Ch. 491..500
Chapter 491 I’m Your Sister-In-Law
Seeing how hesitant Queenie looked, Anna let out a sneer and looked at her with a hint of mockery on her face. “What’s the matter? Didn’t you say just now that you’d put off the wedding for my sake? Are you gonna say you can’t do it now?”
Queenie’s heart clenched when she heard that Anna was starting to get displeased. She quickly explained, “That’s not the case, Mrs. Gardner. After all, it’s Colton’s wedding that we’re talking about.
I think he’ll be happier if you’re able to attend it. But now the invitations have been sent out. It’s okay to postpone the wedding for a few days, but if the wedding is postponed for a year, I’m afraid that people will laugh at us.”
Seeing how she tried to explain herself in a panic, Anna didn’t say another word. With a wave of her hand, she replied in a grim voice, “Alright, that’s enough.
It’s indeed inconvenient for me to attend the wedding in my present state, so I’m not gonna care about the matter between you and Colton. Just do whatever you want.”
Fearing that the wedding would really be postponed for a year, Queenie dared not make another retort. This time’s wedding was her and Colton’s, so both her wedding dress and the venue for the wedding were the most luxurious.
Naturally, she invited everyone she knew around her, wanting to prove to them that she was the most outstanding person among them. She wanted these people to look up to her and envy her for marrying Colton. “Okay,” she replied meekly.
Having looked up the information long ago, Hayden knew that Queenie was only going to marry a wife beater who happened to share the exact same name with Colton, so he wasn’t angry.
However, Wendy was different. She was kept totally in the dark, so she was unaware that Colton and Queenie had previously registered their marriage. When news broke out on the internet about what had happened earlier, she thought that it was just a publicity stunt pulled off by this woman.
But now that Queenie had come to her home and talked about the wedding, she finally had to believe that her brother was really going to marry the woman before her. “Mom, what’s going on here? Is Colton getting married?” she asked in displeasure with a frown.
Anna still couldn’t explain anything to her at the moment. Therefore, she simply replied, “This is none of your concern.”
Wendy’s cheeks flushed with anger. What does Mom mean by saying this is none of my concern? Colton is my own brother, yet I know nothing about him getting married until it’s almost time for his wedding! “I’ll never allow this woman to marry him. Nicole is the only person I’d recognize as my sister-in-law!” she yelled loudly.
Queenie’s face darkened somewhat when she heard Wendy’s words. Taking a few steps forward, she looked at Wendy while explaining softly, “Wendy, your brother and I really love each other. And besides, I’m now pregnant with his baby…”
Wendy didn’t buy her story, though. She angrily denied it, saying, “What gives you the right to claim that the baby in your womb is my brother’s? Who knows if it’s a b*stard fathered by someone else?”
Perhaps because what Wendy had said was right, Queenie’s face clouded over. Wendy is right; the baby in my womb is indeed a b*stard. Clenching her hands with a darkened expression, she said, “Wendy, you’re still a child now. There are many things that you can’t say as you please.”
Wendy gave her a fierce glare. Unwilling to give up, she said, “Get out of my house now! I don’t want to see you!”
Queenie pursed her lips. Ever since the incident about the Triton Studio last time, Wendy’s attitude toward her had worsened sharply, especially after it came to light afterward that she wasn’t the one who had slept with Colton five years ago.
Wherever she went, Wendy would always be displeased at the sight of her. At the moment, however, she still had to get on the Gardners’ good side, so she couldn’t quarrel with Wendy here.
With a forced smile on her lips, she looked at Wendy, saying, “Wendy, I’ll be your sister-in-law in the future. We should try to get along with each other.”
Wendy immediately retorted in displeasure, “Don’t talk nonsense! I don’t have a lying sister-in-law like you!”
Chapter 492 You Did Pretty Well
Just then, Hayden tugged at Wendy’s sleeve. After rolling his round eyes, he said in a childlike voice, “Don’t worry, Aunt Wendy. I’m Dad’s only son. Even if he marries this woman, he’ll still be partial to me.”
Wendy’s expression finally eased when she heard the boy’s words. She crouched down and patted his head, saying, “Yeah, you’re right. You’re my first nephew! In the future, everything Colton owns will definitely be yours. There’s no way this woman could steal them away!”
Queenie’s face became as black as thunder as she looked on. Clenching her fists tightly, she stared at Hayden viciously. I have to get rid of this little b*stard, or something will definitely go wrong between Colton and me.
Suppressing the venom in her eyes, she looked at Anna and continued, “Mrs. Gardner, I’m still a bit unwell with my pregnancy, so I gotta go. Just give me a call if you feel unwell or anything.”
Looking impatient already, Wendy urged, “Just get out of here.”
Queenie slowly left while still wearing a gentle expression.
After she left, Wendy walked toward Anna in displeasure and said with an aggrieved look, “Mom, why would Colton want to marry this woman? She’s fooled our family for five years with a lie!”
Not wanting to expose Colton’s lies at the moment, Anna replied with a stern look, “You have to respect your brother’s choice.”
Wendy clenched her teeth while stamping her foot resentfully in displeasure. In the end, perhaps because she was incredibly displeased with Queenie, she went upstairs alone in anger.
Whitney didn’t know how she had fallen asleep. When she woke up, she felt dizzy all over. She blinked her eyes. It was pitch-dark inside the room, and the air was filled with a suggestive smell.
Suddenly, a man’s deep voice rang beside her. “You’re awake?”
Whitney looked up and saw that it was Douglas.
Leaning back against the head of the bed, he covered his lower body with a blanket, revealing his sturdy and naked torso. He was puffing away at the cigarette between his fingertips. Nobody knew how long he had been awake, but the ashtray on the head of the bed was already full of cigarette butts.
Douglas never smoked in the past. Whitney couldn’t believe he underwent such a huge change when they finally met again after so long.
Whitney wanted to get up, but her body ached all over when she moved slightly. Letting out a moan of pain, she froze, not daring to move again.
Stubbing out his cigarette, Douglas threw back the covers and stood up.
Hearing his movements, Whitney turned to look at him. At this moment, the sun had definitely risen outside. Sunshine shone through the half-drawn curtains, which only let in a faint beam of light.
Douglas stood with his back to her while showing the visible outlines of his back muscles. Bending down slightly, he picked up the clothes on the floor and slowly got dressed. After dressing himself simply, he stepped forward and opened the curtains.
Today’s weather was very nice. The blazing sunshine was so dazzling that Whitney had a hard time opening her eyes.
Douglas unhurriedly put on all his clothes before turning around to look at Whitney. His face showed no change of emotion as he looked at her in bed with an imperturbable expression.
After a long time, he slowly asked, “Was that your first time?” He clearly sensed how awkward the woman before him had been last night—as well as the thin layer.
Whitney lowered her eyes and bit her lip hard without saying a word.
Opting not to question her further, Douglas took out a card and tossed it onto the bed. Then, he said with a sneer, “I’m quite satisfied with what you did last night. Take the money on the card as a reward.” With that, he shot a glance at her with mockery in his eyes before turning around to leave.
After he left, Whitney finally covered her face and cried in a low voice. She cried for a long time before finally collecting herself. What am I supposed to do now? What should I do?
Chapter 493 In Cahoots
Meanwhile, the Golden Brush Award competition was about to start. Nicole had previously promised to take part in the competition on behalf of the Schumacher Family’s Pinnacle Group, so Mason had called her long ago to inform her about it.
The preliminary contest would be held in the country at the beginning of next month. Since the contestants only had to upload their designs, Nicole immediately emailed Mason a design that she had previously made but hadn’t made public, telling him to submit it first.
The Golden Brush Award was a global award, so the preliminary contest would be held in each country. After the best designs were chosen, a grand fashion design competition would be held abroad. For the fashion industry, the award was considered the largest competition.
At the moment, however, Nicole’s mind wasn’t on the Golden Brush Award, but on Queenie’s wedding a week later.
Rumors about Queenie’s wedding with Colton were now circulating outside. As a result, everyone thought that Colton was really going to marry her.
Bryan was furious. He had sent somebody in an attempt to abduct Queenie while the Gardners weren’t noticing. However, little did he think that Colton would have his men protect her in secret, making his people unable to lay a hand on her.
He knew by counting the days that the baby in Queenie’s womb was his. To think that this b*tch wants to marry my sworn enemy by claiming that she’s pregnant with his baby when the baby is actually mine!
Having no other way, he had no choice but to wait until Queenie’s wedding with Colton to take action.
Meanwhile, after failing to kill Hayden in the previous car accident, Lydia and Queenie began to discuss when to strike again to kill the boy at one go. Just then, Queenie recalled what Pierre had previously said about wanting to put Nicole on the spot.
Moreover, Norman was still in prison at the moment. If he were to involuntarily mention Pierre, the latter would be finished for life. Because of that, Queenie thought she could totally team up with Pierre to kill Hayden.
At the thought of this solution, she immediately called Pierre and greeted him, saying, “It’s been a while, Dr. Toth. How are you doing lately?”
Pierre bantered with a chuckle, “I’m not doing as great as you do, Miss Queenie. I hear that you’re getting married to President Gardner very soon. Congratulations on getting what you wished for.”
Queenie wasn’t in the mood to beat around the bush with him, though. Getting straight to the point, she said, “Didn’t you say before that you wanted to sort Nicole out and ruin her for life? I’ve waited for such a long time, but nothing has been going on on your side. Dr. Toth, don’t tell me that you’ve chickened out?”
Pierre let out a chuckle as a hint of malice flickered across his eyes. “It’s happening soon. Nicole’s happy days will come to an end in a few days.”
“I have a shortcut right now. How about it, Dr. Toth? Are you interested?” Queenie asked. If she were to drug Hayden, it’d be more reliable to ask for Pierre’s help.
Pierre was fine with it. After all, more helpers would give him a better chance of success. He said with a smile, “Tell me about it.”
“I want Nicole’s b*stard son to die. If he dies, Nicole’s plans will certainly be disrupted. By then, it’ll be as easy as pie for you to take advantage of the situation and bring her down completely,” Queenie uttered through clenched teeth with her eyes full of hatred.
Letting out a chuckle, Pierre couldn’t help but ask, “You’re already about to marry Colton. Why do you still hate Nicole so much?”
Queenie narrowed her eyes and snorted. “It vexes me as long as her b*stard son is still alive. Stop pretending, Pierre. Now that Norman has been arrested, you won’t be able to get away with it if you’re found to be involved in what happened to White Nicholson. We’re now in the same boat, so we both have to sort Nicole out.”
Pierre gave a chuckle; Queenie was right that he wanted to sort Nicole out. “I don’t care about Nicole’s son, but I can give you a colorless and tasteless medicine. If used externally, it can cause the victim to suffer from dementia. If taken internally, it can cause death without leaving any trace behind.”
Queenie’s eyes lit up. This was exactly the kind of medicine she needed.
Chapter 494 So Close
Queenie was eagerly attentive these days as she would visit the Gardner Family daily. Since Anna felt it was uncalled for to just drive her away, she could only wear a displeased expression.
However, her daughter was different. Annoyed at Queenie, Wendy would immediately become irritated upon her sight. “Don’t you think you’re being annoying? Why are you always here every day when you have a home yourself?” she said with her arms crossed and her glare on Queenie, clearly displeased with her.
Facing Wendy and her dissatisfaction, Queenie only smiled and said softly, “Wendy, since Mrs. Gardner is Colton’s mother, she will be my mother in the future as well. Naturally, I have to visit her more, seeing that she has suffered such bad injuries.”
Wendy remained angry, as Queenie would always put on a pitiful act as though she was trying to win over an imaginary crowd with pity every time she came after her with vicious words.
“Cease your nonsense. My mother doesn’t have a shameless daughter-in-law like you!” she said in dissatisfaction with a frown.
Queenie only smiled and said nothing more.
As Anna suffered a minor headache from her daughter’s screams, she beckoned Edith to escort her back upstairs to recuperate.
Now, only Wendy, Queenie, and Hayden were left in the living room.
Without Anna around, Queenie’s soft demeanor grew stern as she raised her head with a smile before she slowly said, “Wendy, regardless of your acceptance, Colton and I will have our wedding in less than a week’s time.”
Hearing her words, Wendy trembled in anger but couldn’t find the words to retort.
With a smile, Queenie continued, “We’ve already received our marriage certificate, and that means we are legally husband and wife now. As his sister, you should be calling me your sister-in-law.”
With her expression twisted from anger, Wendy replied with her teeth gritted, “You think you’re qualified for that?”
Queenie hadn’t the slightest trace of anger in her demeanor, as she only laughed faintly before she raised her head and said deplorably, “It’s not up to you to decide since it’s Colton’s decision that matters. Wendy, I won’t argue with you on this, seeing as you are still young. In fact, as someone older here, I will treat you well from now on.”
Wendy’s anger grew so much at Queenie’s words to the extent that she glared at her with bloodshot eyes. Suddenly, she took a step forward with one of her hands pushing the latter.
Perhaps because Queenie hadn’t expected Wendy would come at her this way, she was unstable from the momentum and was about to fall on her back.
The truth was she was able to stabilize herself should she wish. However, she thought that the current situation was a good opportunity to make Gardner Family and Colton feel guilty by having Wendy cause her miscarriage.
So, she gave no resistance as she fell on her back. Just as she thought she would suffer from the fall, someone’s hand supported her and prevented her from falling. After she was on her feet, she realized it was Nicole who had helped her.
Taking a step forward, Nicole stood between Wendy and Queenie before she lectured the former furiously, “She’s pregnant. No matter the bad deeds she has done in the past, the child inside her is innocent.”
As Wendy had done what she did due to her anger, she only now realized the gravity of her action after Nicole pointed it out to her. If Queenie had fallen here, there was a chance that she would suffer a miscarriage.
She instantly grew pale as she came to the realization that her action would amount to manslaughter if things took a turn for the worse at that point. Biting her lips, she lowered her head with teary eyes and muttered, “I was just so angry.”
Looking at how distressed Wendy was, Hayden hurriedly tugged on Wendy’s clothes and said, “Aunt Wendy, don’t be sad anymore. Let’s just ignore this woman now. It’s not worth it to hurt your body over that woman.”
Chapter 495 Dinner Time
Since Wendy was still young, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life should Queenie suffer a miscarriage due to her actions. Not to mention, Nicole had clearly seen her sister having the opportunity to stabilize herself, yet she only allowed herself to fall. That only served as an indication that Queenie wanted to use Wendy to get rid of the child in her.
After Queenie was stable on her feet, her expression grew twisted as she thought, Why am I running into Nicole everywhere I go?! However, she quickly wore a stiff smile to prevent others from reading her thoughts. “Nicole, I should thank you. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable from that fall.”
Without looking at her sister, Nicole said, “Since you’re still in the early stages of your pregnancy, you clearly could have stopped yourself from failing, so why would you still need me to help you there?”
Afraid of her thoughts being exposed, Queenie hurriedly explained, “I just never thought that Wendy would push me so abruptly, so I was a little surprised there and couldn’t react in time. That’s why things turned out like this.”
Nicole couldn’t be bothered any longer, so she only said with her lips pursed, “Now that you’re in shock, you should go home and have some proper rest for the baby. Since Wendy doesn’t like you, you won’t benefit from your trip here. You should use this time to recuperate instead.”
With a slight frown, Queenie looked at Nicole and said, “I’m now the young madam of the Gardner Family. Nicole, I don’t think you should talk to me in such a tone as an outsider.”
However, Nicole continued to ignore her as she went and picked Hayden up before she looked at Wendy. “Wendy, let’s go upstairs. Otherwise, you’ll be held responsible in case you knock somebody over.”
At the moment, Wendy was still in shock over her realization. It was only after she heard Nicole calling out to her did she come back to her senses. With a gradual nod, she replied, “Alright.”
Looking at the three people who didn’t seem to show her the respect she expected, a surge of anger rose in Queenie. Nonetheless, she couldn’t do anything but grit her teeth and swallow her anger.
In the end, she continued to stay in the Gardner Residence without going home. The bodyguards of the Gardner Family were afraid of chasing her away since the baby in her was said to be of Colton’s blood.
It wasn’t until they came downstairs during dinner time that they realized Queenie was still around.
With hints of disgust flashing briefly in her eyes, Wendy glared viciously at Queenie and said without courtesy, “Some people are just so thick-skinned.
They still shamelessly hang around even when they know they aren’t welcome here.” Since she was still young, she still hadn’t learned to keep her emotions in check, so her expressions would always be true to her thoughts.
Paying no care about the comment thrown at her, Queenie only held her hand on her belly and said, “I have been feeling uneasy since I was a little frightened just now, so I took a rest here for a while.”
With a smile, she then looked over to the kitchen to find that dinner was ready and went over without any sense of courtesy. “Just as I was hungry. Let’s eat together.”
Wendy rolled her eyes and immediately left. On the other hand, Nicole stayed with Hayden and picked the seat furthest from her sister.
Since both Benedict and Anna were still recovering from their injuries, there were some restrictions on their diet, so their meal was specifically made to their requirements and sent over to their room.
And so, there were only three people at the dining table—Queenie, Nicole, and Hayden. Although the dishes served weren’t much, each one of them looked exquisite and tasted delicious.
While putting some of the food on Hayden’s plate, Nicole said, “Hurry up and eat. Once you’re done eating, go and spend some time with Great Grandpa.”
Hayden agreed and immediately started eating.
Continuing to be discourteous, Queenie ate while taking a glance around. Then, she asked, “Where’s Colton? Why isn’t he back yet?”
However, Nicole ignored her sister’s question and pretended not to have heard Queenie as she continued to put food on Hayden’s plate. And Hayden ate his food diligently.
Looking at how the two of them were ignoring her, Queenie became irritated. Her tone turned heavy as she said, “Nicole, I’m talking to you!”
Chapter 496 A Hit
Snickering, Nicole raised her head at the woman and looked at her with an expression of mockery. “Queenie, don’t you think that it’s pathetic to ask another woman about your own man not coming home?”
Queenie was displeased with the expression her sister was giving her, but she didn’t let her expression betray her as they were still in the Gardner Residence.
When they were done eating, Nicole didn’t pay any further attention to Queenie and only told Hayden to go and spend some time with Benedict before she went to see Anna. Although Anna was recovering, she still needed constant care, so Nicole would help check her wounds every night.
As for Benedict, perhaps because of his age or that his body had grown weary, he would become tired very easily. Although he was very fond of Hayden, he couldn’t help but become tired after a brief conversation with the child.
Noticing his fatigue, Hayden decided not to intrude any longer and said, “Great Grandpa, I’ll go back to my room now, so you should have some rest. Now that I’m staying here, I’ll come and play with you tomorrow too.”
Meanwhile, after Queenie left the Gardner Residence, she went back in by climbing over the wall. Now that it was nighttime, there weren’t many people walking around. Since she had been here many times now, she was familiar with the place. Furthermore, she knew the cameras’ blind spots and also the probable locations of the Gardner Family’s bodyguards.
Then, Queenie made her way to Hayden’s room and entered it. After she took a look around, she took out a drug vial that Pierre had prepared for her and sprayed it all over the pillow. Initially, she wanted to administer the drug during dinner earlier, but Nicole was simply too vigilant that she couldn’t find the opportunity to do so.
However, with how heavy-handed she was with the drug now, Hayden would lose his life the moment he lay his head on the pillow. With a smile so sweet, Queenie immediately left the room after she was done dispersing the drug. Fortunately for her, she was still in the early stage of her pregnancy, so it was easy for her to move around as she managed to avoid stumbling about.
After bidding his farewell to Benedict, Hayden returned to his room. Upon opening the door to his room, he realized that something was amiss. However, he couldn’t figure out what was wrong even after he glanced around the room. Frowning, he lightly sniffed the air of the room and felt that someone had entered his room.
Assuming it was just one of the servants who had come to clean up the room, he dropped his guard and went to his bed with a laptop in his hand. Looking through his recent assignment, he deduced that Zachary, who had come to him before with his family matters, was planning to make a move on the Yates Family.
As he knew Zachary’s character well, he knew that the latter’s actions were all for his mother’s sake. Perhaps because he was her son, he suspected that his mother liked Colton, even if the former hadn’t realized her feelings. In the past, Zachary had courted Nicole but was rejected firmly without any hesitations.
However, a seed of doubt grew in her after a while, not because she liked him that way. It was because she was slightly touched by the man after his persistent action.
However, that was not the case with Colton. Although the time Colton had spent with Nicole was only mere months, her attitude was very different toward Colton when compared with Zachary. Although she still rejected the former, her reaction was very honest. For the first time in his life, Hayden was worried about his mother.
Nevertheless, he still decided to help deal with Zachary’s matters. After all, without him back then, his mother wouldn’t be who she was today.
When Hayden was done with his task, he yawned and realized it was already close to midnight. Since Nicole had to take care of Anna, she didn’t sleep together with him.
Just as he lay down on his bed, he felt something wrong with his body, so he quickly held his breath, trying to get out of bed. However, it was too late for him.
A bout of dizziness overcame him, and he couldn’t control his body as it trembled furiously. He immediately pressed the button on his wristwatch before he fell to the ground. Fortunately, his room was carpeted. Otherwise, his fall would have been much more severe.
Chapter 497 Spasm
Nicole had just lain down in bed when her phone rang with her son’s call. Upon realizing that it was an emergency call that was activated by the button on Hayden’s wristwatch, she quickly got up and rushed over to his room.
Since her child was responsible, she knew that he wouldn’t deliberately press the button without any reason. Furthermore, it was already late at night now. When she opened the door to Hayden’s room, she felt her heart break into a million pieces.
There, the sight of Hayden foaming at his mouth with his body spasming greeted her. Brokenhearted and with tears in her eyes, she hurried to his side and held him in her arms. “Hayden! Hayden, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!”
As Hayden’s eyes remained dull, his body continued to spasm in Nicole’s arms. Fortunately, due to Benedict and Anna’s current condition, the Gardner Family had set up a specialized medical room, so she hurriedly brought Hayden downstairs. After she put Hayden on the bed, she called Julia with her hands trembling. “Julia, come quickly to the Gardner Residence. Hayden looks like he’s been poisoned and is spasming violently.”
This was the first time Julia had heard Nicole speaking in such a tearful manner. She immediately pulled herself together as she replied, “Okay, I’ll come over right now.
Nicole, I need you to check Hayden’s mouth if he had eaten something without you knowing. If not, then it might be airborne, so you’ll have to help him put on an oxygen mask in that case. I’m on my way right now.”
Although White, the master in surgery, was Nicole’s mentor, she was still somewhat unfamiliar with what to do in such a situation. Following Julia’s instructions, she tried her best to calm her shaken heart as she checked on her son with her face full of tears. Since her son was everything to her, if anything happened to Hayden, she might lose her will to live.
In no time, Julia arrived at the residence. While Hayden’s spasms were no longer violent, his body was still trembling slightly. After she checked on his condition, she had a sullen expression as she asked Nicole to go find medicines for her.
Within the long list of medicines, none of it was common, but would often be stocked up in the Hull Family’s research center. Nicole remembered that Colton was still in Gardner Corporation, which was located near the research center. Calling someone there to help pick up the medicines would be faster than her going on her own.
Hence, she hurriedly gave Colton a call. Fortunately, the call was connected rather quickly. “Colton, I need you to listen to me. Hayden’s been poisoned and needs medicine for his treatment.
I need you to go pick them up at the Hull Family’s research center, please…” Her tone shifted to a pleading tone near the end of her sentence as she started to sob uncontrollably. Looking at Hayden foaming at his mouth while his body continued to spasm, she couldn’t hold her emotions back.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Colton immediately stood and replied, “Send the list of required medicine to me. I’ll head over there immediately. Don’t worry, I’m here with you.”
“Okay…” Nicole replied stiffly before she sent a text message with the list of medicine.
Noticing the serious expression on Colton, Tony knew that something must have happened, so he said while walking beside him, “President Gardner, F&R Enterprise wants the collaboration proposal by tomorrow. We still need to do a follow-up on the proposal to see if any changes need to be made.”
Colton couldn’t be bothered with the subject at the moment as he rubbed his brows and said, “I’ll leave it to your judgment for that matter. If I don’t come back here, then just send them the proposal we made previously.” Having said that, he left the company posthaste.
With his attention on the report in his hand, Tony sighed lightly as he pondered on how the entire proposal needed to be revised as it was leaked to Kohlberg Group. This was the reason why Colton had been working overtime these past few days.
Chapter 498 Poisoned
Hayden’s condition wasn’t looking good, as Julia had been wearing a sullen expression ever since she checked up on the child. Although she knew it to be cruel to say the words now, she needed to make sure Nicole had prepared herself for the worse.
“Nicole, my guess to the identity of Hayden’s poison is the Code:Z virus. Just a slight amount in one’s system would cause dementia in a person. If it was administered through the mouth, then he would face a risk of losing his life.”
Gritting her teeth, Nicole tried her best to control her emotions, but she couldn’t stop her tears from running down her cheeks as though her eyes were a faucet that couldn’t be turned off. Sniffling with her reddened nose, she looked at Julia with her eyes red. “Are you saying that Hayden is…”
“I’m only saying the worst-case scenario. He definitely didn’t inhale much of the poison. Otherwise, he would have been dead on the spot. Since his vitals are still responding, we can only see if his brain activity would be affected after treating him,” Julia replied sternly.
Nicole sobbed uncontrollably as she watched her child still spasming slightly on the bed. How did things turn out like this? He was still alive and well during lunch, yet he’s like this now, she thought as her attention was fully focused on Hayden. For a well-behaved child like him to become a demented child… She didn’t dare imagine any further and immediately closed off that line of thought.
Colton was quick as he returned home in no time with Richard in tow. Since Hayden’s condition was of the utmost importance right now, Julia didn’t bother picking a fight over the matter with Richard as she quickly blended the medicine that was brought to her and administered it to Hayden via an injection. Perhaps it was due to the effectiveness of the medicine that Hayden finally stopped foaming at his mouth and his body’s spasm stopped.
The child looked incredibly adorable with his small body and his long, thick eyelashes. For such a cute child to become a demented child in the future… Her tears flowed once more at such thought.
As the commotion grew, Anna heard it and called for Edith to escort her downstairs. Once she came down, she saw Hayden lying unconscious on the bed and Nicole crying beside him. With her eyes focused on Hayden, she hurriedly asked, “What happened here?”
Realizing that Anna was awake, Colton went and held her arms and said in a tone as calm as possible, “Hayden was poisoned but has been given treatment for it. However, there’s no guarantee what will happen after he wakes up.”
With her jaws slightly dropped and her face in disbelief, Anna grunted in surprise and, with her eyes laid squarely on the child, walked toward Hayden with Colton’s support. Although the child was no longer spasming, his small tender face was now as pale as a sheet, as though he had just recovered from a grave illness.
“How could this have happened? He was still fine moments ago. Did he eat something he wasn’t supposed to?” she asked as she grabbed Colton by his arm.
“This was someone’s doing. Hayden was infected by inhaling the poison. Fortunately, the amount he inhaled is small, and the treatment was given promptly. Otherwise, his life would have been in danger,” Julia replied.
When Anna heard the word ‘treatment,’ she heaved a sigh of relief before she turned to Julia and asked while nodding, “So he’s safe now?”
Just as Julia was about to answer, Nicole stopped her and smiled stiffly at Anna as she said, “Yes, Hayden will be fine when he wakes up tomorrow. Mrs. Gardner, you’re also recuperating from your injuries right now, so you should go and take a rest. There won’t be any problems with Colton and me here.”
Although Anna was worried about Hayden, her body couldn’t take the extra stress. Now that she was told that his condition was nothing serious, she immediately felt relieved. Hence, she nodded and said, “Alright, it’s good that he’s going to be fine. Colton, I’ll leave this to you.”
Chapter 499 Breakdown
As Colton continued to support Anna, he called out to Edith and said, “Edith, take my mother upstairs for her rest.” Then, he turned his attention to his mother.
“Mom, since you’ve just recovered, you can’t be too strenuous on your body, so you should quickly go back to your room and rest. I’ll notify you the moment Hayden has recovered.”
Without being obstinate, Anna nodded and went back upstairs. After Anna left, the four of them stayed silent. Suddenly, Nicole became weak on her knees and almost fell to the ground.
However, Colton realized what was happening and managed to catch her from falling. With his arms around her waist, he comforted her in a soft voice, “It’ll be alright.”
Looking at how warm the man was treating her, Nicole couldn’t hold herself back any longer as she broke down into tears. “Hayden… Hayden might become a demented child. W-What should I do?!”
Hearing the woman’s cry, Colton was taken aback. His expression grew stern, and he looked at Julia. “Why would he become a demented child?”
Looking at the man’s darkened expression that was so frightening that it felt like it could swallow someone up, Julia bit her lip and gulped before she explained cautiously, “This drug was developed with the intention to kill. Although Hayden had only inhaled a small amount and was given prompt treatment, there is a high probability that he would have dementia.”
At Julia’s words, Colton subconsciously tightened his arms around Nicole. After a brief silence, he asked, “What are the chances of a full recovery?”
Julia lowered her eyes and calculated the probability inwardly for some time before she finally said slowly, “10 percent.”
Colton’s expression grew unpleasant at what he had heard. However, he forcefully suppressed his sadness after he looked at the woman in his arms. Then, he nodded and said, “I understand. The Gardner Family will do everything in our power to treat Hayden. Nicole, there’s no need for you to worry.”
Perhaps because Nicole had received too much of a shock, she was muddleheaded right now. Tightening his arms around her, Colton glanced at Richard and said, “Richard, you keep watch over Hayden here. I’ll take Nicole to go rest for a while.”
Having said that, he was about to escort Nicole into one of the rooms when the latter held him back. With her face pale, she shook her head and said, “No, I want to stay. I want to watch over Hayden. Otherwise, I’ll only feel uneasy.”
As Colton didn’t object to Nicole’s wishes, he glanced at Richard and Julia, to which the former was sensible enough to pull the latter away from the area. After he had successfully escorted Nicole to the nearby bed, he said, “Have some rest. Let me watch over Hayden.”
Closing her eyes with fatigue clearly written on her face, she couldn’t help but sniffle upon the indescribable despair she saw when she closed her eyes. Sobbing, she said, “When I close my eyes, all I see is Hayden lying on the floor with his body spasming and him foaming at his mouth…” She covered her face and cried in heartache.
This was the first time Colton had seen Nicole break down in tears with a touch of despair. It was as though the radiant woman he knew had transformed into a girl who needed comfort.
With his eyes tinged with heartache, he reached his hands out and pulled her into his arms, so that she would lean against his chest. She didn’t hold her feelings back as well, as she stayed nestled in his arms and cried her heart out.
Nicole cried for a very long time. Perhaps due to her suppressing her emotions for a long time, she let out all of her emotions in one go. Colton continued to have her in his arms for a long time to the extent that he couldn’t remember just when the person in his arms fell asleep.
Gently laying her down on the bed, Colton noticed that there were still tears in her eyes even though she was already asleep. Due to the tears in her eyes, her eyelashes were stuck together. Not only her nose, but even her cheeks had reddened from crying. He reached his hand out and held her cheek before he gently traced her face with his fingertip.
Chapter 500 Awake
Although Nicole fell asleep, her sleep was not a peaceful one as she kept having nightmares. In her dream, she saw her child taken away by a mysterious figure. She kept shouting and chasing after that figure, but to no avail. Then, she woke up with a jolt as she sat up straight on the bed.
Sitting beside her, Colton covered Nicole’s face with a towel after he noticed she had woken up. The towel was warm and seemed to have been prepared for some time. The warmth of the towel was just right as it was comfortable when covering one’s face with it.
After Nicole woke up and realized she was sticky with her sweat, she wiped her face before she got out of bed to find Hayden still unconscious without any indication of waking any time soon. Worried, she looked at the child in bed first before turning her attention to Colton. A brief moment later, she asked hesitantly, “Did anything happen to Hayden last night?”
Colton shook his head. Although he stood up straight, one could easily see from a glance the dark circles under his eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t slept a wink last night. “Everything’s normal.”
As Nicole looked at Hayden and found that his breathing had stabilized while the medical equipment showed no signs of abnormality, she heaved a gradual sigh of relief. Then, she turned her attention to the exhausted Colton and said, “President Gardner, you should get some rest. Your body won’t be able to take it any longer since you’ve watched over Hayden the entire night.”
With a faint smile, he patted Nicole on her head and said, “I’m fine. However, you should call me Colton from now on. President Gardner just sounds too distant.”
Nicole pursed her lips with her eyes lowered and, without any intention of refusing, said softly, “Alright, Colton.”
Grunting in response, Colton got up and walked out the door as he said, “I’ll get you some chowder. It’s still early, so you don’t have to worry.”
Nicole didn’t refuse the man’s kindness as she knew that only when she had taken good care of herself could she take good care of Hayden. Hence, she nodded at Colton.
After Colton left and brought back the chowder, Nicole was already by Hayden’s side, watching over the child. When he brought the chowder to her, she took a glance at the child before she focused on eating the chowder one spoon at a time. Although the chowder made by the chef of the Gardner Family was delicious, she couldn’t taste anything at all. Nonetheless, she continued to feed herself with each spoon as though she was a machine. After she was done with the bowl of chowder in no time at all, she put away the bowl and continued watching over Hayden.
Seven o’clock in the morning. The sun rose slightly later today as it was still on the horizon even though it was already seven. As the curtains were drawn open in the room, the gentle sunlight poured through the window into the room. Ever since Nicole woke up, she had never let Hayden out of her sight, while Colton continued to stand beside her and kept her company. Finally, the child in bed opened his eyes in the sun-illuminated room.
Looking at the child waking up, Nicole felt a burst of joy as she hurriedly hugged the child. “Hayden.”
However, Hayden looked lifeless as he showed no reaction even though he was in the arms of his mother. His dark, black eyes were listless as though it was devoid of all hope.
After Nicole hugged her child for a while, she realized that something was amiss, so she released her arms around Hayden and stared at him. There, she found that Hayden’s eyes were lifeless and tinged with signs of dementia.
With his mouth slightly gaping, Hayden kept muttering, “Ah, ah!”
Upon such a sight, Nicole felt a tug at her heartstrings. She hurriedly embraced the boy and said, “Hayden, Hayden, it’s me. Hayden, can you hear me?”
However, Hayden showed no indication that he understood what his mother was saying to him, as he continued to mutter “Ah, ah,” over and over again.
Looking at the demented child in front of her, Nicole felt as though her heart was seized by an indescribable pain. Gritting her teeth, she held the child in her arms.