“Alright!” Valeria sat down beside the bed and reached out to hold Gavin’s hand which was not plugged with the IV drip. “Grandpa, I shall come clean to you since it’s no use to deceive you any further. My husband was the one that caused Natasya and Talitha to argue with each other. I am aware that you are mad at us for not telling you about this beforehand. You are upset at us for being so cold-blooded towards the Anderson sisters. However, we are left with no other choice.”
“How could they have pushed you into the corner when they are already in such a fragile state?” Gavin was not convinced.
“There is one saying that old habits die hard, right? The Anderson family are not the kinds who would learn from their mistakes. I knew from the very beginning that they would continue to target us ever since they plotted against me and my husband last time. I decided to make an end to this and told my husband to do it. I am tired of them trying to mess with us.”
Valeria pushed the blame onto herself and continued, “It was a miracle for my husband to be alive when they tried to get rid of him last time. I was also on the brink of death as I thought my husband would be gone forever. I would have considered being the bigger person if they have learned their lessons. However, things got worse, and getting rid of them is the best way to back them down.”
Gavin shut his eyes as he knew that Valeria was telling the truth. However, there was always a soft spot for a parent towards the child. How could Gavin feel at ease seeing his daughter and granddaughters in such a miserable state?
Valeria apologized, “Grandpa, you must be disappointed at us when we chose to hide things from you. I am sorry on behalf of me and my husband as we should have come clean to you. However, we do not feel an inch of guiltiness towards the things that we have done towards Hardy and the Anderson family!”
Valeria had made a very clear stance that she was sorry for hurting Gavin’s feelings. She understood how Gavin must have felt as Raelyn was his daughter. However, she did not apologize for plotting against the Anderson family.
Gavin was not a foolish man. It was an impossible sight to have his children be friendly and loving towards each other.
He weakly withdrew his hand from Valeria and said, “Alright, I know what you mean. Guys, please head back home now as I would want to have some time alone.”
Everyone left the hospital ward except for Arthur.
The group of people had unexpectedly met with Raelyn upon exiting the elevator.
Raelyn was carrying something in her hand with a tired look on her face. She was stunned upon seeing them and subconsciously took a step back.
Everyone walked past her without saying anything. A hint of resentment had flashed through Raelyn’s eyes as she stepped into the elevator.
She hurried back to the ward with breakfast in her hand. Natasya had woke up and finally came to terms with her current miserable state. She was leaning against the bed while sobbing.
Raelyn placed the breakfast on the table and walked over to comfort her. “Honey, please calm down. I’ll find a way to have your face fixed.”
“How is that possible? My face is already ruined!”
“Of course it’s doable! I will pull some strings and get ahold of the best plastic surgeon for you,” Raelyn promised her.
“How about the fees? Where can you possibly get the money for my operation?” Natasya knew that cosmetic surgery would cost a fortune. She was also aware of the current financial status of her family.
“I can always seek help from your grandfather.”
“What? Mummy, please come back to reality. Grandpa is now solely focused on Valeria and the others,” Natasya was disheartened.
“We still have Hardy as our backup plan if your grandpa refuses to help us out, right?”
“Hardy? That’s a very bad idea.” Natasya felt disappointed upon recalling how Hardy had reacted when she argued with Talitha yesterday. “He is the reason that I wind up like this!”
Raelyn sighed and said, “Natasya, what on earth is happening between you and Hardy? Aren’t you aware that he is Talitha’s boyfriend? Why would you be so interested in him all of a sudden? You used to despise him so much last time.”
Natasya was not dumb enough to admit that it was her idea to flirt with Hardy. “Mummy, you have accused me. He was the one who made a move on me first.”
She then told Raelyn about everything that Hardy had done to her. She also lied to Raelyn that Hardy had hooked up with her when she was just innocently having a meal. Raelyn was utterly shocked upon hearing about these stories.
“Does this mean that your father’s guess was accurate from the very beginning? He had speculated that Hardy was poisoned by both Talitha and you.”
“What? Are you sure that Hardy had also consumed the blood vermin that was reared by me?” Natasya had a surprised look on her face.
“Well, that is currently the best explanation that we can come up with so far. How vicious of William to swap his portion of blood vermin to Hardy instead! He wants both you and your sister fighting against each other just to win Hardy over!”
Natasya had assumed that Hardy’s sudden change of behavior towards her was because of Talitha. She finally came to her senses upon hearing Raelyn’s explanation and said, “Are you indicating that Hardy would listen to Talitha as well as me? We shall then plan our next move accordingly if this is the case.”
“Natasya, what do you mean? Are you implying to win Hardy over from Talitha? Stop having this train of thought as your sister is currently pregnant with Hardy. What good would it do for you? William’s plan would be a success as he will sit back and watch both you and Talitha fight over Hardy.”
“Mummy, I do not intend to view Talitha as my opponent. However, do you think that I am left with any other choices? My face is ruined! There is no guarantee that things would go back to normal even after undergoing plastic surgery. Do you think it’s possible for me to meet a man that is comparable with Hardy?” Natasya retorted.
“Alright, let’s think of it another way. I shall back down and give up on Hardy. Are you confident that Talitha, that idiot, has the capability to get him under control? Absolutely not! I am obviously better suited than her. It would be a risk to let Talitha be the dealbreaker when our family’s situation is on the line. I shall replace her instead and we can finally have a glimmer of hope to turn the tables around.”
“But… But what about Talitha? She is pregnant and Hardy is the father of the child.”
“Just get rid of it!” Natasya said coldly.
“No! That’s too cruel! Natasya, we have to think it through and it’s unfair to treat Talitha like this!” Raelyn was feeling troubled as it was a love triangle that involved both her daughters. How was she able to sit back and watch Talitha being bullied by Natasya?
“What about me then? Mummy, do you possibly think that I still have a chance like this? Talitha’s face is not ruined and managed to get a capable man like Hardy. However, I have nothing,” Natasya wanted Raelyn to side with her.
“Yes, you do! I have sent countless text messages to your grandfather last night. I spew nonsense to him just to gain his sympathy. However, we have finally come to a conclusion that William had schemed against us with such a vicious tactic. I finally have some bargaining power and your grandfather will definitely side with us.”
Natasya had unfortunately made up her mind and said, “Mummy, it’s best to rely on ourselves instead of others. You would eventually be disappointed if you ought to put all hopes on grandpa.”
“I don’t think so! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something. I coincidentally met with your uncle and the others when I came up to visit you just now. I have also seen both Valeria and William with them as well,” Raelyn took a breath and continued.
“I speculate that it has to do with your grandpa upon seeing them all at the same time. Could it be that your grandpa is currently in the hospital? My messages that were sent to him yesterday are proven to be useful if that is really the case. Just wait here and I shall check things out. He might be the key for us to turn things around!”