Chapter 401

Allison got home. She scored some ribs from the supermarket because they were on sale. She also grabbed some fresh fruits and veggies, and stashed them in the fridge. When she walked into the living room, she realized Grace was out. So, she whipped out her phone planning to give Grace a buzz to check in on her whereabouts and when she’d be making it home.

While she was at it, she noticed a bunch of news notifications popping up on her phone screen.

Regardless of which chat app or browser she opened, the first news that popped up, eight out of ten times, was about some mishap at a posh charity ball – ‘Penelope fainting while trying to save Miranda, losing her kid’, and all that jazz.

She frowned slightly. Her gut was telling her that Grace might have made a beeline for the hospital.

The hospital was on lockdown, swarming with media hacks who didn’t want to miss out on any juicy scoops. Some journos even managed to sneak into the inpatient department. But, they all got stopped by the security guards.

Grace, a scrawny middle-aged woman, waltzed right into the inpatient department. Despite being right under the noses of the security guards, they didn’t stop her.

She stepped out of the elevator and made a beeline for Penelope’s room. This was a VIP room, charging an arm and a leg, so it had few patients and was relatively quiet, with only nurses and doctors bustling about.

Grace didn’t need to ask the nurses or doctors where Penelope’s room was. She could tell right away from the four bodyguards posted outside room 703. But she couldn’t get in. Grace was getting antsy.

She paused where she was, catching the attention of the bodyguards. One of them came over and asked her, “Who are you and why are you here?”

This middle-aged woman, dressed plainly, didn’t look like a paparazzo.

Grace hesitated, “I work for the Flanagan family. How’s Ms. Flanagan doing now?”

The bodyguard hadn’t seen any of the Flanagan family’s staff before. Hearing her say this, he didn’t doubt her but still barred her way, “That’s not for you to know. You say you work for them, then you should get back to work. There’s already one servant in there taking care of things.”

“Can you tell me how Ms. Flanagan is doing? Is she awake? Are her injuries severe?” Grace was very worried remembering the news reports.

The bodyguard looked at Grace, “Don’t cause us troubles. You should go home.”

Just then, the door to the room opened and Christopher stepped out, “What’s all the noise about?”

“Mr. Flanagan, one of your staff is here.” The bodyguard turned to tell him, Christopher looked at Grace, surprised. Grace hadn’t expected Christopher to be there. She averted her eyes, but her mind was still on Penelope’s condition and she didn’t leave.

Christopher came over, waved the bodyguard away, “Grace, what brings you here.” He seemed to know that this wasn’t the place to talk, so he suggested, “Let’s go to the conference room.”

Christopher cleared his throat, “Leah is here.”

If Leah knew Grace was here, she’d kick up a fuss. He and Leah had been on the outs for a while, but things had improved between them because of Penelope’s situation. He didn’t want to be at loggerheads with Leah anymore. After all, they were married, and they still had feelings for each other.

Grace nodded, and followed Christopher into the conference room. “Mr. Flanagan, how’s Penelope doing? I saw on the news that she was injured.”

Christopher replied, “She’s still unconscious, but she’s been moved from the ICU to a general room.

Grace, I really appreciate your concern for Penelope. You’ve always treated her well.” She watched her grow up.

He’d also watched Allison grow up. He had feelings for Allison too. “How’s Allison doing lately? How are you two getting on?” Christopher asked.

“Allie and I are doing alright.” Grace said, “Penelope will be fine. Since your wife is here, I’ll head out. I don’t want to cause any friction between you and her because of me.”

Grace finished speaking and turned to leave.

Christopher said, “Grace, I…”