Chapter 103

“Mr. Kennedy, I heard your mother was admitted to the hospital, so I stopped by to check on her.”

Derek glanced back at his bodyguard, who placed a basket of health supplements and fruit nearby.

“Thank you for coming,” Derek replied. He wasn’t one for idle chatter. After speaking, he turned his attention to his grandmother. Her eyes followed his wheelchair, a clear indication of her regard for him.

He softened his tone. “Mrs. Kennedy, don’t worry, you’ll be on your feet again soon.”

She blinked in response, acknowledging his words.

Then, Derek abruptly shifted his focus, his gaze sharpening as he addressed the group behind him. “She seemed quite spry at her last birthday party. What happened to change that?” he asked casually.

My father quickly bowed and explained, “Mother’s getting on in years. Her legs aren’t as strong as they used to be. She fell and suffered a brain hemorrhage…”

“Oh? She fell on her own? It’s odd; I heard someone else was with her when it happened.”

Derek’s cold gaze swept the room, making Nicole shiver. “Derek, it was my fault. I didn’t catch Grandma in time, and she fell,” Nicole confessed.

“And why did she fall?” Derek maneuvered his wheelchair closer to Nicole, pressing her. “An elderly person with mobility issues would be extra cautious.”

“Grandma never really liked me, and with my sister missing, she took it out on me. She tried to hit me with her cane, lost her balance, and fell…”

Her pitiful expression usually worked wonders on the family, and I thought Derek might fall for it too. But his gaze remained steady and serious as he smirked coldly. “Do you know who your grandmother is? She was a powerhouse in the business world. Even now, she’s not impulsive. If she tried to hit you, you must have provoked her.”

“That’s enough, Derek! Are you here to visit Grandma or play detective?”

To my astonishment, Chase stepped forward to defend Nicole. Even if he hadn’t connected the dots regarding Nicole’s actions toward me, he was clearly starting to doubt her.

Compared to Chase’s impulsiveness, Derek seemed far more composed. His dark eyes fixed on Nicole. “I heard you were the only one with Mrs. Kennedy when she fell, and you even had the staff sent away.”

“Derek, what are you implying?” Nicole’s eyes welled with tears. “Are you suggesting I hurt Grandma?”

“Isn’t that what happened?” Derek insisted. “I’ve seen Mrs. Kennedy’s health report. She wasn’t in perfect health, but her condition wouldn’t have deteriorated so suddenly. Plus, she might have been very upset before she fell.”

“Derek! You’re out of line. This is the Kennedy family, not the Reyes family. And even in the Reyes family, it’s not your place to make these accusations. What gives you the right?”

In that moment, my thoughts raced. On one hand, Derek’s words struck a chord. None of my family or my husband had considered these possibilities, just as he was the first to notice my disappearance.

On the other hand, I couldn’t help but contrast Chase’s naiveté with Derek’s perceptiveness. If I had fallen for Derek from the start, would my life be different now?