Chapter 315 Contacting White’s Apprentices
Nicole stopped crying after a short while. She sniffled as she thought, It’s a good thing I didn’t put on any makeup today. Otherwise, my face would be a mess.
She reached her hand out to rub her face as she nodded. “I’m fine. I’ll spend the next few days asking around for doctors who may be able to help Old Mr. Benedict.”
Colton didn’t decline her offer. “Thank you for your effort, Nicole.” They bumped into Anna as they were walking out, and Anna stopped in her spot when she saw Nicole’s bloodshot eyes and stuffy nose.
Anna gazed at Nicole for a long while before turning to glare at Colton. “What did you do, Colton? Did you make Nicole cry?”
Colton felt utterly misunderstood at this point. He hadn’t done anything, yet Anna had directly placed the blame on him. “No, Mom. I didn’t—” he started explaining himself exasperatedly.
However, Anna wasn’t in the mood to listen to him. She simply hurried forward to grab Nicole’s hand. “Nicole, if Colton did something bad to you, I’ll apologize on his behalf. Please don’t take his actions to heart.”
Nicole hastily shook her head when she saw how worried Anna was. “It’s all a misunderstanding, Mrs. Gardner. I was chatting with Grandpa earlier, and he happened to talk about my mother. I felt rather sentimental after that. It has got nothing to do with President Gardner at all,” she explained.
Anna heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Nicole’s words. “It’s fine. If you miss your mother, you can always treat me as your mother.” Anna pulled Nicole in for a warm hug and gently patted her on the back as she spoke.
Nicole’s body stiffened for a moment as it had long been since anyone had hugged her that way. It was an unfamiliar feeling for her to receive such care from a motherly figure.
After a while, Anna let go of the younger woman. “It’s getting late, and Edith has already prepared dinner. Why don’t you stay for a meal, Nicole?” Nicole thought of rejecting the offer when she learned that Olivia was home. Nevertheless, Anna seemed to have realized this before Nicole could say anything.
“Julia previously told me that you and she were best friends and that she was the doctor in charge when you gave birth to Hayden. She’s here as well. Why don’t we all have a meal together?”
Nicole could no longer bring herself to reject Anna’s sincere invitation, so she simply nodded in agreement. Olivia wasn’t the only one at the dining table—Julia and Richard were there as well.
Olivia had been talking, but she immediately snapped her mouth shut, and her expression turned grim when she saw Nicole entering the dining room.
Nicole didn’t want to start anything with Olivia, so she merely walked over and sat beside Julia. Julia was surprised to find Nicole having dinner with them, so she leaned close to Nicole as she teased her. “You came over with President Gardner. Is anything going on between both of you?”
Nicole immediately glared at Julia. What is this girl thinking about? “Don’t even start!” Nicole hissed. Julia pouted when she saw the annoyed look on Nicole’s face.
Since other senior members of the Gardner Family were at the dining table, Julia decided to keep mum about the matter. Most of the family members discussed Benedict’s condition while they had dinner.
Benjamin had his brows knitted since the start of dinner, and he seemed rather unhappy. “We can’t afford to delay Dad’s surgery anymore.
The doctor said that the tumor was pressing even harder on his nerves after he lost his temper. So, he might not even last until the end of this month if we don’t proceed with the surgery.”
Olivia no longer wore a long face at the mention of Benedict. “I got someone to contact White’s apprentices previously, but I didn’t seem to get any responses. Apparently, all of White’s apprentices disappeared after White passed away.”
