Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Kristin pounded her heart wildly as she turned to Rhett, panic etched on her face. “Summer is hurt. Mr. FitzGerald, I need to go to the hospital,” Kristin stammered, her voice quivering on the verge of tears as she dashed for the exit.

“I’ll go with you.” Rhett grabbed his coat, draped it over her shoulders, and headed to the garage to get the car. “Get in.”

Kristin wanted to say thank you, but fear had stolen her voice.

n, was

“Check which hospital Garner and Summer are at,” Rhett said as he dialed York’s number.

York, just having finished dealing with some maintenance issues at Harborside Haven, now tasked with tracking down Garner’s whereabouts. “Right away, Mr. FitzGerald.”

In the emergency room of the Silvergrove Hospital.

Garner’s phone lay shattered on the floor, victim to a would–be thief’s rage.

was

Summer in tears, clinging to Garner for safety.

A cut marred his forehead, clearly inflicted by something sharp.

Garner was h

holding back his anger, fists clenched with restrained fury.

What bastards!

For years, knowing he was outmatched, Garner had kept a low profile, but now they were pushing him too far.

“Garner, still not willing to let Kristin come back?” Adrienne leaned against the doorframe, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “With my disagreement, I’d like to see who dares to bandage this little bastard’s wounds.”

Garner tightened his grip as he glared at the entourage of bodyguards Adrienne had brought with her. “This is a hospital.”

“So what?” Adrienne boasted, her time in detention having done nothing but deepen her grudge. against Kristin, especially with the rumors swirling about Kristin and Rhett: “Without the consent of the Haywood family, no one touches this brat!”

“Make way.” At that moment, Connor, clad in a white coat and carrying a medical kit, entered the room

He examined Summer’s wound, frowning as he knelt in front of him. “Hey, buddy. Are you afraid? It’ll hurt.”

Summer, struggling not to cry, bravely met Connor’s gaze. “Will it leave a scar?”

“Worrying about your looks already?” Connor teased with a smile.

“No, it’s not that.” Summer was choked with tears, but he fought them back. “My mom will see

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Chapter 144

it and… she’ll worry.”

He didn’t want to make Kristin worry.

Connor paused, his movements softening unconsciously. “No scars, buddy. The cut’s not deep. I’ll be super careful with the stitches. You won’t even see a mark, okay?”

Summer nodded obediently.

“How can a parent let their child get hurt like this?” Connor’s voice deepened with disapproval.

“They trashed our apartment. The glass broke and cut Summer,” Garner explained, holding Summer close.

Summer, eyes red, nodded in agreement. “I’m not scared. It wasn’t his fault.”

“Can’t you understand?” Adrienne, furious, moved to intervene.

Connor turned a cold eye to Adrienne. “This is a public hospital. Have the Haywood family become so arrogant?”

“Dr. Lawrence, they won’t let us inside,” a nurse said angrily from the door.

“Call the police,” Connor instructed the nurse.

Adrienne paled at the mention of the police. “What’s your name?”

“Connor,” he replied, pointing to the badge on his chest.

“Fine, you just wait,” Adrienne snarled, motioning for the guards to let the nurse pass, then stepped aside to call the hospital management.

“Garner!” Melissa burst into the room, her voice tinged with panic.

“Melissa,” Connor greeted, focusing on treating Summer’s wound.

Melissa was Connor’s cousin.

Melissa nodded at Connor, acknowledging him.

The Lawrence family’s sole heir had no interest in the family business, choosing instead to pursue medicine.

“Boss,” Garner said, taken aback as he noticed Melissa’s presence.

Melissa rushed to Summer’s side, her eyes filled with concern. “Summer, who did this to you?”

Summer, trying to be strong, broke down in tears upon seeing Melissa.

“How did you get here?” Garner asked, his voice laced with anxiety.

“Why didn’t y

you answer my calls?” Melissa was Irate, having gone to Garner’s trashed rental and realizing something was terribly wrong. She had secretly enabled location tracking on Garner’s phone.

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“I couldn’t pick up your call and I was busy,” Garner replied softly, moving Summer to a nearby

treatment bed.

“Who did this?” Melissa demanded, pointing to Summer’s wound.

Garner remained silent.

Adrienne, having finished her call, spoke with a sneer. “Your superiors are on their way. Don’t

say I didn’t warn you. Until this bastard’s mother shows up, no one touches him.”

That was when Melissa noticed Adrienne.

Narrowing her eyes, Melissa turned to face Adrienne squarely. “Did you hurt my child?”

Adrienne cast a sideways glance at Melissa, but she didn’t recognize her at all.

Today. Melissa was dressed down in comfy jeans and a tee, with her hair pulled into a playful ponytail that made her look years younger than she was.

Plus, Melissa had spent quite some time abroad, which made her somewhat unfamiliar to the local crowd of Silvergrove City.

In this town, the only socialite who could hold a candle to Melissa was Eve. The thing was, Eve had the mighty FitzGerald family backing her up, while Melissa made a name for herself on her own merits.

Once, a journalist had the nerve to ask Melissa what it was like to marry into wealth. Without missing a beat, Melissa had retorted in front of everyone. “You should ask my husband what it’s like to marry into a fortune.”

“Your kid? Who even are you? Are you Garner’s new fling?” Adrienne let out a laugh, her disbelief apparent. It had only been a few days since she’d last seen Garner, and now had he got a girlfriend?

“Do you have any damn idea what kind of slime Garner is?” Adrienne spat out, contempt heavy in her voice. “A sick pervert who can’t keep his grubby hands off his own sister, a bastard with no control over his base instincts. You’d better run a country mile from him.”

Garner furrowed his brows, wanting to explain. But then he realized it was pointless.

Kristin had a point that once someone threw mud at you, you were dirty whether you liked it or not.

Melissa turned to look at Garner, and he met her gaze.

His eyes held a complex mix of emotions.

But Melissa felt a twinge of pity for him.

“Which loony bin forgot to lock the door and let you out?” Melissa wasn’t about to coddle Adrienne. With a swift kick, she sent Adrienne flying into the wall.

The entire clinic was in shock.

Chapter 144

The young nurse covered her mouth in horror, while the more timid ones had already taken refuge behind Connor.

Connor, for his part, raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

His cousin had always been a force to be reckoned with…

Indeed, sometimes only magic could conquer Melissa.

Outside the door.

Kristin ran over in a panic, and the first thing she saw was a graceful figure delivering a powerful kick.

At a loss for words, Kristin stopped dead in her tracks, turning back to Rhett with a look of utter confusion.

The one on the receiving end of that kick was Adrienne, right?