A clear and distinct ringtone blared. It stunned Elena for a brief moment. Then she immediately retreated to the other side of the door and took out her phone. A phone call from Layla…
Layla had called her in the wee hours of the morning before dawn. Suddenly, Elena felt a little uneasy.
She answered the phone. “Layla, what happened?”
At the other end of the phone call, Layla’s anxious voice said, “Elena, Aryan had an accident.”
Elena turned around and glanced through the door.
Michael stood by the hospital bed. She was not sure what he said to the doctor. It seemed like Ava would have a scar on her chin. Besides that, there were no other injuries and no danger to her life. Elena hesitated for a little while and then left the medical room.
When she reached the medical room next door, the old master and Ryan had come out together.
“Ryan, how’s Grandmother?” She was so worried and anxious that she forgot to greet the old master first.
Ryan answered, “She is fine for now, but her body is weak, so we are not sure when she would wake up.”
“Would there be any emergencies?”
“There shouldn’t be any.”
“Thank you.” After she made sure that the old madam was alright, Elena immediately turned toward the old master. “Old Master Williams, something urgent had come up at my university. I’ll have to go there now.”
The old master was silent. At such a time, he was bothered about who would stay or leave. Elena understood that the old master was in a bad mood because of the situation with the old madam. She was not surprised when he ignored her. She nodded at the old master and then returned to Ava’s room.
She wanted to talk to Michael, but she decided not to disturb him since he was still talking to the doctor. She went to the garage immediately after she sent him a text message. They always had a driver at the garage so that the Williams family members could travel at any time of the day.
After Elena left, Tabby and Snowy went to see the old master.
“Grandfather, how’s Grandmother? Can we go see her?”
Ryan immediately said, “Old Master Williams and Eldest Master Williams were just there. It is best to let the old madam rest for now.”
It made no sense for them to visit since the old madam was still unconscious. Besides, anyone who entered the room must be sanitized, which was a burden to the medical assistants and nurses. Tabby nodded and said nothing. Snowy stared at the direction in which Elena had disappeared in disdain!
“Grandmother doted on her so much, but she just upped and left when she is still in peril. She didn’t even look at Grandmother.”
Tabby also had a cold expression on her face. Even though she did not wear her heart on her sleeve like Snowy, she was equally as angry at Elena.
“Well, she is not one of us. How could we expect her to love our grandmother like any one of us? She is not even related to Grandmother.”
“You two, go back and rest.” The eldest master, Rupert, said as he came out of the room.
“Got it. Let’s go.” Tabby nodded.
Snowy mumbled, “We want to see Grandmother. We are worried about her.”
“I know that the two of you are dutiful, but we are not doing her any good if we visit her now; she needs a lot of rest.”
Rupert waved his hand and said, “Go home and rest. I’ll get someone to inform you when Grandmother is awake.”
The sisters pushed their luck again before they finally left. Sarah came out of the other medical room, and when she saw the old master and Eldest Master Williams, she immediately greeted them.
“Dad, Rupert.”
“How is that girl?” The old master asked.
Even though the old master was still expressionless, Sarah could see that the old master was concerned about Ava.
She answered honestly, “She inhaled a lot of smoke, but there is no danger to her life. The doctor said that she should rest for a few days, but…”
“But what?” Rupert asked quickly.
Sarah sighed. “She had a burn on her chin. Luckily, it is not a large wound. So, they could repair it with surgery.”
The current medical technologies would be able to reduce the appearance of a scar to almost non-visible. However, there was already a wound on the skin. Although surgery might fix one’s appearance, one could still notice the traces of restoration if one looked closely enough.
“I heard that this child holds the title as Bentson’s Number One Enchantress.” Sarah looked at the two of them and stopped talking awkwardly.
It was easy to catch what she meant. Bentson’s Number One Enchantress must not only have virtue and talent; one must be beautiful as well. The fire had affected her beauty, and she might lose her hold on the title. Of course, those titles were meaningless to the three elders but they felt indebted to Ava, and it looked like she would have to pay the price for saving the old madam.
“Has this girl been living with Michael?” The old man asked.
Sarah nodded. “The old madam seemed fond of Ava. The young lady stayed at WongRiver Pavilion with Michael so that it is easier for her to visit and take care of the old madam.”
“Why is she staying at Michael’s place?” The old man frowned.
Sarah said, “Probably because Elena also lives in the WongRiver Pavilion. She may think it is more convenient to stay with her sister.”
The old man said nothing more. He looked back and saw Michael as he came out of the medical room. They exchanged looks in silence. Michael had already seen Elena’s text. She must have something urgent to tend to if she had to leave at that hour. He would have to get Levi to ask her what had happened.
“The girl will continue to stay at the WongRiver Pavilion until she has fully recovered.”
The old master thought that Michael would refuse, and he was ready to convince him. To his surprise, however, Eldest Young Master Williams nodded and said nothing. He walked away after he bade them goodbye.
“It seems that Michael doesn’t mind Ava that much.” Sarah watched him as he walked further away from them.
Everyone knew that Eldest Young Master Williams hated women. Nonetheless, he had allowed Ava to stay at the WongRiver Pavilion before that, and he was even receptive to the old master’s arrangement. Was the rumor true, then? Did Eldest Young Master Williams and Second Young Miss Garcia had… some sort of relationship? Sarah looked at the old master again, but he seemed to be in deep thoughts.
Sarah said, “Dad, it’s very late. You should head back and rest. I’ll be here to take care of them.”
Rupert also said, “She’s right. Let her stay here, dad. You should go back and rest.”
The old man turned around to look at the medical room, and Ryan nodded at him. “Don’t worry. There won’t be any problem.”
Then the old master left. Ryan also went back into the room to take care of the old madam after he bade them goodbye.
Rupert waited until his father was far enough before he turned to Sarah and said, “Dad seems to care for this Ava girl.”
“I understand. I will take care of her until she is well,” Sarah immediately said.
“Prepare some essential items for her. Send it to her when she moves into the WongRiver Pavilion,” Rupert ordered.
He would always like the people that the old master and the old madam liked. The old master had arranged for Ava to stay at the WongRiver Pavilion while she recovered. Rupert knew what the old master had in mind.
The Number One Enchantress in Bentson was still a beautiful girl, even if her chin was scarred. The beautiful, kind, and the old madam’s favorite person was far better than the ugly and notorious Young Madam. The old master wanted to plan for the kids’ future. After all, he had never liked Elena.