Ch. 541..550
Chapter 541 Appealing To Her Emotions
Timothy also had no idea what horrible things Anya, the daughter of Nigel, had done. Back when Christina wanted to return to the Gibsons and inherit the family business, Anya was the one who most strongly opposed that idea.
If the father and daughter were united in their thoughts, Nigel would inevitably make Anya hurt Christina in order to preserve his interests and power.
The question came like a bolt from the blue. Dumbfounded, Nigel misinterpreted Timothy’s meaning and sneered, “Timothy, are you blaming Anya for all that has happened to the Gibson family? How could you forgo family ties for the sake of revenge?”
Timothy only wanted to fish for information from Nigel and had not put as much thought into the matter as the latter assumed. “Recently, Anya came to Jadeborough very often. I’m afraid she’s too young and lacks consideration before taking action, and she might have gotten herself into trouble. Otherwise, why would Nathaniel mention Anya to me?”
Nigel was extremely prideful and protective of his daughter. Naturally, he would say or do anything to defend Anya.
“Why don’t you question your own daughter instead? If she was truly capable, there would have been no need for Anya to work so hard and run around to get investments for Gibson Corporation. In the end, Anya didn’t even gain any favor for herself. By the way, I heard from Anya that Christina often makes things difficult for her since the day Christina took over the company. And here you are, protecting Christina before I can even question her about this. If you can’t convince Nathaniel to change his mind. then just wait for Gibson Corporation to go bankrupt. Whatever it is. I’ve done my best to help. With that.. Nigel showed how selfish he was right before hanging up the call.
“D”mn b*stard!” cursed Timothy as he gripped his phone, his expression ferocious.
No way! I can’t sit still and watch Gibson Corporation go bankrupt! As long as Christina is still my daughter, she must bear the responsibility of saving the company.
With that thought in mind. Timothy dialed Christina’s number.
At that time, Christina was in her office packing while waiting for Nathaniel to pick her up.
A call from Timothy was the last thing she expected.
“Do you need something. Dad?” Her tone was indifferent.
“Christina, are you still mad at your grandma and me?” Timothy asked.
Christina took a seat on the couch and rubbed her tummy. “What do you want?”
Timothy could sense that she did not want to engage in a conversation with him and sighed. “Regret washed over your grandma and me when you left Hallsbay with the children the other day. We really shouldn’t have used the kids to force you into doing something)
Christina fell silent after hearing that.
“Please find some time to come home, Christina. Your grandma misses you very much. Do give us a chance to apologize to you.” Timothy appealed to her emotions. “Now that we’re finally reunited, I’m sure your mom wouldn’t want to see us separated again. Your grandma and I won’t force you into doing anything you don’t wish to do anymore.”
He added, “Things aren’t going very well for the Gibson family. Won’t you come back to visit us? For your mother’s sake.”
Timothy did not mention a word about his meeting with Nathaniel in Jadeborough.
He knew that Christina was a filial and sentimental person who valued relationships above all else, and she would definitely not refuse Timothy if he used her mother as an excuse.
Christina’s heart wrenched. Although she had become utterly disappointed in the Gibson family, it was not easy for her to draw the line and cut off ties with those she was related to by blood.
“Dad, Lucas and Camila are my bottom line. I can’t bring myself to forgive you all for what you lot have done. Yet, I’m also in no position to comment on your plans to get revenge on the Hadley family. I’ve been very busy lately, so it’s not feasible for me to go back and forth between two places. You and Grandma should take care of yourselves, and I’ll find time to pay you all a visit.” Christina’s words indirectly indicated her refusal to continue being used by the Gibson family as a pawn in their revenge.
She was no longer alone; she had a lover and children. The conflicts of the past generation should not be passed down to the next to bear their consequences, let alone implicate the poor, innocent kids.
Christina vowed to uncover the truth about the accident that got both the Hadleys and the Gibsons entangled so that her mother could rest in peace.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have allowed your Uncle Nigel’s family to put pressure on you when you were in a quandary.”
Timothy was the last to know that Nigel had used his name to privately ask Christina to hand over the contract after Nathaniel withdrew his investment.
Anyhow, Nathaniel intercepted and stopped the transfer before the contract could reach Christina. When Nigel learned about it, he contacted Nathaniel personally instead of giving it all up. However, his efforts were in vain as Nathaniel ignored him.
In the end, Nigel was so desperate that he shifted his target toward Timothy.
Christina was under the impression that Timothy was referring to the ruckus raised by Anya at the ward. “Let bygones be bygones. There’s no use crying over spilled milk. I have other matters to attend to. Thus, I shall hang up now.”
She ended the call decisively while staring at the approaching Maybach.
Nathaniel had been working hard to seek justice for her from the Gibson family. Hence, Christina did not want to cause him trouble or embarrass him.
Moreover, her disappointment in the Gibson family did not just begin recently. It was caused by repeated hurtful incidents.
She could understand Timothy and Azure’s desire for revenge, but she could not tolerate Anya’s despicable deeds.
Christina had been kidnapped to the factory and nearly killed by Madison. Therefore, she would never show Anya mercy if she discovered the latter was involved in the incident.
The Maybach pulled up right in front of her. Nathaniel then got out of the car to greet her. “Have you been waiting here for a long time? Next time, don’t come down and wait. I’ll go up and get you instead.”
Christina replied, “I’m not a delicate porcelain doll. I’ve been sitting for so long in the studio and wanted to move my muscles. It’s good for me to walk a bit.”
She burrowed into Nathaniel’s arms and blinked her eyes cheekily. “Besides, my staff can never focus on their work whenever you show up at my studio. Their eyes will be fixated on you all the time. Should their tasks be delayed, I’d inevitably make a loss.”
Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her waist and ushered her into the car. “Are you jealous?” he asked softly.
Christina scoffed as she shifted to the side and kept a distance from him. “How could I be jealous over such a trivial matter? Am I so petty? Nothing can ever come between me and my money-making business.”
Nathaniel stretched out his arm and pulled her back into his embrace. He coaxed her softly, “Do you not have enough money lately? Why don’t you tell your darling husband if you need more? He has no lack of money and is especially willing to spend it on you.”
Christina’s ears turned red when she inet Nathaniel’s blazing gaze, and she immediately averted her eyes. Though she felt warm deep within, she said arrogantly, “Yes, yes, yes, I know you are filthy rich, but I don’t need your money, for I can make my own.”
“All right. You don’t have to use mine, but can I spend my wife’s money?”
Nathaniel seemed to be very interested in that topic and intent on pursuing it further until Christina gave him a satisfactory answer.
“I’m more than happy to be your sugar baby.”
Chapter 542 I Am Going To Ignore You
Upon hearing Nathaniel’s corny lines, Sebastian regretted not winding up the divider before Christina got into the car.
He realized that Nathaniel had turned into a totally different person ever since he reconciled. and patched things up with Christina. Not only was Nathaniel an exceptional coaxer, but he also broke new records for doting on his wife time and time again.
When the couple in the backseat became more and more inseparable, Sebastian, who was still a single man, discreetly raised the divider after having had enough of their public displays of affection.
Christina wrapped her arms around Nathaniel’s neck and rested her full body weight on him, saying, “Everything that I have is yours.”
Her sweet words were comparable to any vows of loyalty and pledges of love the world had ever heard.
Nathaniel’s heart skipped a beat, and he pestered Christina for a passionate kiss.
He wanted to show through practical actions that he appreciated her and would not let her go back on her words.
Right as they were getting a bit too carried away, Christina stopped the wandering hand. underneath her clothes and said, “The doctor says we shouldn’t be too lustful. You’ve used up your quota for this month, and there’s no exception.”
Nathaniel tried to suppress the burning desire within him as he made a shrewd plan in his head. “Then put it down on record first. I’m sure there will come a day when you will pay it off.”
Christina’s face turned crimson red as she struggled to get off of him.
Nathaniel refused to let her go. Conversely, he hugged her even tighter, burying his face in her neck. His tone was pitiful as he said, “Darling, you’ve got to give me something to look. forward to.”
As he was so persistent and shameless, Christina had no choice but to whip out a ten-dollar bill and generously stuff it into the front pocket of his jacket. She patted it and said, “This is a tip for you. Go ahead and spend it. There’s no need to help me save up. I must say that I’m quite satisfied with your performance just now.”
Nathaniel stared at the bill hungrily. “I can perform even better. All I need is another chance to show it to you.”
He pounced on her as soon as he said that.
Soon, the Maybach pulled up outside the front gate of the Hadley residence.
Nathaniel got out of the car, looking relaxed, but Christina did not look too well.
She tugged on her collar to cover up the marks on her neck as much as possible while glaring angrily at the culprit. “I told you not to bite my neck. How am I going to face everyone later?”
Once again. Nathaniel demonstrated his coaxing skills and said, “We’re all a family. Don’t Worry about it like an outsider. I’m sure they won’t mind it at all.”
“I’m going to ignore you!” Christina went ahead and entered the mansion with a flushed face, whereas Nathaniel followed behind her merrily.
“Mommy, Daddy, are you here to see us?” When Camilla turned around and saw Christina, she immediately chucked away the toy in her hand and ran toward the former. The little girl wanted a hug but hesitated to request one because she was worried that she might hurt the baby inside Christina’s belly.
Christina sensed her hesitation, so she crouched and flung her arms wide open for her daughter.
Camila beamed with joy as she threw herself into Christina’s embrace. “Mommy, your smell so good!”
She then nuzzled up against Christina like a cute little kitten.
After scanning the surrounding and noticing that Lucas was nowhere to be seen, Christina patted Camila’s head and asked, “Where’s your brother?”
Usually, Lucas and Camila were inseparable.
Camila blinked her adorable big eyes and whispered into Christina’s ear, “Mommy, Lucas has been very mysterious recently. He locks himself in the room after coming back from school and doesn’t like to play with me anymore.”
After saying that, she pouted.
Nathaniel took Camila from Christina and lifted her in his arms. He pinched her chubby cheeks and asked, “You’ve gained some weight these days, so you can’t keep leaning on Mommy. Do you want to know what Lucas is up to? Come, I’ll accompany you to check it out, okay?”
Instantly, Camila’s eyes lit up. “Sure! I’m a curious child who loves to learn, but Lucas refuses. to reveal it to me.”
Christina smiled dotingly as she followed the father and daughter up the stairs to the nursery on the second floor.
Camila knocked on the door excitedly, and they heard footsteps approaching from the inside. Soon, the door was opened, and a round head popped out from the gap.
“Mommy, Daddy!” Lucas happily shouted, but he appeared to have no intention of opening the door completely. “I was changing my clothes. Could you wait out here for a moment, please?”
Lucas seemed rather shy, which was uncharacteristic of him.
Christina and Nathaniel’s parenting philosophy had always been to respect the children’s will. Hence, Christina nodded and said, “Sure, go ahead and put on some clothes.”
Lucas then shut the door. A few minutes later, he opened it and allowed the trio to enter the room.
The nursery
had not changed much. The only addition was a partially built wooden house made from toy blocks in the play area.
Camila struggled to be let down before wandering around the room, seemingly looking for something.
Lucas had his eyes fixed on Camila as he followed her every move. “What are you searching for, Camila? I can help you.”
The young Camila could not hide her concerns and blurted, “Where did you hide precious treasure, Lucas? I want to have a look at it.”
Lucas rolled his eyes at her and replied, “I don’t have any.”
“Don’t bluff! When I came in last night, I saw you hiding it.” Camila called him out and added, “The teacher says that children who tell lies aren’t good kids.”
Lucas shot a glance at Christina and Nathaniel before declaring confidently, “No, I didn’t lie to you. If you don’t believe me, you lot can rake through the room and search for it.”
Finally, Christina spoke when she saw that a fight was about to break out between her two children. “Since Lucas said there’s none, then there’s none. We must believe him and also give him his own space to keep his secrets.”
Camila nodded even though she was not sure what Christina meant exactly.
Nathaniel urged, “It’s almost dinner time. Christina, why don’t you take Camila downstairs? I need to go to the study first.”
Not suspecting anything, Christina led Camila downstairs, assuming that Lucas would tail behind her. Unbeknownst to her, the little boy chose to stay back and spend some alone time. with Nathaniel.
Nathaniel was stricter toward his son as compared to his daughter. “Your teacher said that you don’t like to take naps at noon recently but would always linger around the fence in the garden. Who are you waiting for?”
Several days ago, Nathaniel received some news from Lucas’ kindergarten teacher. While waiting for the right time to speak with Lucas, Nathaniel continued his observation. discreetly.
There was a blind spot in the surveillance cameras of the kindergarten’s garden, so Nathaniel could not identify the person Lucas was meeting.
He did not tell Christina about it because he did not want her to worry.
Lucas had always been a little afraid of his stern father. “I was waiting for the evil woman. She always comes to the kindergarten to look for Camila. I don’t want her to get near to Camila because she’s too easily deceived. That’s why I’ve been listening to the woman each time and waiting for her near the fence.”
Anya was the evil woman that Lucas was referring to.
A menacing look flashed across Nathaniel’s eyes. “What did she say to you?”
Chapter 543 Intimidating
Back when Azure had devised the plan of using Lucas and Camila to threaten Nathaniel, Anya had also played a part in masterminding the plot.
Nathaniel had recently discovered that the culprit behind Christina’s kidnapping had something to do with Anya too. However, he did not have sufficient evidence and no way of preventing her from causing any more trouble in the future.
On top of that, Anya was a member of the Gibson family. Hence, even though he was capable of going against the Gibsons, it would still stir up plenty of unnecessary trouble if he recklessly accused her.
It was not difficult for the five-year-old boy to answer Nathaniel’s question. Lucas had an excellent memory, and he was clever. He repeated what Anya had said to him word for word, recounting every detail to Nathaniel.
“The evil woman said Great-Granny misses Camila and me. And Mommy, too. She hoped. Camila and I could forgive them, then asked me to persuade Mommy to go back and visit Great-Granny and Granddad together. The evil woman would bring yummy food and come to look for us at the kindergarten. She even got my phone number and would send me photos of Great-Granny and Granddad. Camila and I never ate the food she However, if I didn’t reply to her messages, she said she’d let everyone know about the bad. things Mommy did so that Mommy couldn’t be a designer anymore.”
When Lucas mentioned Christina, he suddenly became anxious. His small hand clutched the hem of Nathaniel’s shirt nervously. “Daddy, you must teach that evil woman a lesson and protect Mommy.”
Nathaniel picked him up in his arms and comforted him patiently. “Could you let me have a look at the messages she sent you?”
Lucas nodded solemnly. Climbing out of Nathaniel’s arms, he ran over to h hand under the covers, and felt about for something. Then, he handed his Nathaniel, his innocent eyes shining with determination.
Nathaniel stroked his head. “Don’t tell your mommy about this for now, okay?”
“Okay. It’s our little secret. Let’s make a pinky promise, Daddy,” said Lucas, sticking out little finger.
Nathaniel hooked his pinky finger with Lucas’ and gave it a gentle shake. “There’s a good boy. Why don’t you head on downstairs and have your dinner first? I’ll be along in a short while.”
“Hurry up and come down, Daddy.” With that, Lucas turned and left the room.
The tenderness in Nathaniel’s eyes faded instantly, replaced by a piercingly cold look.
Since Lucas’ phone did not have its lock screen enabled, he easily found the messages and photos Anya had sent Lucas.
Even now, she was still texting Lucas persistently.
Her message said: Your mommy has been lying to you all this time. She’s going to divorce your daddy very soon. She’ll have to leave with nothing and become a penniless pauper. Without your granny’s help. she won’t be able to provide for you and your sister. You’ll become motherless wild children. In the future. your daddy will marry someone else and bring home a stepmother for you. After they have children of their own, he won’t want you anymore, and the two of you will end up as little street beggars. That’s why if you can get your sister to help you persuade your mommy to come home and patch things up with your great-granny and granddad, you’ll still get to have a good life even if you’re not with your father.
Nathaniel’s gaze was icy as he read the message. Then, he typed a reply into the text box. It read: As an outsider, you’ve no right to make remarks about the Hadleys’ family matters. The Gibson family itself
is in dire straits, so you should focus on dealing with your own problems instead.
After thinking of another lengthy message. Anya was about to have a sip of coffee and take a break. She planned to wait for Lucas to reply with an emoji like usual before continuing her brainwashing strategy.
Unexpectedly, a message that carried a strong, intimidating tone popped up on her screen.
She was so shocked that she spat out the coffee in her mouth, nearly choking on it.
Picking up her phone with trembling hands, she reread the message no less than ten times.
Lucas doesn’t know how to type these many words. That little brat either sends typo-laden messages or emojis. Or he’ll just ghost me. I’ve been found out!
She could not be sure whether the person who replied was Christina or Nathaniel. Either way, things were not looking good for her.
The Gibson family was no longer as powerful as they appeared to the outside world. The hidden troubles within the family were enough to bring it to bankruptcy. She had lived in the lap of luxury since she was little. If something happened to the Gibson family, the whole family would be affected too.
I don’t care for nor want to live a life where I’ll have to think twice before buying a bag that costs a hundred thousand. That’s why I followed Dad’s plan and attempted to make Christina return to the Gibson residence. That way, when the family crisis has been averted, Christina can return to wherever she came from while we reap the benefits as usual.
As that thought crossed her mind, she quickly removed the SIM card from the phone to prevent the Hadleys from tracking her down. As long as my plan isn’t completely busted, I can remain in Jadeborough and think of a way to get close to Christina.
Just then, however, her other phone started ringing. It was a call from Nigel.
No sooner had she answered the call than Nigel’s angry voice rang out on the other end of the line, threatening to shatter her eardrums. “Come back to Hallsbay right this instant! I’ve something to ask you in person!”
Meanwhile, Nathaniel deleted all of the chat history after sending that message. He set down the phone, then turned and went downstairs.
Julia and Charlie had come back from shopping and were getting the children to try on the cute children’s clothing they had bought while Christina sat on one side and watched. Occasionally, she would hold up her phone and snap photos of the two little ones.
The atmosphere in the living room was heartwarming and harmonious.
Nathaniel stood on the steps and watched the scene for a long time. He could not bear to disrupt the moment.
When Camila turned around and noticed him, she ran toward him.
He walked down the rest of the stairs, stretched out his long arms, and drew her into his embrace.
Hugging his neck, she whispered, “Daddy, did you find Lucas’ treasure?”
“Why are you so certain he hid it?” asked Nathaniel.
“I saw it with my own two eyes. When Mommy and I came downstairs, you and Lucas were going to talk about something secret.” Pouting unhappily, she patted her chest and continued, “Lucas and I are twins. As they say, twins share a special connection, so I can sense his thoughts.”
Camila and Lucas were together all the time, so they knew each other well.
Nathanial gently pinched the tip of her nose. “There was no treasure. It was only a heart-to- heart chat between guys.”
She murmured an acknowledgment, disappointment etched across her chubby face. Nonetheless, she did not give up. “But I really did see it. Lucas has a small and pretty red box hidden in his backpack. I secretly opened it and looked inside it before. There was a handmade velvet flower inside, and it had a very nice smell.”
Chapter 544 I Am Here
Lucas had never mentioned that item to Nathaniel.
Every day before and after school, a dedicated nanny would check Lucas’ and Camila’s belongings.
Nathaniel provided high-quality material support for the children, so he absolutely wouldn’t allow such miscellaneous items to appear in their lives.
Lucas and Camila also had an excellent upbringing and would never take other people’s things without permission.
The Gibson family had been restless lately. Nathaniel had to pay more attention to his children now that Anya had her eyes on them.
When Nathaniel was about to probe further, he heard Julia’s terrified shriek.
“Lucas, what happened to you? Why are you bleeding so much? Don’t scare me.” Julia cried out while holding the unconscious Lucas in her arms. “Hurry up and call an ambulance. Nathaniel, come and take a look at Lucas.”
Nathaniel immediately put Camila down, rushed over to Julia’s side, and pulled Lucas into his embrace.
“Lucas, Lucas!” Christina’s face turned pale from the fright. She clutched her tummy and. slumped to the floor, continuously dabbing the fresh blood flowing out Lucas’ nose with tissues. “Why is this happening? Lucas, don’t scare me.”
“Hurry up and send the child to the hospital.” Charlie was the first to regain his composure.
Not having the time to comfort Christina, Nathaniel carried Lucas and dashed out of the Hadley residence. Driving to the hospital took precedence at that instant.
The unexpected situation left the entire Hadley family in chaos.
Christina brought Camila and followed closely behind, along with Charlie and Julia.
Lucas was rushed into the emergency room. Nathaniel’s white shirt was stained red with blood. He had always been critical of his appearance, but the slippers he wore added a comical sense to his disheveled look.
Camila was scared and started bawling, seeking warmth in Christina’s arms. Christina’s heart. jumped into her throat, and her tears never stopped flowing down her cheeks.
Nathaniel pulled Christina and Camila into his embrace. “Lucas will be fine. Don’t cry.”
Christina grasped Nathaniel’s wrist and spoke with trembling lips. “Nathaniel, Lucas’ health had always been well. If something bad happens to him, 1-I won’t know what to do. I’m so scared.”
She stammered and eventually dissolved into a pool of tears, collapsing into Nathaniel’s arms. She riveted her eyes in the direction of the emergency room.
“Don’t overthink. You’re pregnant, so you need to control your emotions,” Nathaniel comforted her. “I’m here for you. I’ll have someone arrange a room for you here. Bring Camila with you and get some rest and have some food. I’ll stay here.”
With Lucas’ life hanging in the balance in the emergency room, Christina had no appetite to eat. “Let Mom and Dad bring Camila to rest. I want to stay here with you and wait for Lucas. to come out.”
Christina’s heart ached terribly at the sight of Camila, who almost passed out from crying too hard.
Julia and Charlie didn’t want to add to the trouble since they couldn’t do anything to help. Hence, they accepted Nathaniel’s suggestion and brought Camila to get rested.
Over an hour later, Lucas was out of danger and sent back to the ward for further monitoring.
Upon hearing that news, Christina relaxed and instantly fainted.
When she woke up again, Christina found herself inside the hospital ward. Nathaniel had stayed by her bed all night before finally dozing off in exhaustion while leaning against the bedside.
Christina didn’t have the heart to disturb Nathaniel. She carefully got out of bed, eager to visit Lucas. However, she accidentally bumped into a piece of medical equipment, causing slight noise that startled Nathaniel awake.
“Are you hurt?” Nathaniel hurried over and carried Christina back onto the bed. Only after examining her body and ascertaining she was unscathed did he feel relieved. “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Nathaniel, how’s Lucas?” Christina was anxious and couldn’t be bothered with her own condition. “This won’t do. I need to see him now.”
Nathaniel placed his hand on her shoulder. “Lucas is out of danger. His condition has stabilized after a night of treatment and observation. The doctor said he will wake up today and can be discharged healthily from the hospital in a week.”
Tears streamed down the corner of Christina’s eyes. “That’s great. Lucas is safe.”
Nathaniel couldn’t bear to see her cry. He wiped her tears away and gently coaxed her for a while.
Christina finally managed to pull herself together. “Why did Lucas faint and bleed?”
A cold glint flitted across Nathaniel’s eyes. “Heavy metal poisoning.”
Poisoning? Colors drained from Christina’s face as she widened her eyes in astonishment. “Who did it? Who wanted to harm him?”
“Someone contaminated a handmade velvet flower with heavy metal and packed it as a gift. for Lucas.” Nathaniel appeared calm, but towering rage actually churned within him. He did his best to contain his emotions, not wanting to frighten Christina. “There are too many people at the kindergarten, so we haven’t found any clues yet. The only way we can figure out more information is to wait for Lucas to wake up and question him in detail.”
Nathaniel still didn’t plan to tell Christina about Anya visiting the two children at the kindergarten.
He also suspected Anya’s involvement but didn’t rush to conclusions.
In fact, while Lucas was brought to the hospital to receive emergency treatment, Nathaniel had efficiently arranged for his subordinate to go to the Hadley residence at once to retrieve. the little red box from Lucas’ bag and send it for testing immediately.
Nathaniel even extracted the fingerprints left on the little box. When the fingerprint identification test results were out, they could track down the culprit behind the poisoning.
“I’ll go and check on Lucas. He needs me.” Christina struggled to get off the bed, adamant. “He needs his parents by his side now. I can’t abandon him.”
“His ward is next door. I’ll go with you.” Nathaniel couldn’t stop Christina, so he picked up a coat and draped it over her before helping her out of the room. “Mom, Dad, and Camila have been keeping him company by his bed. After you’re done visiting Lucas, you must return to the room to have some food and get some quality sleep.”
Christina nodded.
She stayed in Lucas’ ward for over an hour. Ultimately, she couldn’t hold on any longer. having endured the mental stress combined with the fatigue from pregnancy. Nathaniel forcefully brought her back to the ward. She ate a little, then fell into a deep sleep.
“Mr. Hadley, there’s news.” Sebastian hastened to the hospital to report to Nathaniel after getting the report.
“Let’s talk outside.” Nathaniel gazed at Christina, tucking her in properly before getting up and leaving.
Once the door to the room was closed, Nathaniel radiated an aura more intense and terrifying than before. Fortunately, Sebastian was used to his imposing presence and wasn’t scared off.
Poker-faced, Nathaniel cast a sidelong glance at Sebastian. “Speak!”
“There are four sets of fingerprints found on the box. Two of which belonged to the kindergarten teachers. I’ve looked into these two teachers’ backgrounds. They most likely helped Mr. Lucas pick up the box without knowing what was inside. Another set of fingerprints is Mr. Lucas’, while the last set belongs to Ms. Gibson.”
At the mention of Anya, Nathaniel’s eyes glinted with murderous intent.
Sebastian composed himself and ascertained Nathaniel wouldn’t lose control before continuing, “According to the kindergarten teachers’ feedback, Ms. Gibson has given many small gifts to Mr. Lucas before.”
Chapter 545 Excuses
Sebastian changed the topic. “I’ve asked someone to run tests on the small gifts, but there were no traces of heavy metals on their surfaces,” he informed.
At those words, Nathaniel’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Sebastian’s face with intensity. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with the test results?”
“Every object had been thoroughly tested three times. The results came back exactly the same each time. No traces of heavy metals could be found,” Sebastian explained.
Frustrated, Nathaniel pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. As the mild smell of tobacco stimulated his senses, he remembered that they were still at the hospital and quickly put cigarette out.
“Investigate Anya’s shopping list. See if there are any records of the purchase of a small box,” Nathaniel ordered in an icy tone. “Hire someone to keep a close eye on Anya and keep track of the movements of the Gibson family. When it comes to it, we’ll get rid of them once and for all.”
Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing the command. Before he could stop himself, he commented, “But Mr. Hadley, they’re Ms. Christina’s family.”
Nathaniel scoffed with a mocking look on his face. “Just because Christina thinks of them as family doesn’t mean the Gibson family thinks the same. I’ve given them chances time and time again, yet they still refuse to give my family a break. If I don’t give them a warning, the next thing I know, I could be dealing with a gun pointed at my head.”
Since the Gibson family wanted to mess with the Hadley family, Nathaniel was not afraid to play along with their games.
Whether or not the Hadley family owed the Gibson family a life had still not been.
Before the accusation could be proven by the truth, the Hadley family would still. be considered innocent..
Sebastian was not in a position to question Nathaniel’s authority. “Noted, sir. I’ll get it done.”
Nathaniel continued asking, “Any progress with Madison?”
A torn look appeared on Sebastian’s face. “We’ve exhausted every method that could be used. on her. Madison has completely lost her mind. We can obtain no information from her. The Taggart family has been going about secretly. According to word on the streets, they have been secretly gathering information that could be used as leverage against you. They plan to report you to the supervisors so that Madison would not be subjected to threat for the rest of her life.”
Nathaniel’s cold eyes remained unchanged even after he heard the news. “Since the Taggart family doesn’t want to live peacefully but searched for death, I shall fulfill their requests.” He turned to look at Sebastian. “Gather all the dark secrets of the Taggart family and post everything online. Don’t bother about holding back. As for Madison, continue to lock her up. and change up the tactics used on her every day. She has to face the consequences of her actions.”
Sebastian remained silent. Tossing Sebastian a glance, Nathaniel continued, “If you can’t do it, ask someone else to.”
Snapping out of his daze, Sebastian replied, “I can complete the task you gave me. It won’t be too difficult for me.”
“Good.” Nathaniel gave Sebastian a meaningful look. “I want a break. Cancel all the appointments I have, and send the important documents to Scenic Garden Manor.”
“Yes, sir.” With that, Sebastian left.
Being the efficient worker that he was, Sebastian gathered and exposed all the dark secrets of the Taggart family by that day itself. Some of the shocking scandals involved near-illegal activities.
The stock price of the Taggart family plummeted. Within just a few hours, it hit the limit. down, experiencing a sharp decline.
Netizens began attacking the Taggart family online. The powerful, wealthy family that was previously held in high regard had become more despicable than street rats in a matter of minutes.
Reporters of various media flooded the Taggart residence. Some of the reporters even disturbed the mental hospital where Madison was admitted to. For the sake of obtaining a scoop, they had no limits.
As Nathaniel’s capable assistant in the past, Madison not only would have the secrets of the Taggart family, but she could also be keeping secrets of Nathaniel that were unknown to the public.
Meanwhile, Anya had just returned from her training in Hallsbay. The moment she stepped. out of the plane, she was shocked by the trending news.
After finding out what she had done, Nigel lost his temper and reprimanded her harshly. In the end, he warned her sternly not to act rashly and decided to ground her.
However, Anya had always been restless. She could not stand being confined inside the house. When Nigel went out business-pitching to gain investments, Anya used that opportunity to slip out of the house and flew back to Jadeborough.
As she sat in a taxi, Anya kept scrolling through the shocking headlines of that day’s news. Upon finding out that the Taggart family was going bankrupt, she became overwhelmed by anxiety. With her heart pounding inside her chest, she asked the taxi driver to head to the mental hospital instead.
Disguising herself, Anya sneaked through the hospital hallways to Madison’s ward.
Once Madison had taken her medications, she looked no different from a normal person. The only difference would be that she seemed to be constantly in a daze, lost in her own world of thoughts. Even if one were to hold a knife by her neck, she would still not defend. herself. Instead, she might grab the knife and plunge it into her own body.
Sneaking into the ward, Anya locked the door behind her from the inside.
At that moment, Madison was curled up on the hospital bed, tearing apart a piece of toilet paper in her hand into small pieces.
“Madison!” Anya called out as she stood by the bedside.
After a long while of no response, Anya shoved Madison’s shoulder impatiently. “Stop acting! I know you’re not crazy!”
Madison’s body hit the headboard. Even so, it was as though she had not seen Anya. Without acknowledging Anya’s presence, Madison climbed back into a sitting position and continued to pick at the toilet paper. As she did so, she kept mumbling to herself, “Tear it to shreds. Tear it to shreds…”
“Hello? There’s no one else here. Are you addicted to acting crazy?” With one swift swoop, Anya snatched the piece of toilet paper away from her and tossed it to the floor. “The Taggart family is in trouble. I suspect Nathaniel to be behind this.”
As Anya rambled on, Madison kept her gaze on the toilet paper on the floor all the while. At the mention of Nathaniel, her dark eyes glinted.
“You didn’t expose me, did you?” In the meantime, Anya did not notice the change i Madison’s demeanor. All she could think of at that moment was whether or not Madi thrown her under the bus. “I’ve so generously taught Christina a lesson on your behalf! you dare to betray me, I won’t let you get away with it!”
Just then, Madison turned to look at Anya. Her empty gaze caused a chill to run down Anya’s spine.
All of a sudden, a pair of sharp scissors appeared in Madison’s hand. Without warning, she lunged forward and pinned Anya down onto the floor.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Raising her arm, Madison plunged the pair of scissors onto the floor, piercing into the floor right next to Anya’s ear and missing the latter by a hair.
Anya was shocked out of her wits. “Madison, you ungrateful b*tch! You’re trying to kill me? In your dreams! So it seems that you are, in fact, just pretending to be crazy!”
Whenever Madison had one of her psychotic episodes, she somehow obtained the strength. of a bull. Not even ten security guards could hold her down, much less Anya, someone who had never lifted a finger their entire life.
The scissors missed Anya again by a few centimeters. Madison had lost all control, stabbing the scissors in all directions within her reach. “You deserve to die!”
Reaching out for her purse on the floor, Anya grabbed it and hit Madison heavily on the head, causing the latter to wince in pain. In that split second, Anya pushed Madison onto the floor and got up.
Not daring to stay a second longer, Anya made a run for the door.
At that moment, Madison got up and grabbed Anya from behind. The two of them struggled against each other, crashing against the wall next to the window.
“Let me go!” Anya was being strangled. As she felt her body getting weaker, she caught sight of the blood-curdling smile that Madison was giving her. “Help me!” she screamed.
The fear of death consumed her as her instincts overrode her rationale, giving her a surge energy. With a swift move, she kicked Madison’s knees and grabbed the latter by her hair before slamming
Madison’s head onto the window.
Splat!
Fresh blood splattered all over the place. In an instant, Madison stopped fighting. With her face pointing to the ground and her head leaning against the wall, Madison slowly fell limp onto the ground and ended up in a twisted, kneeling position.
Shocked by the scene in front of her, Anya quickly got up from the floor and grabbed her purse. Fishing out her phone, she dialed a number. Her voice trembled as the call connected.
“D-Dad, help me! I-I killed someone!”
Chapter 546 Meticulous Care
Meanwhile, Christina was in the hospital enjoying Nathaniel’s meticulous care.
Nathaniel had placed the nutritious food that Raymond brought onto the table in front of Christina.
Each dish looked delicious and smelled wonderful. However, something was weighing on Christina’s mind. She forced herself to eat a few mouthfuls before she put her fork down.
Nathaniel frowned and said, “Christina, you should eat some more. Even if you’re not worried about yourself, you should still think of the baby in your womb. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.”
He sighed before continuing, “I would go crazy if that were to happen.”
Nathaniel had been busy for the past two days and seemed to have lost some weight. Though Christina was worried about Lucas, she also felt bad to see Nathaniel like that.
“Sorry. I’ll do my best to take care of myself.” Christina picked up her fork again and divided the food into two portions. She pushed one portion of the food to Nathaniel and said, “I can’t finish all these by myself. You should eat with me.”
Nathaniel’s lips curved into a resigned smile. “Okay.”
They had just finished eating when they received good news from Lucas’ ward. He was finally awake after sleeping all night.
Christina threw herself onto Lucas’ hospital bed and embraced him. Sobbing, she said, “Lucas, you scared me to death.”
Tears filled Lucas’ eyes when he saw how worried Christina was. “Mommy, I’m okay. Don’t be sad. It’s not good for the baby.”
Julia hurried to persuade Christina, “Lucas is right. It’s good that he’s awake now. As his mother, you should take good care of yourself and make sure nothing happens to you. Otherwise, Lucas would start to worry about you again.”
She then shot a look at Nathaniel.
Nathaniel approached Christina and stood behind her. He helped her sit on the bed before handing her a handkerchief. “Lucas will recover after some rest. What we should do next is to find the mastermind behind the incident. We can’t let Lucas suffer for nothing.”
Christina blew her nose and quickly regained her composure. “I’m sorry for making you all worry.”
Charlie replied, “We’re a family. You don’t need to apologize to us. We’ll leave you to yourselves. Camila is still at home, so your mom and I will go back and accompany her. We’ll come back later to visit you and Lucas.”
Julia reminded them of a few things before she left with Charlie..
The two elders of the Hadley family did not plan to interfere much, as Nathaniel would handle things on his own. Naturally, if he needed their help in the future, they would not stand by and do nothing.
Lucas was the heir to the Hadley family. Since the other party wanted to take Lucas’ life, Charlie would not let the matter go so easily, let alone Nathaniel.
Only Nathaniel, Christina, and Lucas remained in the bright and spacious hospital room.
Lucas’ wide eyes were filled with anticipation as he stared at Christina’s stomach. “Mommy, can I please touch your belly?”
It was natural for a child to be curious. Lucas asked the question because he felt Christina’s tummy seemed to have grown bigger.
Christina held his hand and placed it on her protruding stomach. “Go ahead.”
Lucas’ eyes sparkled with determination despite only gently touching her stomach for a few seconds. “Hello! I’m your older brother! I’ll protect you in the future!”
Christina smiled in response. She held Lucas’s hand and said, “You’re going to be a great older brother.”
Nathaniel pulled a chair to sit beside the bed. He broke the harmonious atmosphere by saying, “Lucas, I need to solve something, but I need your help to do it.”
Lucas stared at Nathaniel. He was smart enough to know what his father meant. “Daddy, are you investigating the person who poisoned me? What is it? I’ll tell you everything I know.”
We’ll respect
Christina and Nathaniel exchanged glances before Nathaniel gently said, “If you feel uncomfortable or don’t want to answer the question, you can ask us to stop. your decision.”
Lucas replied, “I’m a big boy. I’m not scared.”
A glint of approval flashed across Nathaniel’s eyes. He dived right into the topic and asked, “Who gave you the red box in your school bag?”
Lucas pondered it momentarily before answering, “I don’t know who put it in my bag. When I noticed it, it was already inside. I did ask my classmates, but they said they didn’t know either.”
Nathaniel had retrieved the footage of the surveillance cameras at the kindergarten and went through them, but he did not find anyone suspicious. Before the incident, no one else touched Lucas’s belongings except his teacher, who placed a water bottle inside his bag.
The full-time nanny caring for Lucas and Camila also underwent a detailed interrogation. The footage from the surveillance cameras at home showed everything was normal. Who the heck put the box into Lucas’ school bag?
Christina and Nathaniel were disappointed at the lack of evidence. Suddenly, Lucas yelped in realization as he smacked his head.
“I remember now. One day, when Camila and I got off school and were waiting for the driver to pick us up, a bad woman came over to us. She was so mean. She wanted to take me and Camila away, but we didn’t let her. She tried dragging us, which caused me to drop my school bag. She helped me to pick up my things and ran away in a hurry after that.”
From what Christina knew, Anya disliked Lucas and Camila. With how prideful and arrogant Anya was, it was impossible that she would help others to pick up their fallen belongings. Not taking the opportunity to kick the belongings was already considered Anya being tolerant.
Anya’s behavior was clearly unusual.
Christina asked, “Lucas, apart from that, do you remember anything else?”
Lucas glanced at Christina and Nathaniel and shook his head. “Nothing else, Mommy.”
Christina flashed him a smile. “That’s okay. You’ve done a great job. What do you want to eat? I’ll ask someone to send it here. You need to rest after eating. I’ll stay here and accompany you.”
The effect of the medicine on Lucas’ body had yet to disappear completely. He was fighting to keep his eyes open since he talked so much after waking up. “I’m not hungry. I want to sleep.”
Nathaniel helped him lie on the bed and pulled the covers over him. “Sleep, then. You can eat when you wake up.”
Lucas had been receiving IV nutrition drips for the past two days. Hence, he had no appetite.
Christina waited for Lucas to fall into a deep sleep before she followed Nathaniel back to her room next door.
Christina clung onto Nathaniel as she declared confidently, “Nathaniel, you and Lucas are hiding something from me.”
Just now, when they were in Lucas’ room, Christina saw through the interaction between
She did not ask about it on the spot because she was worried about Lucas’ condition.
Nathaniel did not expect to hide it from her forever. He sighed and took a seat on the side of the bed. While he massaged Christina’s calves, he slowly said, “I didn’t tell you about it because I didn’t want you to feel troubled.”
Christina felt comfortable from his gentle massage. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “Can you tell me now?”
Nathaniel pulled the covers over her and continued to massage her through the soft blanket.
“Before Lucas’ incident, Anya had gone to the kindergarten several times to look for him and Camila. She would occasionally give them snacks and gifts, but Lucas wasn’t pleased and threw everything away. However, Anya refused to give up. She hired someone to get Lucas’ phone number. She wanted to use him and Camila to persuade you to forgive all the Gibson family’s wrongdoings and return to the family.”
Anger bubbled within Christina. She bit her lip and firmly said, “I don’t want to forgive them. I also won’t leave Lucas’ and Camila’s safety in their hands again.”
Nathaniel stared at her fixedly but did not respond to what she had said.
“I’ve sent the box to the lab for verification. Anya’s fingerprints are on it, but it’s not enough. evidence to prove that she’s related to Lucas’ poisoning.”
Chapter 547 You Are My Home
Although Christina was anxious to find the mastermind behind the incident, she was not a reckless person.
If Anya were the real culprit, she would have a backup plan since she dared to do such a thing. The Gibson family would never let it slide if we went to catch Anya without solid evidence. Maybe the Gibson family had been scheming something during this period when they were behaving themselves.
Christina did not want Nathaniel to put himself at risk.
“Nathaniel, no matter what schemes and plots the Gibson family throws our way in the future, you don’t need to let yourself and the Hadley family get treated unfairly for my sake.” Christina snuggled into Nathaniel’s arms. She was disappointed with the Gibson family. “To me, home is where you and the kids are.”
What Christina gave was not just a promise but also unconditional trust toward Nathaniel.
Nathaniel’s lips curved into a smile as he replied, “Okay. I know what I should do. Christina, thank you for entrusting yourself to me.”
Christina looked up and pecked the corner of Nathaniel’s lips. Her smile mirrored his delighted one as she giggled. “Silly. We’re husband and wife. Who should I trust if not you?”
Nathaniel felt his heart skip a beat. He held the back of Christina’s head and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Nathaniel’s expression turned grim when their alone time was cut abruptly.
Christina wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked his lips before she backed away. “We’ve got all the time in the world. I’ll make it up to you slowly in the future.”
Nathaniel felt comforted. A confident glint flashed across his dark obsidian-like eyes. “Remember what you said. Don’t you dare think of using money to shoo me away later on.”
He had stuffed the money from before into the bottom drawer of his study table. Out of sight, out of mind. He would not use the money since he had earned it by himself.
Christina beamed and nodded. “I know. I’ll increase your ‘salary’ depending on your performance.”
Finally satisfied, Nathaniel let go of Christina and said to the person outside in a deep voice, “Come in.”
Sebastian pushed open the door and entered. Little did he know that he had narrowly escaped Nathaniel’s wrath.
However, the aura that Nathaniel emanated was too domineering and assertive. Sebastian still felt overwhelmed by the tension in the air.
Compared to him, Christina was clearly more approachable. “Mr. Taggart, what’s the matter? Why are you looking for Nathaniel?”
Sebastian stared at Nathaniel, seeking permission to speak. When Nathaniel nodded, Sebastian replied, “Madison is dead.”
Christina was taken aback to hear such shocking and sudden news.
Nathaniel scrunched his eyebrows into a frown and asked, “How did she die?”
Madison no longer had any value to him, so he locked her in a mental hospital to torture her. He did it to take revenge for Christina. He did not care at all about Madison’s life or death.
However, he felt it was strange that Madison died at that juncture.
“She received a violent blow to the head. A protruding nail on the window caused the fatal wound,” Sebastian answered. “After that, the mental hospital called the police to take care of the matter. The forensic report shows that Madison had fought with someone before she died. The crime scene had been scrupulously handled, but the surveillance cameras were broken. The preliminary suspicion of her death is murder.”
Murder! Who the heck killed Madison? Why did they kill her?
Christina’s head ached as she absorbed the information from Sebastian and tried to come up with theories.
Nathaniel noticed her unusual behavior and reached forward to massage her temples. “Stop thinking about it. Leave the investigation to the police. This has nothing to do with either of
Christina looked into his eyes. Stubborn, she asked, “Do you think it could’ve been Anya who did it?”
Nathaniel answered, “If Anya had directed Madison to kidnap you, it’s only natural that she is a suspect in Madison’s death.”
Christina’s instincts told her that Anya was responsible for everything, but she could not find any evidence to prove it.
Sebastian knew how to read the situation in the room. He waited for his chance to speak. “After finding out about Madison’s death, the Taggart family wants to find the murderer and teach them a painful lesson. They’d been to Scenic Garden Manor several times, but the security guards had chased them out each time. It won’t be long before they look for you at the hospital. Mr. Hadley, should I arrange for some bodyguards to stand guard outside Mrs.
It was understandable that the Taggart family would suspect Christina and Nathaniel about Madison’s tragic end.
However, that was not a legitimate reason for them to do as they pleased.
“Send some men to protect them in the shadows. Also, return Madison’s body to the Taggart family,” Nathaniel coldly instructed.
“I’ll arrange it immediately.” Sebastian acknowledged his orders. However, he did not leave right away. Instead, he stared at Nathaniel, hesitating to continue.
Nathaniel glared at him. “Is there anything else?”
He was desperate for Sebastian to leave so he could continue his alone time with Christina.
Biting the bullet, Sebastian said, “Mr. Hadley, there are several meetings regarding the company’s major projects that require your presence. Today is the final deadline. Do you think you could come to the company to settle them?”
Nathaniel was displeased. He raised his eyebrows and stared at Sebastian. “Didn’t I tell you. that I’ll be taking time off for the time being?”
“I’ve already canceled everything that could be canceled in the schedule, but the directors are present in those meetings. There’s nothing I can do to get you out of them.” Sebastian. also wanted Nathaniel to go on vacation peacefully, but he could not.
Nathaniel had not been to the company for the past two days. Hence, those troublemaking directors took the opportunity to assert their power. It took Sebastian great effort to suppress them, but there was a limit to what he could do. The authority he had was useless against the directors.
“Moreover, the board of directors has some complaints regarding the development of Delphina Cove. Because of that, they have broken out into an argument because they find the funds allocated for the
procurement of the project are too large. Most of them hope that we can maximize profit margin with a reduced construction cost.”
No one knew what Nathaniel was thinking. He glanced at Sebastian sharply and said icily, “If that’s the case, ask them to look for suppliers themselves. Once they’ve done that, have the purchasing department conduct a survey and send the finalized list of suppliers to my email.”
Christina did not understand business. What she did know was the Hadley family had a huge business. She also knew someone else could easily replace Nathaniel’s spot if he were not around to oversee the company.
She tugged on Nathaniel’s sleeve. He lowered his gaze and glanced at her.
“Nathaniel. I’m all right now. Dad, Mom and I will take care of Lucas. You should go ahead and get back to work.”
Nathaniel breathed a heavy sigh, obviously unhappy.
Christina shuffled closer to him and whispered, “If you don’t go to work, how will you carn money for me and the kids? I can’t work right now because I’m pregnant. At present, I can’t support you financially. I still need to rely on you.”
Her gentle voice was laced with a hint of coyness.
However, that method proved to be of great use against Nathaniel. He held back his hostility and became a loving husband who spoiled his wife.
“All right. I’ll listen to you. I’ll come back to accompany you once I’ve finished settling the matters at the company.”
Sebastian stared at Christina gratefully. He seemed to have found an incredible way to go up against Nathaniel. He could turn to Christina for help if he could not persuade Nathaniel. It was a practical move that would never fail him.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Nathaniel hurriedly left the hospital with Sebastian hot on his heels.
Christina could not sleep, so she decided to go next door to take care of Lucas.
She opened the door and bumped right into the person standing outside.
“I need to talk to you about something. Are you free?”
Chapter 548 A Life For A Life
Maggie’s voice was seemingly squeezed through clenched teeth, and her icy, resentful glare made Christina’s heart skip a beat.
Sebastian was just talking about the Taggart family showing up at the hospital sooner or later, but he never expected anyone to show up so soon.
Just then, several burly bodyguards dressed in black appeared in the corridor. They marched over to Christina and Maggie and stood between the women, looking extremely assertive.
“Mr. Hadley has given us the order that no one is to disturb Mrs. Hadley when she’s recuperating. Please leave, Old Mrs. Taggart.”
Maggie gripped her cane, her gaze still pinned on Christina. “What can an old woman like me do to her? All I did was ask her a few questions. I’ll leave when I’m done. What do you think, Mrs. Hadley?”
Sure enough, Maggie was alone. All she brought was a single cane; she did not even have a bag.
At the same time, Christina was intrigued to find out the purpose of Maggie’s visit. “It’s all right. You guys can wait outside while I talk to her in private.”
The leader of the bodyguards was hesitant to obey, but he could only compromise when met. with Christina’s questioning gaze. “Make way,” he ordered.
Immediately, the group of men opened up a path, letting the smirking elder enter the ward with her cane.
Christina left the door slightly open and leaned against it. “Get straight to the point. I’m in a rush.”
Thanks to Madison, Christina did not have a good impression of the Taggart family.
Their overprotectiveness was not rooted in distinguishing right from wrong.
“Were you the one who caused Madison’s death?” Maggie shot Sophie a piercing gaze.
To Maggie’s surprise, Christina curled her lips into a mocking smile and responded with a question, “What do you think?”
Offended by the response, Maggie thumped the cane on the ground and berated Christina for her ruthlessness, “Madison would’ve stayed by Nathaniel’s side as his assistant if not for you. Sure, she made mistakes, but she didn’t deserve to die. She had already lost her mind. Why couldn’t you forgive her? Why did you have to kill her? Besides, you’re alive and well.
Return Madison to me, Christina. The Taggart family will never let you off! We’ll make you pay an eye for an eye!”
Maggie looked as though she wanted nothing more than to kill Christina when she screamed at the top of her lungs and glowered at the latter resentfully.
Alas, the condition of Maggie’s legs did not allow her to make a move on Christina.
Christina threw Maggie an icy glance. “How can both the culprit and the victim be innocent? What was your family doing when Madison was doing everything in her power to harm me? All you know is pass the buck and oppress others who are weaker.”
Maggie huffed in anger, but she stayed true to her beliefs. “You were the one who messed with her first.”
“Madison seduced my husband and plotted for me to fall into the sea. After that, she teamed up with other people to kidnap and kill me. Everything she did was to kill me. Don’t you think her tragic end is
what she deserved?” Christina snorted coldly before continuing, “And even if I wanted to kill her, it’s what she owes me.”
Maggie seethed with anger after listening to Christina’s speech.
As Maggie trembled with anger, a phone fell out of her pocket.
Coincidentally, it fell to the ground with its screen facing up, exposing the voice recorder’s interface.
There was a slight change in Maggie’s countenance. She bent over to pick up the phone, but her legs moved too slowly that she twisted her waist and slumped to the ground.
Subsequently, Christina caught the phone with the tip of her shoe and stomped hard on it, crushing the screen. She then lifted her leg slightly and gave it a kick, sending it flying toward the wall and shattering into pieces upon impact.
Her movements were fluid and swift, unlike how a pregnant woman should behave.
Maggie’s eyes went wide with horror, and her face flushed as she could not scream to vent her pain.
Ignoring the elder’s reaction, Christina said straightforwardly, “The Taggart family is utterly useless. I can’t believe you guys tried to put the blame on me just to guard your reputation. That’s pure
foolish thinking. Old Mrs. Taggart, you were a powerful person when you were younger. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot in life. So why are you willing to be deceived and not analyze the pros and cons here?”
Hitting Christina with the cane was all Maggie could think of at that moment. “I’m the elder here! You have no right to criticize my methods!”
Christina straightened her back and eyed Maggie condescendingly, articulating each word with authority, “Precisely my point. This is between the younger generation. Why would an elder like you
intervene? For Sebastian’s sake, I’ll forgive you for being rude this time. If this happens again, I’ll make your family pay the price.”
This is outrageous!
Maggie almost fainted from anger. She glared at Christina and pointed her trembling finger at the latter, sputtering, “Y-You!”
Not wanting to waste her time on the stubborn woman, Christina ordered the bodyguards waiting outside to carry Maggie away.
Christina was feeling thirsty after the long conversation. As she made her way to the table to get some warm water, she caught a glimpse of the phone in the corner; it had a few flashing red lights.
What’s that?
Puzzled, Christina kicked the glass pieces away and picked up the device to examine it.
It’s a miniature camera! Interesting. Old Mrs. Taggart’s got some skills. The voice recorder was just a cover, but this… This is her true objective.
“Christina, are you all right?”
Christina was about to carefully study the miniature camera when Nathaniel suddenly appeared, interrupting her.
“The bodyguards told me Old Mrs. Taggart came looking for you for trouble,” he informed.
Nathaniel stopped whatever he was working on and rushed to the hospital the moment he received a call from the bodyguards.
After scrutinizing the woman from head to toe several times and making sure she was all right, he lifted her and sat on the couch.
“I was worried sick about you.”
“I’m fine. It’s Old Mrs. Taggart who isn’t.” Christina pushed him away and recounted the entire incident. Stuffing the miniature camera into his palm, she said, “This camera has a real-time monitoring function. Get someone to hack this and find out the person behind it.”
Nathaniel handed the miniature camera to Sebastian. “Do as Christina said.”
Just like that, Sebastian, who had just stepped into the ward, was assigned a task before he could catch his breath.
Ugh. All the Taggart family does is create trouble for me.
When Sebastian was done cursing inwardly, he squeezed the miniature camera and left.
That very afternoon, the Taggart family was informed by the hospital that Nathaniel’s men had confined Maggie in the ward due to her back injury.
Since they failed to find Nathaniel himself, they gathered some people to cause a ruckus at the Hadley residence.
Unfortunately for them, Charlie had fled the place with his family long ago. At their wits” end, the Taggart family could only shift their attention to Sebastian again.
Both Nathaniel and Christina could remain hidden forever, but as the former’s assistant who was in charge of Hadley Corporation’s affairs, Sebastian needed to drop by the office every day.
With that knowledge in mind, the Taggart family staked out Hadley Corporation. When the opportunity came, they placed a sack over him and took him away to give him a beating.
They were an outrageous bunch. Even worse, they recorded the entire act and sent it to Nathaniel.
A text followed, reading: A life for a life, Nathaniel! If you want this loyal dog of yours to be alive, you’d better send Old Mrs. Taggart back to our house!
Chapter 549 Lure
So far, no one stayed alive and well after threatening Nathaniel.
A glacial glare settled in Nathaniel’s eyes as he typed: Deal with him however you want. Old Mrs. Taggart’s life is worth more than an assistant’s.
Manuel was annoyed and frustrated by Nathaniel’s reply.
I don’t believe this! I’ll find a way to threaten Nathaniel!
Manuel placed the phone screen before Sebastian’s eyes and spat, “Open your f*cking eyes and read this carefully. You worked so hard for Nathaniel, yet he doesn’t care about your well-being when you’re in trouble. See? This is what you get for being a loyal dog to this man.”
Sebastian’s limbs were tied to the chair, his face swollen, and his eyes bloodshot. He was in so much pain that he could only manage to open them a little to read the text.
When the blurry words came into his view, he smiled and spat a mouthful of blood at Manuel before laughing maniacally.
Annoyed, Manuel wiped the blood off his face and slammed his fist at Sebastian’s head.
The impact sent Sebastian toppling to the ground. Like a lifeless fish, he lay weakly on the stinking ground, and his eyes stared blankly at the hanging beams on the roof.
“D*mn it! How dare you provoke me? You’re asking for it!” Manuel rushed forward to give Sebastian a few more kicks, determined to give the latter an agonizing punishment. However, one of the lackeys held Manuel back.
“Mr. Manuel, you mustn’t beat him to death. It’ll be useful to keep him alive. Maybe it’s Nathaniel’s way of stalling for time. Sebastian’s basically the second-in-command for Hadley Corporation. We’ll just
have to test it out to see if Sebastian’s valuable to Nathaniel,” said the lackey.
Manuel frowned hard and shoved the man away. “Carry on.”
Wiping his face with relief, the lackey grinned. “Sebastian’s been working for Nathaniel for many years, which proves how much the latter trusts him. I’m sure Sebastian knows many the Hadley family’s secrets. No matter how stubborn he is, he’ll definitely spill everything under torture. I refuse to believe he’s willing to sacrifice his life for such a thing.”
Manuel was just an arrogant rich playboy who never had opinions of his own, but he was also the only descendant favored by Maggie. More importantly, he had a gang of friends who
In fact, Manuel was instigated to kidnap Sebastian and threaten Nathaniel. He did it only because he had not gotten the shares and properties Maggie had promised. Concern and filialness were not what motivated him to do so.
If anything bad happened to Maggie, all the assets that were originally Manuel’s would end up getting divided among the rest of the Taggart family.
Although Manuel and Madison were cousins, they were not close. In fact, he could not be bothered if Sebastian had something to do with Madison’s death. Even so, her death had given the former the opportunity to take action.
Patting the lackey’s face in admiration, Manuel teased with a chuckle, “Impressive. Having fun is what you’re usually great at. I never knew you’d have such ideas at such a critical time. Go on. Check if that dude’s dead. Make him sit back up if he isn’t. You’ll be rewarded handsomely when this is over.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Manuel,” said the lackey.
Meanwhile, Manuel walked out of the deserted house, fishing out his phone to give Nathaniel a call. Manuel was prepared to bombard the latter with calls, but surprisingly, it connected. on his first attempt.
“Nathaniel, I know Sebastian has been working as your lapdog for many years. Surely he has quite some dirt on you. If you don’t want all that information to be leaked, you’d better do as I say,” Manuel threatened.
Nathaniel’s eyes were devoid of emotion as he stared at the list of projects on the computer screen. Even his tone was frosty as he said, “Sebastian is indeed an excellent assistant, but he’s also a member of the Taggart family. I can just find another assistant if he’s gone. He’s not worth my effort saving. His well-being is none of my business, so you can do whatever you want to him.”
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Nathaniel hung up on his end and looked up at the assistant. “Did you find the location?”
The assistant shook his head in dismay. “The other party has hidden their location. It’ll take some time to crack it.”
There was no response from Nathaniel. He merely tapped on the table as if thinking deeply about something.
Naturally, the assistant dared not do anything impulsive.
All of a sudden, the silence was broken by Nathaniel’s voice. “I heard the Taggart family’s interested in a medical research project.”
“Yes. That’s a key project developed by Koandria’s prominent company. The investors involved in this project are capable and influential people. Basically, it’s a project with an abundance of funds and talents. If the research is a success, their profit will go up to sixty percent. Our company has an
intention to participate, too, and so far, we’ve obtained an investment quota. Mr. Taggart has always been in charge of this,” the assistant reported all the details that he could remember.
A dark glint fleeted across Nathaniel’s eyes. “In that case, let the Taggart family have their way. Tell them our company is low on funds and has to withdraw our investment so they can replace us. There’s one more thing I need you to do. Look into the details of this medical project.”
The person in charge of the project had approached Nathaniel before, but he did not give the former an answer right away.
Projects with higher returns on investment had greater risks.
The said project might look reliable in terms of investment scale and capability, which could deceive those desperate for success, but the same could not be said for someone as meticulous as Nathaniel.
The only reason Nathaniel chose to invest in it was to toy with the competitors. In fact, he could back out and use the opportunity to make his competitors suffer a loss.
The assistant carried out Nathaniel’s orders to every detail. When Koandria learned that he wanted to withdraw his investment, they called up to investigate but were easily fooled by Nathaniel.
On the other hand, Manuel was informed of the exciting news right away, and he immediately used his connections to get the investment quota.
Of course, Manuel did not forget to show off his achievement to Sebastian. “Earlier, Nathaniel abandoned you, and now, he threw away the project you spent three years working hard on. He claims that he doesn’t have enough funds, but everyone knows funds are something they have in abundance. It’s because you’re a member of the Taggart family, making the money you earn for him tainted. He finds it disgusting, so he decided to destroy all your hard work.”
All Sebastian did was scoff; he did not respond to Manuel’s provocations.
However, Manuel spared Sebastian of the beatings since he was in good spirits.
Instead, Manuel contacted Jadeborough’s most capable paparazzi and instructed them to announce the news of his acquiring the investment quota of Koandria’s medical project as well as leak Nathaniel’s dirt.
The shocking rumor of Nathaniel spread on the internet like wildfire, drawing attention and discussion from the netizens while Christina was taking care of Lucas in the hospital
Christina was sent home to recuperate, and although Rayne was managing the studio, the former would handle some things from time to time.
Rayne’s call came in just as she put Lucas to sleep
“Christina, did you see the news? Nathaniel’s in trouble”
Chapter 550 Public Opinion
Christina felt her stomach lurch. “What happened to him?” she asked with a trembling voice.
The call from Rayne’s end had a lot of background noise, and the signal was bad, making it hard to hear her voice. “I don’t know how to explain it either. You should look up the internet but don’t take it to heart, no matter how horrible the comments are. Just trust that Nathaniel can sort it out. I’ve got to keep an eye on the runway now. Call me if you need anything.”
As soon as the call ended, Christina launched the browser to find Nathaniel’s rumors as the top ten trending searches.
A comment read: The world of the wealthy has always been crazy, but I never expected someone as calm and composed as Nathaniel to have psychotic tricks up his sleeves. He’s totally shattered my worldview.
The next netizen wrote: I remember Madison had been working as Nathaniel’s assistant for years on end. She even attended various events as his female companion. He’s really cruel for throwing her into the psychiatric hospital just because she did not like his wife.
Another netizen wrote: You guys are outdated. I have a friend working at the psychiatric hospital, and he says Madison’s dead. Apparently, she was abused before she died. In fact, it was a miserable death, but all the evidence was erased.
The next comment read: He’s right. I can vouch for him. When Madison was dead, Old Mrs. Taggart went looking for Mrs. Hadley but got carried out of the ward. Rumor has it that Nathaniel locked her up.
One comment read: Madison’s death must have something to do with that man. I’m hearing more and more bad things about him this year.
The rest of the discussion on the internet criticized Nathaniel for being heartless, drowning out the netizens that voiced their doubts.
Christina closed the browser and dialed Nathaniel’s number. The call connected almost instantly.
“What’s wrong, Christina?” Nathaniel sounded calm.
“I saw the news on the internet. Are you all right?” Christina was gripped with worry. She couldn’t help it despite knowing Nathaniel would not be affected by the rumors.
“Do you trust me, Christina?’
Christina froze for a moment. Although she did not know why Nathaniel would suddenly ask her that, she answered without hesitation, “I do.”
“Then don’t read the news or worry about me. I’ll take care of it.” Nathaniel’s voice had a magical effect that calmed Christina’s nerves.
Smiling faintly, Christina promised, “All right. I won’t read it. Are you coming back for dinner tonight? I’ll get Raymond to make your favorite dish.”
“I’ll pick you up from the hospital after work. Take good care of yourself. Don’t tire yourself out,” Nathaniel reminded worriedly. “Anyway, I’m at a meeting. I’ll call you later.”
Christina felt bad for interrupting her husband at work. “Okay. I won’t take up your anymore.”
When the call ended, Christina returned to Lucas’ bed and tucked him in.
In reality, Nathaniel was in a chaotic situation, unlike how it sounded in the call earlier.
Withdrawing Hadley Corporation’s investment from Koandria’s medical research was like making the company’s millions of investments go to waste.
The fact Nathaniel had given up on a potential project and allowed the Taggart family to benefit from it caught the attention of some board members.
Displeased by the turn of events, they demanded for a board meeting to get an explanation from Nathaniel.
The conference room was in utter chaos, yet Nathaniel looked as if he was watching a movie, totally unbothered. He would either ignore their questions or sidestep the curial details. Even worse, he answered the call in front of everyone with no care for the rules.
“Mr. Hadley, the medical project will be launched officially in three days. How could you just withdraw the investment without giving us a call? We were hoping this project would supply us enough funds for the second half of the year. Does the company’s future look like a joke to you?”
“Exactly! It’s a sixty percent profit. Sixty percent! Its monthly profit is higher than the company’s net profit in a year. Look at what you’ve done now. The Taggart family has benefitted from this, and they’re happy to show it off to the world, turning Hadley Corporation into the fattest joke on earth.”
“Mr. Hadley, you should give up your position sooner if you lack management skills. The company can’t keep failing because of you. A successful person should know where to draw the line between work and private matters.”
A series of aggressive comments were aimed at Nathaniel, increasing the intensity of his mocking gaze.
“Give up my position? No one here has the ability to take over my position!” he sneered.
The arrogance he exuded was incredible, and his piercing gaze that swept over the crowd. made the atmosphere tense.
“If anyone of you wants to withdraw your investment, I can purchase them at the market. price. However, there’s no turning back once you choose to leave Hadley Corporation. Those who decide to stay will have to do as I say. Please think carefully before making irresponsible remarks.”
With that, Nathaniel got up and left the room, and the crowd was left looking at each other speechlessly. Those who blatantly criticized Nathaniel earlier looked exceptionally pale with fright.
Tugging at his tie frustratedly, Nathaniel asked his assistant, “Have you found Sebastian yet?”
“No,” came the assistant’s answer.
The response only made Nathaniel stormed to his office.
Sebastian had served Nathaniel loyally for many years; he was the person who understood the latter the most.
Hence, Nathaniel could not just let Sebastian die like that.
In fact, Maggie was not as valuable as Sebastian. Nathaniel was simply creating a farce by not letting her go as requested by the Taggart family. Once the time was right, he could get rid of the entire Taggart family, eradicating any future problems once and for all.
The assistant observed Nathaniel’s expression cautiously. “The person behind your rumors is found. His name is Manuel Taggart-Old Mrs. Taggart and the Taggart family’s most favored grandson. Not only that, he even has plans to hold a glamorous funeral for Madison on behalf of Old Mrs. Taggart. Every influential person in Jadeborough has received an invitation.”
Nathaniel smirked. “When is the funeral?”
“It’ll be held in three days at the Taggart residence.”
After a momentary pause, Nathaniel instructed, “Send Old Mrs. Taggart home. I can’t be impolite when the Taggart family has given me such a huge gift. Postpone everything in my schedule for that day.”
“Understood.” The assistant turned around to leave.
Meanwhile, Nathaniel did not get anyone to suppress the news. He simply let the netizens carry on with their discussions.
He had just finished his work and was about to pick Christina up from the hospital when he bumped into a police officer who had some questions about the situation.
Just like that, Nathaniel was brought to the police station for a few hours of questioning.
It was almost midnight by the time Christina received a call from the police to pick Nathaniel up.
As they got into the car, Christina immediately threw herself at him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
“You scared me to death, Nathaniel. I thought they were going to lock you up!”