Chapter 88
I lifted my gaze and followed the sound to its source.
Hayden entered the room quickly, wearing a black coat
It seemed like it had rained outside, as the hem of his coat was damp.
When I had come back earlier, there had been no sign of rain. This weather sure changed fast, just like 1
shift.
THE
The maid hurried over to take his coat and offered him a dry towel.
Hayden’s mood, unpredictable and quick to
“Make sure you dry off. Catching a cold would be terrible. Deborah, always so caring toward Hayden, kept repeating her concert.
I wasn’t the least bit concerned about his healths, though. I simply picked up on the earlier topic and responded, “I have work to do.
“By
the way,
this whole situation’s your doing, isn’t it? You used me as a wager. If I lose, is it going to cost you your reputation?”
Hayden narrowed his eyes, a flicker of displeasure clouding his gaze.
At that moment, Deborah asked, “What wager!”
I went ahead and sold her everything that had happened at the company that day, explaining it in detail.
I hadn’t planned on complaining, but this situation just an happened to present itself. The timing of Hayden’s return was simply off,
The more Deborah listened, the darker her expression grew. By the end, she couldn’t take it anymore. “What nonsense is this? Hayden, how could you let your wife become a wager!”
“Grandma, it was Zachary who started this,” Hayden said coldly, casting me a threatening glance.
“Whoever started it, you should have never done this Deborali’s voice rose sharply in anger. “You’re not protecting your wife, buit pushing her out to face the storm alone. And that’s not all.
“The wager is that if the loses, she has to be someone else’s dance partner? What were you thinking!”
The room fell silent, with only Deborah’s words echoing The maids had already retreated, not wanting to get involved,
I didn’t defend Hayden. This was his mess, after all
But Deborah’s reaction was unexpected.
She seemed much warmer toward me since she came back.
I had planned on waiting for Hayden’s excuse, but before he could speak. Deborah suddenly trembled with anger, nearly losing her balance.
Mrs. Parker, I exclaimed.
“Grandma. Both Hayden and I called out at the same time.
He rushed over, trying to steady her, but Deborah pushed him away with one firm motion.
He stood frozen, momentarily stunned, unsure of what to do.
I quickly helped Deborah sit down, gently patting her back to help her calm down. “Mr. Parker, please don’t be angry. It’s not worth getting worked up over and hurting your health.”
At her age, it was
was common for people to have high blood pressure, and too much excitement could be dangerous.
Deborals seemed unable to speak at first. She waved her hand dismissively, calming herself slowly.
Rita, seeing the situation, quickly stepped in. “Mr. Parker, you should rest. Yvonne and I will handle things here.”
Her meaning was clear the wanted Hayden to leave before he made things wone for Deborah
I didn’t care what kind of look Hayden was giving me. My attention was fully on Deborah
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Chapter 88
Since Deborah was protecting me like this, I would make sure to repay her properly
Thankfully, after drinking some water. Deborah seemed to settle down. Tm fine. Don’t worry about me
“Mrs. Parker, would you like to go to the hospital for a checkup?” I asked, unsure of her exact condition. A checkup at the hospital would put my
mind at ease.
“I’m not going to any hospital Deborah refused firmly, scoffing at the very idea. Tve told everyone around me that if I’m going to die. I’ll die at
bone.”
I had once thought that Deborah must have had some traumatic experience with hospitals to hate them so much.
Later, I learned from Rita that Deborals had witnessed several old friends pass away in hospitals, their bodies filled with tubes, completely stripped. of dignity. That was why she had such a strong aversion to hospitals
“Mrs. Parker, it’s just a checkup. It’s not as scary as you think.” I tried to persuade her, genuinely worried about her health.
Deborah shook her head, quickly changing the subject. “Where’s Hayden! Get him in here.”
I exchanged a glance with Rita, both of us understanding that Deborah was truly angry now
Her tone had never been this cold before
At this point, if Hayden walked in, Deborah’s blood pressure would likely shoot through the roof.
Rita gently suggested. “Mrs. Parker, it’s getting late, and Mr. Parker has already gone to rest. If there’s something important, it can wait until
tomorrow,
After a night of calm, even the biggest issues could be resolved peacefully.
I added, “Mrs. Parker, you should get some rest ton
Deborah must have understood what we were implying. She sighed and took my hand. “Good girl. I know he let you down. Don’t worry, Joanna will never marry Hayden How about spending the holidays with me? I will protect you.”
Honestly, whether or not Joanna could marry Hayden didn’t matter much to me. But Deborah’s last words hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. My chest felt a slight hear, like a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time.
I had
It had been years since I’d heard someone say something like that
After my mother passed away, I had become someone without any true support, with no one to love and protect me unconditionally.
Even if Deborah was just saying this to make me feel better, I couldn’t help but feel grateful
“Mrs. Parker…” My words of refusal were left unsaid when Rita added, “Yvonne, why not go back? It’s just not lively at the Parker residence withou you
I was momentarily taken aback. But all I really wanted was to get away from all this chaos.
However, seeing how eager both of them were for me to return, I couldn’t bring myself to say no.
“Alright.” I nodded reluctantly, deciding to go along for now. Tomorrow, I would figure out what to do.
When I returned to my room and saw that Hayden wasn’t there, I instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as I sat on the edge of the bed, the maid knocked on the door. “Mrs. Parker, Mr. Parker wants you to come to the study”
My eyelid twitched in annoyance.
Just as I feared, trouble was bound to find me.
I quickly by down on the bed, pulling the covers over my head. “Tell him I’m asleep?
“Well..” The maid hesitated for a moment but eventually closed the door quietly, leaving without a word.
I had no intention of going. Doing whatever Hayden wanted just made me feel like I had no dignity left.
Besides, after Deborah had been so upset, I had a feeling Hayden was going to give me a gond scolding
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Chapter 88
I had barely rested for a minute when a message from Ethan popped up.
I opened it to find a floor plan of Kinaew Square. Sure enough, in the middle of the B section, stores 307-308 had been planned with a fire exit passage between them.
But when I went to check it out tonight. Harrison had blocked off that passage to expand the store’s space.
He was trying to take advantage of the situation to enlarge the business area, and that gave me an opening
I smiled faintly and saved the photo.
Joanna and Harrison would never have guessed that even the best plans could have a slip–up.
The maid stood outside the study door, nervously knocking “Mr. Parker, Mrs. Parker said she was sleeping”
Hayden was currently flipping through the architectural plans for Kinaw Square. He had also found the loophole Harrison had.
Hayden had originally intended to tell me, but now, the maid said she was asleep.
If she truly was sleeping, there was no way she could answer the maid’s request
Yvonne was obviously using it as an excuse not to come.
She didn’t even bother coming up with a more convincing excuse.
Hayden suddenly remembered the phone call Yasir had made earlier, telling him that Marlon admired me and that the two of us seemed to be planning something together, acting quite close.
Hayden’s grip tightened on the design plan, his knuckles turning pale as he absorbed the information.
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