Chapter 417: Chapter 417

Aliya walked out of the room without looking back. She stood in the corridor for a long time, looking in one direction.

"Oh, Miss, are you leaving so soon?"

Aliya nodded at the enthusiastic nurse, who called her out of her mini-trance at the door. She averted her gaze from whatever had caught her attention, causing the nurse to glance in the same direction in confusion, but she did not see anything. Well, the nurse was coming from the opposite direction, so even if there had been anyone or anything in those corridors, she would not have seen it.

The nurse’s question was a bit ridiculous because Aliya had been in Ian’s room for the better part of the day. Her ’storytelling’ had taken most of the time, and it was already late afternoon by then, but the nurses, who were thinking that ’love was in the air’, felt that the time was not enough for the ’lovey-dovey’ couple.

Obviously, they also needed to curry favour with this new Mrs Thronston, who did not make them reek of jealousy just from existing.

"He still needs his rest..."

It took a moment for the nurse to understand Aliya’s implication, and her heart melted at how much Aliya ’cared’ for Ian.

"Oh, yes! I understand, Miss; no one would bother the Chairman for now.... I will come and check on his vitals in a few hours,"

Aliya sent a grateful smile to the nurse and then decisively left. Then she walked straight towards the hospital’s ladies’ room. She stepped in and locked the door behind her,

After Geneva and her small group left that morning, they went straight home to the estate, had some food, and retired. Geneva, especially, had not been able to stomach much food, but for her son and daughter’s sake, she took a couple of bites before she stopped trying. Even Alex was the same.

However, they had barely lay down when a visitor appeared.

"What does she want?" Geneva asked Suzie tiredly. Her head was already throbbing with a headache from all that was happening, and then the one person that Geneva did not want to see came right to her.

"I’m not sure, Madam Clara, but I could not turn her away this time as this involves the mistress too."

"Alright, usher her in!"

Geneva made herself presentable, then encouraged Alex to take a nap, and she stepped out to their receiving room.

This all took about half an hour, and the visitor did not like it.

By the time Geneva appeared, Clara, the visitor, was fuming! All decorum aside, Clara had even forgotten her place,

"Why did it take you so long?! Is this how you have been treating my Shelby here? Is this why you are having your beauty sleep when she is still missing? Wh-"

"You will do well to know your place, considering that you basically do not care for this same daughter that you are referring to!" Suzie snapped, unable to remain quiet, which earned her a silent reprimand from Geneva.

"How may I help you, Mrs Wendover?"

"Why are you not answering my question!"

Obviously, Clara had come there with an agenda, and Angela had no choice but to tag along.

Angela was very intimidated and nervous in the large, luxurious space that was just a ’receiving area’. Angela had tried everything to keep Clara back for the simple reason that the Thornstons would definitely spare all resources to find Shelby, but Clara was adamant as usual, and before she realized it, they were already at the residence.

Angela had tried everything, including trying to reach Rocky, but that did not work. She bit her lip nervously at Clara’s blatant attempt at provoking Geneva. Her mistress never learnt from past mistakes!

Geneva’s eyes raked Clara, and she shook her head.

’What has this woman done to look this way? She wasn’t like that the first time that I saw her? Why does it look like someone cut off an old woman’s head and placed it on a young woman’s body? Even all that makeup could not hide those wrinkles!’

It was hard for Geneva to look at Clara. However, she did not dwell on that.

"Stop with that fake concern over Shelby! You and I know you only care about the benefits you can get from her. If not for her good heart, you would not have any chance to come before me. Remember, you are only in my presence because she still values you as a mother...

That aside, we have personnel on the ground looking for her, so do not come here with those ridiculous demands, looking like we have wronged you. My daughter-in-law is very precious to me, and I’ll do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!.... to ensure she returns to us safe and sound!"

"Safe, huh?!" Clara scorned,

At that time, none of the adults in the room saw someone slip out of the place.

Geneva narrowed her eyes and then retorted, "What do you mean by that? Are you speculating that I will hurt Shelby? The one girl that I consider so dear to me?"

Suzie stood just to Geneva’s side, fuming.

"I am not insinuating anything! How would I know your words are true when the media says otherwise?"

Geneva turned to Suzie, and she blanched.

Suzie had wanted to wait for Geneva to get a good rest before breaking the startling news to Alex and Geneva, as she had only seen it moments before Clara’s visit.

"Ha! You don’t even know what is in the media, how can you protect her? It’s been more than twenty-four hours since this accident, and you still have not found her! What if my poor baby is lying in a ditch somewhere? What is she drowned in the sea? WHAT IF.... WHAT IF!!! Do you know the numerous scenes that have been going around in my head? WHY HAVE YOU NOT DONE ANYTHING!!! And then I see this news.... I-"

"WHAT NEWS!" Geneva lost her composure and snapped!

Suzie sighed and then handed her phone to Geneva.

Geneva’s eyes skimmed the news line by line for a long while, and then she got up from her seat, lowered her head slightly in a bow to Clara,

"We’ll find out and also take care of this....."

"What do you mean that you will take care of this? How are you going to do this... My daugh-"

"Escort this woman away."

Geneva did not shout, but the words stunned Clara. Before Clara came to, both she and Angela were in a car and out of the estate. The last words she heard were:

"Madam Clara does not have to waste so much time coming here in person; we’ll send information when we have updates, and you can call Suzie here if you need anything."

Clara was surprised and furious but could do nothing about it.

Geneva’s eyes got colder and colder as she remained frozen in that seat. How could she not understand what was happening? She had been the mistress of the Thornston estate far too long to be underestimated!

Geneva did not go back to bed, as was the initial plan. She unknowingly sat there dazed and angry for hours till another piece of news shattered the little sanity that she had left.

"Come out!" Aliya repeated, and the girl had no choice but to step out of the cubicle.

"How long were you there, and what did you see?"

Samantha’s head remained lowered as she tried to hide how shaky she was.

"Look at me when I talk to you!" Aliya snapped, and Samantha raised her head to look into Aliya’s face,

"What did you see back then?"

Immediately, Samantha’s hands went limp by her side, and she recounted what had happened in the hospital room as if she were reciting a script in a monotonous voice.

Aliya frowned with each word that Samantha said.

"So, she saw everything?" Aliya muttered to herself while Samantha continued describing everything.

"I sneaked out of the house to see Dad, and then I saw and overheard what you said to him...."

"Why did you have to be troublesome?"

In fact, Aliya had seen Samantha from the corner of her eyes from the second window on another door leading to Ian’s room but had not let on.

"Curious girls will be punished!"

Samantha did not react as Aliya asked,

"Why are you and your sister avoiding me?"

"You know what? Forget it! From now on, you were never here.... You never saw me nor your dad this afternoon...."

Samantha nodded, and Aliya smiled.

She napped her fingers right in front of Samantha and then said,

"Let’s go back home, Samantha!"

As the two walked out of the ladies’ room, the sound of alarms echoed in the background, with a faint, ’CODE RED! CODE RED!!!’

Health professionals in white ran around in a flurry, plunging the usually quiet VIP floor into chaos, but the two did not stop.

"Mrs Thornston, we were negligent.... The Chairman just suffered a heart attack and nearly passed, but he has been stabilized now!"

"WHAT! What do you mean? Wasn’t he okay when we left this morning? What the hell happened!"

Geneva had thought long and hard about what to do with the news circulating. In fact, she was only hesitant to do anything because of Currey, but that did not mean that Geneva was not angry. She was furious to levels that she had never felt before.

"We’re sorry, ma’am...."

Geneva lost her composure totally, but before she could do anything more, her phone was taken away, and then Alex completed the call.

He had waited for his wife for a long while and then came to find her,

"You must calm down, dear. We don’t want to cloud our judgment at this moment.... Let’s prepare to go t-"

"Mr and Mrs Thornston, we’re home...." Aliya and Samantha entered, and Geneva, as well as Suzie, frowned at how close Samantha was to her.

They knew Samatha enough to know that if she made up her mind about something or someone, then she never went back to it. So, it did not make sense that Samantha, who supposedly disliked Aliya, was that close to her then.

Suzie was even more puzzled that Samantha was coming from outside, as she had not seen her go out. Alex remained neutral. Geneva could not control herself and lashed out at Aliya right then,

"Why the hell did you do that!"

"Sorry?" Aliya replied, feigning ignorance.

"Why are you telling the public that you were married to Ian?! What the hell is wrong with you? Your fiancé and the father of your kids have not even been buried yet, and yet you are flouting these lies? Do you want-"

"Why do you talk and nag so much?"

Aliya shed all semblance of innocence, and her face turned into an annoyance so dark that even Alex took a step back. At that moment, Aliya had decided that she wanted to be in control.

Aliya seemingly waved her hand, and Geneva grasped her throat! Geneva coughed loudly and so hard that her eyes watered. However, when Geneva tried to talk, all that came out was....

Nothing! She could not make any sound, no matter how much she tried!

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