I asked him to sit down at the bench. “John has not woken up yet. Please wait here. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Okay.” Benson cast a glance inside the ward. “Luckily, he is still alive. Ms. Stanhope, don’t worry too much.”
Those words sounded extraordinarily warm coming out from Benson’s mouth.
“Thanks.” I bit my lip, trying to suppress my tears. “Officer Zimmerman, you didn’t come here just to visit, did you?”
I knew a military seldom had any private time. Plus, my relationship with Benson was hardly close enough for a leader like him to visit me personally. With that, I knew his purpose must be something more.
“I can’t say this is about work either.” Benson was being utterly honest. “Ms. Stanhope, you hoped to get the military protection from us, and our superior had agreed to it. However, we can’t expose our men easily, so we can only monitor far away from the Featherstone residence. I didn’t expect those men to be so sick that they even dared to make a move right outside your gate. It’s our fault for not being able to protect your family. Thus, I came here to apologize.”
I did not know how to react to his apology. They did not owe us anything, and they had even agreed to protect us as a tactic to gain our trust. In other words, it was just business. Now that they failed to protect us, they would not be able to make any request either.
Despite that, I still expressed my dissatisfaction. “If your men opened fire in the last few seconds, John would still have his arm.”
Benson did not seem to be bothered by my statement. “The black man did not have any weapon, and he did not harm the victim’s life. According to the law, we can’t open fire.”
That was the part I hated the most about the military. They were always bound by the rules. I feigned a smile. “I understand. You’re also in a tight spot.”
Benson did not respond to me as he shifted his gaze elsewhere.
After a while, he finally cut to the chase. “Ms. Stanhope, do you know about Anthony Featherstone’s recent activity?”
As Benson was in charge of the drug enforcement at the border, I understood his purpose right away.
It looked like Nathaniel had led Anthony astray far beyond the trade of counterfeit money.
Anthony had caught the military’s attention right after he started doing business. It seemed like he could not hide the traces in whatever he did.
No wonder he’s been addressing me as Ms. Stanhope but not Mrs. Featherstone. He’s been trying to draw the line with me.
I adjusted my posture to make myself look more relaxed. “I didn’t notice much. He’s been busy with the company, and he’s been flying overseas a lot. Why?”
Upon saying that, I sensed a sharp gaze coming from Benson.
I swallowed and bit my lip, trying hard to hide my nervousness.
The few seconds felt like a century. To my relief, Benson eventually turned his head elsewhere.
“Since it’s business, please remind Mr. Featherstone not to get too greedy. The profit of the foreign business is indeed high, but the risk is equally high. It’s not worth it to lose the entire enterprise for a small profit.” Evidently, there was a hidden meaning within his words.
I continued to act dumb. “He is always too confident with himself and thinks that he can handle everything himself, but he always makes mistakes. After the crisis ends, I will go back to the company and manage it. Nonetheless, earning foreign currency is indeed a good way to profit. However, it is more important to contribute and help to boost the country’s economy. I understand that.”
I figured it was typical for companies that do foreign business to go under the radar. After all, the government would not wish to see resources going to the other countries. If one were able to prove its patriotism, the officials usually would not nitpick the company. I thought it was appropriate for us to express our stand.
Benson nodded slightly. “No wonder Mr. Louis thinks so highly of you. You’re such a wise woman with a wide vision.”
So he only approves me because of Uncle Louis.
Anyway, things went smoother than I expected. After all, I found it hard to accept what Anthony was doing either. “You’re very generous with your praises.”
Benson stood up and got ready to leave. “Say hello to Mr. Louis for me then. I still have something to do at the office. I shall go now.”
“Sure.” I stood up to escort him out. “Have a great day.”
After seeing him entering the elevator, I immediately texted Joseph.
Where are you? Call me now!
There was no response from Joseph. Emma showed up instead.
John’s incident got to the news headline. Even though his name was not revealed, Emma managed to find out what happened after asking around. With that, she rushed to the hospital.
Initially, I planned to inform Emma after John recovered from his fever. I did not want her to worry too much. As she barged in suddenly, I stood up immediately, dumbfounded.
However, Emma did not pay much attention to me as she went on to check on John. She let out a sigh of relief after confirming he was still alive.
“You should have told me yesterday.” She kept her voice down as she did not want to wake John.
I was not sure if she was blaming me. I lowered my head guiltily. “I’m sorry…”
“I’m his wife.” Emma stared at John, who was in bed. Her gaze had a trace of affection, even though her face looked calm. “If he knows I came so late, he will nag me.”
Emma had always been a strong and independent woman in my eyes. However, at that moment, she looked utterly gentle and vulnerable.
I could somehow comprehend how the two of them got along well. Emma was like a safe harbor to John in his unstable life.
She did not blame me or even complain to me as she knew John would not treat me as such. Her gesture wiped my initial worries off.
I displayed a bitter smile as I thought I underestimated her heart. After all, she was someone who helped John to search for me for over six years. I thought I should have trusted her more.
“You can go back now. I’ll stay here with him,” Emma uttered. “You must be tired.”
As she mentioned, a sense of fatigue began rising within me. I figured I should give them some private time after all. With that, I shared a few reminders with her and left.
It was already bright outside. As the car went past the accident scene, I could still vaguely see the tire scratches on the road. John’s bloodstains had been cleaned up, but I could still smell the blood in the air.
After getting home, I took a hot bath and intended to get a good sleep. However, as soon as I closed my eyes, the scene of John getting beaten up appeared clearly in my mind.
I failed to sleep after struggling for hours. In the end, I decided to get out of bed to prepare some food for Emma and John. John was very picky in terms of food, as he particularly preferred the food I cooked to the delicacies from the restaurant.
It took me two hours to finish preparing the food. Before I departed, I checked my phone. Still, there was no reply from Joseph. I was unsure if he did not see my message or ignored it.
Neither one was good.
By the time I arrived at the hospital, the anesthetic effect had passed. John was teasing Emma. “I’m so lucky to have a wife like you. Thanks for serving me. I have no regrets in this life…”
As usual, Emma did not buy into his wise words. “It looks like your suffering is not enough.”
Thank God. He still can joke.
I took a deep breath and walked in with the thermal container in my hands. “It sounds like you don’t need me anymore since you’ve got your wife. That’s somehow heartbreaking. Do you know how much time I spent preparing your favorite dish?”
As I placed the food on the table, I sensed both John and Emma were staring at me. The atmosphere got awkward instantly as my fake smile froze.
I could no longer suppress my guilt as I lowered my head, not daring to look at John.
John was the one who broke the awkward silence. “Why are you keeping quiet? It’s not like I’m dead.”
“Ouch!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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