-Mr. Hayes? You're here too?"
Surprised to see that familiar face, Susan spent much time stuttering at the entrance of the hospital.
Sebastian, who was fresh off a flight, scrutinized her. A frown formed on his face when he found her eyes puffy and her countenance pallid.
"Did you manage to get any sleep last night?"
"Y-Yes. Uncle Solomon's here too. He... insisted that I go home to rest up last night," replied a rather nervy Susan.
It couldn't be helped, as she was intrinsically fearful of this future father-in-law of hers.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
Upon hearing that, Sebastian nodded in satisfaction.
"Let us go in and check on him."
"0-0 kay."
With the hem of her dress held in one hand and a food jar in the other, she hastily followed Sebastian.q