Chapter 1999 Reputation
“All right, let’s take him there now. Nic, settle the hospital discharge for Wilbur.” “Got it,” Nicholas replied before walking toward the hospital reception with Mabel in tow. “Nic, if Nicole examines Wilbur, do you think she’ll suspect anything?”
“Not at all!” Hospitals usually had similar medical equipment, so Nicholas was sure there wouldn’t be much difference in the test results. Furthermore, Nicole had already checked Wilbur’s pulse earlier, yet she found nothing amiss.
“Okay, I hope so too. If Wilbur continues being in this condition, your father won’t be able to hand the company to him. Nic, this is a great opportunity for you! Everything that belongs to the Simpson family will be ours in the future!” Mabel exclaimed, eyes glinting with excitement.
“Mom, we’ll talk about that another time. Why don’t you go with them to Bernian Hospital? Oh, and don’t forget to show how much you care for Wilbur.”
“All right, I know. Join us as soon as you’ve completed the discharge procedure.”
“I will.”
Maya, Rodney, and the rest soon arrived at Bernian Hospital with Wilbur. When Nicole saw what had happened to him, a look of utter disbelief crowded into her eyes.
Alas, even after checking his pulse and running a few tests, she still couldn’t find anything physically wrong with Wilbur.
“Mommy, what exactly is going on? Why did Wilbur become like this all of a sudden?” Maya asked frantically.
Nicole said nothing as she studied Wilbur closely. He had lowered his head and was counting his fingers intently. While his behavior was very child-like, he seemed almost devoid of any intelligence and curiosity that a child would have.
“Calm down, Maya. I may not be able to diagnose Wilbur now, but let’s keep him in the hospital for the time being,” Nicole finally replied. “I’ll gather all the local and foreign experts to help examine him. With our combined efforts, I’m sure we’ll be able to find the cause of his condition. Mr. Simpson, what do you think of this arrangement?”
Rodney nodded his approval. “That sounds like a good plan. Thank you, Mrs. Seet.”
“You’re welcome.”
Unfortunately, Wilbur started to throw another tantrum when he heard that. “No, I don’t want to stay in the hospital. I’m not sick! I want to go home to find mommy!”
Seeing how determined Nicole wanted to help Wilbur, Mable couldn’t help but worry again. What if one of those doctors that she finds manages to cure Wilbur? Wouldn’t all of Nicholas’ efforts be for naught?
“Rodney, now that Wilbur’s in this condition, he’d only inconvenience Mrs. Seet if he stays here. We’d be worried too, wouldn’t we?” Mabel piped up. “Besides, if the word got out about Wilbur losing his mind, our family reputation would be affected. Why don’t we take him home first? Once Mrs. Seet has found the experts, we can have them come to our place to examine and treat him. What do you think?”
Rodney hesitated.
After all, what Mabel had said about their family reputation being affected strongly resonated with him.
Mabel’s right. If other companies learn about this, they’d think that spells the end of Maya and Wilbur’s relationship and that we’d also lose the support of the Seet family. These would be detrimental to our family’s future!
“My wife has a point, Mrs. Seet. With Wil behaving like a child, I can only imagine how much trouble he’d bring you. How about we take him home for now? Once you’ve gathered the experts, I’d be more than happy to invite them over to treat Wilbur. Of course, I’d also reward everyone handsomely.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mr. Simpson. There won’t be any trouble,” Maya interrupted. “I’ll stay here to look after Wilbur.”
“Maya, I know how you feel toward Wilbur, but you can’t possibly tend to him twenty-four seven. You have a life to lead too. Besides, it’d be a lot of work to look after him. Let him come home with me, all right?”
“Home! I want to go home!” Wilbur chimed in as he held onto Rodney’s arm.
“Maya, I think we should respect Mr. Simpson’s decision,” Nina advised. “We can visit the Simpson residence if we want to see Wilbur, can’t we?”
Rodney was only too glad to have Maya show up at their house. “Oh, yes! You’re more than welcome to visit! Come anytime you like!”
