Sampson’s hand froze mid-air. Money couldn’t bring him happiness.
Dolores opened and closed her mouth without uttering a word. She couldn’t bring herself to ask the question that lingered in her mind, “Is Maria, the woman you mentioned earlier, your girlfriend?”
But it seemed that Sampson didn’t want anyone to bring up that topic.
So, she refrained from asking.
Sampson lifted his head and noticed the imprint of five fingers on her face. He furrowed his brow and asked with compassion, “Who did this to you?”
Dolores had no idea, but she suspected it might have been Helen, considering she posed the greatest threat to that woman. Helen was afraid of Dolores getting close to Matthew.
“I have no proof.” It was merely her assumption, far from being the definitive answer.
Sampson reached out, intending to caress her face, but Dolores instinctively recoiled. Though he hadn’t made contact, Sampson felt a twinge of disappointment, yet he feigned annoyance, saying, “What? Can’t I touch your face?”
Dolores didn’t mean to dodge his touch; it was simply that she subconsciously disliked being touched by men.
Sampson smoothed her hair. “Lola, you seemed shy just now.” Then his expression darkened. “The wounds on your knees…”
Though her bones were unharmed, the surface wounds were quite severe.
“Try to bear it.” He had cleaned the wounds earlier, and now they needed to be bandaged. The application of medicine would inevitably cause some pain.
Dolores nodded. When Sampson had cleaned her wounds, the pain had been intense, but she had gritted her teeth, enduring the sharp sensation. She had known all along that for certain kinds of pain, she alone had to bear it; no one else could substitute for her.
No one would show her pity!
She had no choice but to remain stoic!
“Okay.” She pursed her lips tightly.
Sampson glanced at her for a moment, trying to lighten the mood. “If you can’t bear it, you can bite my arm.”
Dolores smiled in agreement, but deep down, she carried a heavy burden. Since Helen’s plan had been thwarted this time, she wondered if Helen had other schemes up her sleeve.
Dolores suddenly found herself with nothing.
How could she possibly stand up against Helen?
Sampson, his head bowed as he applied the medicine to her wounds, didn’t notice her strange expression. Worried that she might be in pain, he tried to distract her by engaging in conversation. “Don’t worry, this medicine won’t harm the baby in your belly.”
Dolores nodded.
Sampson truly cared for her.
She gently caressed her belly. For now, this child brought her immense solace.
The baby was safe.
She felt no discomfort or abdominal pain.
Her baby was courageous and resilient.
“You can rest here tonight.” After bandaging her wounds, Sampson stood up and noticed sweat on her forehead. “Let me know if you need any help. After all, we are close friends, like siblings.”
Dolores nodded. Her primary concern now was to find out if Helen White was behind the events that had transpired tonight.
Considering that she also worked in the company, and her position was near Helen’s, it would be convenient for her to investigate.
Sampson rose to his feet, walked to the bathroom, and returned with a basin of water to wipe away her sweat and the cold compress on her face.
“Who have you offended?” Sampson inquired, observing her swollen face. The person who had done this seemed truly heartless.
Dolores pondered for a moment before responding, “I have no evidence, but I suspect it might be Helen White, Matthew’s girlfriend. She seems to hold grudges against me because I married Matthew.”
Sampson felt a pang of unease when he thought about Dolores’ marriage to Matthew. Fortunately, they would be divorcing in a month. “Let me take care of you from now on.”
Once Dolores divorced Matthew, he would confess his feelings to her.
He would be there for her in the future, shielding her from harm.
Dolores didn’t quite catch his words and replied nonchalantly, her voice slightly nasal.
She didn’t return and spent the entire night at the villa. On one hand, she was unfamiliar with the area, and on the other hand, she had experienced something thrilling that day.
Restless, she woke up early in the morning.
Sampson had been considerate enough to buy her new clothes since the ones she wore yesterday were tattered.
“It’s a dress. Your legs are injured, and it’s not suitable for you to wear pants,” Sampson handed her the dress.
Wearing pants would rub against her wounds.
The dress was long enough to cover her knees.
Besides her mother, Sampson was the one who treated her the best. However, she felt burdened by such kindness because she didn’t know how to repay it.
“Can you not be so good to me?” she asked in a husky voice.
Sampson smiled casually, “Silly girl, we’re good friends, like siblings. It’s my duty to take care of you. Don’t be so formal with me.”
After saying that, he reached out to stroke her nose. “You’re going to be a mother. Are you still going to cry in front of me?”
Dolores sniffed, smiled at him, and walked into the room with the dress in her hands. She took off the bathrobe and changed into the dress.
After breakfast, Sampson drove her back.
“Go to Golden Bay.” Since there was still some time left, she had to return to her parents’ house. With the rights to develop Repulse Bay, given by Matthew, she would have leverage to negotiate with Randolph.
She had to retrieve those things. Only with money could she fight against those who wanted to set her up.
Though the amount of money wasn’t substantial, it could at least solve her most pressing issue.
Moreover, she had borrowed money from Sampson. Even though he told her not to repay it, she was determined to settle the debt.
Sampson made a U-turn, and the car now headed toward Golden Bay.
The car came to a halt soon after.
Dolores got out of the car. While she could still walk, she felt sharp pain in her knees with every step. She endured the pain and walked toward the courtyard.
In the house, the maids were preparing breakfast, and it seemed like the others hadn’t woken up yet.
“Should I go wake-”
“No need,” Dolores interrupted the maid.
She had lived in this place before. Last time, she had come and gone in a hurry and hadn’t had the chance to enter the room where she used to stay. Although her memories of this place weren’t entirely pleasant, it was still a place she had called home during her childhood.
She had some sentimental attachment to this place.
Dolores went upstairs to the second floor and headed toward the room she once occupied. However, she heard some sounds from inside. She gently pushed the door open and found that Annabelle had taken over the room.
Annabelle was lying on the bed, and Beulah sat by the bedside, looking somewhat disappointed. “I didn’t expect her to run away.”
“What?” Annabelle sat up abruptly, “How did she escape?”
Beulah’s expression darkened, “I was careless with this matter. I thought she was just a girl and that one man would be enough to handle her. But I didn’t expect him to be so useless. He couldn’t even catch a woman!”
Annabelle shouted furiously, “If she’s not ruined, how will Matthew detest her and then divorce her? If they don’t get divorced, how will I get my chance?”
Beulah covered Annabelle’s mouth with her hand, “Lower your voice, or your father might hear us.”
Annabelle spoke in a hushed tone, “But I’m so angry…”
“Aren’t I angry too?” Beulah’s expression turned sinister. “If she wins Matthew Nelson’s favor and seeks revenge on us using the power and influence of the Nelson family, we’ll be in deep trouble.”
“So, we must ruin her now,” Annabelle said fiercely.
Beulah grew more cautious. “We failed this time, and I’m afraid she may have found out. It might be a bit difficult to set her up…”
“You…” Annabelle caught sight of the person standing at the door and jumped off the bed. She pointed at Dolores, speaking with ferocity, “How… How did you get here?”
Dolores had initially thought it was Helen who wanted to set her up, but she hadn’t expected that Beulah and Annabelle were behind the plan.
Beulah was also taken aback when she saw Dolores. “When did you come upstairs? What did you hear?”
Dolores sneered. Beulah had stolen her mother’s husband-her father-and had been exploiting her mother’s dowry. She simply wanted to reclaim her mother and her rightful possessions.
But she hadn’t anticipated that Beulah would stoop so low as to ruin her!
How ironic!
They were afraid she would use the power and influence of the Nelson family?
“What did I hear?” Dolores sneered, locking eyes with Beulah. “I heard everything I needed to hear. I heard every word you spoke!”