A cold smile appeared on William’s face. Just as he had expected, Ashley was going to die just like that.
Seeing that he did not speak, Marcus continued, “According to the forensics analysis, her predicted time of death was on the afternoon of the day she escaped.”
“So she dug her own grave,” William said as he put down his cotton swab. “What’s the Anthony family doing?”
“Hardy wanted to take advantage of the situation, but he stopped. Andrew has been in the company these days, and the negative impact on the Howard Group has subsided. So, nothing else will happen in the future.”
As a matter of fact, Hardy was definitely involved in the spreading of negative news regarding the Howard family. If it wasn’t for him, the impact wouldn’t have been so great, and the Howard family’s stock value wouldn’t have dropped so much.
William’s gaze was cold and sinister as he sneered. “Mr. Anthony really wants a piece of the pie, doesn’t he? Well, we’ll have to see if he even has that ability to begin with.”
“That’s right, he’s overestimating his own abilities. However, he is really weird. Neither you nor the Howard family has any conflicts with him. What’s the point of him getting involved in this?”
“Do I not have any conflicts with him?” He sneered. “I think you forgot about how he was head over heels for Valeria back then.”
“Is that why he hates you?” Marcus immediately came to his senses. “That guy is so unreasonable.”
“He was determined to get Valeria, or else he wouldn’t have helped Ronald last time. Hardy is conceited and thinks highly of himself. Since Valeria is with me, he probably hates me.”
“F*ck! It’s literally his problem, but he still wants to blame others?” Marcus cursed.
“That’s different. If I lost and had to watch Valeria follow him, I would be at odds against him too. I would not give up until I destroy Acma Corporation.”
His words made Marcus laugh. He opened the thermos bottle he brought with him and said, “This is the ginseng chicken soup made by Valeria for you. She wants you to drink it and take care of yourself.”
“My wife is the best. She knows how to take care of me,” He said happily as he drank the soup. Marcus added, “By the way, something unpleasant happened at her place today.”
“What is it?”
“Since you are not at home, she has been living with the Saunders family these days. Natasya visits Gavin every day, and she gets along with Raymond. This afternoon, Natasya and Valeria got into an argument, and Raymond scolded Valeria.”
William’s eyes turned cold. He grabbed his phone to make a call. On the other end of the line, Gavin answered with a smile, “William, did your father wake up?”
“No, not yet. I have something else to ask you. Was my wife scolded in your house?” He did not beat around the bush. Gavin sighed and said, “No, it’s just a misunderstanding.”
“What is it regarding?” He asked.
“Natasya came to see me today. When we were eating, she gave Valeria a bowl of soup, but she didn’t want it, and it somehow was knocked over and burned Natasya, so Raymond slightly scolded her.”
“How dare he do that to my wife?” William asked, “Isn’t it just a bowl of soup that was knocked over? Who does he think he is to raise his voice at my wife? Where were you at that time? How could you just let him scold her like that? Did she go back home just to get scolded by you guys?”
“William… Natasya’s hand was scalded quite badly, and she even got blisters from it. Raymond was just worried at the moment and had no ill intentions.”
“So you just watched it happen without saying anything? Natasya could have backed away if she was scared of getting burned! How could they do this to my wife. Valeria went back for you, not just for anyone. Ask Raymond to stay away from her in the future. If this happens again, don’t blame me for being rude. There’s no reason for this to happen to her when she’s been lacking love her whole life. If you don’t treat her right, I will. Don’t ask her to come to visit you anymore in the future!”
Gavin was rendered speechless by his words. Marcus, who was standing by the side, thought that it was funny to see William scolding Gavin.
After he ended the call, he called Valeria. “Did Raymond scold you? I’ve scolded your grandfather for you. Don’t be considerate of Raymond anymore and don’t go back to visit either!”
“It’s nothing. It’s just a small matter. You don’t have to take it to heart.”
“I know how you are. You’re only fierce when it comes to me! When you face other people, you’d rather not tell anyone and suffer by yourself!”
She burst into laughter. “Okay, I got it. Don’t be angry. How am I fierce to you? You make it seem like I’m fierce to you a lot. By the way, did you drink the chicken soup I asked Marcus to give to you?”
“I did. It tastes good.” He praised.
“If you like it, I’ll cook it for you again. Is Hayden awake yet?”
“No.”
“That’s not good. What did the doctor say?”
“Don’t worry, the doctor said his fever will go away soon.” He comforted her.
“You’ve been in the hospital for three days. Aren’t you tired? You should have someone else replace you.”
“It’s okay. I can handle it. I just miss you a little.”
“I miss you too. Should I come to the hospital to accompany you?” She asked tentatively.
“No, it wouldn’t be good if he sees you now. We’ll talk about it when he recovers.”
“Alright. Take care of yourself. Call me when he wakes up.”
“Got it.”
After hanging up, he rubbed his eyebrows and glanced at Marcus. “That’s enough. You can go home now. Call me if you need anything.”
Marcus put away the thermos bottle and left. William turned to look at Hayden whose eyes were closed on the hospital bed. He reached out to feel the temperature of his forehead and sighed. Then, he took out a cotton swab and dipped it in water to wipe Hayden’s lips.
Seeing that Hayden was still in a coma, he sighed and walked back to the sofa. His maid came in and said, “William, please rest for a while. I’m here to keep an eye on sir.”
William did not refuse. He leaned against the sofa and began to dose off. In his sleep, he heard the maid’s delighted voice. “Sir, you’re awake?”
William opened his eyes at once. The maid called him happily, “William, sir has woken up!”
Hayden looked at William with his eyes wide open. The latter thought that he was still feeling ill, so he walked over to the bed.
“Dad, are you all right? How do you feel? Shall I call the doctor to see you?”
Hayden shook his head and said hoarsely, “William, help me up.”
He helped him get up and put a pillow behind him. Then, he poured a glass of water for him and asked, “Would you like some water?”
Hayden drank half a cup of water and shook his head, indicating that he didn’t want to drink anymore. “William, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me when you feel better.”
“That won’t do. There are some things that I have to say now!” He was very stubborn.
William had no choice but to sit by the bed and said, “Go ahead.”
“I’ve been dreaming of your mother these past few days. She was waving her hand at me and asking me to accompany her. I don’t think I have much time left, and I don’t have any other wishes. However, there’s only one thing that you have to promise me,” He took a deep breath. “I want you to ruin the Saunders and Anderson family. I want everyone in their families to die in revenge for your mother!”