Isabella returned home, and Charlotte greeted her with a smile.
“Isabella, you’re back. You didn’t come home all night last night, and your dad and I were worried,” she said.
She listened, her expression inscrutable. If they were truly concerned, they would have at least called her.
“I’m sorry for worrying you and Dad. I’ll make sure to call ahead next time,” she replied but didn’t explain her whereabouts from the previous night.
Charlotte, however, didn’t seem to care much. She wasn’t Isabella’s biological mother, so she had no reason to be concerned about who Isabella was spending her time with.
“Why do you look so tired? You probably didn’t get enough rest last night. You should go back to your room and rest,” Charlotte continued, feigning concern.
She nodded, changing her shoes in the hallway, preparing to return to her room.
Charlotte added, “I made green bean soup to clear away heat. Have a bowl before you sleep.” She then instructed a servant in the kitchen to bring a bowl of soup.
Isabella returned to her room, and the bowl of green bean soup was placed in front of her.
She took a couple of sips but found it tasteless. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was becoming overly suspicious lately. Suddenly, she thought about what Ava had said.
Was Charlotte being excessively friendly toward her recently? In the past, Charlotte often put on an act in front of her, which didn’t bother her much. But ever since Emily had used underhanded means to steal her fiance, their relationship had soured. So, why was Charlotte now pretending to be nice to her?
She lowered her head to look at the bowl of green bean soup in front of her and thought, “Could it be that she’s really trying to poison me?”
She stood up, found a sealed bag in a drawer, poured some green bean soup into it using a ladle, and then called Olivia.
“Olivia, help me investigate something.”
After giving Olivia the instructions, Isabella took a quick shower and lay down to sleep. She had spent the entire night at the hospital, and after a day of intellectual sparring with Robert, she was utterly exhausted. All she wanted was to sleep deeply and forget about everything, even if the sky were to fall.
However, as soon as her head touched the pillow, her phone on the bedside table started ringing.
It was a call from the hospital. The doctor said, “Is this Isabella? Your mother, Eleanor, is critically ill and currently undergoing treatment. We hope you can come to the hospital.”
She was instantly wide awake, quickly jumping out of bed. She held her phone in one hand and grabbed her clothes with the other. She rushed out.
She drove her car at nearly 180 miles per hour, almost racing to the hospital.
At the elevator, she impatiently pressed the button several times and, unable to wait for the elevator, sprinted up the stairs. By the time she reached the door of the emergency room, she was gasping for breath.
A doctor in a white coat was waiting there. He handed her a critically ill notice. Her hand was trembling as she held the pen, and her signature was crooked and twisted.
The doctor took the signed notice and briefly explained Eleanor’s current condition.
“The patient experienced sudden ventricular fibrillation, and both heart rate and pulse disappeared. Currently, we are making every effort to save her.”
“Doctor, please, you must save my mother,” she said, gripping the doctor’s hand, her voice choked with sobs.
The doctor nodded and, having seen life and death many times, maintained a calm demeanor. He turned and entered the emergency room.
The light above the emergency room door remained on. However, there was no one else in front of it, only Isabella.
She slumped onto a nearby bench, her hands crossed against her forehead, and she closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face.
She couldn’t accept the sudden loss of her mother, and she hadn’t even had a chance to say a proper goodbye.
The resuscitation didn’t last too long. The two heavy doors of the emergency room were pushed open, and doctors and nurses emerged one after the other.
Isabella stood up and anxiously approached them. Her voice got stuck in her throat, as she was afraid of hearing the unbearable news.
The doctor in front of her took off the sterile blue mask from his face and said, “The patient has regained spontaneous heartbeats. Currently, her vital signs are stable. Please return to the ward for further observation.”
She wiped away her tears and nodded vigorously.
Subsequently, Isabella was called into the doctor’s office, where the doctor explained Eleanor’s condition in detail.
Eleanor had a congenital heart condition, which meant she wasn’t suitable for pregnancy. However, she stubbornly gave birth to Isabella. After giving birth to her daughter, her condition deteriorated, but proper care and rest kept her condition from becoming life-threatening. That was until Charlotte and her daughter entered the picture. Eleanor, feeling despondent, divorced David, and her condition worsened significantly.
The doctor said, “If she accepts surgical treatment, there’s a chance for a cure. But Mrs. Eleanor refuses surgery. As a family member, I hope you can persuade her. The success rate of the surgery is about 70%, which is quite hopeful.”
Isabella left the doctor’s office somewhat absentmindedly.
She thought, “The greatest grief is to lose one’s heart. Whether her mother refuses surgery or not, it doesn’t matter to her. Falling in love with the wrong man is the greatest sorrow of her mother’s life.”
She walked in the direction of the ward and saw a tall, well-dressed man walking in the deserted corridor. He wore a perfectly tailored all-black suit, which accentuated his statuesque figure. Under the cold white light above, he exuded a natural and powerful presence, a dominance exclusive to those at the top.
She had a strange sense of familiarity with that back, but she shook her head and thought, “I must be mistaken. How could my family’s deadbeat be here? This is the VIP ward.”
At this moment, two young and pretty nurses passed by her, whispering to each other.
“I heard that the guy who just passed by is the heir to the Turner family conglomerate.”
“Really? He’s so handsome and charming! He looks so young too. I saw pictures of the former CEO of the Turner family in magazines before, and he was already in his fifties. I didn’t expect they had such a young and handsome brother.”
“Mr. Turner used to be a soldier, and he had a high military rank, I think. Being an ex-soldier, that’s why he has such a good physique and aura. It’s a shame he doesn’t come here often; otherwise, we might have had a chance.”
“Stop daydreaming. Don’t think that just because you’re close, you can catch the moon. A person of his status will definitely marry an heiress or a socialite. Unless you want to be his mistress.”
“I’d be more than happy to be his mistress!”
The two young nurses chatted and giggled as they walked past Isabella.
Isabella was not interested in gossip about others. She quickened her pace and headed toward the ward area.
Inside the ward, Eleanor had already woken up.
She looked very pale, but her eyes were clear and warm. In Isabella’s memory, Eleanor had always been a gentle and mild woman. She seemed to have never lost her temper, not even when Charlotte came knocking, or when she asked for a divorce from David. She had never been hysterical like a shrew.
Many times, Isabella wanted to say to her, “Mom, are you tired of wearing this cloak of gentleness? Crying and letting it out would be better. No one would mock you.”
“You heartless child, you finally remembered to visit your mom,” Eleanor spoke first, her voice gentle, as if she were inquiring whether Isabella had had lunch.
Isabella moved closer to the bed, stammering, “Mom…” but her voice choked up.