Meanwhile, in B City’s detention centre, Paisley was in her wheelchair as she was pushed into the room.
Hardy hadn’t shaved in a long time and he looked extremely haggard. He had been waiting for a long time and his eyes widened when he saw Paisley coming in. “You… how did you become like this?”
“Hardy, did you think I abandoned you?” Paisley smiled bitterly. “It’s not that I don’t care about you, but I couldn’t even protect myself. Several of my ribs are broken and my hand is also fractured. I have been in the hospital until now. I came to see you immediately when the doctor said I could be discharged.”
Paisley had always been vain, so she always looked gorgeous and exquisite no matter where she went, Hardy had never seen her look so unruly before.
He heard from his lawyer that Paisley had gotten in trouble after she provoked Valeria to be punished, but he didn’t think it would be so serious. He also guessed that it was an excuse because Paisley didn’t want to save him. Now that he had seen Paisley’s gaunt appearance, he didn’t know what to say.
After a long silence, he said with some difficulty, “Paisley… I… I really can’t be saved, can I?”
“It’s going to be very hard!” Paisley did not hide it anymore. “Dad doesn’t care about you anymore, and I’ve contacted everyone I know in the hospital during this period of time. They were going to sentence you to serve seven years, but now it’s been reduced by two years.”
“What’s the difference?” Hardy smiled bitterly. For him, there was no difference after he was sentenced to prison. He had always been in the limelight before this, but he became a prisoner. What a shame!
He wondered if he could avoid being jailed. As long as he didn’t need to serve time in prison, his reputation wouldn’t be tainted. However, this was his fate now.
It would be the same regardless of whether he served five or seven years. After all, the outside world would definitely change drastically when he came out. After all, there was no way to get rid of his criminal record.
“Hardy, you can’t be so pessimistic. You have to cheer up and face your problems. You can’t destroy your image!” Paisley tried to comfort Hardy when she looked at his dejected expression.
Hardy couldn’t bear to hear her words of comfort because all his hopes had been crushed. He murmured, “I wouldn’t need up like this if I hadn’t provoked William and pursued Valeria, right? Why did I go against William back then? Why?”
Hardy reached up to grab his hair and tore at it. He still had a faint sliver of hope before he saw Paisley. He felt that even if he wasn’t imprisoned, at least he could be able to receive medical treatment. However, he was completely dejected now.
Five years spent in prison would be hellish. The company that he worked hard to build over the years would be ruined, and it wouldn’t be easy for him to start from scratch after he was released from prison.
Paisley felt very sad when he saw Hardy being so depressed. “Hardy, I will find a way! Don’t give up, and we’ll think of a solution together!”
“What else can you do?” Hardy asked. What else could Paisley do when she couldn’t even protect herself?
“Forget it, Paisley. You don’t have to worry about me. Things have already gotten to this point, so you don’t have to worry about me anymore. You can just let me die here!” Hardy stood up and walked back.
Paisley was calling him, “Hardy! Listen to me, I’m still thinking of a way. It’s not over yet, and maybe I can come up with a way. Have you forgotten? We can still get help from the mysterious man.”
“What? Did he look for you?” Hardy’s eyes lit up as he asked.
“Yes, he asked me to help him do something.” Paisley did not hide anything from Hardy. “The mysterious man is so powerful that he knows all the details about the situation here. Do you know his true identity?”
“I don’t know!” Hardy sighed. He had never figured out the identity of the mysterious man. Although the other party hated William so much and knew all the details about what happened, Hardy couldn’t seem to find him. It was giving him a headache.
Paisley saw Hardy couldn’t figure out the mysterious man’s identity and told him about the call, but she hid the fact that the mysterious man wanted to marry her. She only said that the man knew about Callum’s affairs and that he was still single without children.
“Hardy, he is also very clear about the situation of the Floyd family. At present, he is single and has no children. Do you know anyone like this?”
Hearing this, Hardy frowned and began to think, “He’s single with no children? And he knows so much about the Floyd family’s secrets. Could it be…?”
“Who?” Paisley immediately asked.
“The only person I can think of who is capable of doing all this is Ornard. He is single and he controls the Laban family. Isn’t he Callum’s brother-in-law? Logically speaking, he is on the same side as the Floyd family…”
Hardy stopped in the middle of his sentence. “Is that so?”
“Brother, what do you think of?”
“Is Ornard doing this because he’s after the Floyd family’s property? After all, Veronica has been married to Callum for so many years, and Angel is also the child of Callum’s daughter. However, the Floyd family has a good relationship with William. With William’s ability, the Floyds would consider giving their assets over to him. If this happens, Veronica will have nothing. She’s extremely greedy and she won’t be willing to lose everything, so…”
Paisley came to her senses. “So Ornard and Veronica conspired to turn the Floyd family against William? That’s why that mysterious man knows so many secrets because the Floyd family doesn’t doubt him at all, right?”
“Yes, the only one we can think of is Ornard! If it is really him…” Hardy looked down. If the mysterious man was Ornard, he indeed had the ability to help Hardy. He had a glimmer of hope before this, but he was in a dilemma now. The only person who could help him was Paisley.
But how could someone as cunning as Ornard help him so easily? He felt that Paisley was hiding something from him.
He must find out Ornard’s final purpose. “Paisley, what else did he say to you? Tell me everything he said, I need to analyze it.”
Paisley was silent for a moment and she told Hardy about the entire conversation. “He said that we didn’t trust each other. In order to dispel the distrust between us, he wanted to marry me so we can become a family.”
“What?” Hardy was stunned for a moment and a complicated expression flashed in his eyes. There was no doubt that Ornard was capable, but he was too old. However, the assets of the Laban family was astronomical. If he could get hold of the Laban family…
After he thought of such an idea, he immediately put on an angry expression. “He can dream on! That’s ridiculous! You’re my sister, so how could the daughter of the Anthony family marry an old man like him!?”