Chapter 308: Chapter 1641-1650

“Next question. What does Connor have to do with Kevin?”

“After Kevin’s parents passed away, Connor—his uncle—and his wife Olivia became his guardians.”

Something invisible squeezed Jared’s heart and he placed his hand on his chest. “Do you know that Kevin had a younger sister called Ellen?”

“I think he did, but she was very young back then. We didn’t look into much of that family.”

“Are you aware that Connor hogged all that compensation money and consigned his niece to an old lady? He did not look after her for the past sixteen years.” Jared could not smother the pain in his chest.

He realized that Ellen’s brother was the one who donated his heart to him, and Ellen did not know a thing about the donation. Otherwise, she would’ve told him when they were at the cemetery.

Darn it! He slammed his hand on the steering wheel, making Benjamin flinch. Benjamin hurriedly comforted, “Mr. Presgrave, calm down. You mustn’t be too emotional!”

“You had one job and yet, Ellen did not get her due at all. Connor and his family took all the credit. She has had a hard time since young. You guys are partly responsible for that.” Jared’s expression turned grim. His fist could’ve landed on Benjamin’s face if he did not rein in his temper.

Benjamin was so frightened that he let off the steam by criticizing Connor. “How can they not look after the donor’s sister and enjoy the money by themselves? They’re ridiculous!”

Benjamin suddenly thought of the rumor that had been circulating in the company. I think the rumored girl is Ellen too. Are they the same person? Gosh… He’s gonna tell me off for sure.

“Find out how Connor spent that money. I’ll ask Ellen to get ’em back.”

“What about this time? Are you still going to give him money?”

“I will, but not to them.” Jared snorted coldly. For the past few years, Jared had already repaid Connor enough for signing the contract back then. Now, it was time for Ellen to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

Jared would make it happen.

Then, he requested Benjamin to get out of the car so that he could go to Ellen, whom he missed so much. Strong guilt was fettering him. I have her brother’s heart, yet she is clueless about it. How am I supposed to tell her the truth so that she won’t get hurt?

Connor left the cafe when he happened to see Benjamin entering a car. “Mr. Stark, could you give me a lift?”

Benjamin could not bother to straighten up his attitude. During the past sixteen years, he was in charge of handling Connor’s matters and requests. Connor was so shameless that he could send his daughter abroad to pursue her studies by using the Presgrave Family’s name. Yet, the donor’s sister did not benefit from anything.

“Sorry, but I have a meeting to rush to,” Benjamin replied as his visage grim.

The sensitive Connor noticed the change in Benjamin’s attitude, so he bent over. “What’s the matter, Mr. Stark? Did I say something wrong?”

“Mr. Aguirre, I think you should figure things out on your own. There are certain principles that we must abide by as humans. How could you cross the line?” Benjamin wanted to teach him a lesson.

Connor’s neck turned crimson. “I can’t follow. What did I do?”

“Say, does the donor have a sister? Did she benefit anything from the deal? Do you know how angry President Presgrave is?”

Connor’s mind went blank, and he was jittery. “Mr. Presgrave already found out about it?”

“He’s not an idiot. Just who are you trying to fool?”

Did Mr. Presgrave see through my lies? Is he aware of Kevin’s identity?

Connor’s countenance turned pale for embarrassing himself. He resented Olivia for coming up with this horrible idea. Forget about the money, I bet Jared would not even wish to see me anymore.

Benjamin drove his car away, leaving Connor standing all alone in the same spot. It took him a while before he called Olivia.

“Honey, how did it go?”

“Your idea is literally stupid. Mr. Presgrave has found out that Ellen’s brother is Kevin, and you told me to blabber all those nonsense to him? Do you think he’ll give us the money now?”

“What? He knows that Kevin is Ellen’s brother? Honey, did you actually do as I say? How can you be this silly? I was just thinking out loud. You shouldn’t have taken it seriously.” She refused to take the blame.

“You! I-If we don’t get the money, you’re gonna get it from me.” His ineptitude made him vent his anger on his wife.

Meanwhile, Olivia was an irresponsible person who never acknowledged her wrongdoings. The money received from Jared was the reason Connor and Olivia could put up with each other this long.

Otherwise, they would’ve separated ways eons ago.

Connor’s face was burning in embarrassment.

We’re done for. We’re not getting another penny, and now Ellen’s gonna come after us.

On the other hand, Olivia was equally livid after the phone call. She dialed Selena right away.

“What? Mr. Presgrave found out that Kevin is Ellen’s brother? We’re doomed, Mom. If Ellen knows that we didn’t give her a share of the money, she’s gonna take her revenge!”

“I doubt she dares! She was way too young back then. What did she even know at that age? Even if we had given some money to her, would she have been able to use it?” Olivia acted like an elderly person with a conventional mindset.

“Mom, it’s possible, if Mr. Presgrave helps her. With his backing, she might be able to take away half of the assets we own right now.” Selena, who had been to college, knew the laws better.

“What? Is it that serious? What are we gonna do?” Olivia was surprised because Selena had a point.

“We mustn’t sit still doing anything. It’s possible that Ellen will hate Mr. Presgrave if she knows that he has Kevin’s heart. Let’s hope that she’ll hate him.”

“Ellen is head over heels for him, though. Why will she hate him?”

“Tell her that the Presgrave Family set Kevin up when he hadn’t passed away. That way, she’ll resent the Presgraves to the bone.”

“Will it work?” Olivia was at her wit’s ends.

“Trust me. Mom, just sit back and watch. I’m sure this will drive a wedge between her and Mr.

Presgrave. Alright. I think I should give her a call right now.” Selena had to be one step ahead of Jared before he revealed the truth to Ellen.

Selena, who was at a hotel, dialed Ellen’s number. Meanwhile, Ellen was patting the cat on the balcony. Life was peaceful and wonderful at that moment.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Her brows knitted when she realized that it was a call from Selena.

Why is she calling me?

Ellen decided to ignore it, but Selena did not stop calling her.

Did something happen to Uncle Connor? His affair is a time bomb after all.

She answered the call at long last, albeit with an unfriendly tone. “Hello.”

“Thank God you answered the call. You know what? I overheard something shocking and I must tell you this.” Selena sounded urgent.

What is it?”

“It’s about Kevin. I overheard my parents talking. It is shocking.”

Ellen frowned. “Just tell me.”

“Listen, you better break up with Mr. Presgrave. Don’t hesitate or you’ll feel sorry for your brother,”

emphasized Selena on purpose.

“Why?” Ellen could not understand the situation.

“Just do as I say, or you’ll regret it.”

“I’m done talking to you.” Ellen knew that favorable words would never come out of Selena’s lips.

At that moment, Selena decided to cut to the chase. “Wait, hold on! I’ll tell you. Back then, someone wanted Kevin’s heart, and my parents didn’t dare to tell you. They’re from a powerful family, so my parents couldn’t stop them.”

“What?” Ellen was shocked to the core. Even the cat in her arms fell onto the floor.

“It is true. Kevin was forced to donate his heart. Wanna know who the donee was? Jared Presgrave.

He was in dire need of a healthy heart, and his parents found us. They threatened Dad and Mom and offered a deal, so they had no choice but to sign the contract to protect us. Ellen, I apologize on behalf of my parents.”

Ellen shut her eyes, feeling the looming dizziness. It was a huge blow to her.

Someone took Kev’s heart by force? So, he was buried without a heart? Why was it Jared? Why did it have to be the Presgrave Family?

Tears were forming in her eyes. “Are you sure about this? Stop lying.”

“I swear by my family’s name that I’m telling the truth. I’m telling you for your sake. Don’t be fooled by his looks, money, and gentle side. Think about it, why is he treating you so well? Isn’t it because of Kevin? He’s afraid of karma!” Selena prattled nonsense, but it somehow made sense.

She was saying Jared treated Ellen well not because of love, but to repay Kevin’s sacrifice.

“Ellen, you’re too naive. You fall for him just because he’s nice to you. He’s waiting for the perfect timing to tell you the truth so that you won’t resent him that much,” Selena continued.

“No. This can’t be true. You’re lying!” Ellen closed her eyes, not wanting to accept it.

“I asked my parents about how we became rich overnight. Guess why. It’s impossible to be this loaded with Dad’s salary, right? Well, it’s all from the Presgraves. My parents didn’t give you a single penny because you were young back then. They have been saving it for your dowry.” Selena was set on making Ellen hate Jared for eternity.

Selena’s words hit home, and the color drained from Ellen’s visage. Tears began streaming down her cheeks. Ellen had previously made a few speculations regarding the reason behind her uncle’s sudden wealth; even the other relatives gushed about it furtively during family gatherings. Now, the mystery was finally solved.

It was the price for Kevin’s heart.

“How could Uncle Connor do that? How could they take Kev’s heart just like that?!” Ellen roared.

“What else could they do? It’s the Presgraves! They’re the top dogs! Their assets alone are enough to build a nation. What can we expect from them? A sheer little threat is enough to force my parents to sign the agreement. Otherwise, both of us wouldn’t be able to be here right now. They didn’t have a choice, Ellen.” Selena fanned the flames in Ellen.

Emotions got the best of Ellen as she raised her voice. “What did they do to take Kev’s heart away?

Tell me!”

“I heard that the doctor told my parents to be ready to give up on him. They were about to remove the machine from Kevin when the Presgraves came.” Selena made an excuse for her parents.

“But still! How could they take his heart away, by force at that! I can’t believe that I didn’t know about this all those years.” Daggers pierced Ellen’s heart. It pained her to know that her poor brother could not leave in peace.

“Calm down, Ellen. I bet Mr. Presgrave is on the way to see you. We should step back because we’re weaker.”

“Must we fear the strong ones just because we’re poor and powerless? I will never step back from this!”

Ire had long prevailed over Ellen’s rationality. Now, the Presgrave Family was like a devil to her.

On the other hand, Selena sneered into the mirror in the hotel room. Her idea worked! If Ellen decided not to marry Jared and dwelled in the painful lie, she wouldn’t be in a state to bother Selena’s family.

The person who would need to face an infuriated Ellen was none other than Jared.

“I’m sorry, Ellen. I just found out about it not long ago. Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Selena comforted Ellen pretentiously.

At this moment, both of them heard the doorbell ring, so Selena quickly wrapped it up. “It must be Mr.

Presgrave! Don’t open the door, Ellen! Honestly, I still can’t see through his intentions.”

Ellen terminated the call right away, and Selena pouted. Alas. Only if I could witness what’s going on there with my own eyes.

Meanwhile, Ellen stared at the door while her hands formed into tight fists. Tears trickled down her cheeks, yet her heart was blazing in grief, hatred, and anger. They stirred her heart into turmoil, urging her to murder the man outside at this instant.

Still, she closed her eyes for a few seconds as the doorbell did not stop ringing. Next, she opened the door to reveal a huffing Jared, who was surprised to see her expression.

“Ellen, what’s wrong?” The girl standing in front of him had a resentful gaze. It was as if she was looking at her nemesis.

Gritting her teeth, she pointed at his chest. “Does that belong to my brother?”

He paused. “You know about this? I was going to tell you. The donor was your brother. I just found out today!”

The more he thought about it on his way here, the guiltier he felt. However, he was grateful to God for bestowing such a fate to let him meet her, protect her, and love her.

Ellen suddenly burst into tears. Her body teetered, and she almost fainted.

Noticing her pale complexion, Jared hurriedly hugged her waist to pull her into his arms. The dizzy Ellen shoved him away due to the strong repulse.

“Let go of me! Don’t touch me!” she screamed. She’d rather prop herself against the wall instead of letting him touch her.

His heart squeezed. “Do you hate me?”

A tear-streaked Ellen gazed at him. “Why? Do you feel accepting his heart is a matter of a fact?”

“No, I feel guilty about it. I rushed all the way here to apologize to you,” he quickly explained.

“Apologize? You and your family should apologize to my late brother for taking his heart by force, you monsters!” The girl in anguish could not take it and bellowed.

Jared retreated to the door in the face of her emotional reaction. “Ellen, it’s all my fault. I ran into a serious accident when I was ten. I was barely hanging onto my life when my parents sent me to the hospital. We contacted your uncle, and he agreed. I cannot be any more grateful to your brother. I was able to survive, thanks to him, and my family is eternally grateful to yours. It is only today that I found out you didn’t get your due from the agreement. I’m hurt and angry at your uncle’s family. Ellen, please give me another chance to make it up to you.” Tears welled in his eyes because of how painful it was to see her in such a state.

Like an innocuous beast in despair, she mired into a self-destructive predicament. She raised her head, revealing her hatred-filled eyes. “You done? Get out.”

“I’ll go, but promise me that you won’t do anything silly.” He was worried.

“No matter what I do, it’s none of your business. Do not make me hate you more, Jared Presgrave. I’ll get out of here and the company, and I won’t touch any of those things you bought me. I don’t wish to see you ever again.” Her voice spoke of determination, albeit soft.

The foreboding of losing her spurred Jared’s anxiety, but he tried to soften his voice. “Ellen, we can work this out. Please don’t leave me.”

She approached him with reddened eyes and placed her hand against his chest, whereas the man was confused by her actions. The steady heartbeat rendered it impossible to fight back the tears in her eyes; he dared not move a muscle, letting her be. No one knew how much he wanted to wipe off those tears, but he knew she would hate whatever he did right now.

Despite the agonizing grief, Ellen returned to the living room for the cat. After settling it into the box, she gave it to him. “Take it.”

She was worried she might abandon the cat for real, and if he forgot about it instead, the cat might starve to death. He held the box as she closed the door loudly, failing to bring himself to leave the place out of worry. This is not what I expected.

Of course, he could understand her stance. After all, Connor and Olivia kept the seven-year-old girl in the dark, so how could Ellen not hate herself for only knowing the truth now?

But I will protect her and love her forever in her brother’s place.

Meanwhile, Ellen began packing her stuff behind the door while anything that did not belong to her remained.

On the other hand, Connor returned home only to be pulled over by Olivia. “I found a way to stop Ellen from coming after us.”

“What?” It was a monotonous voice.

“Ellen owns nothing from the beginning. She’s all puffed up because of Mr. Presgrave. What happens to her if they break up? Plus, we’ve gone bust. If she insists on getting the money from us, we’ll have no choice but to sell the house and cars.”

“Just cut to the chase!” He glared at her.

“Lena called Ellen to drive a wedge between the couple, and Ellen is misled into believing that the Presgraves forced us to sign the donation agreement. She can’t even bear the sight of Mr. Presgrave now. If she happens to call you, just tell her the same story. That way, she’ll resent the Presgrave Family to her bones,” she recounted.

Connor paused momentarily. “Are we not gonna take responsibility?”

“Ellen’s nothing without the Presgrave Family, so why should we be afraid?” Olivia rebuked confidently.

“Do you think she can seriously pull something on us? Even if that happens, we can just settle it with some money.”

He contemplated, She’s right. With Mr. Presgrave’s support, Ellen can take away half of our assets at any time. Now, my investment has gone out of the window, and I have two families to feed. I won’t be able to choke up the money for Ellen. It’s not bad to put up with it with Lena’s plan for now.

Thinking about his failed attempt to get money, he sighed. He thought they would be able to get out of trouble again, yet Benjamin could not care less about them. The Presgrave Family was no longer their backup, and all they had left was the assets in their possession right now. As an afterthought, he became petty. Right, we mustn’t give Ellen our money. She’s a girl; she’s gonna marry someone and become an outsider one day.

In the meantime, Ellen was forcing herself to pack her stuff. It was not until then that she realized how many things Jared had given her. She looked at her phone, which was a present from him, and felt relieved for not discarding her old one yet. It could still be used after inserting the SIM card.

Holding the phone, she wanted to know the details of what happened that year to validate Selena’s words. In the end, she contacted Connor, whom she believed would be able to clear her doubts.

When the phone rang, Connor was going to drink in the hall on the second floor when the dialer’s name gave him a bag of nerves, but he picked up the phone nevertheless. “Ellie!”

“Uncle Connor, I have something to ask you.” She sounded unusually serious.

“It must be about your brother’s donation to the Presgrave Family, I suppose.”

“Yup. Did they threaten you to sign the agreement? Did they force us to donate Kevin’s heart?”

He broke into a cold sweat, but he figured it was fine to lie to make her hate the Presgrave Family.

“Yeah, they did. If I didn’t sign it, they would’ve—”

“What would they have done?”

“You’re still young and naive about the world, Ellie. How can someone like us go against a rich family?

Even if they didn’t tell us what they’d do to us, we wouldn’t be able to survive after getting in their way.”

“Uncle Connor, be honest. Is this true?”

“Why would I lie to you? They forced me to sign the papers. After the surgery, they even stopped by to thank us and stuffed us with money. Ellie, I was useless. I failed to protect your brother.”

There was a vivid image in her memory. On the day Kevin passed away, a few men in suits came to Connor’s place and gave a credit card right in front of her eyes! So, that was what happened.

The invisible weight sat upon her chest and stifled her breath, whereas tears wet her cheeks.

“Cheer up, Ellie. Kevin has passed for many years. You should lead a good life too. If anything happens, I will help you.” Connor comforted her, and the tad of guilt in him remained only for a fleeting second, though. “Ellie, listen. You must not be at odds with the Presgrave Family. They’re loaded and powerful. If you make a ruckus, you’ll be in danger.” He tried to make her perceive the Presgraves as a formidable beast.

“Why should I be afraid?” She bit her lip. “They can just come right at me.”

“You fool. Being able to live a peaceful life is our blessing. At least that’s how it is for normal people like us. Don’t ever gamble your life. And one more thing—stay away from Mr. Presgrave.”

“Uncle Connor, was Kevin… in much pain?” A sharp pang pricked Ellen’s chest, making it impossible to breathe.

“I-I’m not sure. We weren’t allowed to enter the operating room.” Connor glossed it over.

He must’ve been in so much pain. They dug his heart out before he passed away!

Her world fell apart, and she could not stop crying. Right now, her only wish was to leave everything Jared gave her. She removed the SIM card to insert it into her old phone. Next, she pulled out her luggage and opened the door. To her surprise, the man was leaning against the wall outside.

The gentle Jared approached her. “Ellen, where are you going?”

She did not utter a single word as tears streamed down her cheeks. The sheer sight of him made her suffer.

“I can give you a ride.” He entered the elevator with her while holding the cat.

She closed her eyes and turned her head away, hurting the man with her reaction. In actuality, he wished that she would yell or vent her emotions at him as long as it was not a cold treatment. At that point, it felt like she was going to ignore him forever.

They came out of the elevator and walked straight to the entrance of the neighborhood. She was pulling her luggage as he trailed behind her. She hailed a cab, and it pulled over when he finally grabbed her wrist. “Ellen, don’t go.”

“Let go of my hand. I don’t wanna see you.” She turned around with resentful and sorrowful eyes.

“Then, when will you want to see me?” he questioned hoarsely.

“Not in this lifetime.” She looked away.

“Will you see me if I return Kevin’s heart?” He patted his chest. “If you hate the idea of me using his heart, I can remove it.”

Ellen hurriedly looked back at him with frantic eyes, fearing that he might do something stupid as he said.

Jared noticed the concern in her gaze and added, “I can wait for another donor. If you want it back, I can remove it.”

Suddenly, she recalled that he was only ten back then. The poor boy was bedridden, waiting to be saved, so who was she to despise him for that? Although she did not wish to see him, she had never thought of getting it back.

“You should cherish it now that you own it. It’s just hard for me to look you in the face.” She wiped her tears and got into the car.

As his hands were placed against the window, the driver stepped on the pedal and almost dragged the sophisticated man along the road. Jared’s knees were on the ground, prompting her to pop her head out of the window to check on him. At the same time, six bodyguards were running toward him.

She was going to reprimand the driver when he pre-empted her. “You’re welcome, miss. You should stay away from a scumbag like him. A handsome man with a slick tongue is full of lies.”

“You’re misunderstanding something, sir. Please do not do something like this again. It’s dangerous,”

she reminded. Later, she averted her gaze back to the neighborhood, which shrank into a tiny dot. I wonder if he’s okay.

On the other hand, the bodyguards gazed at Jared’s scraped hand concernedly.

“Sir, should we go to the hospital?”

“Sir, are you alright?”

He shook his head before something occurred to him. “Follow her. I have to know where she’s heading to.”

Considering how Ellen did not have a place to stay, it would be difficult to track her down in the future.

At that instant, two bodyguards drove off while Jared heaved a sigh, her final words easing his heart a little.

Jared wondered what went wrong. Ellen shouldn’t be that emotional upon knowing the truth. Clearly, someone provoked her with something.

His parents sought consent from the other party before proceeding with the transplant, so it was not a forceful deal. Therefore, he wondered why the permissible deal sounded like a deception to Ellen. He fully believed in his parents, who would never do something like that.

Ellen received the news from the Aguirre Family. Perhaps they contorted the truth?

Everything made sense if he put it that way. The Aguirre Family feared the notion of Ellen coming after their money under Jared’s support. Thus, they decided to seize the chance to drive a wedge between the couple.

On that note, everything Ellen knew was based on how the Aguirres told her the story. If they lied that it was a forceful donation, she would resent Jared for sure.

Damn it!

All of a sudden, his resentment toward that family spurred to the roof. Their greed knew no bounds, and they kept hurting Ellen. Now that they had crossed his bottom line, they would not be able to get away from it.

Meanwhile, Selena returned home to watch the show. When she heard the news of Connor joining her plan and lying to Ellen, she could not be any happier. Now, Ellen and Jared were destined to go on separate ways. Who could she rely on without his protection?

Connor slept early due to a headache, whereas Olivia plunged into distress. She had plans for shopping in the morning, but they had gone out of the window. “Your father didn’t manage to get a single penny from that petty Presgrave! He promised to give it this afternoon, yet there’s nothing in our bank account.” She huffed.

Selena was aware of how shrewd Jared was, so it was considered a risk for Connor to ask for money this time. In the end, he came back empty-handed and revealed Kevin’s identity instead.

“Mom, you still got me. I’ll marry someone rich. Don’t worry,” she said confidently.

“Yup. You’re the only one we can depend on. We invested so much money in you, so you must find someone rich to marry.”

“I will never let my life go to waste.” Selena always had plans for her future.

Even if Jared and Lambert were out of her league, she could marry someone from a decent family. She was reveling in Ellen’s breakup at the moment, for she need not worry that Ellen would lead a better life than her.

In the meantime, Ellen was clueless about where to go when the cab driver asked for a destination. Her house was demolished, and she seldom kept in touch with her relatives, whom she could not bring herself to disturb.

She had a few close colleagues, but she figured it would be undoing to interrupt their personal space.

At long last, she resorted to a temporary stay in a hotel before looking for a house.

As such, she told the driver to take her to the nearest hotel, but he stopped at a five-star hotel, assuming that she was loaded. “Miss, we’re here.”

Ellen alighted from the car without a second thought, and her eyes widened the moment she saw the huge golden sign. Oh, this doesn’t look affordable.

While she was miles away, a sports car accelerated right in her direction as the driver appeared to be on the phone. It was too late when he finally noticed Ellen because both she and her luggage flew a few feets away. Her head hit on the ground, and she lost consciousness immediately.

Since it happened right at the entrance of the hotel, the security guards rushed to the scene. The young man, who got out of the sports car, was frantic. He was talking to his friend over the phone when he ran into her. It was his first time encountering such an accident.

Instantly, he dialed someone’s number. “Lambert, are you at the hotel? I ran into someone by accident.

Come here quick!”

“What?”

“Hurry! At the entrance! What am I supposed to do? She fainted and is bleeding!” The young man was scared out of his wits.

After the receptionist called 911, a man in a robe appeared. Judging from his wet hair, it seemed like he had just come out of the shower.

“Bro, what should I do?” The young one pulled him while pointing at the fainted girl, whom the man-in-

robe instantly recognized before punching him. “Ouch! What’s that for?”

“Can’t you focus on the road? Why did you run into someone—someone I like at that!” Lambert flew another punch at Corey before approaching her.

Never once in his wildest dream had he ever imagined himself meeting an injured Ellen at the hotel.

At that moment, the ambulance arrived. He carried her into the ambulance, and Corey followed along.

In the hospital, Ellen regained consciousness before she was pushed into the emergency room. When the confused girl almost fell off the stretcher, Lambert supported her with nimble moves.

“Mr. Orey? It’s you.” The surprise lasted for a sheer moment as she kneaded her forehead due to a headache.

He comforted her. “You were hit by a car, Ellen. You should get a full medical check-up in case of any after-effects.”

She averted her gaze onto the young man behind Lambert, who quickly apologized. “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I was on the phone while driving.”

Corey appeared sincere in his apology, but she glared at him. “Be careful next time.”

Lambert chipped in. “Did you hear her? Be careful on the road.”

“Okay, brother.”

She was baffled momentarily. “Brother? You mean brother by blood?”

“He’s my cousin,” answered the embarrassed Lambert. He donned only a robe, so it was rather uncomfortable to feel the cold air touching his skin underneath.

“Ellen, you should get a brain check-up. You hurt your head.” Lambert then ordered Corey to reserve a brain examination for her. Although it had only been a few days since they last met, she appeared unusually weary to him; her eyes were glazed over.

“I apologize on behalf of Corey, but why were you alone at the hotel?” He was curious.

“I was going to stay there.”

“There’s only a suitcase with you. Did someone drive you out?” Lambert was blaming Jared inwardly for dumping her that quickly.

She felt hot behind her eyes upon hearing that. What happened today was an emotional roller coaster ride for her. When she raised her head, her eyes were glistening with tears.

At that moment, he was certain with his guess that Ellen was dumped. His hands balled into a fist as he cursed inwardly, Jared Presgrave, that scumbag! How can he dump someone as lovely as her? Now, he can’t blame me for claiming her as mine.

Thereafter, Ellen spent some time at the nurse’s station to disinfect the swollen part of her head. During then, some nurses were chuckling on the account that it was their first time seeing someone dressed in a robe at the hospital, a handsome man at that! Thanks to his looks, the robe seemed like a custom-

made garment to others.

“Miss, your boyfriend must be worried sick about you. He didn’t even have the time to change out of his robe.” The nurse teased.

Ellen shook her head. “We’re just friends.”

A friend who cares this much for you? Just tackle him, you silly girl!

The nurses shared the same notion.

After the nurse bandaged Ellen’s head, she underwent a brain check-up. It was nothing serious, but the doctor advised her to take a good rest.

At the same time, Lambert’s secretary had driven a car to the hospital. Corey wanted to hitch a ride, but Lambert thwarted him.

As Lambert entered the car, he grabbed Corey’s shoulder blade and whispered, “Bring her luggage to my place, or your parents will know what you’ve done today.”

“You’re brutal, dude,” barked Corey.

After seeing Lambert off, he hailed a cab to return to the hotel. He did not expect the day he would see his indifferent cousin be infatuated with a woman to come.

Meanwhile, Jared’s face fell upon the bodyguards’ return to the Presgrave Group. “You had one job, and you failed me.”

“There were too many cabs on the road at the same time. We got the wrong one.” The bodyguard felt helpless because it was too late back then.

Jared heaved a heavy breath. “Look into the license number and contact the driver. Find out where she went. Just track her down!”

The authoritative tone proved how distressed he was. She’s way too emotional at the moment. What if she happens to pass by a lake and think of something silly?

He could not bring himself to think further about it. The Aguirre Family was merciless to sever their relationship without considering Ellen’s emotions and livelihood.

Through the black box recorder of their car, the bodyguards soon contacted the driver. However, he kept his lips tight. It was not until they revealed that Ellen showed suicidal tendencies that the surprised driver blurted the hotel’s location. As such, the bodyguards dashed to the hotel thereafter.

On the other hand, Ellen, who was in Lambert’s car, thought he was going to take her to the hotel. Yet, he drove the car into the garage of a huge mansion. “Mr. Orey, I thought you were going to send me to the hotel,” she questioned.

“The doctor said you need a few days of rest. The hotel is inappropriate for that. You can stay here instead.”

“No, the hotel is better!” She refused.

“Do you think I’m a bad guy? Relax. I’m famous for my chivalry.” He then opened the car door for her.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Miss Reiss.”

The second she got out of the car, a pang of dizziness caught her off-guard, after which he held her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“I’m dizzy.” Ellen could barely speak.

“It seems like it has been a hard day for you. Your injuries are making it worse. Stay. I’ll look after you.”

Lambert was too worried to let her go.

She could not leave even if she wanted to as she had nowhere to go, and her circumstances were not helping. In hindsight, she accepted his offer. “I’ll just stay for two days, Mr. Orey. Sorry for the trouble.”

“I don’t mind you staying for a week or two.” He helped her to the living room. “Let’s go to the couch.

You need to rest. Corey will bring over your luggage later on.”

Squirming on the couch like a frail kitten, she shut her eyes to get some rest while he covered a thin blanket on her.

In the meantime, the bodyguards arrived at the hotel to inquire about Ellen’s check-in record, yet her name was missing from the list.

“Are you looking for a girl in a white shirt?”

“Yes. Have you seen her?”

“She was sent to the hospital after meeting a car accident. A man left with her luggage a while ago.”

“Do you have any video of the accident? We’re her friends.”

“Yes. Hold on.” The receptionist contacted the security guards to obtain the footage that recorded the car accident until the arrival of the ambulance.

The bodyguards called Jared as soon as they acquired the footage. “Mr. Presgrave, Miss Reiss met an accident and was taken to the hospital. I’ll forward the footage to you right now.”