I almost forgot that he was unconscious when I announced that I would join in. I gave a faint smile and said, “It’s simple. As of now, you’re no longer Anthony’s only right-hand man. I, as his wife, will be joining you guys in running the business.”
“Mr. Featherstone won’t allow it,” Joseph expressed his doubts.
I put on an innocent look. “Does it matter? What counts is that Nathaniel didn’t object. If I’m right, your boss will not say no to any of Nathaniel’s requests now, am I right?”
Joseph stared at me, not knowing what to say. Perhaps he had wanted to dissuade me from doing it, but when he saw the look in my eyes, he could sense the change in me. In the end, he resigned himself to hold his tongue.
Having achieved my goal, I left him for the time being and returned to see John, at the same time allowing both Joseph and Anthony some space to exchange information.
When I pushed open the door to John’s ward, I saw that the nurse was busy packing up. John was dressed in casual clothing with a jacket draped over his shoulder. Its sleeves hung loosely, covering his hand that was in a cast. From the look of it, he was preparing to be discharged.
“What’s going on?” John had a broken. He would need to recuperate in the hospital for at least a month. It was way too early to be discharged from the hospital.
The nurse stopped what she was doing and answered, “Mr. Stanhope ordered it. Also, the paperwork for the discharge has been completed.”
“It’s all right. Just continue packing,” John instructed before walking over. Putting his hand over my shoulder, he began cooking up excuses with a cheeky smile. “My dear sister, I’m someone who just can’t sit still, and you know that, right? At this rate, I would be mired in depression soon. Besides, wouldn’t I recover faster if I was happier? Just let me recuperate at home.”
I lifted my head and chuckled sarcastically, then a serious expression descended upon my face. “No.”
“Didn’t the doctor say that the first half a month’s recovery is the most crucial? You still need to go through a myriad of tests. How are you going to do them at home?” John had hurt his right hand because of me. I wasn’t going to allow anyone to interrupt the healing process unless the doctor declared that it was crippled.
“I’ll just come back every day for my check-up. No matter what, I just can’t stand staring blankly at the ceiling for another day in here,” John said slovenly.
“It’s still a no.” I felt bad as I looked at him. I knew how tormenting it was for someone who was used to enjoying freedom to be cooped up in a ward. However, I had no other choice as I simply owed him too much. As long as there was a sliver of hope, I would spare no effort in trying everything until his hand had fully recovered.
“How about I alternate between staying at the hospital and at home?” When he saw how persistent I was, he put on a pitiful face in an attempt to elicit sympathy from me.
In spite of that, my solemn expression made it obvious that there was no room for negotiations. “Don’t think that I don’t know you. Once you leave this place, there’s no way I can force you to come back here. Just bear with it for half a month, and don’t get any funny ideas.”
Seeing that his attempt was futile, John slumped onto the couch and crossed his legs. “Then I’ll just follow my own will. I’ll go out when I want to go out and come back when I want to come back.”
I folded my arms, unfazed by his threats. “You’d better not try that with me. I don’t mind taking turns with Emma to monitor you round the clock. If it doesn’t bother you, then please go ahead and behave recklessly.”
John’s face instantly turned sullen as he complained, “You only do this to me. If you’re so good at it, why don’t you keep Anthony in check instead?”
At the mention of Anthony, I subconsciously knitted my brows. After pondering for a moment, I replied, “I’ll keep him in line as I have always done.”
I knew that Anthony didn’t change. It was just that he couldn’t express it for the time being.
Thinking that he had triggered me, John quickly cleared his throat and rephrased, “I’m not blaming you. I just want you to think about the matter from my perspective. You can’t let go of Anthony, and there’s no way I can allow Emma to manage such a huge company by herself. Her family… I’m a man too, Letty. You are my family, and so is she. I have to be fair. I can’t support you unconditionally while enjoying the results of her efforts and then back out like a coward at a time when she needs me the most, can I?”
“What? Did something happen to her family?” His words brought a sinking feeling to my stomach, but I expected it to be not as bad as I imagined.
Unfortunately, John gave me a heavy nod. “Someone has manipulated the stock exchange and trapped all of the Lyons family assets.”
“Was it… Nathaniel?” The look on John’s face confirmed my suspicions. My teeth began to chatter in disbelief as the matter caught me by surprise.
How is this possible? I acted as if I didn’t care about any of it, yet he still proceeded to destroy them. Did he see through my ruse?
I felt as if I had missed a step and fallen into a deep abyss.
Why can’t I ever figure out what his next step or who his next target is? Will it be the Stanhope family or the Featherstone family next? Or perhaps both at the same time?
I swallowed a lump in my throat, feeling a chill down my spine. Maybe Anthony was right. Nathaniel was a lot more terrifying than I thought. The more I tried to probe, the deeper the trouble I would land myself in.
Given the circumstances, I no longer had any reason to stop John from leaving the hospital. “Fine, you can recuperate at home. But you have to promise me that you will come back for your check-ups as scheduled. Also, don’t even think about shouldering the matter with Emma’s family alone. We’ll fix it together.”
That was the ideal solution that would satisfy both sides.
“No problem, you’re the boss.” John’s face lit up, but suddenly remembering something, he asked seriously, “Millie mentioned that you met Anthony again today. Did you manage to verify what you wanted to?”
I harked back to that day when Anthony threw me the atropine syringe while making smug comments.
He had obviously prepared to use it on Joseph. After all, no one would walk around carrying such a thing.
In truth, it was a blessing in disguise. If Joseph’s life hadn’t been hanging by a thread, Anthony wouldn’t have risked being discovered by taking out the syringe at the abandoned factory. It was that very gesture that allowed me to confirm that he was still the Anthony I loved and that he hadn’t changed at all.
John didn’t press on with his questions when he saw that I had spaced out. He patted me on my shoulder and comforted me, “It’s all right if you don’t want to talk about it. I believe you know what you’re doing.”
Regaining my senses, I replied with a smile, “No, I was just thinking about something else.”
“John”—I wore a serious expression after getting a grip of myself—”we can trust Anthony.”
John furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief. Looking thoughtful, he asked, “You’re saying that everything Anthony has been doing recently is a lie and that he is doing this undercover? Are you sure about that?”
As smart as he was, he quickly grasped the meaning behind my words. I nodded with my lips pursed, my eyes filled with undeniable conviction. “I’m certain of it.”
“Hmm…” Unconvinced, John let out a long hum and didn’t reveal his thoughts.
I could understand his skepticism. After all, even the Lyons family had been dragged into this war, which was one that we couldn’t afford to lose. It was too risky for him to have faith in Anthony, who had never pledged his loyalty to anyone.
If he was still a youth, he would make the same bet as I did without a care for the consequences. But now, he was all grown up and was a legitimate head of a family. Hence, he could no longer make decisions recklessly.
That day, his scathing words were not just meant to frighten me. If Anthony had really changed, he would go all out to take him down. But even so, he was apprehensive when faced with my decision to trust Anthony still.
After all, other than being stubborn and soft-hearted at times, John was someone who would deliberate upon matters comprehensively.
“John”—I suppressed the emotions in my heart and adjusted his jacket that had flipped over by his shoulder—”just prioritize Emma this time, all right? What you have done for me is more than enough.”
After a brief pause, I continued, “Although all good things must come to an end, I know that both of us are different. No matter what you choose this time or whether we’re on the same path, I will always remember that you are the biggest source of my courage.”
John let out a long sigh. “The way you talk really unsettles me.”
Taking a deep breath, I hid away my sorrows and looked up at him. With a confident smile, I answered, “You should get used to it because the conclusion will show that my judgment is correct.”
John grinned in response. “Are you really that confident in Anthony?”
I shook my head. “It’s more like I’m confident in my own choice. After all, I picked it up from you, no?”
With nothing to retort, John laughed in resignation.
“What’s so funny?” At that moment, Emma entered with her assistant.
“Nothing.” John turned to her while maintaining his smile. “You won. I admit my defeat.”
After shooting him a knowing glance, Emma laughed alongside him.
Sandwiched in the middle and being the third wheel, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Can the two of you please stop flirting in front of me?”
“I didn’t. I’m innocent…” John raised his left hand. Instead of asking for mercy, he looked as if he was greeting someone.
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.
Leave a Reply