Sylvia rested her chin on one hand, her beautiful eyes openly watching the man. Franklin felt a bit uneasy under her gaze. It wasn’t just that his wife was beautiful; her cute and flirtatious pose made his heart race.
“Do you think I’m handsome?” Franklin asked.
Sylvia finally spoke slowly, “I was thinking…”
“What were you thinking?” Franklin raised an eyebrow.
“I was thinking you’re an idiot.”
Sylvia’s eyes sparkled with laughter.
Screech! The car came to a sudden stop. Before Sylvia could react, Franklin’s warm breath enveloped her. His lips brushed against hers as he whispered in a low, husky voice, “Are you teasing me?”
Sylvia was speechless. She truly thought he was an idiot. Despite all the chaos surrounding them, he still stood by her side without hesitation.
But she had no time to think or express herself as Franklin began to kiss her passionately.
After a long while, he finally let her go.
She sat back in her seat, blushing and breathless, her lips slightly swollen. She glared at him with beautiful, reproachful eyes. “You’re too much!”
The car started again. Franklin chuckled, his voice magnetic, “There’s more where that came from. Do you want to try it here?”
Sylvia glared at him and slapped his arm. “Try what? Hurry up and get to the hospital!”
Olivia was still hovering between life and death!
Franklin composed himself and focused on driving. The car sped towards the hospital.
Without a word, they rushed to the emergency room upon arrival.
Sure enough, Carley was already there, pacing back and forth outside the emergency room. Dexter was on the phone, looking very agitated.
Carley saw Sylvia and immediately approached her. “Sylvia, she’s so foolish. She not only cut her wrists but also swallowed a lot of pills.”
Sleeping pills, no doubt.
Was she determined to die? Why torment herself like this?
Sylvia held Carley’s cold hands. “Don’t worry. The doctors will likely pump her stomach and stitch her wounds. After that, they’ll protect her liver and stomach and treat her brain to minimize damage. So don’t worry too much.”
“Yes, yes, Sylvia, you’re a doctor. You know more than I do.” Carley nodded and pulled Sylvia aside to whisper, “The eldest son of the Hogan family is on a business trip abroad but is on his way back now. The Hogan family members are also on their way. I don’t know what to say.”
“When Olivia was found, she was naked in the bathtub, with the water stained red.”
“Dexter found her…”
Sylvia was about to speak when Dexter hung up the phone and walked over, his handsome face full of worry. “I’m sorry to trouble you both in the middle of the night. My assistant bought some coffee and tea.”
He signaled to his assistant, who quickly came over with coffee and tea for everyone.
Dexter handed a cup of coffee to Franklin personally. “Mr. Maskelyne, I’m sorry to disturb you so late.”
He wondered why Franklin was here.
Franklin looked at him coldly. “Mr. Hogan, my wife knows Miss Hogan and is very concerned about her condition. I’m just accompanying her.”
Wife?
Dexter looked at Sylvia… Franklin’s wife? Everyone in Aettosa knew Franklin, the president’s son. He had a wife? And this wife was friends with Olivia?
Dexter was shocked!
The last time he saw Sylvia, it was just a fleeting glance. He hadn’t realized she had such a significant background.
He felt uneasy as if things were spiraling out of control.
“I didn’t realize you were Mrs. Maskelyne. I apologize for my ignorance.”
Sylvia just smiled faintly and nodded at Dexter. She had seen how disgusting this man could be. She had no fondness for the Hogan brothers.
She was curious about Olivia’s true identity. How had the Hogan family kept it a secret for so long?
Especially after seeing a photo of Franklin’s mother, she had a feeling Olivia might be connected to Franklin’s maternal family.
She kept these thoughts to herself since there was no evidence yet.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and a middle-aged couple hurried out, followed by an elderly lady supported by a servant.
“Dexter, how is Olivia?” The middle-aged woman asked anxiously. “Is she okay?”
The middle-aged man looked shocked. “Why would she commit suicide? It’s terrifying.”
The elderly lady’s voice was filled with anger. “I told you we shouldn’t have kept her back then. She should have been drowned at birth! Now look at this mess! If she wanted to die, she should have done it back then!”
“Mom, what are you saying?” The middle-aged man glared at the elderly lady, signaling that there were others present.
The elderly lady finally noticed Franklin and Sylvia, as well as Carley…
Her face remained stern as she snorted coldly. “I mean it! She’s a jinx! Sooner or later, she’ll bring ruin to our family.”
“Jinx? Olivia is quiet and well-behaved at home. Why are you so prejudiced against her?” The middle-aged man, Luca, was Dexter’s father. Despite being cousins with Lucille, their family had benefited greatly from Lucille over the years and were very wealthy.
The Hogan brothers also enjoyed many advantages in Aettosa because of their connections.
Olivia had been raised by Mrs. Hogan as her own daughter, even though she wasn’t biologically related. Hearing her mother-in-law’s harsh words made Mrs. Hogan unhappy.
“Mom, my daughter is fighting for her life right now. Isn’t it inappropriate to speak like this? No matter what, she’s still a living person whom I’ve raised since childhood. She bears our family name now!”
“Even if you favor boys over girls, this is too much!”
Mrs. Hogan didn’t want outsiders to know Olivia wasn’t their biological daughter, so she steered the conversation towards gender bias.
However, Sylvia and Franklin sensed that Olivia’s background might be something they couldn’t reveal publicly.
Especially given the elderly lady’s attitude towards Olivia.
“Enough arguing!” Luca shouted. “What kind of behavior is this?”
Just then, the emergency room doors opened, and several nurses wheeled Olivia out.
The Hogan family rushed over immediately. “Olivia? Olivia?”
“How is she? Did she make it?”
“My daughter…”
Seeing Olivia’s pale face made the Hogan family bombard the doctors and nurses with questions.
The doctor signaled for them to be quiet before speaking. “The patient has been stabilized but needs to be observed for twenty-four hours. If there are no complications, she will need to stay in the hospital for some time until her wrist and body recover before being discharged.”
“If there are complications…”
“Complications? What complications?” Dexter asked angrily.
“She ingested a large number of pills. Despite our efforts to treat and prevent brain damage, there might be long-term effects… Also, there’s another issue: her right wrist wound was very deep and damaged the tendons. She won’t be able to lift heavy objects or play any musical instruments.”
The doctor wiped sweat from his forehead and continued, “Her hand must be well cared for to avoid further complications. The patient is emotionally unstable; you must comfort and support her.”
“Oh my God! How could this happen?” Mrs. Hogan’s tears flowed down her cheeks. “Why is this happening to my daughter?”
Franklin watched Olivia surrounded by people. She lay there quietly, her small face pale as paper. For some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity with that face.
But he was sure this was his first time seeing Olivia.
Carley also went over to check on Olivia, who remained unconscious under the effects of anesthesia.
Sylvia held Franklin’s hand as they waited for the Hogan family to follow the nurses into the ward before speaking softly to him. “She’s so pitiful.”
Both her background and current situation were tragic.
Sylvia could sense a strong aura around each member of the Hogan family; Luca had a distinct aura of magic about him.
It had been too chaotic earlier for her to analyze it properly.
So she hadn’t identified what kind of magic it was on Luca.
Moreover, she noticed traces of magic on Olivia too-binding magic.
She suspected that the Hogan brothers might have placed it on her.
It was late; she checked the time-it was already 1 AM.
“Since Olivia is stable for now, let’s go home.” She had just reached Carley’s side when they heard the elevator ding again from a distance.