Translator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations
Poppy was terrified.
Only she and her brother, Finley, knew about her switching the girls!
She had never mentioned it to her real daughter, Isla.
How could Old Mrs. Horton know?
Moreover, she spoke in an assertive tone, not of suspicion, but of certainty!
Seeing Keira and Lewis approaching, Poppy looked even more uneasy in her guilt!
They hadnât heard what sheâd just said, had they?
Old Mrs. Horton huffed out, âI know. You bullied my granddaughter-in-law.
Youâre a bad woman!â
The old lady rambled on and on. It seemed like something was wrong with her mindâ¦
Poppy breathed a sigh of relief. She approached Keira with the thermos in hand, âKeira dear, Iâve brought you some chicken broth. You must be tired from caring for old Mrs. Horton. You need to eat more to regain some strengthâ¦â The aroma of the chicken broth from the thermos wafted into the air, but to Keira, it was nothing more than irony.
This was the first time Poppy had ever made soup for her.
She asked in a voice devoid of emotion, âWhat do you want?
Poppy smiled. âIâm still after Islaâs two percent share⦠Old Mrs. Horton values you a lot. She help you arrange a hospital room for Mrs. Olsen and get you that medicine. Sheâll definitely agree if you ask for it. Help out your sister, otherwise, how could she be confident around Jake?â
Keiraâs expression turned ice-cold, the words escaping her lips devoid of warmth, âNo.â
Poppyâs face hardened, her facade crumbling. She glared at Keira, âThatâs right, huh? I worked so hard to give birth to you. You climb the social ladder, and now you wonât respect me anymore?!â
She plopped down onto the ground, crying out, âIf you donât help me today, I wonât get up! Everyone, come look at this! My daughter is an ungrateful wretch! Sheâs embarrassed by her motherâs lowly background, so sheâs serving Old Mrs. Horton with such dedication! She wants to be their granddaughter now!â
The surrounding medical staff and patients began to whisper among
themselves.
âMiss Olsen seemed nice. I never expected her to be like thisâ¦â
âSheâs so materialistic. Sheâs even denying her own mother. Iâve never seen anything like this in my life!â
Keira stood there with an expressionless face.
She truly didnât want to admit that this woman causing a scene was her mother.
Yet regretfully, such a relationship was impossible to sever.
She felt helpless.
Keira sneered, her voice as icy as her expression. âGo ahead, make a scene. If you interrupt anyoneâs rest, the security will escort you out.â
After she finished speaking, she walked past Poppy.
Poppy was enraged. âUngrateful wretch! Little slut!â
Out of spite, she stood up abruptly and threw the thermos full of chicken soup roughly at Keira!
âWatch out!â
Keira heard a deep voice. Then she was tightly enveloped in a sturdy embrace! She looked back in surprise, only to see Lewis standing protectively in front of her, shielding her from the scalding hot chicken soup with his broad backâ¦
Steam was rising from his black suit.
Keira gasped and asked anxiously, âAre you okay?â
âIâm fine.â
He squinted at Poppy.
Poppy was petrified. She waved her hands frantically, âMr. Horton, I⦠I didnât mean to splash you. I⦠Iâ¦â
She was so flustered that she turned to escape, quickly disappearing from the corridor.
No one paid her any heed as everyone circled around Lewis to enter their wards.
The old lady immediately rushed over, quickly stripping off Lewisâs clothes, âQuickly, take it off and let me see how bad it is! Are there any blisters.â Lewis calmly took off his suit and white shirt, revealing his sturdy chest. Keira instinctively wanted to look away, but not before her gaze fell onto his back which was now bright red and full of blistersâ¦
That wasnât a minor injury. It was clearly very serious!
âOh my, does it hurt? Keira, apply some ointment for himâ¦â The old lady snatched the burn cream from the nurseâs hand and thrust it into Keiraâs hands. She pushed Keira behind Lewis, then beckoned to the others to leave the room, âLetâs not crowd around here. The brat will be embarrassed to be naked!â
Then, moving closer to Keira, she whispered, âGranddaughter-in-law, itâs up to you now!â
Keira was speechless.
In an instant, only the two of them were left in the ward.
It was so awkward.
Lewis said in a low voice, âThis is my grandmaâs whimsical thinking. Iâll let the
nurse come inâ¦â
âIâll do it.â
Keira interrupted him and walked behind him.
It was the twilight hour, and the golden light spilled in through the window, casting long shadows of the two.
Lewis stood before the window, the halo through the glass illuminating his broad back, and his fitted trousers outlined his slender waistline.
One look and Keira lowered her gaze.
It was as if a tiny stone had been thrown into the lake of her heart, causing ripples to spread outward.
She dabbed the ointment on her fingertips before gently applying it to his burned area.
Lewis remained silent, his muscles tensing subconsciously the moment her fingertips touched his skin.
Her faint breath sprayed onto his back like a flame was scorching him.
Noticing his discomfort, Keira asked softly, âDoes it hurt?â
Lewis lifted his eyes, and in the reflection of the window, he could see her expression, which was serious and focused as if she were handling a priceless antique.
His attention was drawn to her, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âNo, it doesnât hurt.â
A moment later, having applied the ointment, Lewis put on a new shirt and buttoned it up. âThank you, Miss Olsen.â
âDonât mention it.â
Keira hesitated, then looked up at him, âActually, you didnât have to take the hit for me. If you get hurt, your grandmother would be devastated.â âIf you get hurt, my grandmother would be even more devastated.â
âWell, after all, Iâm an outsider.â
His dark eyes fixed on her, and he said slowly, âYou forgot. Youâre now my
wife.â
Keiraâs breathing quickened, the air around her seeming to thin out due to Lewisâs words.
Her heart skipped a beat, and her eyelashes fluttered like a fan.
âIâm going out for a bit.â
Keira turned to leave the room.
Lewis asked, âWhat are you going to do?â
âTake revenge.â
It didnât matter how Poppy treated her, but if she had hurt Lewis, she couldnât just let it go!
Keira went to Mrs. Olsenâs room, intending to check if Poppy was there.
But just as she got close, she spotted Isla and a man disappearing into the corridor.
The man was slimy and sneaky; it looked a lot like Uncle Finley.
Out of curiosity, Keira followed them.
In the corridor.
Finley was rubbing his hands together, âMy dear niece, your uncle is a bit short on cashâ¦â
Isla suppressed her anger. âIâve already given you my pocket money for this month!â
Finley was her nightmare.
Without warning, he came to her on New Yearâs Day and said that she was Poppyâs daughter. He demanded money from her, threatening to reveal the truth to Taylor and Mrs. Olsenâ¦
Despite her pleas, Finley remained unfazed. He smiled and said, âEither way, I canât survive without money. If you wonât give it to me, Iâll go to Keira, and tell her the truth. She would definitely give me a large sum of money!â
At that moment, the door was pushed open.
Keira stood there, her back against the light.. Her voice was cold, âWhat truth?â