Chapter 54
Horace trembled at the rage in Stephanie’s eyes and fallered, “… I don’t know how your grandfather ended up there either.”
He knew the housekeeper would not risk her family by selling him out. Right now, he could only hope that Austin was sentimental enough to cover for
him.
Stephanie released Horace. “Let’s see if your lies will save you when Grandpa wakes up!”
As standard procedures went, Horace and Matilda were brought in for questioning, while Austin was sent to the hospital for a thorough examination.
Vincent stared at Stephanie as she sat by Austin’s bedside and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Steph, Mr. Hayes will be fine.”
Stephanie surveyed the frail old man lying in bed and nodded grimly.
However, she knew there was nothing she could do about the slight brain damage Austin was found to have sustained after being deprived of oxygen.
There was also the matter of the potential side effects of the brain damage, which could only be assessed after Austin regained consciousness.
In Stephanie’s previous life, Austin had died of a heart attack. At the time, she didn’t think Florence had anything to do with it.
It was only when Stephanie was on the verge of death that Florence confessed her dirty deed.
When Stephanie was reborn, she realized that the Hayes family had known the truth behind Austin’s death, and the only reason why they had his body cremated so quickly was so they could cover up Florence’s tracks.
They were in it together. Florence might have caused Austin’s death, but Stephanie decided that those who had helped Florence were equally guilty.
However, Stephanie didn’t expect such small changes to affect the timeline of other events as well
It was her fault that she had not protected Austin.
She parted her lips and said to Vincent, “I’ll stay and take care of Grandpa tonight. You should go back.”
Vincent knew she was worried about Austin. “I’ll stay with you.”
She glanced at his legs and shook his head. “You won’t be comfortable here. Go back and get some rest. Besides, Olivia’s at home, too.””
Vincent understood what she meant: he could not move around freely in this hospital room, and Christina might be in a precarious position considering
Olivia was at Tranquil Garden.
He nodded. “Got it. I asked Zane t to get you something to eat, I’ll leave after you’re done eating.”
Stephanie knew that Vincent would not leave otherwise, so she nodded in agreement,
After that, Vincent went out and returned with a medical kit. “I’ll change your dressing,” he offered.
“Okay,” Stephanie replied.
They went into the restroom, whereupon Stephanie settled into Vincent’s lap and let him change her dressing.
He did so deftly.
Stephanie burrowed into his arms and sighed quietly.
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Holding her, Vincent murmured, “Everything will be fine, Steph. I’m here.”
Zane entered the hospital room just as Vincent and Stephanie emerged from the restroom.
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Zane wondered why they had come out of the restroom together and suddenly recalled the night when he saw Stephanie between Vincent’s legs.
Noticing Zane’s dazed expression, Vincent frowned. “Something on your mind?”
Zane coughed. “No. Mrs. Fletcher, I got you some banana split oatmeal. Enjoy.”
and watched him leave the room.
Stephanie thanked I
d him an
True to his word, Vincent did not leave until Stephanie had finished the oatmeal
In the backseat of the car, the dim yellow streetlight played across Vincent’s features, his expression unreadable.
He rubbed his temples, unable to figure out why the Hayes family were so wicked to Stephanie.
It was as if they did not think of her as family at all.
Zane, who was driving, glanced at Vincent through the rearview mirror. “Is something wrong, Mr. Fletcher?”
Vincent pursed his lips and asked, “Zane, why would parents favor one twin over the other?”
Zane instantly understood that Vincent was talking about Stephanie and Florence.
Stephanie used to have a bad reputation in upper-class society, which was why Zane had been so nervous about her marriage to Vincent at the time; he thought Vincent deserved better. Later, Zane learned that, contrary to the rumors, Stephanie was smart and talented-a perfect match for Vincent.
Clearing his throat, Zane said, “I know you’re talking about Mrs. Fletcher. She can be blunt, and she’s not good at pretending to be sweet like Florence, making her less likable than her twin. Besides, she had quite a reputation before she went abroad, and maybe that’s why Horace and Matilda dislike her.”
“No.” Vincent narrowed his eyes. “They’ve disliked her since she was a child,”
Zane paused. “That is odd.”
“Indeed,” Vincent mused. He looked out the window at the passing scenery and asked, “Did you look into those people like I asked you to?”
“They’ve moved out. Tracking them down is going to take a while,” Zane admitted.
“Well, hurry up. I don’t want Stephanie to have the bear the brunt of that incident anymore,” Vincent said.
“Yes, sir,” Zane replied.
“Did you find the driver who dumped Olivia at Tranquil Garden?” Vincent probed,
“The man’s rather conscious of his surroundings. We couldn’t get too close to him, and we lost track of him in the end,” Zane said.
Vincent said coldly, “Bring him to me in three days.”
“Yes, sirl” Zane said dutifully.
After arriving at Tranquil Garden, Vincent made his way to the bedroom.
He was pulling on his pajamas after his shower when a knock came from the bedroom dogu.
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Frowning, he returned to his wheelchair and threw a blanket over his legs, then opened the door.
Standing on the other side of the door was Olivia in a strappy dress,
“What is it?” Vincent asked indifferently.
Olivia wrung her hands anxiously. “Thank you for saving me, Uncle Vincent.”
“Now that you’re awake, tell me what happened,” he said stoically.
Olivia peered into the bedroom behind him and asked, “is Stephanie around?”
“No,” he replied.
“Let’s talk inside, then,” Olivia suggested.
“No,” Vincent turned her down flatly. “We can talk in the study.”
Toggling the controls of his wheelchair, he maneuvered into the study and refused Olivia’s assistance.
Olivia bit her lips and followed him, not at all expecting his indifference.
Upon entering the study, Vincent came to a stop at his desk and motioned for Olivia to take a seat on the couch. “Sit down.”
Olivia nodded and did as she was told.
“So, what happened? Vincent prompted.
Olivia said with a sniff, “I was having dinner at the Fletcher residence yesterday when I got a call from my assistant saying that the film crew added more scenes for me at the last minute. I was targeted on my way to the company, and alter getting out of my car, I was ambushed and rendered unconscious. | don’t know what happened next, but when I came to, I was already at Tranquil Garden. I don’t know who kidnapped me or beat me, but Dad was sure that a rival company had been spying on us. Do you think they were behind the kidnapping, too?”
“I tried to have the surveillance footage retrieved after the incident,” Vincent explained gravely. “But it was d
“Can’t it be restored?” Olivia asked, frowning.
deleted”
“It’ll be tough, but don’t worry, I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Vincent promised. “Now that you’re awake, you can go home tomorrow.”
Olivia surveyed him grimly. “About that-I was talking to Dad, and he told me to stay here,”
Vincent considered this for a moment and hummed quietly in response. “In that case, you can stay”
“Thank you, Uncle Vincent!” Olivia flashed him a smile. “I won’t get in your way.”
Without giving Olivia a second glance, Vincent said, “You may leave.”
“Yes, sir.” Olivia nodded and left.
However, she discarded her mask of fear the moment she stepped out of the study, and the icy look in her eyes was replaced by a steely glint.
When she passed by Christina’s room, she snorted and vowed to get rid of the latter within the next few days.
After returning to her bedroom, Olivia called her assistant. “Ormand, are you sure that the hacker you hired will keep the surveillance footage from being
restored?”
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“Of course,” Ormand said on the other line. “Don’t worry, Olivia, Midnight is the second-best hacker on the dark web,”
“Second-best? What about the best?” Uneasiness settled within Olivia. She had wanted the best hacker to do her work.
“First place belongs to two hackers-Yern and Flash, but they recently announced on the dark web that they won’t be taking any orders for now,”
Ormand explained.
Relieved, Olivia said, “Got it.”
She ended the call and snorted as she went into the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Vincent stared at Olivia tightly shut bedroom door from the study.
His gaze was cold as he thought. “Someone’s getting caught soon.
He did some work and returned to his bedroom afterward.
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As he lay in bed that right, he glanced at the space next to him that echoed the hollowness in his heart and wondered what Stephanie might be up to at
this hour.
He picked up his phone and texted her: [Are you asleep?
Her reply was instant: [No. Why aren’t you asleep?]
He responded: [Guess]
A faint smile lit up on Stephanie’s tired face as she texted back: [Do you miss me?]
He texted: [Yes]
ne continued
II miss you, too. Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow]. She knew he would not sleep if the texting
Having bid Stephanie goodnight, Vincent turned off his phone, but even as he held the pillow that smelled like her, sleep did not come to him.
At the hospital, Stephanie stared at Austin’s motionless form on the bed and listened to the steady beeping of the equipment, her gaze tortured.
This was going to be a long night, and indeed, she did not sleep a wink.
Early the next morning, she awoke to the sound of the door opening. She looked up at the visitor, and at once, her eyes turned cold.
SEND GIFT