Barbara slowly lowered her raised hand, her clouded eyes filled with doubt as she looked at Aveline. “Are you telling the truth?” Seeing that Barbara had calmed down, Aveline helped her lean back against the headboard and replied, “Yes, we're getting divorced soon.” Barbara pressed further, “When are you getting divorced?” Aveline answered, “In seven days.” Barbara counted on her fingers and then looked at her, “You better not be lying to me. If you dare lie, I’ll still hit you!” Aveline looked helpless. If she wanted to hit, she could let her, right? Pulling a chair over, Aveline sat down and looked at Barbara's wrinkled face. “Grandma, do you really not remember me at all?” Barbara's face remained stern. “Why should I remember you? Are you that important?” A flicker of sadness crossed Aveline’s eyes. Indeed. She wasn’t important. So, it didn’t matter if she was remembered or not. The room fell silent for a moment. Aveline kept her gaze down, not looking a
Lucas's expression was truly terrifying, cold as ice, his dark eyes laced with a hint of harshness. Even though the person on the hospital bed was his grandmother, he showed no sign of softening. Aveline saw this and quickly said, "No, Grandma didn’t bully me." Barbara nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, I didn’t bully her. She wanted to cry on her own, I didn’t bully her.” Aveline was at a loss for words, caught between laughing and crying. She wiped her tears and said, "Seeing Grandma like this now, I just remembered some things from the past." Hearing this, Lucas’ expression softened a bit, and he asked, “What did you remember?” Aveline, her eyes red from crying, looked at him with a faint sadness. “Are you sure you want to know?” Lucas sighed. “Never mind.” There were many unpleasant things in the past, best not to bring them up. He turned to Barbara with a softened expression. “Why did you want to see her today?” Barbara still looked aggrieved and scared, her cloudy
Lucas glanced at the caregiver. “Take good care of her. If anything comes up, call me. Don’t bother Aveline again.” The caregiver nodded. “Yes, sir.” … When Lucas stepped outside, he saw Aveline's slender figure already at the entrance. She pulled her scarf tighter, looking like she was feeling the cold, and reached out to open the car door, getting in. She turned on the heater first, waiting for the temperature to rise before starting the car. At that moment, a knock came from the passenger side window. Aveline turned her head to see Lucas standing there, his sharp, handsome features framed by those deep eyes. She unlocked the car door. Lucas opened it and got in. She asked, “Is something wrong?” Lucas replied, “Why did Grandma want to see you?” Aveline shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Maybe she felt lonely and wanted someone to talk to.” And with no one else Barbara could think of, she could only call Aveline whom she had a faint impression of.Lucas said, “I
Lucas let out a helpless laugh. “Yes, yes, it’s my idea, not you asking for my help, so you don’t owe me anything.” Aveline immediately looked away. The two fell into silence once again. By the time they arrived at the hospital, the sky had already darkened. Aveline had arranged a private room for Annie at the time so she could recover in peace. Now, there was a middle-aged couple standing outside the door of the room. The woman was banging on the door forcefully, shouting loudly. The nurses and security guards nearby were trying to calm her down, but she wouldn’t listen. “Annie, you worthless girl, get out here right now! Didn’t you say you were going to tutor someone? Why are you at the hospital? Did you do something shameful and get beaten up by someone’s wife, so you ended up here? You little tramp, open this door, and I’ll beat you to death today for being so shameless!” The woman’s words were harsh and vulgar, without a thought that she was talking about her own da
Aveline said, "Go ahead and sue if you want, but before you do, just know that all this yelling in public and getting physical is more than enough reason for the police to haul you in for questioning."The middle-aged woman was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then appeared slightly guilty. She definitely didn't want to end up at the police station!Her eyes darted around as she quickly retorted, "Forget about that for now. Since my daughter is in there, why not let me in to see her? Something serious happened, and she didn't even tell us. We're worried about her!"Worried? Aveline could hardly see any concern in her demeanor!Aveline replied, "With the way you all were acting just now like you were ready to tear her apart the moment you saw her, how could I possibly let you in? She still needs to rest. You should leave.""You!" The woman bristled. "How dare you try to send us away? I'm Annie's mother, we're her family! No matter what you say, you're just an outsider. Even if t
Everyone turned in shock to look at the person who had struck out.The man was wearing a dark gray coat over a black suit, his tie perfectly knotted, and his straight shoulders made him look even broader and more imposing. His handsome, slightly wicked face carried a coldness, and his eyes seemed to hold a glimmer of frost that chilled to the bone."Who saw me kick you?" Lucas asked calmly, his voice deep and magnetic, with a casual tone that still made one's heart skip a beat.The middle-aged man, hearing this, immediately pointed around the room. "Everyone here saw it! You think you can deny it?""Uh, what did I come out here for again?""I need to get some water.""I haven’t finished my notes; I should get back to that.""I still have rounds to make.""Wait for me, I'll come along."Within a minute, the crowd dispersed, each person finding an excuse to leave as if they hadn't witnessed anything at all. In the blink of an eye, only Lucas, Aveline, Annie, and the two middle-aged tro
Annie asked, “Won’t that cause trouble for you?”Aveline shook her head. “No, it won’t.”Lucas spoke up, “In all of Cloudflare City, the hospital with the best privacy and security is the one owned by the Tudor family. Why not consider moving her there?”Aveline glanced at him, meeting his dark, inscrutable eyes. She knew he wouldn’t offer anything without expecting something in return.But on second thought, he did have a point. If Annie were transferred to a hospital under the Tudors, her parents wouldn’t be able to find her, and she could recover in peace.Aveline pressed her lips together and nodded. “Alright.”Lucas raised an eyebrow. “‘Alright,’ is it?”The implication was clear.Aveline’s tone grew firmer. “Yes, alright!”“Good, I’ll make the arrangements.” A faint smile tugged at Lucas’ lips as he pulled out his phone and began making a call.Annie looked at Lucas nervously and whispered, “Aveline, who is he?”Aveline replied coolly, “Just a stranger.”Annie blinked but said
Aveline’s brow furrowed slightly as she glanced at Annie, who gave her a playful wink."You two talk; I'll step out for a bit.”Seeing they needed privacy, Lucas turned and left the room.Once he was gone, Aveline said, "He's not my boyfriend."Annie burst into a smile, her cheeks dimpling with two small, charming dimples. "I know. You’re upset with him right now. I've seen lots of couples act like that when they’re fighting. I won’t say it again."Aveline sighed. There was no explaining this away. Besides, there was no need to burden Annie with the details of her pending divorce from Lucas. It would be over soon enough, so there wasn't much to discuss.Changing the subject, Aveline said, "While you’re staying here, you can go for a walk when you’re feeling up to it. The environment here is quite nice. If you need anything, just ask the nurse, and if you feel unwell, call me right away."Annie nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I will, Aveline. Thank you so much."Aveline smil