“Stay home and rest, don’t go anywhere or do anything,” Donald said, his face still stern. He was deeply disappointed in Lara’s behavior.
He had no children of his own and had chosen her because she was smart and sensible. Yet, she had repeatedly let him down.
Shaking his head, he instructed his assistant, “Make sure all the hospital admission procedures are completed.”
Donald glanced at Isaac. “Isaac, I’m sorry for the trouble today. Our company has a project that might interest you. I heard you’ve built a fashion empire.”
This was his way of repaying Isaac for staying with Lara all day.
Isaac understood immediately and smiled. “The project can wait. We can discuss it another day. Mr. Fox, since you’re here with Lara, I’ll take my leave.”
“Thank you, Isaac. I’ll have my assistant see you out,” Donald said, nodding to his assistant, who gestured for Isaac to follow.
Donald looked at Lara with frustration and sat beside her, sighing deeply. “I just don’t understand. Is Franklin really that great? You gave up our company’s interests just to spite him, and what did you get in return?”
He glanced at her injured foot. “You went to negotiate a deal and ended up like this. What happened to your foot?”
Lara’s eyes reddened, and she burst into tears, hugging Donald. “Daddy, you still care about me, don’t you?”
But she was too proud to admit that Franklin had stepped on her foot. She wiped her tears and whispered, “I accidentally hit it against a chair.”
“Even if you were careless, could you hurt yourself this badly? How hard did you hit it?” Donald clearly didn’t believe her. “Don’t lie to me. Tell the truth.”
“I’m telling the truth,” Lara said, lowering her head. If she admitted Franklin had done it, Donald would be even more opposed to her being with him.
Donald sighed deeply and didn’t press her further.
Outside, snow began to fall again.
He watched the snowflakes through the window, feeling that this winter was particularly long.
At the Hipps manor, Queena woke up early and dressed in a dark red outfit, looking festive.
The entire Hipps family was in high spirits.
After breakfast, they all set off for the hospital.
Before leaving, Queena told the butler, “Today is Sylvia and Jenna’s big day. Prepare the fireworks for when they return to ward off bad luck.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the butler replied with a smile. “I bought them a few days ago. You don’t need to worry.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Several cars slowly drove away from the Hipps manor, and soon after, snow began to fall.
Mollie sat beside Clare, watching the snowflakes. “I wonder how Sylvia is doing now. It’s been almost two months. I wonder if there will be any changes.”
“Do you think she’s a baby who changes every day?” Clare joked before focusing on driving.
At the hospital, Sylvia had already packed Jenna’s personal belongings in the morning, waiting for the discharge procedures to be completed.
Jenna had recovered well enough to go home and didn’t need to stay in the hospital any longer.
“Sis, thank you for taking care of me these past two months,” Jenna said, holding Sylvia’s hand as they walked outside.
“Big sisters are like mothers. It’s my duty to take care of you,” Sylvia replied softly. “Let’s stay at the Hipps manor for a while after leaving the hospital. Many patients prefer to stay near the hospital in case of emergencies. Your condition won’t improve overnight. If you go back to Aettosa and I’m not around…”
She worried that other doctors might not handle emergencies properly.
“You haven’t lived with Grandma since you were born. This is a good opportunity to stay at the Hipps manor and ease her mind.”
Sylvia’s suggestion made sense. Jenna hesitated but said, “I need to discuss it with Brayden. After all, now that we’re together…”
“I understand,” Sylvia nodded. “I won’t force you, and neither will Grandma or Uncle. It’s up to you.”
As they spoke, they walked out of the ward. Sylvia told Jenna, “You can rest at the nurse’s station while I handle the discharge procedures.”
“Okay.” Jenna watched Sylvia leave and called Brayden. “Where are you now?”
“We’re in the lobby on the first floor, about to take the elevator. Are you out yet?” Brayden’s voice was filled with excitement.
Two months! He had never felt two months drag on like this before.
He pressed the elevator button impatiently but saw that it was still on the top floor and would take a while to come down. He decided to take the stairs instead and told Mrs. Wright, “Mom, I’ll go find Jenna first. You wait here.”
Mrs. Wright watched her son dash towards the stairs with a smile and shook her head.
Brayden ran up the stairs breathlessly and saw Jenna sitting at the nurse’s station. Her face wasn’t very rosy due to her recent illness, but she looked spirited.
It showed that Sylvia had taken good care of her during their time in isolation.
Sweat dripped from Brayden’s forehead as he stood before Jenna, panting heavily.
Her hair had been shaved off during treatment and was now growing back as short stubble under her woolen hat.
“Brayden-” Jenna stood up slowly as Brayden pulled her into a tight embrace.
He held her as if she were a precious treasure regained.
“Jenna, how are you now?”
“I’m fine. My health indicators are good enough that I don’t need to stay in the hospital anymore,” Jenna said softly. “Brayden, you’re hugging me too tightly…”
Brayden quickly loosened his grip and smiled sheepishly at her. “I’m just so happy.”
“Did you run up the stairs?” Jenna asked, standing on tiptoe to wipe his sweat with her sleeve. “Why didn’t you take the elevator?”
“I wanted to see you as soon as possible!” Brayden said just as the elevator doors opened.
Mrs. Wright and the Hipps family members stepped out.
“Brayden, my sister is handling the discharge procedures. If there’s a long line, could you help her?” Jenna suggested, hoping Brayden would make a good impression on the Hipps family.
Brayden nodded eagerly. “Of course, I’ll go right away.”
He greeted the Hipps family members before leaving.
Queena nodded approvingly at him. “Go ahead.”
They were eager to see Sylvia as well.
“Jenna, how are you feeling? Have you recovered well?” Mr. Hipps asked with concern. “Was it tough staying in isolation for so long?”
Jenna felt a bit uneasy as she wasn’t used to interacting with many people due to her past experiences with autism.
After a moment of adjusting, she shyly smiled and replied, “With my sister by my side, it wasn’t too bad. She took great care of me.”
“That’s good to hear,” Queena said quickly. “Do you have any dietary restrictions now? We should celebrate your discharge today with a family lunch at home.”
“Jenna, it’s just us family members,” Clare added softly. “Don’t be afraid.”
Seeing how warm and welcoming the Hipps family was made Mrs. Wright feel relieved.
She had been worried that Jenna might be compared unfavorably to Sylvia by the Hipps family.
“Alright, let’s not stand around chatting here,” Queena suggested, noticing the busy hospital corridor. “Let’s head downstairs.”
“Agreed,” Mrs. Wright said readily. “I didn’t expect both Mr. and Mrs. Hipps to come personally.”
“My dear in-law, thank you for all your efforts during this time,” Queena said as they walked hand in hand. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you…”
Mrs. Wright knew what Queena wanted to talk about and smiled warmly. “Feel free to speak your mind.”
Queena expressed her wish for Jenna to stay at their home for a while.
“We’ve missed having her around since she was little,” Queena said earnestly.
“I have no objections,” Mrs. Wright replied understandingly. “It’s up to Jenna where she wants to stay-whether it’s at your place or ours; both are her home.”
By then, they had reached the first floor and saw Sylvia and Brayden waiting for them.