Chapter 81
When I slowly came to, I didn’t need to open my eyes to know I was back in the hospital.
But this time, there were no familiar faces by my side, just cops.
The doctor’s expression turned even more grave during the examination. “Ms. Crawford, I’ve told you before, this is a recurrence. You need to take care of yourself, otherwise…”
“I know, another relapse might be terminal.”
I looked at the doctor calmly, saying, “Sorry for the trouble, again.”
The doctor opened his mouth to say something, glanced at the police, but ultimately held back. He only mentioned my condition was critical, that cancer cells could spread at any moment. Honestly, I’d been living on borrowed time for months. Perhaps, there really was no need for me to do
much more.
I understood he was speaking in my defense, and I nodded at him gratefully.
My situation wasn’t hard to investigate, and the police must know I had no reason to kill Isla. After all, I was already planning to divorce Clyde, and over the years, he had countless affairs. If I cared about reputation, I would have. divorced him long ago.
The lady cop lightened up a lot, promising me they’d find out what really happened.
I requested a new lawyer and wished to see Jade, to grant her authorization.
Seeing me bald in the hospital bed, Jade broke down in tears. The doctor was right; my condition was severe, there was a chance I could pass out at any
I
time.
My new lawyer was one of Vinson’s trusted men. The day I got arrested, he was the one who accompanied the lawyers to the station. With many issues now falling on Kemp’s shoulders at the Patterson Group, and his team not specialized in homicide cases, a change was indeed necessary.
I also had the lawyer prove that Jade would take care of everything for me
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when I couldn’t handle things.
“Mrs. Patterson, what about the duration?”
“No limit, I trust her.”
I didn’t know how long I could hold on with my condition, so I left everything. for Jade to handle. After dismissing the lawyer, Merritt came to visit.
The suspicion of murder hadn’t been lifted yet, and the internet was rife with speculation, even suggesting that I had orchestrated Clyde’s poisoning. I was. painted as a villainess, desperate to seize control of the Patterson Group by any means, causing the company’s stock to plummet.
Indeed, if Clyde never woke up, the Patterson Group would be mine. Unfortunately, they didn’t understand that in my condition, having enough money was all I could ask for. I didn’t need the Patterson Group.
“Clyde said you have hypoglycemia, is it that severe?” Merritt eyed me curiously, somehow having managed to enter the room alone.
I nodded and tried to get my energy up. “I’ve had a lot on my plate lately, have been kind of freaking out, not getting enough sleep. I did it on purpose.”
He seemed to take my words at face value, even nodding in agreement. “Retreating to advance, smart. Don’t worry, Gemma will get a doctor to help, so you can stay in the hospital as long as possible.”
True to Clyde’s grandfather, even his tone was similar. They all believed I was faking it, but I had no need to explain. However, there was something I
needed him to be aware of.
“Merritt, Jade knows my safe’s combination, and she has some surveillance footage; there’s definitely something off with Kayla.”
“Do you mean she drugged Clyde, or she kidnapped Isla?”
As expected, Merritt could think of many possibilities, but I shook my head. “Beyond that, her appearance in Clyde’s life is suspicious.”
“Dressing similarly to my college days, even her looks, and her qualifications didn’t match the job. She should’ve been screened out before the interview phase.”
“Plus, she seems to interfere with the Design Department a lot. I think there’s
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something fishy.”
Although I was unconscious, my brain never stopped working. Waking up, I could connect the dots, and everything pointed to Kayla being the key issue.
When Jade visited, she told me Kayla had disappeared, but with everything in. chaos, no one noticed e she went. With Clyde in a coma, her absence
was too conspicuous.
After my reminder, Merritt started to see the discrepancies. He frowned, seemingly tackling a difficult problem. “Alright, I’ll look into it.”
“But Melanie, there’s something you must understand.” He looked at me intently. “The Patterson family cannot have Clyde as its only successor. The amount of sleeping pills he took was significant, but it shouldn’t affect his health. However, he can’t remain childless. Once he wakes up, I need you two to have a child within a year, do you understand what I’m saying?”
+ swallowed hard, having anticipated his request. Three years without a child,
Merritt always had this thorn in his side. If Clyde were to have an accident, then truly, there would be no one to follow up. I could understand the old generation’s mindset.
But with my current health, conceiving a child was nothing short of a fantasy. I closed my eyes for a moment, then said, “Merritt, I’m sorry, I can’t have children.”
When I opened my eyes again, there wasn’t a trace of surprise on Merritt’s face, probably aligning with his suspicions. My voice was hoarse, “I’ve discussed divorce with Clyde, not asking for half his fortune, but he hasn’t agreed yet.”
Merritt looked at me for a long time before nodding. “Good child, you’ve been through a lot. The Patterson family won’t let you down.”
“We’ll handle the divorce on your behalf.”