However, he was instantly dumbfounded.
The ward was empty, and it looked like it had been unoccupied for quite some time.
Vera went pale from shock and asked, “Where is Laney? Where is my granddaughter?”
Just then, a nurse happened to pass by. Leo quickly stopped her and asked, “Wasn’t a patient named Laney Garcia staying in this ward before? Where is she now?”
The nurse replied softly, “She has been discharged and left two days ago.”
“She’s left? Did Garrett lie to me? He said he would bring Laney home in a few days!” Vera exclaimed in disbelief.
Leo furrowed his brows. He never expected Laney to be discharged ahead of time.
“Call Garrett. Ask him what’s going on,” Leo muttered harshly.
“No need. You won’t find her,” Garrett said indifferently, suddenly appearing behind them.
Leo couldn’t contain his anger and demanded, “Where is Laney? Where did you hide my granddaughter?”
Garrett’s lips curled and mocked, “Thanks to you two, I have no idea where she took the child and went.”
Leo became furious and yelled, “Then go and find her! She took a child from the Harding family and ran away!”
Garrett looked at his parents with extreme disgust.
He didn’t expect his parents to only think about the child. They were not even concerned about why Laney left.
“I won’t look for her,” Garrett sneered.
“Even if I find her, she’ll just leave again because of the two of you. Thanks to you two, I’ve lost not only my wife but also my child. I didn’t even get a chance to name my daughter before she left,” he continued sarcastically.
Vera shouted harshly, “Find the child first. We’ll discuss the rest later!”
Garrett scoffed. He then got his assistant to bring out the documents he had prepared and threw them at Leo.
Leo’s face turned pale upon seeing the title of the document. He glared at Garrett and asked, “Share Surrender Agreement? What do you mean by this?”
Garrett crossed his arms and said coldly, “If you dare to harass Laney and my child again, I’ll sign the documents in public and surrender my shares in the Harding Group. That way, the Harding Group and the Harding family will have nothing to do with me anymore.”
As soon as Garrett finished speaking, the corridor fell into a deathly silence.
Leo glared at Garrett with a livid face, barely able to catch his breath as he roared, “Garrett! How dare you! Are you going to sever the relationship with the Harding family?”
Vera was so furious that she nearly fainted. “Garrett, how could you abandon us for a woman? How come we have a son like you?” The assistant next to Garrett trembled in fear.
He thought that the document was meant to intimidate Leo, but he didn’t expect Garrett to be serious.
Garrett sneered and said, “If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want parents like you.
You only gave birth to me so that you could use me as a tool to take over the Harding Group. You not only controlled my life, but also my wife’s and my child’s lives. It’s because of you that Laney and I are in this situation!”
Vera gasped for breath as she listened to Garrett’s accusations. She could no longer maintain her elegant and dignified demeanor as a pretentious noble lady.
She snapped, “It’s all because of Laney that you’ve become like this. back and you must get a divorce with her!”
Vera placed all the blame on Laney, believing she was the reason behind Garrett’s rebellion and decision to break away from the Harding family.
“Don’t you dare!”
Garrett said to Vera in a menacing voice, “If you harass Laney or the baby again, I won’t hesitate to cut ties with you.”
Turning to his assistant, Garrett ordered coldly, “Arrange a press Share Surrender Agreement publicly and announce my withdrawal from the Harding Group.”
“Wait!”
Leo was unsure if Garrett would really leave the company and didn’t want to take any risks. With a livid face, he compromised, “I promise to leave Laney alone. And I won’t interfere in your affairs anymore.”
“Absolutely not!” Vera was determined that Garrett must divorce Laney and the baby must return to the Harding family. She couldn’t stand Leo compromising and giving in.
“Shut up!” Leo glared at Vera.
Garrett sneered, ignoring them both. He turned around and left with his assistant.
Garrett couldn’t stand being in such a depressing place for even a moment.
After he got back in the car, his assistant could still sense the fear lingering from the intense encounter they just had.
The assistant asked cautiously, “Mr. Harding, was that a bit extreme? Your parents only miss their granddaughter, and besides… You know where Mrs. Harding is now, right? Why don’t you just go get her?”
The assistant didn’t understand why Garrett didn’t go directly to Laney’s location since Garrett had found out that Laney was staying with her friend, Teresa. He believed that this was a perfect solution.
Leaning against the back seat, Garrett closed his eyes wearily and said in a low voice, “I have to clear all the obstacles before I can bring Laney and the baby back. I won’t put them in harm’s way again.”
Once Garrett left, Leo finally calmed down.
After all, he had been a big shot in Barnes for many years, and as soon as he recovered himself, he sensed that something was off.
Vera must have done something he wasn’t aware of, or Garrett wouldn’t be so determined to cut ties. Giving up the company’s shares to keep them away from Laney and the baby was a huge move.
Leo looked at Vera with sharp eyes and asked harshly, “What’s happened to Laney and the baby? Are you keeping something from me?” At first, Vera wanted to conceal the fact that she was deceived by Kailee, but Leo’s questioning left her flustered. In the end, she had to tell the truth to avoid losing Leo’s trust.
Hearing the truth, Leo flew into a rage.
He didn’t expect so many things had happened. No wonder Laney had to leave and Garrett was so angry that he wanted to cut off ties with the Harding family.
“How could you be so stupid?” Leo felt his blood pressure rise with anger. “It’s clear that Kailee wants to cause trouble between you and Laney. You’ve lived for so long, yet you are manipulated by a young woman!”
New Book: Beginning with a Daring Encounter
Celsie was tired of being labeled as an introvert, workaholic, and dull virgin by her friends. Determined to prove them wrong, she made a bet that she would do something daring on her 25th birthday. Now that the day had arrived, it was time to fulfill her promise. On her daring to-do list, there was one task: a one-night stand with someone.
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