“Mr. Reeves, I believe this lady’s condition is quite severe. To be safe, she should undergo a thorough examination at the hospital.”
“No hospital for now,” Garrison Reeves refused without a second thought. The moment he saw Winifred Dawson, he had already decided to hide her away from everyone, especially Leland Burns.
“But… what if her condition worsens?” The doctor was hesitant to say more. He couldn’t fathom Garrison Reeves’ intentions-whether he truly cared for this woman or not. If he did care, why not send her to the hospital immediately? But if he didn’t care, the worry on his face seemed genuine.
Garrison Reeves fell into deep thought, contemplating his next move. He sat by the bed, holding Winifred Dawson’s slender wrist. Her hand and arm were covered in numerous wounds.
As he gently touched the uneven scars, Garrison Reeves felt his heart tremble.
“Find a way to bring medical equipment here and give her a full examination.”
“That’s quite troublesome. It’s a big undertaking.”
“I have money.”
Alright then, you’re the boss if you have money. The doctor said no more.
The hospital wasn’t far from here; it would take less than a day to complete a full body check-up there. Why go through the trouble of extending that time to ten days or half a month?
If this woman needed surgery after the examination, would they set up an operating room here? That would be too much work, and no matter how well they did it, it wouldn’t be as convenient as the hospital. Moreover, if someone found out and reported it to the police, they could be arrested for breaking the law.
Why was Garrison Reeves willing to take such a risk? There was only one explanation: it was for this woman before him. Who was she that she held such an important place in Garrison Reeves’ heart, making him willing to take such risks?
“I’ll have someone prepare a room. Do you need a sterile environment?” Garrison Reeves asked.
“Of course, but that’s quite complicated.”
“I’ll hire professionals to do it.”
“By the way, if her examination reveals other issues that require surgery, will you perform it here?”
“The sterile room is precisely for such preparations. Hopefully, we won’t need it.”
The doctor had nothing more to say. He hadn’t expected Garrison Reeves to consider so much. If surgery was indeed necessary, he alone wouldn’t suffice; they would need several trusted doctors.
Garrison Reeves added, “But at that time, you’ll need to find a few trustworthy doctors who can keep their mouths shut.”
“I understand that. But Mr. Reeves… may I ask who this person is to you?”
Garrison Reeves released Winifred Dawson’s hand. “She is someone very important to me.”
…
Meanwhile, Leland Burns learned that Garrison Reeves had left Peachshire Town overnight.
He wasn’t interested in Garrison Reeves’ whereabouts; it had nothing to do with him. So he didn’t think much of it when he heard the news.
But that night, something else happened-Mrs. Protich had a car accident.
Leland Burns rushed to the hospital overnight. Mrs. Protich was in the emergency room, and outside stood her daughter Lily Thompson.
Lily Thompson received the critical condition notice with trembling hands but hesitated to sign it. Her boyfriend urged her to sign quickly.
With stiff hands, Lily Thompson finally signed and anxiously asked the medical staff, “Doctor, how is my mom? Will she die?”
“We’ve issued a critical condition notice; her situation isn’t ideal. She suffered a head injury-a very dangerous area due to the many nerves in the brain. The doctors are performing emergency surgery inside; you should prepare yourself mentally…”
Hearing this, Lily Thompson staggered back and almost fell but was caught by her boyfriend. “Lily Thompson, don’t worry too much; your mom should be okay.”
Lily Thompson took a deep breath but said nothing.
While Mrs. Protich was undergoing surgery, Lily Thompson’s biological father arrived-Mrs. Protich’s ex-husband.
Years ago, they had heard from Lily Thompson that a wealthy heiress had bought Mrs. Protich a large insurance policy.
Now that Mrs. Protich had an accident, the insurance company would surely compensate them-a huge sum of money everyone wanted.
They were here to claim that compensation money.
Mrs. Protich was still in surgery while these people acted like vultures outside wanting her compensation money.
“Lily Thompson, I’m your biological father. Now that your mother is in trouble, I’m your only family left. When your mom’s compensation comes through, you should give me some of it-not too much; just a million dollars will do. After all, you’re going to get married someday; keeping too much money on you might attract bad people who could scam you. Give it all to me for safekeeping; don’t worry, I won’t take your money.”
“Why did your mom have an accident? She just wasn’t lucky. Back then she insisted on divorcing me and taking you away with her-what could she do as a woman? She ended up working as a maid and embarrassing you along with herself. I was strongly against her taking you away after our divorce because she threatened with death if I didn’t let her take you.”
“Now your mom is in trouble; don’t be afraid-you still have me. When you get married later on, you’ll have your family backing you up; I’ll always be your support so no one can bully you outside.”
“Lily Thompson, I’m your grandmother! Your mother insisted on divorcing because she cheated first! She took you away without asking us-you’re still part of our Roberts family! Now she’s paying for her sins! When the compensation comes through don’t forget about us!”
…
When Leland Burns arrived and saw this scene unfold before him-hearing every word clearly-it made him physically sick.
Mrs. Protich had cut ties with these people years ago after their divorce over ten years ago-where did they come from now?
This shameless bunch wasn’t new to Leland Burns either; he frowned and ordered his subordinates to throw them out and drag that man into an alley for a beating.
Joe Barrington was startled when suddenly grabbed-what was happening? Who were these people?
“Who are you? Why are you grabbing me? Help! Someone’s causing trouble at the hospital! I’m family-”
“Lily Thompson! Save your dad!”
Family? What kind of family?
It was like dung beetles wearing masks-they were utterly shameless.
Joe Barrington’s mouth was covered as he-and those with him-were all “invited” out of the hospital.
No one dared offend Leland Burns’ group-even shouting wouldn’t bring help since everyone around heard those shameless words earlier and felt relieved seeing them dragged out.
Once these chaotic people were cleared out-the hospital became quiet again-a relief for everyone’s ears.
Leland Burns’ cold gaze swept over Lily Thompson who nervously hid behind her boyfriend-a small-time thug with dyed yellow hair tattoos on his arms wearing dog chains around his neck-a sight that made Leland Burns frown even more deeply.
Those disgraceful people must have been brought by Lily Thompson herself.
For five years Mrs. Protich had stayed at North Bankshire Gentry Estate looking after Winifred Dawson’s home.
While Leland Burns hadn’t contacted her directly but kept tabs on her life through others-and always suspected Lily Thompson wasn’t trustworthy despite appearing well-behaved over those years, which almost made him doubt himself sometimes.
But now this sudden car accident raised questions again!
It seemed like just another traffic incident according to police reports-but could there be more behind it? Leland Burns’ suspicious nature wouldn’t let him believe otherwise easily.