Chapter 164 He Would Probably Lose His Hearing Too
Courtney fell silent. Knowing that she was blundering, Cameron quickly explained, “None of this is important. What matters most is the money you have with you. Didn’t I tell you to visit your father more often so that he won’t leave all his assets to that b*tch Anna, thinking that she’s his only daughter?”
“He can give it to her if he wants to. I don’t care about that.”
“Courtney, you have to make plans for the future. Don’t lose both your money and your life.”
Cameron’s advice instantly reminded Courtney that she needed a lot of money to ensure that there was a contingency plan for her to get custody of Jordan if she really broke up with Alexander. Lately, it had been so peaceful that she thought she wouldn’t need this retreat anymore. After putting some thought into it, she replied, “I understand.”
At 1:30 PM, Courtney took an hour off from work to send Oliver to the airport.
“Let me know when you get there.” While Courtney stared at Oliver, who was dressed in a casual suit, her mind was not at ease.
“I’m an adult.” Oliver was helpless looking at her reaction. “Stop staring at me like I’m a kid. You’ll make me feel like you’re my mother.”
“Your mother?” Courtney was surprised. “Do you remember your mother?”
“I was just saying that you feel like a mother to me.” He looked down and sniffled, trying to hide away the momentary panic in his eyes.
After making sure that Oliver had gone into the airport checkpoint, Courtney finally left the airport. A roaring sound flew across the sky. Looking up, Courtney could see the long trail left behind by the plane. Subconsciously, she checked the time on her watch; it was exactly 2 PM.
I think Alexander’s flight was at 2 PM, she thought.
Recently, those things he told her about Mikayla had been bothering her. Women were born like that. They were so used to dissecting different meanings from one simple sentence. However, men thought that they were overthinking, so they tried to talk less to prevent women from thinking too much.
I don’t care anymore! In the end, Courtney was frustrated by her own thoughts. Stepping on the accelerator, she drove the car onto the airport highway. Since she had taken the afternoon off from work, she decided to visit the Hunter Mansion.
Instead of going back there to fight for the assets like what Cameron had told her to, she went back due to the call from Lucian. When he called her some time ago, he sounded ill. Therefore, she wanted to check on him.
Standing in front of the Hunter Mansion’s entrance, she rang the doorbell, thereafter a housemaid came and opened the gate. She was a middle-aged woman Courtney had never seen before, and she observed Courtney with cautious eyes. “You are?”
In response, Courtney flashed her a faint smile. “I’m Courtney Hunter; you’re the new housemaid?”
“Courtney Hunter?” The housemaid’s forehead furrowed. Instantly, she proceeded to close the gate. “I’ve never heard of you before. You must’ve come to the wrong place.”
“Wait a minute.” Courtney pressed onto the gate. “It makes sense that you haven’t seen me before. My dad is Lucian Hunter, the owner of this house. Is he not here?”
“Are you kidding me?” The housemaid’s expression hardened. “My master only has one daughter. She’s the only young miss of the family. He doesn’t have a daughter like you. You’ve chosen the wrong place if you’re trying to scam us. Although Mr. Lucian isn’t at home, and Miss Anna doesn’t come back very often, I’m not that delirious.”
“He is not at home?” Upon hearing that, Courtney frowned. “Where did he go?”
Sunrise Enterprise had been handed over to Anna’s mother to handle. Some of the relatives of the Hunter Family were also handling the company. After all, Lucian had retired from his position recently. Although he still had control over the company’s shares, he didn’t get involved in the company’s operations anymore. As he aged, he was reluctant to go outside, so he was always at home.
“Didn’t you claim to be Mr. Lucian’s daughter? How can you not know where your father has gone?”
The housemaid twitched her lips, and she looked at Courtney with contempt. As if she had found the loophole in Courtney’s words, she mocked, “Don’t come messing with me with your tricks. Tell you what. Mr. Lucian isn’t feeling well lately and he has been staying at the nursing home. If you’re really his daughter, you should’ve known about that. Go back to where you came from; otherwise, I’ll call the police.” As soon as she said that, she closed the gate with a bang.
Courtney was dumbstruck for a second. Quickly, she went to her car and was ready to visit the nursing home.
“Hello? Mrs. Bell, it’s me, Courtney.” She dialed Mrs. Bell’s number. “Has my dad been hospitalized?”
From the other side of the phone, she heard Mrs. Bell sigh, and it was only then that she found out that the old woman had been dismissed two weeks ago. Therefore, she did not know about the reason behind Lucian’s hospitalization.
“It should be the nursing home at Eastgate Street. Before I left, I think I heard that woman mention it to her daughter.”
“Okay, I got it. Thank you so much, Mrs. Bell.” Hanging up, Courtney quickly went to the nursing home at Eastgate Street following the direction provided by the navigation system.
From what Mrs. Bell had told her, it had been two weeks since Lucian was hospitalized, yet she knew nothing about it. Within this period, she had been on the phone with her dad, but he mentioned nothing about his illness and his hospitalization. The moment she thought about that, she felt unspeakable guilt.
The nursing home was a five-star rating facility, and it was one of the best in Melrose City. After taking a look around the nursing home, Courtney was slightly relieved. She went to the front desk to check the room before she left for the inpatient department.
When she arrived at the ward, Lucian was sleeping. Staring at him by the door for a while, she ended up closing the door and going directly to his doctor.
“Your father was admitted two weeks ago. When he first came, he was losing his sight. Even though we have been barely controlling his condition with medicine, he can no longer see clearly now.”
“You mean my dad can’t see properly anymore?” Courtney’s heart pinched, and she clenched her fists. “How did this happen?”
“There are many factors. According to the test results, your father’s liver function deteriorated. Your mother also told us that he drinks a lot of alcohol. An irregular diet can also be another reason why he lost his sight. He has a lot of illnesses. This time, it’s a complication of different illnesses that caused the blindness.”
The doctor only knew that she was Lucian’s daughter, so naturally, he assumed that Susan was her mother. Frowning at what the doctor said, she did not bother to correct him. She continued to ask, “Can my dad’s loss of sight still be cured?”
“I’m afraid not.” The doctor shook his head with regret. “This is irreversible and it can only be barely controlled by medicine. He has to maintain it; otherwise, I’m afraid he will lose his sight completely. Besides, there is something I’m not sure if your mother has told you.”
“What is it?”
“Your father would probably lose his hearing too.”
Instantly, Courtney’s nails tore into her palm. The pain reminded her that what happened now was reality and not a dream. Did the doctor just say that Dad will not be able to hear or see in the future?
Despite her hatred toward the things her dad did to her mom, she knew the attention and care she received over the years was sincere. He was still the same dad who showered her with love and affection. In her eyes, he had always been invincible. After she came out from the doctor’s clinic, she sat for a long time in front of Lucian’s bed.
“Nurse…”
Suddenly, Lucian woke up. He propped himself up using the side of the bed as support and stared at Courtney. His gaze was cloudy, and he looked like he had a hard time focusing his gaze on her.
