Chapter 683: Breathless
Brayden’s POV:
Hayley didn’t spend much time treating Vivian. It made me wonder—was she messing with me on purpose? Before she could say anything, I rushed into the room to check on Vivian. She lay motionless on the bed, so still that from the doorway, she looked lifeless. A wave of panic hit me, my chest tightening.
“Vivian?” I called hesitantly as I approached. I received no response. My heart plummeted, my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor. Had I lost my precious daughter? Moon Goddess, I did everything I could, even swallowing my pride as an Alpha to beg that Omega, Hayley. Why didn’t you protect my daughter and let her live?
“Sweetheart, this is my fault! I never should have trusted you with this murderer!” I sobbed beside Vivian. Just then, a weak voice came from the bed. “Dad, what’s wrong with you?”
Vivian was alive! Reality snapped back into focus as I scrambled to my feet and rushed to her side. Gripping her hand tightly, I exclaimed, “Thank goodness you’re fine!”
“Who said she’s fine?”
Startled by the voice, I turned toward the doorway. Hayley stood there with no expression, took a prescription from her pocket, and tossed it onto the floor.
“Have her drink this for a month,” she instructed.
“We’ll do it!” I quickly agreed, bowing my head slightly. Hayley might have been arrogant, but in the end, she had saved my daughter. The prescription fell to the floor. Claudio glanced down, then cleared his throat, pressing a clenched fist against his lips. To regain her sense of taste.
Hayley’s POV:
Catching Claudio’s smirk, I shot him an irritated glare. He immediately quieted down.
“Don’t forget what you promised me,” I reminded Brayden.
“Rest assured. I’ll have someone calculate the assets and transfer the funds to your account right away.” He sounded sincere.
I cast a cold glance at the bed before turning and heading downstairs. Claudio followed, his voice laced with amusement. “Hayley, the Jaggeds have plenty of doctors. Aren’t you worried they’ll figure out something’s wrong with the prescription?”
I didn’t even glance back. “Do you think something I created can be uncovered so easily? Or have you forgotten how you were inexplicably infected with wolfsbane?”
As soon as I finished speaking, Claudio shut up.
“Michelle!”
As soon as I reached the first floor, Harris greeted me with a flattering smile. He awkwardly scratched his head and said, “Hey, dear cousin, why don’t you take me with you?”
I scoffed. “What nonsense is this?” Then, turning to Claudio, I asked, “Since when did I have a cousin?”
“I don’t know either,” Claudio replied smoothly.
“Michelle, you can’t just abandon me like this! I offended Brayden for your sake,” Harris whined.
“For me?” I arched my brow. “Did I ask you to ignore Vivian’s life and make a joke out of it?”
“Uh…” Harris faltered, then hurriedly switched tactics. “But they’re going to break my leg! Are you going to stand by and do nothing?”
“I’ll help, of course.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small packet of medicinal powder and tossed it to him. “This is the best painkiller I’ve made. When they break your leg, just drink a packet. I guarantee you won’t feel a thing for a full day. It works better than your so-called wolf healing.”
Patting his shoulder, I turned to leave. But then, as if remembering something, I paused and looked back. “Oh, right—there’s a side effect. After a day, the pain will be ten times worse. So, think carefully before using…”
Seeing Harris frozen in place, I left in satisfaction.
When I arrived home, Benjamin had just returned. He looked at me and asked, “Where did you go?”
“Buying herbs,” I replied casually.
“Herbs?” His gaze shifted to Claudio, who stood behind me empty-handed. He smiled knowingly but didn’t expose me. “Let’s head inside first.”
With that, he changed direction and walked straight into my house. However, as soon as we stepped into the yard, we spotted Frederick standing with several Beta officers in uniform. Seeing us, he strode forward and said coldly, “Ms. Carson, I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.”