Chapter 179
After a while, Adeline rushed in, out of breath. “Mitchell, how’s Suzan? Is she all right?”
Mitchell gave her a reassuring nod. “Mom, don’t worry. Both mother and baby are safe. Everything’s fine.”
Adeline let out a long sigh of relief, hands pressed together in silent gratitude. “Thank heavens! I was so worried. Mitchell, you can’t upset Suzan anymore, do you hear me? You need to go along with whatever she says while she’s pregnant. This is the first child of the Lloyd family-it means everything to us.” Her tone was gentle but firm, full of earnest concern.
Adeline had waited for this child for so long.
“I understand, Mom,” Mitchell replied, nodding again.
He knew perfectly well how important this baby was. Outside, all those hungry jackals were waiting for him to slip up, eager to see him fail.
But he was the rightful heir to the Lloyd family.
Soon, Suzan was wheeled out of surgery and taken to a private suite in the hospital.
Inside the VIP room, Suzan lay weakly on the hospital bed, her face white as a sheet.
She blinked her eyes open and saw Adeline and Mitchell standing at her bedside. Tears welled up immediately. “Mrs. Lloyd, I’m so sorry for making you worry…”
Adeline quickly took her hand, her voice full of affection. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t say that! What matters now is that you rest and take care of yourself and the baby. Don’t think about anything else.”
Then she shot Mitchell a stern look. “And if Mitchell ever upsets you again, I’ll break his legs myself!”
Adeline’s threat was half-joking, but she meant every word.
Mitchell, standing nearby, looked visibly anxious.
He stepped forward, gently taking Suzan’s hand in his. “Suzan, this was my fault. I promise, I’ll stay by your side from now on, and I won’t be going anywhere.”
Suzan managed a faint, pale smile. “Mitchell, I knew you still cared about me- and about our baby.”
Adeline watched the scene, finally able to relax a little. “That’s more like it! You two should look after each other. Now I can be at ease. Suzan, I’ve asked the housekeeper to make you some nourishing broth-it’ll be here soon. Focus on getting your strength back.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Lloyd,” Suzan murmured, her voice weak but grateful.
Shortly after, Adeline left the room.
As soon as she was gone, Suzan’s lips curled in the slightest hint of a triumphant smile-one Mitchell couldn’t see.
Perfect.
She’d bet everything, and she’d won.
Yes, Suzan had done it on purpose.
Desperation breeds bold moves, and she’d had no choice-she needed to keep Mitchell tied to her.
After what happened today, at least for a while, Mitchell would behave himself.
…
Effie and Lyman stayed at the old family house for three days before heading home.
Effie planned to visit her grandmother.
But something felt off-she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was about to happen.
After leaving the family estate, they went straight to her grandmother’s apartment.
The car wound its way into the city’s older district. Soon, they arrived at her grandmother’s building.
Effie hadn’t called ahead—she wanted to surprise her.
But it turned out she was the one about to be surprised—and not in a good way.
Just as she reached the door, a heavy thud echoed from inside, followed by her grandmother’s sharp cry of pain.
Effie’s heart clenched in panic. Forgetting all about knocking, she burst through the door.
“Grandma!” The sight before her made Effie’s eyes sting with tears.
Her grandmother lay sprawled on the living room floor, freshly folded laundry scattered around her, her right ankle already grotesquely swollen.
Lyman rushed over and knelt to examine her. “It’s a bad sprain, maybe even a fracture. We need to get Grandma to the hospital right away.”
“Lyman, Effie… What are you doing here?” her grandmother managed, forcing a weak smile through the pain. “I’m fine, really—just a little accident…”