Andrew and the video conference with the UK branch lasted until 7 p. m.
Exiting the meeting room, Beta Ryan was still discussing business matters.
“Alpha, the head of the UK branch was promoted by your older brother. He spent the whole afternoon playing mind games with us, clearly looking for trouble,” Ryan expressed his dissatisfaction.
Andrew’s handsome face remained cool, his emotions consistently subdued, making it difficult to read his thoughts. “The project in the UK has just started. Don’t interfere for now; I know what’s going on.”
After speaking, he raised his arm and glanced at the semi-old steel watch on his wrist.
Ryan’s gaze also fell on the watch, and he casually remarked, “You still wear this watch.”
In Andrew’s private wardrobe, there were millions worth of luxury watches, but he often wore this semi-old steel watch.
It was said to be a gift from his grandfather, a British-made watch that served as a war trophy from the battles of the last century, symbolizing victory and glory.
The werewolves of the shadow clan once had a history of participating in human wars. At that time, they lived as humans in a tumultuous society, and his grandfather sent his subordinates to join the human war for the sake of the family’s peace. After the war, his grandfather, having suffered some injuries, married his mother to his father, claiming it as a family alliance.
Due to this war, werewolves of the shadow clan gained respect in human society. When he joined the military, his grandfather personally placed the watch on his wrist. As time passed, werewolves became accustomed to living in human society in a human manner. With more werewolves mating with humans, the werewolf race gradually disappeared. Humans remained completely unaware of the existence of supernatural species.
“Yeah,” he responded emotionlessly and then instructed the driver to prepare the car.
“Are you going out? There’s a social event tonight.”
“You can handle the evening’s social event; there’s no need for me to personally intervene,” Andrew’s words left no room for argument.
He arrived at the hospital just after 8 p. m.
The night enveloped the entire city, and the bright lights in the high-ranking ward area appeared particularly cold.
The light in the doctor’s office was still on, and apart from the on-duty doctor, Samuel had not left work.
As soon as he arrived, Samuel called him into the office.
“What’s your relationship with this girl?” Samuel inquired with a hint of probing.
He subtly frowned, “I think I’ve already told you.”
Samuel hesitated for a moment before handing him a test report. “There are drug components in her blood.”
“Are you sure?” Andrew raised an eyebrow, showing a hint of coldness. Isabella had just given birth four months ago, and her prenatal and postnatal blood tests were normal.
“If the hospital were so prone to misdiagnosis, it would have closed down long ago,” Samuel continued, “It seems to be recent, and she’s not addicted yet. Whatever the reason, advise her not to touch these things. At such a young age, she shouldn’t ruin her life.”
Andrew entered the hospital room, and she was already awake, sitting on the bed and staring blankly, her beautiful brows furrowed.
“What did the doctor say?” she asked as he walked in.
He handed her the test report, filled with dense medical data she couldn’t understand.
“There are drug components in your blood,” Andrew said straightforwardly. In his view, beating around the bush was just a waste of time and words.
She looked at him in shock, unable to speak for a moment.
He didn’t say anything, just quietly watched her. After a brief moment of shock, she quickly regained her composure.
At this moment, Isabella had already connected the incident to the bowl of mung bean soup and was eager to confirm.
“Where’s my phone?” she asked.
He bent down, took her phone from the drawer under the bedside table, and handed it to her.
She unlocked the phone with her fingerprint and saw many missed calls from Olivia. She immediately called back.
“Isabella, you finally answered! That bowl of mung bean soup, you didn’t drink it, right? My mom had it tested, and it contains components of ice drugs. Your stepmother is too ruthless, using such insidious methods!” Olivia’s urgent voice came from the other end of the phone.
Isabella tightly pressed her lips, her thin lips slightly pale from biting. She held the phone tightly in her hand, involuntarily tightening it a few degrees.
She had lived under the same roof with Charlotte and her daughters for so many years. Before, they treated her as an easily manipulated puppet, and they never resorted to such ruthless actions. Only now did she realize that Charlotte’s cruelty far exceeded her imagination.
“Should we report it to the police? We can’t let that vicious woman off so easily,” Olivia passionately suggested on the phone.
Isabella thought for a moment, then shook her head, “Even if there are drug components in the mung bean soup, it doesn’t prove Charlotte did it. Without evidence, we might end up being accused by her. Let’s end this matter here.”
This time, she had been careless, and she deserved to suffer. But she kept a record of every loss, and one day, they would be settled.
Her phone wasn’t muted, Olivia’s voice was loud, and Andrew must have heard it. Yet, he remained silent, his gaze deep, as if contemplating something.
After ending the call, she looked up at him, her bright eyes misty. After all, she was young, and pretending not to be scared was false.
“Is my condition serious?” she asked.
“Not to the point of addiction,” he replied.
She felt a bit relieved.
Afterwards, they fell into a brief silence.
Andrew raised his arm to check the time, and it was exactly ten o’clock in the evening. “Rest, I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”
She nodded and watched him leave. Suddenly, she stopped him, a bit awkwardly saying, “Thank you for today.”
She was thanking him for bringing her to the hospital.
He stopped his steps, turned back, looked at her indifferently, and lightly responded, “Hmm.” Then, he pushed the door and left.
After the opening and closing of the ward door, silence returned.
She pouted in the direction of the door, thinking: What’s with the attitude, acting all high and mighty? She thanked him sincerely, at least he could have said “you’re welcome.”
Although Isabella’s condition wasn’t addictive, it was still necessary to undergo treatment.
She stayed in the hospital for two days, publicly claiming to have developed pneumonia from a high fever.
David called once, scolding more than caring. It seemed like being sick was her fault.
Charlotte and Emily, mother and daughter, visited the hospital a few times, pretending to be concerned. They even made chicken soup, but Isabella dared not drink it again.
In addition, James and his mother, Mrs. Brown, unexpectedly came to the hospital, which was beyond her expectations.
Mrs. Brown was the same age as her mother.
Seeing Mrs. Brown, she, as usual, obediently called out, “Mrs. Brown.”
She pretended to get out of bed, but Mrs. Brown stopped her. “Lie down obediently, don’t toss around.”
“Mrs. Brown, James, why did you come?” Isabella asked.
Mrs. Brown sat down by the bedside, kindly held her hand, and sighed, “I accidentally heard Emily say you were sick, and I couldn’t rest easy without coming to see you. This child, you don’t know how to take care of yourself. If your mother finds out, she’ll worry again.”
“I caught a cold a few days ago, had a bit of a fever, and I didn’t expect it to turn into pneumonia,” she replied softly, with the appearance of a delicate patient recovering from a serious illness. Her lowered eyes concealed all emotions.
She didn’t think Emily would disclose her illness and hospitalization to the Brown family for no reason. So, there must be a purpose behind her actions.
After Mrs. Brown held her hand and inquired about her well-being, he casually found an excuse to leave.
The hospital room was left with Isabella and James, a brief silence ensuing.
Sitting by the bedside without saying a word, she had nothing to say to James at this point. As for Mrs. Brown’s performance, she couldn’t guess his intentions for the time being. He wouldn’t still be thinking of reconciling her and James, right?
That would be wishful thinking!