Ch. 501..510

Chapter 501 Get to the Bottom of the Truth

Nevertheless, Hayden remained unaware of his mother’s sadness with an innocent look on his face. In the meantime, Colton, who was standing aside, had nothing to say while staring at the boy in bed.

A few moments later, Nicole finally stopped crying and pulled herself together, turning her attention to Colton before she tearfully said, “Colton, could you please bring the chowder over here? Hayden is probably hungry now.”

Colton nodded and walked out the door as Nicole helped Hayden sit up straight. Although Hayden was mentally ill, Nicole was grateful that he didn’t behave like a loose cannon and only sat down quietly.

As she fixed her gaze on the child, Nicole failed to fight back her tears, which gushed out of her eyes. Nevertheless, she quickly sniffled and suppressed the sadness within her, forcing a brittle smile the next minute to hide her emotions.

“Hayden, no matter what you become, you’ll always be my boy. I’ll make sure you get cured, and even if you don’t, I’ll keep you fed for the rest of your life.” Nicole expressed her feelings while resting her forehead on her son’s.

Despite Hayden’s mental illness, Nicole was grateful that he was still in good physical health. When she fed her son with his meal, he seemed to behave obediently even though his eyes looked soulless and lifeless.

As soon as she was done feeding the boy, Julia, who was accompanied by Richard, happened to come in at that moment.

When Julia showed up, Nicole immediately noticed her rosy cheeks and flustered ears, which indicated that she might have had an intimate moment with Richard.

In the meantime, Julia, who noticed that Hayden had come to his senses, walked up to him to check on him, but when she saw his soulless eyes, she was stunned. It wasn’t until a few moments later that she shifted her gaze to Nicole and said, “Nicole, is Hayden…”

While Nicole smiled bitterly with a nod, Julia’s mind went black for a while until something came to her mind. She then went on to say, “Don’t worry, Nicole.

From what I remember, Code:Z is being kept in the research center; perhaps I should go back and look for it. Who knows we could synthesize an antidote for it?”

In actuality, Julia wasn’t confident that she could find a cure for the virus, but as she fixed her gaze on Nicole’s sympathetic look, she was overwhelmed by her pity right away. Furthermore, she was able to put herself in Nicole’s shoes more than ever before now that she was pregnant.

Nicole nodded while seizing Julia’s arm. “Thank you so much, Julia.”

Not long after it was dawn, the news about Hayden’s mental illness had reached the ears of the entire Gardner Family, shocking every single one of them.

After all, Hayden, who used to be every adult’s favorite child in the family, had now seemingly become unsound due to his impaired ability to properly speak. He could only utter a few incoherent words, not to mention his soulless eyes.

When Anna woke up and heard about that news, she was so devastated that she nearly fainted. “W-What did you just say? Tell me one more time. Hayden… Hayden is…” Anna had a hard time calming herself down.

At the same time, Colton seized Anna’s arm, assisting his mother as she tried to stand up. After all, she hadn’t fully recovered from the injury she sustained from the accident last time. “I hate to break it to you, Mom, but this is what it is.”

Anna then turned her attention to the child, noticing his soulless eyes and unusual behavior. When Hayden saw visitors in his ward, he looked up and smiled, giggling in a strange manner.

Seeing the boy’s reaction, Anna had no idea what to say as she only placed her arms on Colton’s shoulder in a helpless manner. Her voice trembled as she said, “I want every single person in the Gardner Family investigated. I want to know what happened to Hayden!”

She took a deep breath and continued, “Someone must have tried to harm Hayden, or that poor boy wouldn’t have ended up like this. I want to know everything about everyone who came to the Gardner Residence yesterday.

The culprit who harmed my grandson will not go unpunished!” Despite Anna’s mild-mannered temper that was a result of her decent upbringing, her anger still made her intimidating.

 

Chapter 502 Play Dumb

“Understood,” replied Colton, nodding in response. When Anna saw Hayden, she sympathetically limped closer to the boy, her eyes filled with pity as her hand gently caressed the child’s head. “Can you hear me, Hayden? It’s me, Grandma.” Anna called out to Hayden in a soft voice, but her grandson couldn’t seem to hear her at all.

Instead, the boy only giggled in a silly manner seconds before he slowly began to drool. However, Anna wasn’t disgusted by that at all as she grabbed the napkin beside her and wiped Hayden’s mouth.

At the same time, she closed her eyes, her face written with exhaustion. “I’m going to get to the bottom of the truth myself and find out who did this to my grandson! No one can stop me from finding the wicked culprit!” Anna showed her determination angrily as Colton watched with his head down in silence.

After finishing her words, Anna turned around and walked out the door right away.

In the meantime, Nicole proceeded to feed Hayden with his meal and took him back upstairs. Although Hayden was mentally ill, he didn’t appear to be hyperactive as expected from those who were mentally impaired.

Nonetheless, Nicole still took care of Hayden just like how she did when he was first born. Because of that, she was so tired—both physically and mentally—that she unknowingly fell asleep on the bed.

On the other hand, Hayden returned to his sound self when he saw Nicole asleep. As he squinted, he peeked at his tired mother and whispered, “I’m sorry, Mommy.”

Just when the boy extended his hand to caress his mother’s cheek, a man showed up at the door and had his eyes glued onto the boy. When Hayden turned around, he saw Colton staring at him.

At that moment, Colton curled his lips upward and slowly walked closer to the bed to comfort Nicole before he wrapped his arms around Hayden and carried him. Then, he took the child to his own room, squinting as he spoke in a deep voice.

“Why are you pretending to act like a fool?” In fact, Colton had long seen through Hayden’s pretense, but since he had no idea what the boy was up to, he decided not to expose the child and instead observed him first.

Meanwhile, Hayden decided that it was perhaps time for him to come clean since Colton had already seen through him. At the same time, the man looked at the boy in a surprised manner due to the intimidating aura that the child was giving off despite his young age.

That’s my boy! That’s the kind of spirit you should have even though you’re still a kid! Colton complimented Hayden on the inside while looking at the child.

“Someone is trying to harm me,” Hayden replied, his eyes looking sober.

Colton furrowed his eyebrows and fixed his gaze upon the boy, asking, “Who is trying to harm you?”

Hayden pursed his lips and hesitated for a while before he answered, “It’s Queenie.”

“How sure are you?” Colton asked, fixing his eyes on the boy after remaining silent for a few moments.

“I’m eighty-percent sure,” Hayden answered.

“Are you trying to fool her into lowering her guard by playing dumb?” Colton asked, wondering if Hayden’s idea would work out.

I don’t care who the culprit is, but Julia said that someone tried to kill Hayden, although whoever did that failed to do so. Nevertheless, now that Hayden is acting like a child who is mentally unsound, he wouldn’t pose a threat to whoever wants him dead.

Hayden rolled his eyes upward and grunted. “I know you managed to get a man with the same name as yours, but she still has no idea what’s going on. Thus, she is dreaming of marrying you, which is what makes me an obstacle in her way. After all, I’m your son.”

Surprisingly, this kid does have a point. Colton agreed with Hayden as he was able to see the situation from his perspective. “Are you saying that she’s trying to get rid of you so that she can marry into the Gardner Family?” Colton asked. Despite the rhetorical question, he sounded firm and certain.

 

Chapter 503 Don’t Worry About Him

“You don’t say! I’m trying to play dumb while waiting for her to make a mistake so that I can catch her red-handed,” Hayden answered.

Upon hearing the kid’s reply, Colton was surprised by Hayden’s wits, wondering why he had failed to notice his son’s intelligence all this while. However, he quickly shifted the focus of their topic as he stared at the boy and asked, “What about your mother? Do you know how disappointed and heartbroken she is to see you become so mentally ill?”

Hayden kept his head down in a guilty and sympathetic manner when he was reminded of Nicole. At the thought of his mother’s tearful look, he couldn’t help but feel a stab of pain in his chest.

However, he knew he had no choice but to play dumb, or his enemy would immediately come after him. “I’m sure Queenie is behind his, and the only way to catch her red-handed is for me to be patient while playing dumb,” Hayden said confidently.

Colton sighed upon hearing his son’s words as he begrudgingly acknowledged Hayden’s quick wits despite his young age. “In that case, do what you think is right, but mark my words, boy—don’t disappoint your mother.”

As Hayden imagined Nicole’s angry look once she discovered that he was playing dumb, he rolled his eyes around with a sympathetic look on his face. He then grabbed Colton by the latter’s sleeve, pitifully calling out to the man. “Daddy…”

Colton looked down and fixed his gaze upon the child, his left eyelid twitching non-stop as he had a feeling that Hayden was up to something. Thus, he pursed his lips and carried the boy in his arms. “Speak up your mind. What’s the matter?”

Hayden curled his lips upward, showing a sweet and innocent smile. As he stared at Colton, he slowly began to express his feelings on the inside. “Daddy, I think this is how I’m going to ‘recover’.

You’ll find an antidote at some point and give that to me in the future. After taking the medication, I’ll recover and become normal again.” Perhaps Mommy won’t find out that I’ve been playing dumb this way. Therefore, she won’t be angry.

Colton was amused when he heard his son’s suggestion. Seriously? This kid even has a plan to cover his tracks, doesn’t he? The man raised his eyebrows, smiling ambiguously while asking, “Why should I help you?”

Hayden pouted, seizing Colton’s sleeve with both of his hands as he spoke in a childish manner. “Because you’re my Daddy.”

As soon as Colton heard Hayden’s words, his mood was lifted because he was happy to hear how his son referred to him as his father. At that moment, he finally understood why Hayden was so well liked by his mother and sister, for the child was an absolute sweet talker. The next moment, Colton rubbed Hayden’s nose with a smile. “This is the last time.”

Hayden’s smile faded away when Colton finally agreed to help him. He then patted the man’s shoulder and said, “Take me back to where I was, then. It won’t be good if Mommy finds me missing.”

Feeling helpless, Colton had no choice but to carry Hayden back to where they were. However, just when they were about to walk through the door, they bumped into Nicole, who happened to wake up not long ago.

Nevertheless, Hayden was quick enough to play it off by pretending to be ill again, weakly resting his head on Colton’s shoulder. At the same time, Nicole walked closer to the father and son and fixed her gaze on the child, who in turn had his eyes glued to the man.

“He wanted to use the bathroom when I came in, so I took him there,” Colton explained.

Nicole believed Colton’s words as she carried the boy who was pretending to be asleep in her arms and put him on the bed. “Thank you.”

Colton curled his lips upward and waved his hand. “I’m Hayden’s father, so don’t mention it.” He then paused and gazed at Nicole’s heartbroken look, adding, “No matter what becomes of Hayden in the future, I’ll always be a good father to him and love him unconditionally.

The Gardner Family has a professional medical team on standby, so perhaps I could get them to work on a cure. Thus, don’t worry too much about him.”

Chapter 504 I Will Cooperate

Although Anna had done her best to keep the news from spreading out, Queenie still received word about Hayden’s status, knowing that he was alive but mentally ill.

That kid is pretty strong-willed, isn’t he? Anyway, I suppose there is nothing to worry about since he is now mentally ill. After all, I’m sure the Gardner Family will not appoint an unsound child to be their heir.

At the thought of that, Queenie couldn’t help but feel gleeful until she heard another news that Anna wanted to investigate everyone who visited the Gardner Family that day.

At that moment, Queenie’s face darkened; she knew her plan to marry Colton would be ruined if she was found to be responsible for Hayden’s ‘tragedy’. Thus, she quickly packed her belongings and made her way to the Gardner Residence.

In fact, she wanted to go there to see whether Hayden had really gone nuts as rumored. Desperate to answer the question in her mind, she picked up her pace and hurried to her destination.

When Queenie arrived at the Gardner Residence, the place was filled with nothing but silence. At the same time, there were more bodyguards than there were before at the door as some of them were even seen patrolling around the courtyard.

Judging from the eerie silence, Queenie believed that something must have gone wrong in the Gardner Family. Thus, she scurried toward the entrance, only to be stopped by the bodyguards there, but instead of giving in to them, she glared at the men with her hands on her waist, grunting unhappily. “Open your goddamn eyes! I’m Colton’s wife, the young mistress of the Gardner Family. Why are you stopping me?!”

However, the bodyguards appeared a little hesitant because Anna had instructed them not to allow outsiders into the mansion, yet they had no idea whether Queenie was supposed to be considered an outsider due to her claims.

Just when Queenie was making a scene at the entrance, Colton showed up out of nowhere and looked at Queenie while saying, “Let her in.”

Queenie was happy, thinking Colton was defusing the situation for her. Thus, she smiled brightly and scurried closer to the man while trying to seize his arm, but Colton subtly avoided her reach. Nonetheless, Queenie didn’t seem dismayed at all as she smiled at Colton and said, “Thanks for the help back there, Colton, or I’d still be stuck like a clown.”

Upon hearing the lady’s skittish response, Colton wasn’t agitated at all as he walked Queenie into the house and replied, “Don’t mention it. My mother wants to have everyone who visited the Gardner Residence yesterday investigated, and you happen to be among them.”

Despite Colton’s calm tone, Queenie still felt panicky on the inside, but nonetheless, she did her best to pull herself together and asked, “Yesterday? Oh, I did come here yesterday. I was waiting for you to return, but when you didn’t show up, I decided to leave right after dinner. What happened?”

Meanwhile, Colton fixed his eyes on Queenie’s face as the lady played dumb, admitting that she was a good pretender because he could not see anything wrong with her expressions thus far.

“Someone drugged Hayden, and my mother was exasperated when she learned about that. Thus, she is determined to get to the bottom of the truth,” Colton answered in a deep voice, a glacial look flashing across his face.

In the meantime, Queenie pretended to look shocked, covering her lips while exclaiming in surprise. She then gazed at Colton, trying to show her concern for Hayden. “W-What? How can this be? Hayden is Nicole’s entire world. If anything happens to that poor boy, what is she going to do?”

Colton squinted while keeping his eyes on Queenie’s gaze, only to quickly look away. “We don’t know who’s behind this at the moment, so we’re going to investigate every single person who visited the Gardner Residence yesterday—you included.”

Queenie bit her lips, pretending to look innocent by keeping her head slightly down. Then, she said in a hushed tone, “Alright, I understand that it’s necessary.

I will cooperate with Mrs. Gardner.” Queenie then changed the topic and looked at Colton, asking, “I’m worried about Hayden, Colton. Can I see him now?”

 

Chapter 505 What Have You Done to Hayden?

Staring at Queenie’s hypocritical look, Colton grunted coldly on the inside while maintaining a nonchalant expression on his face. While he was initially skeptical about Hayden’s speculation that Queenie was trying to harm him, the lady’s fake acting confirmed his suspicion.

“Sure, Hayden is in his room on the second floor. You can take a look at him there. Meet me here when you’re done.” Colton showed no interest in accompanying Queenie to visit Hayden.

Queenie nodded and made her way upstairs while Colton stood there for a while before heading to the stairs on the other side. Knowing where Hayden’s room was, Queenie made sure there was no one else around and decided to stop pretending.

Upon arriving at the child’s room, she opened the door and was able to immediately hear incoherent moans. Queenie then took a closer look at Hayden, noticing his soulless eyes as he drooled with his mouth open like an actual victim suffering from a mental impairment. However, Queenie still remained wary, slowly stepping forward while she called out to the child in a probing manner. “Hayden?”

Hayden didn’t seem to respond, only continuing to clap his hands while moaning incoherently. Seeing that, Queenie knitted her eyebrows and stroked her chin in a puzzled manner.

“Has he really gone nuts? Can’t he even talk now?” She stepped closer to Hayden and kept her eyes on his fair cheeks. Suddenly, an idea flashed across her mind as she stretched out her arm to pinch the child’s waist.

In that instant, Hayden’s eyes were filled with tears shortly before he broke down and cried out loud. As a child, his cry, coupled with his high-pitched voice, sounded so loud that everyone else nearby could hear him.

In the meantime, Wendy, who was also on the second floor, could hear Hayden’s cry even though she was quite some distance away. As soon as she heard the boy’s cry, she immediately got up and went to investigate the commotion.

On the other hand, Queenie was gleeful to see Hayden crying, thinking the child must have already gone nuts like rumors said. Thus, she quickly pretended to comfort the boy. “Alright, be a good boy, Hayden. Don’t cry. I saw a mosquito on your waist, and I was only trying to catch it.”

Nevertheless, Hayden continued to cry out loud as though he hadn’t heard Queenie’s words at all. In response to the boy’s loud cry, Queenie was helpless and annoyed because she was worried that it would draw the rest of the Gardner Family members to her. She then thought of covering Hayden’s mouth, but before she could do so, she suddenly felt a strange warmth on her body.

When she subconsciously stepped back, she realized Hayden had just peed on her. At that moment, Queenie’s face changed as she almost puked and went weak in her knees, collapsing onto the ground. Thanks to the thick carpet on the floor, the pain she felt from the fall was still bearable.

Queenie was frustrated, pointing at Hayden with a pair of flustered cheeks. “You… You son of a b*tch! How dare you pee on me! I… I…” Queenie was so mad that she could barely speak, only pointing at Hayden while shivering from head to toe. This idiotic b*stard!

Just as Queenie was about to teach Hayden a lesson, Wendy came in and saw the boy crying on the bed. Thus, she immediately walked up to the child to check on him, asking him worriedly, “Are you alright, Hayden? Tell me what happened.”

As soon as the bedroom door opened, Hayden’s cry instantly echoed through every corner downstairs. Anna, who was busy questioning the suspects downstairs, quickly rose from her seat, her face changing at once. “Hurry up and help me get upstairs. Hayden is crying.”

On the other hand, Hayden was crying and shaking like a leaf while wrapping his arms around Wendy. Seeing Hayden’s tearfulness, Wendy glared at Queenie and questioned her angrily. “What have you done to Hayden?!” she bellowed.

Queenie, who was covered in Hayden’s urine, replied with a darkened look on her face, “You should probably ask him that question instead. He just peed on me!”

 

Chapter 506 Damn It

When Wendy saw Queenie in such a mess, she smiled and mocked her. “That serves you right!” Upon hearing the lady’s words, Queenie was unhappy yet helpless since there was nothing she could do to Hayden with Wendy around.

When Anna arrived, she saw the tearful Hayden resting his head on Wendy’s shoulder. Feeling sympathetic for her grandson, she quickly walked up to them and asked, “What’s wrong? Why is Hayden crying?”

Wendy glared at Queenie and replied, “Who else do you think is to blame? You might want to ask that lady over there.”

Queenie’s face went pale as she explained, “No, it’s not what it seems. I didn’t do anything to him. It was Hayden. He peed on me.”

Wendy, who had been unhappy with Queenie all the while, sniggered in response to the latter’s explanation. “He wouldn’t have peed on you if you hadn’t bullied him. This is happening because of you!”

Soon, Hayden tearfully raised his arm, revealing a red mark on his waist. Due to his fair skin, the red mark that Queenie left behind after pinching him was obvious. Worried for the kid, Anna immediately came closer and lifted Hayden’s shirt to take a closer look at the red mark. “What happened?!” she asked in a stern voice, glaring at Queenie.

Queenie was stunned when she met Anna’s intimidating gaze, stammering while trying to explain herself. She said, “W-Well, Hayden accidentally fell and cried, but when I carried him, he just lost control of himself and peed on me.”

Anna gave Queenie a skeptical look, but since Hayden couldn’t talk properly, there was no way for her to prove Queenie’s words. As Hayden continued to cry tearfully, Anna came closer to comfort the boy until he started to calm down.

However, since his emotions had fluctuated too much when he was crying just now, he couldn’t stop shivering even after his cry let up.

Soon, Colton showed up at the door and saw the mess in the room, knitting his eyebrows at the sight of that. He then walked closer and carried Hayden in his arms, subsequently noticing the red mark on his waist.

The next second, he naturally shifted his gaze to Queenie in a cold manner, and the woman felt chills when she met his eyes. Queenie approached the man to explain herself, but much to her surprise, Colton stepped back.

She quickly realized that she was covered in Hayden’s urine, so she stood from a distance and spoke to Colton. “I didn’t do anything, Colton. Hayden fell down by himself.”

With Hayden in his arms, Colton only glanced at Queenie indifferently and turned his attention to Anna. “Mom, I’m going to give Hayden a shower and tend to his bruise.”

“Go ahead. Make sure we don’t miss out on any other wounds.” Anna nodded.

At the same time, Wendy also stepped closer to Hayden and rubbed the boy’s head, comforting him. “It’s okay, Hayden. Everything is going to be alright. That mad lady isn’t going to hurt you. I’m right here to protect you.”

Meanwhile, Queenie was annoyed and resentful, thinking Hayden didn’t deserve to be treated so well because he was no longer a child with a sound mind. Why does everyone in the Gardner Family still treat him so well? A child who is mentally ill will only be a liability to the Gardner Family!

As soon as Colton left with Hayden in his arms, Anna turned around and glimpsed at Queenie, looking at her with a pair of furrowed eyebrows. “You look like a mess. Get changed in the guest room at once.” As soon as she finished her words, the old lady left the room right away.

Queenie was left clenching her fists angrily and helplessly, restraining herself from speaking her mind as she watched Anna walk away before taking her eyes off the old lady. Nevertheless, she was grateful deep down that Hayden had already gone nuts, thinking the boy would have complained about her if he had been in a sound mind.

After that, Queenie took a look at herself, frustrated with the fact that she was covered in pee all over her body. Damn! Now, all my makeup is ruined. At the thought of that, Queenie felt her anger surging through her and taking over her mind. Damn it!

 

Chapter 507 Gotten Carried Away

In the meantime, Colton carried Hayden to another room. After making sure they were alone, Hayden stopped pretending and pouted, placing one hand on Colton’s face. “How wicked that lady is! She pinched me so hard that I nearly died! You have no idea how much it hurt me!” Hayden recounted what happened while rubbing his waist.

Colton chuckled in response and asked, “So, did you deliberately pee on her?”

Hayden responded with a cold grunt, thinking he would have retaliated against Queenie if he hadn’t pretended to be mentally ill. “That lady wanted to make me suffer.

If Aunt Wendy hadn’t shown up just in time, she would have tortured me to death. Don’t let her in next time. I still have a long way to go, and I don’t want to die young!” Despite his young age, the boy expressed his words maturely like a grown man.

Colton kept a straight face and carried the boy to the bathroom. As he was about to take off Hayden’s clothes, the child covered his lower body with his hands, his face blushing in embarrassment. “I can do this myself. Give me some space here.”

Finding that laughable, Colton fixed his eyes on his son from behind and raised his eyebrows as he grabbed Hayden by the collar. “I’m your father, so what’s there to be ashamed of? Furthermore, why weren’t you shy when your mother showered you?”

“Mommy has been showering me ever since I was little, but the same cannot be said for you.” Hayden made his point unhappily.

Upon hearing Hayden’s words, Colton couldn’t help but reflect on his past. Although Hayden was indeed his son, he couldn’t deny the fact that he had not been a good father to him.

Nevertheless, he went on to take off the boy’s shirt and said, “Come on, don’t be shy. Have you forgotten about our first time when we met at the airport? You even complimented me, didn’t you?”

At the same time, Hayden was reminded of the first time he met Colton in the bathroom. Back then, the boy even complimented his manhood to gain his favor. “That’s different. Now, would you please leave me alone? I can handle myself in a shower.” Hayden covered himself, his cheeks red.

Colton laughed in amusement, glimpsing the adorable child as he eventually decided to let go of him. “Well, you’re still a kid, and you will only understand it when you grow up.

Anyway, I shall leave you to it now. Make it snappy, and holler at me if you need anything. I’ll just be outside.” The man walked away after finishing his words.

After that, Hayden went on to take a shower and wrapped himself with a big towel when he was done. Then, he opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom, only to see Colton standing at the door.

The next moment, the man carried the boy onto the bed and helped dry his hair with the hair dryer. Meanwhile, Hayden only kept his head down in embarrassment without showing any signs of resistance.

Colton then went on to fix Hayden’s hair, whereupon the child put on his clothes before the duo walked out of the room. After Hayden put on his clothes, Colton applied some ointment on his waist and carried him downstairs.

When Anna saw Colton and Hayden coming downstairs, she immediately walked closer to them and expressed her concern about her grandson. “How is Hayden?”

Colton shook his head and said, “No big deal besides the red mark on his waist.”

In the meantime, Hayden continued to rest his head on Colton’s shoulder with his eyes closed, his blushed cheeks and faint tear stains making him look sympathetic and pitiful.

At the same time, Queenie was also done changing as she stepped forward and bitterly made up an excuse for herself. “Considering his current state, the poor boy must have gotten carried away more easily than usual. That was how he fell and bumped into the ground.”

Little did Queenie know that Hayden rolled his eyes upward in disgust, although he continued to rest his head on Colton’s shoulder without responding any further.

 

Chapter 508 Didn’t Leave

When Anna heard what Queenie said, she couldn’t help but get angry. She sent Queenie a cold glare and said in a low voice, “You are an adult, so how can you not know when to keep quiet?”

Queenie changed her expression, then instantly realized Anna was mad because she had said that Hayden was stupid.

She clenched her fists. She couldn’t understand why the Gardners would favor a stupid child so much!

However, now was not the time to be fussy. Queenie curved her lips and apologized, “S-Sorry, I should’ve watched my mouth.”

Earlier on, Queenie had intended to remind Anna that this child was a lost case, and if Anna wanted an obedient grandchild, she could only put her hopes on the child in Queenie’s belly.

Sadly, Anna was very protective of her own family, so she couldn’t tolerate a single bad word about Hayden.

Anna glanced at Queenie, then averted her gaze to look at Hayden’s face.

Hayden hadn’t fallen asleep, but he didn’t make a fuss as he lay quietly against Colton’s shoulder.

Anna couldn’t help but recall when she first interacted with Hayden. This little child was extremely adorable back then, and he would totter behind her and keep calling her ‘Grandma’.

Colton had been cool and distant even from a young age. He wasn’t likable even as a child, and he would just call her ‘Mom’ indifferently whenever he saw her.

She caressed Hayden’s head lovingly. “Hayden must be tired now. Take him upstairs to rest.”

With that, she turned around and looked at Queenie.

“Also, don’t come near my grandson ever again. If you do anything to him, I won’t forgive you.”

Queenie watched as Colton turned around and went up the stairs, hastily explaining, “Mrs. Gardner, it really wasn’t me. This child is now out of his mind, and he doesn’t know anything. No one knows when he’d suddenly act up and get himself hurt.”

When she heard Queenie say again that Hayden was stupid, Anna’s expression darkened completely. She was extremely dissatisfied as she glared at Queenie and reprimanded, “Enough! Why do you keep insisting that he’s stupid? What are you plotting?”

Queenie went pale in the face as she hastily shook her head and said, “No, Mrs. Gardner, please don’t misunderstand. I am now Colton’s wife, so I have no need to do those things. Moreover, I’m even pregnant with—”

Anna slightly closed her eyes, waving her hand a little tiredly.

“Never mind, I’m not concerning myself with you and Colton. However, you shall not enter the Gardner Residence ever again. I don’t like you.”

Faced with such obvious disdain from Anna, Queenie had an extremely foul expression on her face.

She clenched her fists, but she felt fortunate that Anna hadn’t suspected her.

Now that Hayden had gone stupid and Colton was about to marry her, Nicole posed no threat to her at all.

Queenie relaxed. After all this hassle, she would be married to Colton in less than five days. She had to keep her calm.

“Mrs. Gardner, since you don’t like me, I’ll take my leave now.”

Queenie lowered her gaze and was about to leave as soon as she finished speaking. However, before she could leave, Anna suddenly called out and halted her.

“By the way, you were in the Gardner Residence yesterday as well. Did you go up to the rooms on the second floor?”

Faced with Anna’s query, Queenie was so startled that she broke out in cold sweat. However, she managed to keep her calm and hid all traces of panic.

Queenie shook her head.

“No, I only wanted to wait in the Gardner Residence for Colton’s return. I was downstairs all the time, and I left after dinner. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the security guards at the entrance.”

Anna looked at Queenie suspiciously, but in the end, she didn’t say anything. She simply gave a nonchalant response and left.

Queenie discreetly let out a relieved sigh, glad that she wasn’t found out.

 

Chapter 509 To the Hospital

Over the next few days, Nicole spent most of her time researching the so-called ‘Z’ medicine with Julia. However, she hadn’t made any progress.

Still, there was news from the research center that the vaccine they previously researched had attained significant success, and it worked quite well in many tests. They would hold a press conference in a few days to announce this great news.

Nicole wasn’t too happy about it, though. At the moment, her entire focus was on Hayden. Now that Hayden had turned into this, she had to find a way to save him!

During the experimentation process, Julia suddenly frowned in discomfort, but she didn’t make a sound. She wanted to take a break before continuing with the experiment.

However, the pain coming from her stomach was so great that she couldn’t help but whimper. By the time Nicole noticed it, Julia’s face was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Nicole hastily went over to check. Julia’s face was terribly pale, and her lips were also white as she tightly clenched her teeth.

Nicole quickly found a stool and let Julia take a seat. Then, she began examining Julia in detail.

Julia was in so much pain that her face turned pale. She was a doctor in this field, so she had an overall understanding of her condition. She reached out and took Nicole’s hand, saying weakly, “Nicole, maybe… maybe it’s the child in my tummy.”

Nicole was surprised. Julia had been staying with her for research for so long that she almost forgot Julia was pregnant.

When she saw Julia gasp painfully for air, she felt remorseful as she helped Julia up and said quickly, “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“Nicole, I… Ah!”

Julia was about to decline when she felt another shot of pain in her tummy, and she couldn’t help but yelp.

Nicole’s expression was very serious as she took Julia’s hand and said, “Julia, the child comes first. I am to blame for not considering the fact that you’re pregnant. Let’s quickly go to the hospital now.”

Nicole was insistent, and she didn’t even give Julia a chance to protest as she took the latter to the hospital right away.

Julia was sent to the emergency room. Richard rushed here after receiving the news, and when he saw Nicole, he asked with reddened eyes, “Where’s Julia? How is she?”

Nicole looked at Richard and hesitated. In the end, she didn’t say anything.

Richard was instantly furious as he grabbed Nicole’s collar, his eyes red as he questioned, “What exactly happened to Julia? I know that Julia has been doing research with you these days, and she’s pregnant too. Those medicines would certainly have an effect on her!”

Nicole never thought that Richard would know all these. She pursed her lips and reached out, pushing Richard away. Then, she lowered her gaze and said, “Richard, the child in Julia’s tummy has nothing to do with you. Since you’re willing to marry into the Zuniga Family, quit pretending to care about Julia now!”

Richard looked furiously at Nicole’s face, which was filled with disdain. He wanted to step forward, but as he gazed at Nicole’s foul expression, he couldn’t say the words he wanted to.

He darkened his gaze, then simply asked in the end, “How is Julia’s condition right now? I am the child’s father, and I have the right to know no matter what.”

Nicole closed her eyes, her attitude softening.

“She’s still in the emergency room. We’ll have to wait until the doctor comes out.”

Richard didn’t say anything else. He leaned against the wall, overwhelmed with a huge sense of helplessness. He reached up to cover his face, which was shrouded with pain.

Previously, Colton had suggested to get someone to seduce Christi. Joshua had already carried out the mission, but it didn’t seem to amount to anything. Christi was still treating him like that.

Looking at Julia’s condition right now, he wanted more than anything to see Christi and explain clearly to her that he didn’t like her at all. They were together simply because her father had forced them to.

However, when he thought about the Jenkins Family, he grew cowardly again.

 

Chapter 510 Thankfully Alright

At this moment, Richard felt the most helpless and lost. The elders in the family never forced him to do anything. In university, he had resolutely chosen to study medicine.

When his family found out, they didn’t object. Instead, they smiled and told him, “Studying medicine is good. When we have a doctor in the family in the future, we’ll feel more relaxed no matter what sickness we get.”

Meanwhile, the Jenkins ran a company focused on interior design. Even though they couldn’t compare to the Gardners, they were still quite well-known in the country.

Now, he felt as if he were standing at the edge of the cliff, and a sheer drop with unfathomable depths was ahead of him. Behind him was a pack of ferocious and hungry wolves, yet he couldn’t step forward nor backward.

Richard swallowed, but he didn’t say anything in the end. He held his head between his hands as he waited outside the emergency room.

Fortunately, Julia was sent to the hospital on time, so she wasn’t in serious danger. The doctor walked out with a grave expression and looked up to ask, “Who’s the family member?”

Nicole hadn’t even answered when Richard stepped forward first. With a stride, he went right up to the doctor and said, “Me.”

The doctor glanced at Richard and said blamingly, “You’re an adult now, so why don’t you know that pregnant women aren’t supposed to come into contact with poison? Even if precautions were taken, she’s still pregnant with a child, so she cannot touch even a sliver of poison!”

Richard nodded, giving a quick response. Still, he didn’t say anything more.

Right after that, Julia was wheeled out. She still looked a little weak, but she was alright now.

She obviously saw Richard as well, for she didn’t look too happy to see him. She then simply looked at Nicole and said, “Nicole, I’ll be fine, so head on back. Hayden still needs you.”

Nicole was rather hesitant. Since Julia was pregnant now, she didn’t have much contact with her family. Nicole couldn’t let Julia stay in the hospital alone.

Just as Nicole was hesitating, Richard, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke up.

“I’ll take care of Julia. Don’t worry.”

Julia closed her eyes. Even though she didn’t really like Richard, she nodded so that Nicole could stop worrying.

Nicole glanced at Richard. She felt that she couldn’t be of much help here, and it was time for Richard and Julia to have a proper talk with each other.

At the thought of this, Nicole closed her eyes and nodded, saying, “Okay, I’ll be going back now. Give me a call if anything happens, Julia.”

Julia responded quietly.

Nicole dragged herself back home. As soon as she returned, she heard Wendy complaining that Queenie had came into the house and even hurt Hayden. When Nicole heard that, she immediately perked up and hastily went upstairs to have a look.

She ran into Hayden’s room, but Hayden wasn’t there. She then turned around and headed for Colton’s room.

Upon opening the door, she found Hayden sleeping on Colton’s bed.

Colton’s room was simple, and it was completely bare save for some necessary furniture.

On the large, dark gray bed was a small bump of a person’s body. Meanwhile, Colton was sitting at the desk by the window, working on something on his laptop.

The sound of the door opening was crystal clear in the quiet room. Colton turned around when he heard the noise, and when he saw that it was Nicole, he closed his laptop and looked at her.

Nicole looked at Hayden on the bed, then tiptoed her way over there. She drew back the blanket and carefully lifted his clothes. Just as expected, there was a large reddish area on his waist.

Even though ointment was already applied on it, the child’s skin was very soft, so the mark hadn’t disappeared yet.

Nicole frowned, then carefully pulled up the blankets again. She turned to look at Colton, saying in a hushed voice, “Can we talk outside?”

Colton nodded and followed Nicole out.

As soon as they went out the door, Nicole asked right away, “What’s with the injury on Hayden’s body?”