“I’m sorry, Cristelle. I won’t make you angry again, I promise,” Linford meant it when he said that.
After hearing his apology, Cody motioned his hands, telling Linford to leave.
****
When Linford walked out of the ward, he called Enzo directly, “Hello, Enzo? I have a favor to ask. Cody’s been extremely undisciplined lately. You’re gonna take a couple of days off from the army, right? The boy admires you. Could you take him out on vacation and train him for a couple of days?”
Linford was determined to teach the boy a lesson.
Enzo liked his nephew very much. He didn’t even hesitate to accept his youngest brother’s request.
“Cool. Come to pick him up soon. He will be so excited,” Linford hung up the phone in a good mood. He was so happy as he thought the boy could finally disappear for a couple of days. Without the boy gatekeeping for Cristelle, things would probably move faster.
Alfred shuddered as he overheard their conversation on the phone. The locations Enzo picked for his vacations usually ended in barren lands and deep valleys. Was Boss really gonna do this to his son?
****
Cody noticed the flowers in the bin. He asked his Mom who sent her those, and Cristelle told him the truth. When Cody left the ward, he called Jasper directly, “Jasper, are you free now? Can we talk?”
Jasper had wanted to see the boy. So he agreed to meet him instantly.
“Why did you suddenly decide to come back?” Cody was sitting on the edge of the flower bed, arms crossed before his chest, looking too mature for his age.
Jasper didn’t like the look on Cody’s face. The boy seemed a bit detached compared with before.
“I’m still enjoying the lifestyle here better,” Jasper smiled, gently explaining.
“Then why did you leave here before suddenly?” Cody asked again.
“My family forced me to leave.”
Cody blinked, “Can I hear the truth, Jasper?”
Jasper sighed heavily, “Cody, do you even like me?”
Cody looked away and then nodded a bit, “I think you’re my friend, Jasper. This is a conversation between a man to a man. I want you to know that if you don’t hold other feelings toward my Mom, you should leave her alone and treat her as a friend. But if you love her, you need to make sure you can provide her with a steady life. I mean, you have to make at least sure that your family can accept my Mom, me, and my sister first. Mom has gone through enough. I don’t want her to be unhappy anymore.”
“Of course, my family will accept you guys. Cody, I like you and Candace very much. Can’t you feel that?” Jasper only wished to squeeze the boy into a hug. He was such a little man. But he knew if he did that, he would probably piss Cody off.
“But you still left her behind last year,” Cody sounded sad.
Jasper sighed, “Well… You’re a smart boy, Cody. I’ll just be honest with you. My family actually strongly opposes the relationship between your Mom and me. But we’ve settled the problem. I’ve completely cut off from my family, and from now on, they can’t interfere with my personal business anymore. Cody, I love your Mom very much. I’ve been in love with her since our teenage years. I want to be with her, and I want to protect her for the rest of our lives.”
Those words were touching, but Cody was a rational boy.
He jumped off the flower bed, “I feel touched hearing this, Jasper. But I can’t make up my mind yet. I still need to see your future performance. You’re a good man, and I bet there are a lot of women who want to marry you. But I only have one Mom. I need to be really careful. I hope you can understand my intention.”
Jasper only smiled, “Of course. I’m glad that I at least have a chance now.”
An agreement thus had been reached between the two.
****
Meanwhile, Tanya and Clara walked into Cristelle’s ward, saying they were here to visit the patient.
Cristelle and Candace were cozily in bed, watching cartoons as they enjoyed their afternoon snacks. They didn’t even notice anything when Clara and Tanya both walked in. Clara coughed, and they finally looked up, “Cristelle, we’re here to visit you.”
Cristelle only figured out who they were right now. She gave the iPad to Candace instantly and sat up, smiling at them politely, “Thanks for being here. I’m actually getting better.”
Cristelle was a bit confused. She thought Linford’s man had guarded the hospital.
How did these two even get in?
“We’re worried about you so much, honey,” Tanya put a basket of fruit and desserts on the table, “Try some. I have them made especially for you and the babies.”
Candace didn’t quite like these people after what she had gone through last time. Her eyes widened as she looked at her Mom.
Cristelle smiled gently, “Granny brought these especially for you, honey. Try some.”
Candace only nodded at Tanya now, saying thanks silently.
“What a good girl… But Cristelle, I heard you guys went for a picnic. How did you end up getting bitten by a snake?” Tanya was being kind because she wanted everyone to think she was a great housewife and a gentlewoman. She didn’t even know Cristelle that much. She could only force the conversation to continue in an awkward way.
Cristelle was still a bit suspicious when she thought about this, “I don’t really know. But the doctor said it was a coral snake. I wonder how it ended up in that stall. It was horrible.”
Clara was so pissed off as she saw Cristelle had become even more beautiful after what she had gone through.
She thought this bitch would be sick and ugly.
Clara shut her eyes and swallowed down the thick jealousy. When she started to talk, she looked friendly, “I heard people used to get bitten in the western suburbs before. But those people were not as lucky as you. Some of them just died. They sent people there to eliminate those snakes. You’re probably one of the few cases. But you don’t need to worry because Linford will find out if anyone tried to hurt you on purpose.”