Chapter 186 Are They Filming a TV Show?
Looks like only Courtney can change you. Gale’s words surged through Alexander’s mind.
“Courtney was the only one who broke all your boundaries, changed your principles, and even made you doubt yourself. She’s the first gray area you’ve encountered in your life.” When Gale’s emotions slowly stabilized, he sat back down in the chair and stared at Alexander. “Admit it. You can’t leave her anymore. Stop putting up a pointless struggle.”
The skin between Alexander’s brows crinkled together. It was uncomfortable to hear someone break down his personality and point out all the hard facts. Staring back at Gale, he muttered, “If you’ve had enough at my company, then go back to your own nest.”
With that, he left the conference room without looking back.
Gale had a hand on his chin and a sneer on his face. He’s still trying to save his pride.
Alexander’s thirty years of life had gone so smoothly that even the flaws in his family did not become a major drawback for him. Ever since he was born, he was always more stoic than his peers. The death of his father cut off the only tenderness in his childhood.
During the funeral, his mother, who had run off for half a year, seemed to finally turn over a new leaf. She decided to stop chasing her dreams and freedom and said that she would take care of him.
But, he was calmer than anyone else as he said to her in front of the whole Duncan Family, “Go to the treasury and ask them to write you a cheque for any amount you want. Once you get the money, don’t ever show up in front of me again.”
This man who did not even acknowledge his own family continued to break his own boundaries for Courtney.
As the third party, Gale had a clearer view than he did.
“Hello? Cam.” Gale’s warm voice echoed in the conference room. “When do you have time for that camping trip I mentioned last time? I’ve got everything prepared. The weather has been quite good lately.”
A woman’s uneasy voice came through the phone.
“That might have to wait. Courtney might not be in the mood for that right now.”
“What happened?” Sensing that something was off, he sat straight up in his chair and pried further.
It was quiet for a few seconds, then she replied, “There’s an issue with the Hunter Family.”
That morning, Courtney’s father, Lucian, fell seriously ill all of a sudden and had to be rushed in for surgery. He was still not out yet.
Initially, Cameron and Courtney were both shopping at the mall. When they were about to look for a place to have lunch, they received a call from the nursing home. Fortunately, Courtney had left her number with the head doctor when she visited the nursing home last time. She told him to call her if anything happened, so that was how she became the first one to hear the news and was able to rush over right away.
On the way to the hospital, Courtney’s hands could not stop trembling.
Outsiders might have assumed that she did not have a close relationship with Lucian. Some might have even claimed that they were estranged from each other, but she knew that her father was the only one she could rely on all these years. It was just that she long knew that he had something to do with her mother’s death, so she held a grudge against him and distanced herself from him.
Lucian loved her. Compared to the love he had for Anna, the love he had for Courtney was far deeper.
Aside from the master bedroom, Courtney had the biggest bedroom at the Hunter Residence. The birthday presents she received every year were things that couldn’t even be bought with money within the country. When Anna tricked her into going to the underground boxing ring that eventually led her to her arrest, Lucian did not reprimand her at all. When she wanted to adopt Shay, he agreed without hesitation and even happily remarked that it was the first request she had ever made to him.
All of that became Anna and Susan’s source of jealousy, but Courtney understood them. If she were in Anna’s shoes, she would also be jealous of having a younger sister who was at the center of their father’s unconditional and impenetrable adoration.
“Don’t be alarmed, Courtney. The doctor says it’s just a temporary shock. They’re still trying to save him now. It’s going to be okay.”
Cameron sat with Courtney outside the operating room, but she was not quite sure how to comfort Courtney.
Since they arrived at the hospital, Courtney had not spoken a word. With a pale face, she kept her eyes fixed on the doors of the operating room.
The light outside the operating room was still on. As she continued to stare at it, a red halo started to form and made her feel lightheaded.
In the corridor, a jumble of footsteps was heard followed by the sound of crying that was befitting of the situation, but that was also rather troubling. Cameron looked off into the distance with an annoyed expression.
The mother and daughter staggered over. Susan looked like she was about to faint from sobbing so hard. One of her hands was in the air and shaking uncontrollably as though she was a patient with Parkinson’s disease. “Luke… Luke… How did you end up this way so suddenly?”
Anna, who was holding her up at the side, was also teary-eyed. “Calm down, Mom. Dad will be fine. Don’t be sad. Don’t cry.”
“I told your father to come to the hospital sooner, but he didn’t listen. It was a good thing that he was in the hospital this time with someone watching over him. What if he had fainted at home? Oh, Luke… You can’t go. What am I going to do alone?”
“Mom…”
Oh my god! With a hand supporting her forehead, Cameron felt nauseous from listening to them. She turned to Courtney and whispered, “Your stepmother and stepsister are really something. Are they reading off a script for a TV show? Who is this act for?”
Courtney looked away from the light outside the operating room and casted a cold glance to the side. “This is the hospital. Compose yourselves.”
Their voices stopped abruptly as if they had just noticed Courtney’s presence. In an instant, their faces fell.
“What are you doing here?”
Anna glared at her, no longer weak and pretentious like before.
“I’m the eldest daughter of the Hunter Family. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me being here.”
The term ‘eldest daughter’ hit a nerve in them.
Susan complained, “You can’t do this, Courtney. Your dad has just lost consciousness and you’re already disregarding us? If you claim to be the eldest daughter, then where does that put Anna?”
“You have to ask yourself that.”
Courtney remained seated in the chair, unmoved. There was an icy chill in her gaze. “When my mother gave birth to me, where did you place yourself?”
For more than ten years they spent at the Hunter Residence, Courtney had always despised them. On the surface, she still behaved respectfully and courteously—she did not wrong others unless they wronged her first. Her past behavior was completely different from how merciless she was now.
Meanwhile, Anna turned hostile and shrieked, “What do you mean by that, Courtney Hunter? Do you think you’ll become king once Dad dies? You’re shameless. When you were fooling around with men and got yourself pregnant with a bastard, you were so afraid that Dad would lose his anger that you ran off without a word. But, now that Dad is unwell, have you decided to come back for good?”
Her voice rang through the corridor, attracting the attention of a number of patients and nurses who had already gathered around.
“Even a fool can see what you’re up to. Don’t bring up affection and morality in front of me. What makes you think you’re so great?”
Courtney stood up. Her pale face was tainted with an unusual color since she got agitated. Emphasizing each word, she spat, “Say that one more time.”
“You’re insane—”
Slap! Before Anna finished talking, she received a clear smack to the face.
Susan let out a high-pitched scream, then quickly went to assist her daughter who had been beaten off to the side. She cried, “Are you crazy? How dare you hit my daughter?”
