Chapter 206 A Slap on Xavier’s Face
At the same time, Hendric, who was on a business trip, took a flight back to the country and made a dash to the hospital as soon as the plane landed.
When he saw that Xavier and Melissa were fine in the VIP patient room, a wave of relief washed over him.
“D-Dad, you’re f-finally here.” When she saw her father, Melissa burst into tears as her fragile heart was crushed after having her legs injured.
At the sight of her tear-stained face, his heart throbbed in pain. The family had always treated her as the apple of their eyes, yet she was now injured.
Placing his briefcase aside, he strode over and lifted the quilt to take a look at her condition. “How do you feel? What did the doctor say?”
“Sobs. I-I have to rest for at least three months. It hurts, Dad,” whined the pale-faced girl whose voice was choked up. The sheer sight of her forlorn state would have caused anyone to feel sorry for her.
Attempting to comfort her, Hendric patted her shoulder. “As long as you’re alright. Don’t worry about it. You’ll recover soon. Speaking about it, the Kings Family have gone overboard this time!”
Having said that, he glanced at Xavier with an icy gaze before making his way toward his bed. Ever since Hendric had entered the room, Xavier had been phubbing with his head low in a languid manner. In truth, he actually listened attentively to the conversation just now.
They were all Hendric’s children, yet he only had his eyes on a few of them and there would never be room for Xavier.
Such thoughts fleeted across Xavier’s mind before a slap landed on his face at the very next second. Feeling the stinging pain on his cheek, he looked sideways.
Because of last night’s incident, not a part of his body was free of blemishes. He was badly bruised; even his face was beaten black and blue.
Despite that, neither did Hendric comfort him nor did he ask for the cause. Instead, he straight up landed a slap on Xavier’s face.
“Dad, what are you doing? He had nothing to do with this.” Even Melissa was taken aback by the sudden hit that she voiced out her brother’s innocence.
“Hmph! He is your incompetent brother who can’t take good care of you!” Hendric’s chest heaved heavily in wrath.
Hearing that, Xavier snorted in ridicule. Though his cheek hurt, he did not lift a finger to massage it; he poked it with his tongue instead. As he flashed a contemptuous smile, his face was glaring with disgust.
What a ‘good’ father I have here.
“Dad, it’s not Xavier’s fault. It’s all because of that b*tch, Veronica Murphy!”
She and Veronica got along well at the beginning, but the relationship took a turn after she had witnessed Veronica’s ruthless side with her own eyes. The seedling of hostility sprouted in her overnight.
“It’s her! It’s all because of her! She took the gun and hurt us! D-Dad, Xavier is innocent!” Melissa explained while tears were wetting her cheeks.
“Innocent, my foot. It’s not like you don’t know that your silly brother likes Veronica. Now look at himself. What did he get in the end? Veronica is still wagging her tail at Matthew, that motherf*cker. F*ck! How dare they touch my daughter! They’re not getting away from this!” Hendric slammed the table in a fit of rage.
The silent Xavier finally piped up, “Why don’t you ask your filial daughter what she has done?”
Even if he cared for his sister, he knew well that he shouldn’t lose his sense of right and wrong. This time, Melissa was the one in the wrong.
“I don’t give a fig about the truth! Anyone who dares to lay a finger on my daughter deserves to die!” As the seething ire got the best of him, Hendric pointed at Xavier. “Stay away from that b*tch. I will make sure to tear her into pieces!”
At that moment, Xavier could feel the murderous resentment bearing in Hendric to his bones. He didn’t stop the man, though. Whether it was the disappointment directed at Melissa or Hendric—or it could’ve been both—he remained silent until the end.
…
Beneath its deceptive tranquility, there was an insidious storm raging in Bloomstead.
Though Veronica had the liberty to wander anywhere she fancied without bumping into the reporters, she had a strong feeling that something was going to happen.
Her biggest worry would be her adoptive parents, who were currently residing in the countryside. Someone might hurt them. She promised herself that she would leave Matthew and stay out of the struggle between the rich and powerful. However, she couldn’t sever the complicated ties with the Kings Family, though she seemed to have had nothing to do with them. She was now worried about her own safety. Still, there was someone else caring for her in the shrouds.
After knowing that the abortion was forced upon Tiffany, Floch and his wife reprimanded the Kings Family in ire in front of Tiffany.
“That Matthew is such trash. Even if it isn’t his baby, he shouldn’t have done that to you! Besides, what if you can’t be pregnant in the future?” With hands on his waist, Floch roved back and forth in the patient room with a haggard expression.
Rachel, who was sitting on the chair, calmed her daughter patiently with a soothing voice, “Don’t worry too much about it. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll seek a remedy overseas.”
“That’s right. Cheer up, Tiffany.”
“You’re still young. As long as you take good care of your body, you can bear a baby again. And I can introduce you to someone better than Matthew.”
The distressed couple tried to provide solace to Tiffany, yet those words were like a thrusting knife that pierced into her heart so deeply that it hurt.
Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore as she said, “Please, leave. I need a moment to myself.”
Her parents were left speechless. After a moment of silence, they decided to ask a maid to look after her before returning home. Along the way home, Floch was driving while Rachel seated herself in the passenger seat.
“Judging from how things have transpired until now, I fret that Veronica will cause more trouble than this.”
Letting out a sigh, Floch shook his head helplessly. His tapping fingers on the steering wheel had given his apprehension away. “We can’t just stand still and do nothing. People will be suspicious. I think we should call them. We should do everything that’s necessary to not blow our cover.”
Feeling equally agitated, Rachel kneaded her forehead. “We’ve been covering for Veronica this whole year, but I’m sure that she resents us a lot.”
“Regardless, this is our mission.” Floch held her hand. “But if something happens to you, I’ll blame myself forever. From now onward, the Kings Family will pressure us from all sides, so we’ve got to be prepared.”
After hearing his words, she smiled bitterly as her eyes started to tear up. Due to the silence, a heavy atmosphere lingered around them.
