Once they arrived at the hospital, Samuel was taken to the examination room.
Due to Dolores’ unstable mood, the doctor didn’t allow her to enter.
She leaned against the corridor wall, relying on it to keep herself upright.
Matthew sat on a nearby chair, silently observing without attempting to persuade or comfort her.
After witnessing the blood on Samuel’s face, Dolores was on the verge of collapsing. Even the smallest matter could push her over the edge.
Suddenly, the door of the examination room swung open, and the doctor emerged. He removed his mask and inquired, “Who is the family member?”
“I am,” Dolores quickly walked over and asked anxiously, “Is he alright?”
“It’s just a superficial wound. He must have bumped his head, causing the bleeding. I’ve cleaned the wound, and his face needs to be iced for a while to reduce the swelling. I’ll prescribe the medicine for you, which you can pick up on the first floor. You can take him home,” the doctor explained.
“Thank you. Thank you,” Dolores expressed her gratitude repeatedly before rushing into the examination room. Samuel was lying on the bed, his face cleaned of blood. It was still swollen, with the imprint of five fingers visible, and a bandage adorned his forehead. He was awake.
As he caught sight of Dolores, he called out, “Mommy!”
“Samuel!” Dolores rushed to hold his hand, relieved that he was alright.
With teary eyes, she reached out and gently caressed his cheek, her thumb stroking it with concern. “Thank God! You’re safe.”
“I’m fine, Mommy. Nothing will happen to me,” Samuel reassured, wiping the tears from Dolores’ eyes. “Don’t cry, Mommy. I’m completely fine.”
Dolores lowered her head, burying her face in his embrace, her shoulders trembling slightly.
A muffled whimper escaped her lips.
Meanwhile, Matthew stood at the door of the examination room, watching them.
He had never witnessed Dolores cry like this, her sobs stifled, her tears suppressed.
She could only swallow her tears, afraid of upsetting Samuel with her loud weeping.
Something tugged at his heartstrings, and a deep gaze filled his eyes as he observed them.
At the door, Samuel made the ‘OK’ gesture with his fingers, signaling Matthew.
Matthew smiled in response, reciprocating the gesture.
Then he entered the room and said, “We can go back now.”
Dolores lifted her head, wiped her face, and then picked up Samuel. “Let’s go, Mommy will take you home.”
Samuel wrapped his arms around her neck, feeling her warmth.
As they reached the first floor, Matthew went to collect the prescribed medicine. Suddenly, his mobile phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a message from Boyce.
He tapped to read the message: [Watch the news.]
The message included a link to a news article.
He clicked on it.
The article displayed a striking image of the scene where Samuel was rescued in the village. The headline read: “City B’s Jewelry Tycoon, the Herbert Siblings, Kidnap Five-Year-Old Child for Blackmail!”
With the rapidity of the internet, any slight disturbance that found its way online was bound to spread quickly, especially when it involved the wealthy and powerful mistreating ordinary people.
Such news easily captured attention, particularly when the victim was a five-year-old child.
The blood on Samuel’s face in the photo evoked a surge of empathy from many.
Even among those arranged by Abbott, the comments were overwhelmingly one-sided.
“The Herbert family bullying a child? Have they lost their conscience?”
“In this society, the rich and powerful think they can use their money to bully even a child? Why didn’t he die? People like him should be run over by cars as soon as they step out.”
“They must face severe punishment. Their wealth shouldn’t exempt them from consequences. Two adults bullying a child? They should be shot.”
The comments were filled with intensity.
Some individuals intentionally overlooked the reasons behind the Herbert family’s pursuit of a child, focusing solely on their act of bullying.
Children are vulnerable, and people naturally sympathize with them.
A slight smirk appeared on Landon’s lips. The Herbert family must be aware of the consequences now, he thought.
Inside the Herbert family…
Smash!
The only sounds echoing through the living room were the crashing of shattered objects.
The entire room fell into silence.
Landon had destroyed everything in sight, leaving a chaotic mess behind.
Sampson and Maria stood by the door, trembling with fear.
They had never witnessed Landon this furious before.
Seething with anger, he pointed his finger at the Herbert siblings standing nearby. “You two are certainly capable, but only when it comes to causing trouble!”
Warner stood beside them, restraining Camilla from advancing any further. Landon was so enraged that it was clear anyone who approached would become cannon fodder.
He was also disappointed in his younger siblings.
Shouldering responsibility as a family only brought about trouble.
This time, the Herbert family’s reputation was utterly tarnished.
It would have been more surprising if Landon hadn’t been furious.
“Both of you, get out of here! The Herbert family doesn’t need useless individuals like you, who accomplish nothing and ruin everything!” Landon’s chest heaved with each heavy breath.
“We were doing it for the family’s sake…”
Landon seized the telephone from the table and hurled it toward Maria, who was speaking.
“Shut up!”
“What do you mean, ‘good for the family’?” Landon trembled with anger. His face turned red, and his voice dripped with bone-chilling scorn. “What do you take Matthew Nelson for? Just because his current love interest marries someone else, he’ll come running back to marry you?”
He truly wanted to crack open her head and peer into her thoughts.
“Are you out of your mind? Even if every woman in this world perishes, he still won’t marry you. Didn’t you see his determination when he broke off the engagement? He pierced your heart with a knife so effortlessly. If he had even a sliver of affection for you, he wouldn’t have been so resolute.”
“No, no…” Maria refused to accept reality. “As long as that woman marries someone else, Matthew will undoubtedly agree to be engaged to me.”
“Wake up! Stop daydreaming and manipulating people! Can’t you see that you’ve provoked his anger?” Warner, with his experience in the business world, had some knowledge of Matthew.
He wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
And to harm one of his own?
It was akin to seeking death!
“Are you suggesting that he leaked this news?” Sampson, who had remained silent until now, seemed to comprehend his brother’s implication.
Back in the village, Boyce had treated them kindly and allowed them to return.
It turned out to be a hidden ploy.
Warner snorted disdainfully. “How else do you think public opinion became overwhelmingly negative within a couple of hours? And if no one was secretly spreading this, how could it have reached such a point of exposure?”
He pointed to the headline on the news. “Look, every word, every sentence is targeting the Herbert family.”
Landon’s anger subsided slightly at that moment. He had already suspected that someone was intentionally behind this; otherwise, the news wouldn’t have spread so rapidly.
Now, he had to pay a visit to the Nelson family.
Gazing at his foolish and carefree children, his anger intensified. “Why am I getting angry at you two? You don’t even possess one-tenth of Warner’s sensibility. Every day, you create trouble for me to clean up.”