Ch. 481..490
Chapter 481 A Car Accident
Nicole kept a tight grip on her cell phone and her breath hitched as her eyes widened slightly. She then spoke in a trembling voice. “Did you just say that Hayden got into a traffic accident?”
How did that happen? Nicole’s mind was a mess and she felt her entire body turn cold at that point.
“Yes. Today, my mother went to send Hayden over to our place to spend time together. On the way back, they met with an accident and they got into a head-on collision with a truck. Right now, the two of them are unconscious and I’ve sent them to the Hull Family’s research center. You need to get here as soon as possible.”
Colton swiftly explained that as soon as he received the phone call about the accident, he had rushed over immediately. Anna and Hayden were currently in an unconscious state and the Hull Family was already providing medical treatment for them right now. Richard was also there at the scene.
Nicole affirmed and then she hung up the phone. She instantly hired and paid for two caregivers to look after Betty before rushing over to the Hull Family’s research center.
As soon as Nicole got out of her car, she saw Colton standing in front of the entrance.
At this moment, Colton leaned his strapping tall figure against the entrance and there was a cigarette held in between his slender fingers. The reddened tip on the lit cigarette was quite prominent in the dark surroundings.
He saw Nicole walk over from afar and he instantly extinguished his cigarette before flinging the butt to the ground.
Nicole’s eyes went to the ground. She wasn’t aware how long ago he had started smoking, but the ground was covered in cigarette butts.
She rushed up to him frantically and asked, “How’s Hayden doing?”
There was a look of dread in her clear eyes. After all, Hayden was her only purpose in life and she couldn’t even imagine what she would do if something bad happened to Hayden.
“Hayden’s doing alright. He has some superficial wounds, but he’s temporarily unconscious because of the huge impact from the accident.”
As soon as Nicole heard that Hayden was fine, she finally heaved a sigh of relief. However, soon after that, she thought of Anna and as she noticed the dejected look on Colton’s face, it seemed that Anna must be in a critical condition.
“How about Mrs. Gardner?” Nicole asked.
Colton pursed his thin lips and there was a murderous look that flashed across his eyes. “Mom shielded Hayden with her body to protect him, and she suffered the bulk of the impact of the accident. They’re still resuscitating her because of the head injury she suffered.”
At that moment, Nicole panicked slightly and she considered the situation for a moment before offering, “I’ll take a look inside. If Mrs. Gardner has any… I might be able to help.”
Nicole stifled the inauspicious words she was about to say. She was a surgeon and as White’s protégé, she had confidence in this aspect.
Colton didn’t reject her offer and he nodded as he responded, “Sure.”
Nicole immediately rushed inside and put on scrubs and gloves before entering the operating theater.
The Hull Family’s research center was well-equipped, so everything needed was available. As soon as Nicole walked through the doors, she noticed a man in his fifties currently operating on Anna. Richard was the assistant and he stood by the side.
Nicole didn’t barge in abruptly and interrupt the surgery, but she walked over to Richard’s side and asked in a lowered voice, “How is Mrs. Gardner’s condition?”
As soon as Richard saw Nicole, he spoke frankly. “Aunt Anna sustained an impact to her head and there is bleeding in her brain. Her leg is broken too. Right now, the main issue is with the increase in blood flow to the brain. If we don’t stem the blood, there is a chance that she will have a seizure.”
“How’s the surgery going?” Nicole asked.
“Right now, Mr. Hull’s operating on Aunt Anna, and she’s in quite a critical condition,” Richard replied in an equally low voice.
Nicole lifted her head to take a look at Julia’s father, who was currently focused on the surgery, and she didn’t say a thing as she observed him intently.
Soon after that, Jonathan stopped the apparatus he was using and he frowned. He seemed to have detected Nicole’s presence as he heaved a slight sigh. “I’ve stemmed the bleeding but if the clot from her brain isn’t removed, she could be in danger of losing her life.”
At that, Nicole hurriedly asked, “Can’t you remove the clot right now?”
Jonathan shook his head with a solemn expression. “To remove the clot, I would first have to operate on part of her brain, and I haven’t done such a complicated and highly-precise surgery in ages. I wouldn’t dare to risk her safety by recklessly giving it a try.”
Chapter 482 Everything Will Be Fine
Jonathan was indeed a very skilled surgeon, but he wasn’t a neurosurgeon. Furthermore, over the past few years, he had been doing less surgery due to his age. He didn’t have much experience in such surgeries either, so even if he had fifty percent confidence in the surgery, he wasn’t brave enough to go ahead with it.
After all, the person on the operating bed right now was the mistress of the Gardner family, not to mention the eldest daughter of the Jenkins family. If something bad happened to her, he wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences.
“I’ll do it,” Nicole suddenly announced.
Jonathan turned his head to glance at Nicole. Julia had mentioned Nicole to him several times, and his daughter had always been full of praises for her friend. He had heard of the surgery that Nicole did for Benedict.
The surgery had been quite a complicated one and even if Jonathan was the one operating on Benedict, the former didn’t have the utmost confidence either.
“Are you sure about that?” Jonathan asked her solemnly.
“Yes.” Nicole nodded. However, she couldn’t step forward abruptly right now, so she turned her head to look at Jonathan before asking, “Right now, judging by Mrs. Gardner’s condition, how much longer can she hold out for?”
“Half an hour. We must start removing the clot within half an hour; otherwise, her life will be in danger,” Jonathan replied.
Nicole nodded. She needed time to get ready. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll go get changed. Please help me and make sure that she remains stable for the next ten minutes. I won’t take long.”
Jonathan nodded.
Meanwhile, Nicole rushed out of the operating theater and swiftly ran to the medical room to get changed as she rummaged for equipment that she would need. Just then, she heard a voice ring out by her side all of a sudden.
“Nicole.” Nicole turned around and found Julia standing by her side, but she wasn’t sure how long Julia had been there. The latter didn’t look too well.
“Julia, I’ve got no time to chat. Mrs. Gardener is in a critical condition and I need to head over as soon as I’ve changed.”
Julia had naturally rushed over because she had heard the news. Her mom was the one who’d broken the news to her and mentioned that Anna was involved in a traffic accident with a child.
Obviously, the child was Hayden.
“I’ll come with you. I can be your assistant.” The two of them had a great connection and they worked perfectly in sync with each other.
Julia was about to change into her scrubs when she suddenly caught a whiff of blood. She couldn’t contain the wave of nausea that hit her and she retched, about to empty out her stomach contents.
Nicole knew that Julia was pregnant, so she wouldn’t be able to tolerate the stench of blood. As such, Nicole revealed a resigned smile and said, “Julia, I’ll be fine. Your father and Richard are there in Mrs. Gardner’s operating theater, so everything will be fine. Hayden has gone through a harrowing situation and must be quite frightened, so help me keep an eye on him.”
Julia held a hand over her mouth and she clearly realized that she wasn’t fit to assist with the surgery under her current circumstances, so she no longer said anything.
Nicole didn’t have time to say anything else and after giving the instructions, she turned around and left to enter the operating theater.
Colton wasn’t addicted to smoking, but he occasionally lit a cigarette when he was feeling frustrated. If he didn’t puff on the cigarette, he usually lit one and watched the cigarette burn slowly as he slowly inhaled the slight whiff of smoke. It had been quite some time since he felt so frustrated.
“Colton? Colton! How’s Mom doing?” Wendy ran over in a haste and her eyes were red-rimmed as the tears welled up in her eyes.
Their father was overseas on a business trip at the moment, so it would take him at least half a day to arrive back.
Anna had actually intended to send the driver to fetch Hayden over to the Gardner Residence to spend time together, but she decided to go along because she missed Hayden very much. Unfortunately for them, they encountered a traffic accident.
“She’s in the operating theater at the moment. Nicky’s inside, so everything will be fine.”
Colton noticed that Wendy was close to tears, so he comforted her softly.
Meanwhile, Wendy sniffled and she had been trying hard to suppress her tears on the way here. Right now, she finally saw Colton and she could no longer rein her emotions as she launched herself into Colton’s arms and sobbed loudly.
Colton looked at the girl sobbing in his arms, and he patted her on the shoulders as his heart ached slightly.
Wendy had been born much later than him, so she didn’t have any burdens on her and she had always lived a jolly life since she was born. She had never sobbed so sadly in her life before.
“Calm down, Wendy. Nicky’s with Mom, so don’t worry.” Colton patted Wendy on the back with one hand and stroked her head with the other.
Chapter 483 A Success
Wendy hugged Colton and continued to sob for quite some time before finally regaining her composure. She then rubbed her eyes and lifted her head to ask with an aggrieved tone, “Colton, do you find me quite useless for not knowing what to do other than sobbing when I face a troubling situation?”
She had sobbed too hard earlier and she currently spoke in a choked voice. Colton reached out and ruffled her hair. He had watched over the girl in front of him since young, and he knew her from the inside out.
“No, Wendy. You’re perfect as you are. Don’t worry. Mom will be fine. Let’s wait inside.” Wendy responded affirmatively and the two of them walked through the doors together.
The surgery went on until midnight and the duo continued to wait outside. The red light that indicated ‘surgery in progress’ was lit up and quite prominent.
Midnight fell and Nicole finally came out of the operating theater. Colton stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, allowing her to lean her entire body against him.
At that moment, Nicole didn’t even bother to struggle to get away as she leaned in his arms contentedly and took a quick rest. I have such poor stamina. I can’t make it after such a long time of not doing surgery for long hours.
“Everything’s fine with Mrs. Gardner. I’ve cleared the blood clot for her but she’ll remain unconscious for the next few days. She’s got a broken leg too and that’s quite a severe fracture. Although we’ve mended the fracture, she has to be off her feet and needs rest for the time being.”
Nicole recited the instructions in a rush as Colton nodded. His heart ached as he looked at her.
Jonathan walked out from behind Nicole, and he had seen the entire process of Nicole operating on Anna. Undeniably, Nicole was extremely skilful and he wasn’t confident he would be comparable to her even in his prime.
“Richard’s keeping an eye on Mrs. Gardner, so you guys can go inside and take a look too. I would like to go and see Hayden.”
As soon as she arrived and heard that Hayden was fine, Nicole had focused her efforts on saving Anna so she wasn’t aware of Hayden’s current condition.
Colton pursed his lips but remained silent. He placed one hand on Nicole’s lower back before he lowered his body slightly and placed the other hand under her feet as he swept her into his arms.
She froze for a moment but she didn’t resist him. She allowed him to carry her toward the direction of Hayden’s room.
Inside Hayden’s room, it was quiet and peaceful. They were currently in the Hull Family’s medical research center, so the hospital rooms were quite luxurious. There were two beds in each room so that the caregiver could get some rest too.
Hayden looked quite tiny lying in bed and he was currently intubated with an oxygen mask. His eyes were shut as he slept soundly.
Julia wasn’t sleeping on the other bed, but she had her head resting by the side of Hayden’s bed.
Nicole gestured for Colton to put her down and she stepped forward to shake Julia gently to wake her up.
Julia was slightly in a daze after being woken up from her sleep, and she opened her eyes blearily. As soon as she saw Nicole, she spoke up slightly awkwardly. “Nicole, I’m sorry about that. I was too sleepy and I fell asleep without even realizing. I’ve examined Hayden and he’s fine. He’s in a stable condition and he should regain consciousness after a good night’s sleep.”
Nicole nodded and her voice sounded hoarse as she replied in a tired voice, “You’re pregnant, so you should get some rest. I’ll stay to take care of Hayden. Everything will be fine.”
Julia realized that she wasn’t in the fittest condition too, so she didn’t stubbornly insist on staying. She nodded and agreed with Nicole, thereafter turning around and leaving.
Nicole tucked Hayden under the blanket and there was a glimmer of tears in her eyes. Thank heaven that Hayden is fine.
Colton knew that Nicole must be very exhausted at that moment after operating on Anna for so long. “You should get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on Hayden.”
Nicole had initially intended to reject him, but Colton was very insistent.
“I’m Hayden’s father, so I have a duty of care toward him. You’ve just operated on my mom and you need some rest.”
Colton’s words were very logical and after Nicole considered it, she finally nodded and agreed. After all, she was completely exhausted at the moment.
Chapter 484 He’s Awake
Nicole couldn’t have a good sleep that night. The nightmare of her watching a truck running over Hayden was troubling her sleep.
The terrible scene in her dream jolted her awake. As she fluttered open her eyes, she found herself back in the ward.
She pressed a hand onto her forehead and realized she was sweating heavily. As she tried to steady her breath, she looked out of the window and found it was already morning.
The weather that day was gloomy and the sky was overcast. Even without pulling the curtains close in the room, no sunlight managed to reach them.
“One more, all right?” Nicole snapped out of her trance when a gentle voice reached her. Turning to the side, she saw Colton.
He was holding a bowl in one hand while the other was feeding Hayden the chowder from the bowl with a spoon.
Hayden, who was already awake, was leaning onto a big pillow as he sat on the bed. His round and dark eyes were shining, and he looked wide awake.
He did as told before turning to Nicole. “Mom, you’re awake! Do you want some chowder?”
Tossing the blanket aside, Nicole slid her legs down the bed when she heard his voice, wondering how long she had slept as she could feel her head in a daze.
As her feet touched the ground, she could feel her limbs heavy and was too weak to stand. Afraid of humiliating herself in front of the two, she sank back on the bed.
The two beds were situated about only one meter away from each other. As her gaze rested on Hayden, Nicole forced a smile at him. “Hayden, are you feeling alright?”
Hayden nodded his head at her worries. His dark eyes blinked a few times before sadness emerged on his face. “I’m fine. Grandma protected me in her arms when the truck was speeding at us. I merely passed out because I bumped my head on the hard surface when the car knocked us down.”
As he recalled the scene, his eyelashes fluttered as he tried to control his emotions and tears began to blur his visions.
The truck had approached them at a high speed and knowing there was no chance to avoid it, Anna held the boy in her arms without a second thought. That was why she ended up in her current serious state.
Nicole pursed her lips as she helplessly watched Hayden immersing in the sadness, not knowing how she could console him.
Colton put the bowl aside on the table and patted Hayden’s head. “Don’t worry. She’s out of the woods now. All she needs is rest.”
Once he learned Anna would be fine, Hayden felt better as he suppressed the tears. He never thought he could escape death the moment he saw the truck speeding at him.
He was aware that he was the only moral support to Nicole the whole time. If anything bad happened to him, he couldn’t imagine the heavy blow to his mother.
Nicole continued to rest on the bed until the numbness retreated from her body. She rose to her feet and staggered once, but regained her balance soon.
As she walked over to them, Colton stepped aside and let her sit in his place.
From her observation, Hayden was already recovering from the accident. He sported a large bump on his forehead due to knocking his forehead hard, but it was invisible under the bandages.
“Hayden, you’ll have to take a good rest. Once you’re better, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.” Nicole watched her son with a tender look as she comforted him.
He had never been hurt as badly as this.
Hayden shook his head before staring at her with a level look. “Mom, I want to visit Grandma when I’ve recovered.”
Warmth filled Nicole when she heard that. As Anna had protected Hayden without hesitation, Hayden must be feeling emotions right now. Once Anna was awake, Hayden indeed needed to accompany her as she healed.
Nicole nodded and replied in a soft voice, “Alright. We’ll move into the Gardner Residence once Mrs. Gardner is discharged from the hospital. We can take care of her until she is in good health again before we go home.”
Anna wouldn’t have been hurt this seriously in the first place if she wasn’t protecting Hayden during the accident. Hence, Nicole felt the responsibility to repay Anna by taking care of the older woman.
Chapter 485 Mind Your Own Business
Meanwhile, Julia was trying to head straight back home as she came to the research center in secret without seeing anyone. Besides, Richard was staying in the research center right now and she didn’t want to risk him seeing her.
She had a noticeable baby bump recently. Even if she was wearing loose clothes, people would notice the changes in her body when the clothes clung to her body. She didn’t want her parents to find out she was pregnant.
Her father might be a stern man on the surface, but he spoiled her nevertheless. If the older man ever knew she was pregnant with Richard’s kid but also broke up with him, her father would never let Richard off.
As Julia turned to leave, her father appeared out of nowhere and called out to her, “Julia.”
Taken by surprise, she turned back to face him and found him standing in the dark corridor. The man might be getting on in years, but he was standing firm and tall.
Her lips quivered before she hung her head low and addressed the man, “Dad.”
Julia’s father began to walk toward her and eventually stopped before her. He watched her with a serious expression, but his tone was gentle. “You’ve been living outside and not coming home for a while. Your mother is missing you very much and hoping to see you at home.”
Julia hung her head low in shame. She couldn’t possibly go home and risk her parents finding out she was pregnant as she was experiencing morning sickness lately.
She forced a smile at him as she nodded. “I understand, Dad. I’ve been busy recently. I’ll come home once I deal with my work.”
For now, she could only give him a perfunctory response.
The man didn’t notice anything wrong with his daughter, so he nodded in understanding before he turned to leave.
Julia saw him off until he was out of her sight before she turned on her heel. As she walked forward to the entrance of the research center, she noticed a slender figure standing there. Even though the person wasn’t facing her, she recognized it was Richard at one glance.
Julia held her breath, trying to hide the bump on her belly. She didn’t want to reveal the fact that she was pregnant to Richard.
She kept her silence as she began to walk toward the exit without looking at him. She thought Richard would ignore her like last time, but he grabbed her wrist unexpectedly when she walked past him.
Julia stiffened at the proximity as she took a few steps back. She stole a glance at him before lowering her head to avoid his gaze as she asked in a low tone, “What do you want, Mr. Jenkins?”
Richard watched her in silence and felt a pang of sadness at her distant and estranged attitude.
The lights were on outside the research center as the weather was gloomy. Richard studied Julia with the lights reflected on her face. She looks paler than before.
“The weather’s not good. How about resting in the research center for a while before you leave?” he asked in a slow tone.
As Christi wasn’t breaking up with him any time soon, he felt like he could not do anything at the moment.
Pursing her lips, Julia maintained a neutral expression. There was not an ounce of emotion on her face as she answered with a distant attitude, “Mr. Jenkins, I can worry about my business on my own.”
Julia was about to leave once she finished her words. However, Richard was faster as he took a step forward with ease and stopped her in her tracks. “Let me give you a ride. It’s difficult to drive in the weather.”
Suppressing the boiling anger within her, Julia raised her eyes and held his gaze. Then, she started with a cold tone, “Richard, we’re no longer in a relationship or anything, so mind your own business! I can go wherever I want. You already have a girlfriend, so stay away from me.”
He treated me like a stranger last time, so why does he still bother to put on a show of caring about me now?
Julia couldn’t understand what Richard was thinking, and she wasn’t interested to understand the workings of his mind either.
Watching her become quite worked up, Richard didn’t dare say anything in order to avoid further triggering her.
Chapter 486 Always Ended up a Failure
After pondering for a while, Richard took a step back and allowed her the space to leave. Walking past him in slow paces, Julia tensed as she tried her best to suppress the look of hurt from showing on her face at his reaction.
Meanwhile, in the villa, Queenie asked with panic written all over her face, “Mom, how did this happen? Why is Mrs. Gardner the one who was seriously wounded?”
Their original plan was to hire someone to kill Nicole’s son, but it ended up with Anna having a severe injury and her life at stake while the child only had a minor injury.
Lydia, too, didn’t expect Anna would be in the same car as Hayden, as Lydia originally only planned for the man to drive the truck and run it over Hayden.
If anything happened to Anna, Queenie’s wedding would no doubt be postponed.
They wanted to avoid future worries as their days were numbered. As Queenie wasn’t even pregnant with Colton’s child, they couldn’t delay the issue any further. As the fetus grew, it would be a less ideal situation to abort it. However, Queenie couldn’t possibly give birth to the baby because she would be doomed once the result of the paternity test came out.
“The b*stard got lucky!” Lydia spoke through gritted teeth.
The man driving for them had died on the spot while Anna was sent to the emergency room with her life on the line. The b*stard got away unscathed!
“It’s not important. I’m more worried that if Mrs. Gardner really dies, what will happen to Colton and my wedding?”
Quennie expressed her worries as she watched the changes in her belly every day. She consulted the doctor before and learned that it was best to have the abortion within three months of pregnancy. Once it was over three months, the abortion would harm the mother.
“Quennie, you don’t have to worry. Maybe Mrs. Gardner’s fine.” Lydia could only console Queenie with empty words.
Anger was boiling within Queenie as she thought the should-be perfect plan took an unexpected turn at this point. Even if she had the marriage certificate with Colton’s and her names, she was still worried as she didn’t get a proper wedding.
In the past few days, she had to live a life of getting on the good side of the Gardners and avoid the Kohlbergs. Lydia told Queenie that Bryan was searching for her everywhere, so she chose to stay at home in an attempt to avoid him.
Queenie was staying where Colton had arranged for her. She wasn’t worried about her safety with the bodyguards in the villa, but things were different if she went out.
Bryan might not have the power to face Colton head-on, but he could do it sneakily.
“Mom, I can’t show up in public these days. I need your help to ask around about Mrs. Gardner’s state,” Queenies whispered.
Lydia nodded. Mrs. Gardner has to be fine, or else Queenie’s wedding will be postponed.
As Lydia turned around and was about to leave, Queenie grabbed her wrist out of a sudden. “By the way, Mom, we can’t give up on getting rid of the b*stard! I want him to disappear before the wedding.”
Queenie’s words were tainted with venom as a vicious look took over her face.
I won’t allow anyone to hinder me from becoming the future Mrs. Gardner!
“Don’t worry, Queenie. For our next step, I’ll poison him. We definitely can get rid of him once and for all!” Lydia replied in an equally vicious tone.
I can’t believe we didn’t manage to kill the b*stard in the car accident and in turn got Mrs. Gardner hurt. It seems like the only way to get rid of him will be to poison him, or else there would be other troubles occurring.
Queenie nodded in satisfaction. She would only be at ease when Hayden was dead.
Lydia clenched her fists tight once she left the villa.
At first, she was expecting to clear all the obstacles out of her way with the given opportunity. However, everything ended up a failure.
Not only did the fake doctor she sent to the hospital not complete the mission, the driver she sent after Hayden to kill the boy also failed.
How did the b*tch manage to get lucky and avoid everything?!
Chapter 487 It Was a Set-up
Anna regained consciousness after two days, but she couldn’t move around due to the fracture. She scowled as soon as she woke up, and her expression was displeased. “Why do I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck?” Anna mumbled.
Anna was born with a silver spoon as the eldest daughter of the Lowre Family, but she didn’t carry many responsibilities in her family at that time. Even after she married into the Gardner Family, she hadn’t suffered much.
However, every part of her body was hurting after she woke up from today’s sleep.
Hayden was waiting beside her bed the whole time. As he watched her regain consciousness, a joyful expression took over all the worries on his face. He reached out his hands and held her palm as he addressed, “Grandma.”
Anna lowered her gaze as her head turned in his direction and saw the boy. Warmth filled her expression as she greeted him, “Hayden, you’re here. But why are you injured?”
Seeing the bandages around his forehead, Anna scowled in concern.
Colton took her distressed look in mind as he stepped forward to get her attention. “Mom, don’t you remember that you were involved in an accident?”
His words refreshed her memory. I’ve experienced a car accident. No wonder it hurts.
“I remember it. A truck was speeding at us,” Anna answered slowly.
Colton sighed in relief to see she could remember what happened. “Yes, you broke your leg and hit your head hard in the accident. Nicky has done the surgery on you. Even if you’re fine now, it will hurt nevertheless.”
Anna let out a sigh as her son’s voice reached her. As she recalled something, she scanned around the room for Wendy, but her daughter was nowhere to be found, so she asked, “Where’s Wendy?”
He explained, “She has been crying since last night and ended up falling asleep as she was exhausted. I made her rest in the back room, but she’ll come to see you once she’s awake.”
Knowing Wendy was fine, Anna nodded as her worries were lifted.
Colton had been carrying the heavy burden of the eldest son of the Gardner Family since he was born. As for Wendy, she was pampered with love and care by her family since her youth, so Anna was more worried about her.
“Mom, the driver was killed instantly in the accident,” Colton informed as he watched his mother.
Anna stiffened as a twinge of sadness flashed across her eyes. She never expected to hear such news.
She lowered her gaze as she digested the news. “It’s an accident, and the blame belongs to the truck driver for running the red light. Please give the driver’s family some money as a token of condolences on my behalf.”
Colton studied the look on her face before he added, “Are you sure it’s an accident?”
Anna was surprised at first, but her face scrunched up in confusion later as she looked at him expectedly. “Are you implying it’s a murder attempt?”
“This is just my guess, since the truck driver is still in the police station. They interrogated him many times, but his answers were always the same, claiming he was tired at the moment and didn’t notice the car. However, I found that five hundred thousand was transferred into his bank account within a few days based on my investigation.”
He explained everything to his mother as he initiated an investigation right after she was injured in the accident.
Nicole was listening to their conversation at the side and didn’t expect to learn about the complicated things in between. She stepped forward and looked Colton in the eyes. “President Gardner, do you mean the truck driver did it on purpose?”
Colton lowered his gaze and he nodded, not bothering to hide his boiling anger. “We’ll know after we check the monitors of the road around that time.”
Nicole clenched her fists, but she felt the need to clear up the confusion, “President Gardner, who’s their target? Is it Mrs. Gardner or Hayden?”
Her eyes betrayed no emotions, and it was as if she was trying her best to suppress her anger.
If the culprits were coming for Hayden, Nicole would suspect Lydia and Queenie. However, she doubted Queenie would harm Anna as Queenie was marrying Colton soon. After all, if something bad happened to Anna, the marriage would be postponed for sure.
Chapter 488 Come To My Villa Tonight
Colton shook his head, too. At the moment, there was no lead to follow up on. Nicole lowered her eyes without speaking. As things currently stood, they had no choice but to wait for the driver to speak up.
Anna’s head ached as she thought about these things. Moreover, her anesthetic had worn off by now. Besides her headache, she was also suffering from sore feet, which made her feel especially uncomfortable. She waved her hand, saying, “This is too complicated, so I’m not gonna think about it. Colton, help me look into it. If it wasn’t intentional, then forget about it.”
Colton nodded before helping move Anna up.
Anna’s car accident instantly put the Gardners on edge once again. Wanting to check on her condition, Lydia visited the Gardner Residence several times, only to be thrown out by the Gardners, who said that even though Anna survived the car accident, she needed a good rest without being disturbed. Lydia couldn’t do anything about it, but there was no news from Colton about the wedding being canceled, so she assumed that nothing had gone wrong on Anna’s side.
…
Douglas had been feeling inexplicably restless lately. He didn’t know why, but it was perhaps because of Whitney. Now her pitiful face appeared in his mind whenever he closed his eyes.
He loosened his collar, but just as he wanted to go out to get some fresh air, he heard his assistant lecturing the new secretary. “Don’t you know that Mr. Lane never attends dinner parties? Turn down these social engagements right away.”
Douglas paused in his tracks. Turning to look at them, he suddenly asked, “Is there a dinner party tonight?”
After hearing his words, his assistant immediately replied with a nod, “Yes, there is, Mr. Lane. But you said before that you wouldn’t attend these social engagements, so I’ll turn it down for you.”
“No, you don’t have to. I’ll attend the dinner party tonight,” Douglas replied.
A hint of surprise flickered across the assistant’s eyes, but he quickly concealed it and replied respectfully with a nod, “Yes, I got it.” Everyone knew that Douglas didn’t like to engage in social activities, and yet he said he was going to attend tonight’s dinner party. It was as if the sun had risen in the west today—unbelievable.
After getting drunk from drinking a lot of wine, Douglas phoned Whitney. Even though he never saved her number on his phone, he was able to tap it out on the phone’s screen as if he had eyes in his fingers. “Come to my villa tonight,” he ordered before hanging up at once.
She clutched her phone with a baffled expression. However, she had no other choice. Since their previous conversation, Douglas had indeed withdrawn his appeal against her family. For the time being, her family wasn’t in danger, but she had to pay off her brother Michael’s debts by herself.
At the moment, she had no choice but to do her best to please Douglas. Otherwise, if he got displeased and made an appeal again, her family would have to face the disaster once more.
At the moment, the Campbell Family were still dominating the furniture manufacturing industry. However, Michael had taken over the family business in recent years. Thanks to that dumb*ss’ incompetence, the Campbell Family’ family business had suffered a drastic decline with no signs of improvement since his takeover.
Although Jonathan had resumed control of the family business afterward, the company had suffered heavy losses under Michael’s management and had only been able to break even over the past few years. As a result, the Campbell Family’ position as the industry leader had become just a name.
Whitney entered the villa, which looked the same as before. However, the small figurine next to the television was gone, and the trash can was empty.
A hint of disappointment flashed across her eyes; little did she think that Douglas would actually throw the figurine away. At the same time, though, she was somewhat nervous deep down.
Three days had passed since she last met Douglas here. And today, he called her all of a sudden, asking her to come here as if he wanted to do something. He had merely told her to come here, but she smelled something fishy in his words.
Chapter 489 You’ll Regret It
Not knowing what would be awaiting her, Whitney nervously twisted her hands together. She sat on the living room couch for a long time, but it wasn’t until over an hour later that a sound came from the door.
She looked up at the door. Dressed in a black suit today, Douglas walked with a stagger as a faint flush suffused his good-looking face. Whitney stood up and approached the man, upon which the smell of alcohol on him became apparent. Looking at him with a frown, she asked, “Did you drink alcohol?”
Douglas had probably drunk a little too much. His eyes narrowed slightly, which made him seem somewhat cool and distant. He rested his slender and bony fingers casually on his tie, pulling at it impatiently as if it were suffocating him. However, the tie seemed to tighten as he tugged at it. Feeling even more disgruntled, he knitted his brows in displeasure.
Whitney took a step forward and put her hands on his tie. Then, with a slight movement of her fingers, the tie loosened instantly.
After the tie loosened, Douglas’ breathing became much more even. Heaving a sigh of relief, he took off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the floor. After a while, he finally looked up at Whitney. Then, without saying a word, he immediately dragged her upstairs.
Whitney staggered and nearly fell when he dragged her. Luckily, she managed to steady herself in time to prevent herself from falling.
After they went all the way upstairs to the villa’s master bedroom, Douglas threw her onto the bed. His eyes were bloodshot from the alcohol as he stared hard at the woman beneath him.
Whitney seemed to realize what he was going to do. Putting up her hands before her chest in resistance, she said, “Don’t do anything silly, Douglas. You only want to do something to me now because you’re too drunk to think properly! You’ll regret it once you’ve sobered up.”
Douglas clapped his hand over her mouth; the soft touch on the palm of his hand made him feel somewhat comfortable. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Whitney, what I regret the most is not having slept with you back then.
Who knows how many men you’d slept with after you left me?” Fortified by liquid courage, he ripped her clothes apart right away as he spoke. He was so strong after drinking alcohol that he pulled the clothes off with a loud ripping sound.
Horrified, Whitney rejected him by pushing him with her hands. Douglas was already married with kids now. If he were to actually do this, he’d feel guilty about it. “Wake up, Douglas! I’m Whitney, not Emily!”
However, Douglas was so under the influence of alcohol that he didn’t notice it at all. Instead, he kept on pressing down on the woman beneath him. “Whitney, you’ve got to be aware of the consequences after betraying me!” He stretched out his hand and gripped her chin with all his might.
Whitney replied, “Douglas, you should feel happy now that you already have a wife and kids. You don’t have to get yourself into trouble because of your hatred for me.
You’ll regret it.” Her voice hoarsened as her bright eyes had a somewhat dazed look in them. Having betrayed Douglas, she didn’t want to see him getting hurt once again by earning a bad name for cheating on his wife.
Douglas’ eyes were red. Staring hard at the woman beneath him, he let out a warm breath before lowering his head to kiss her clavicle. “Get myself into trouble, huh?”
He smiled a smile that made him seem devilishly handsome as his hand slid along her collarbone. “Let’s get into trouble together, then. None of us are gonna stay out of this!” he said cruelly, taking advantage of the situation to undress her.
It hurts… thought Whitney. The pain was sharp. She opened her mouth without being able to make a sound. She had been yearning for the man on top of her day and night, but now, she couldn’t bring herself to be happy at all.
Now she was a homewrecker who wrecked someone else’s family… She realized that not only was she hurt physically, but she also felt a sharp twinge in her heart.
Chapter 490 I’m Afraid That’s Not Appropriate
Meanwhile, as Anna’s health gradually improved, all the Gardners returned to the Gardner Residence. Since Anna had protected Hayden, Nicole managed to stay at the Gardner Residence with him.
Hayden was a smooth talker, and besides, Anna had injured herself in order to protect him. Therefore, he stayed around Anna almost every day while the latter was recovering from her injuries. Anna also liked Hayden; seeing the little boy’s bright and clear eyes made her very happy.
On the other hand, Lydia got thrown out while visiting the Gardner Residence. The more Queenie thought about this, the more she felt that something was amiss. Consequently, she had no choice but to visit the Gardner Residence despite her pregnancy to find out what was going on.
As soon as she entered the house, she heard the sound of people playing and laughing in the living room. “Slow down, Hayden. It’ll be bad if you fall over. You too, Wendy. Go easy on the boy.” Anna’s gentle and affectionate voice sounded with obvious pleasure.
Queenie came into the living room. At a glance, she saw Wendy and Hayden frolicking in the living room. Anna, still swathed in bandages, was sitting on the living room couch while staring tenderly at the two of them.
Queenie was startled for a moment before a hint of resentment flickered across her eyes. Why is this b*stard at the Gardner Residence?
The frolicking pair saw her as well, upon which they involuntarily stopped what they were doing. Holding onto Wendy’s trouser leg, Hayden looked at Queenie with shiny dark eyes before muttering, “Aunt Wendy, she’s a bad woman.”
As he did nothing to lower his voice, his words were especially audible. Naturally, Queenie also heard them as she stood at the door. Her face darkened instantly, but she was forced to put up with it because of Anna and Wendy’s presence. Wearing an insincere smile on her face, she leisurely walked to Anna’s side.
Smiling tenderly with glistening eyes, she softened her voice, saying, “Mrs. Gardner, I heard from my mom that you got injured, so I’m here to visit you.”
Anna didn’t show much emotion after listening to Queenie’s words. Not only that, but the smile on her face faded. She merely responded indifferently, “Uh-huh.”
Queenie’s expression froze. Still, she braced herself and continued, “Mrs. Gardner, my wedding with Colton is just around the corner. I was wondering if we should put it off until you get better in case you’re in poor health.”
Still looking indifferent, Anna darted an impassive glance at Queenie before replying in a grim voice, “I can do nothing about the matter between you and Colton. Just do whatever you want. There’s no need to care about my condition.”
Seeing how indifferent Anna looked, Queenie hesitated somewhat. Taking two steps forward, she whispered, “I’m afraid it’s not appropriate for you to be absent at our wedding. You’re Colton’s mother, after all.”
Anna glanced up at Queenie while concealing the disdain in her eyes. She replied curtly, “If you wait until I recover from my injuries, your baby bump will be getting bigger.
By then, you won’t look pretty in your wedding dress, so you’ll have to wait until the baby is born before getting married. In that case, the wedding will have to be delayed for about a year.”
As she spoke, she stared at Queenie. After seeming to ponder for a moment, she continued, “Well, I have no objections to that if you can afford to wait.”
Queenie turned pale at her words. A year? How can I afford to wait that long? I certainly can’t keep the b*stard in my womb, but if I lose the baby, perhaps Colton won’t marry me anymore. He’s only changed these days because of the baby in my womb. She bit her lip. I’ve shot myself in the foot now.
After pondering for a moment, she replied hesitantly, “Mrs. Gardner, I’m afraid it’ll be inappropriate to cancel the wedding at the last moment. The wedding dress is ready, and the venue is fixed. And besides, the invitations have been sent out.”