Chapter 399
“Tuff, I know I messed up. Why won’t you let me go?” Joyce cried weakly, her wrists wrapped in thick bandages.
“Yeah, I wasn’t thinking straight before. I made mistakes, I know! But it was all because I loved you!” Joyce pleaded. “Tuff, can’t you just give me one more shot at life?”
Joyce just kept blaming everyone else.
Tuff let out a bitter laugh, his hands itching to break his own rule about never hitting women and just beat the crap out of her.
‘Seriously, what kind of person does this? She messes up and then blames the victim instead of owning up,’ Tuff thought.
‘Even the top manipulators don’t pull stunts like this,’ he added to himself.
“Tuff…” Joyce whimpered, her voice trembling.
“Shut up!” Tuff snapped, finally losing his cool.
Both Joyce and Xzavier flinched, startled by his outburst.
“Don’t burn through all the goodwill Dominick has for you!” Tuff said, anger evident in his clenched teeth and tight fists.
Joyce had never seen Tuff this furious before. To her, he was always the funny, smiling man–not like those bossy CEO types who acted all cold and distant. He used to mess around with Dominick, and he’d treat her like a sister, buying her caramel macchiatos and chocolates just to make her smile. He was a straight–A student, too. Back in high school, whenever Joyce struggled with math, Tuff would patiently walk her through every problem. He was so gentle and so incredible.
But now, he was snarling at her, his eyes blazing with fury. He looked like he could rip her to shreds.
“Get out! Don’t let me see your face again!” Tuff snapped, and he had to take a deep breath just to stop himself from throwing a punch.
“I… I just came to see Maggie. Is she alright?” Joyce said, putting on her softest, most harmless voice. “Last night I lost control and ended up getting her hurt… I feel terrible about it.”
“Oh, so you actually know it was your fault?” Tuff shot back with a cold laugh.
Joyce hunched her shoulders, trying to look as pitiful as possible. “Please, let me see her. I won’t be able to sleep at night if I don’t.”
“No need!” Tuff said coldly.
Just then, Kayla walked in, carrying a pretty woven basket packed with food containers of all sizes. She’d brought meals for Maggie and Diane, all prepared by the family.
Tuff had been barely keeping it together, but as soon as Kayla arrived, whatever patience he had left for Joyce vanished. He stepped up and took the basket from her. “Thanks, honey. You went to a lot of trouble.”
Joyce shot a glare at the floor, seething inside. When she looked up again, she put on her weak, innocent act. “Is Maggie able to eat now? Is she getting better?”
“If you’d quit bringing her up, she’d recover faster,” Kayla replied deadpan, her face blank.
“Kayla, I know you’re always picking on me, but…” Joyce said weakly.
“Yeah, I am. So what?” Kayla shot back without missing a beat.
“She’s my godmother!” Joyce protested.
“She’s my mother-in-law. Blood comes first, understand?” Kayla replied coldly.
Tuff grinned. He never knew Kayla could be so savage in an argument. He honestly wanted to give her a standing ovation.
Joyce was totally shut down by Kayla, and it was eating her up inside. She deliberately twisted her wrist when no one was looking, making the wound split open again, crimson blood quickly staining the white gauze.
“Joyce, you’re bleeding again!” Xzavier cried out in alarm.
Joyce shot Tuff a look full of grievance and silent accusation, her eyes practically begging him to finally show some concern.
Tuff just shot her a quick look and then looked away. “Honey, let’s go.”
Joyce was shocked.
‘Is he seriously blind? My wrist is bleeding all over again!’ she thought.
‘Not dramatic enough for him?’ she added.
Joyce instantly shut her eyes and collapsed limply backward, putting on her best fainting act.
Xzavier rushed to catch her, crying out desperately, “Joyce! Joyce!”
Kayla frowned.
‘Here she goes again, faking it,’ Kayla thought, rolling her eyes.
She was once a respected doctor, but now she turned into a walking act of calculated sweetness. It was honestly sickening.
But Kayla kept quiet, waiting for Tuff to make the call.
Beneath Tuff’s iron will, there was a lingering guilt he’d never be able to let go of. If Tuff wanted to help Joyce, Kayla would put up with it.
“Honey, let’s go,” Tuff said, grabbing the basket in one hand and slinging his arm around Kayla.
Kayla blinked. “Wait, you’re really not going to bother with her?”
“This is a hospital. Plenty of doctors and nurses here–let them handle it,” Tuff replied.
“Fair point.” Kayla grinned, genuinely happy.
Xzavier could only watch helplessly as they walked straight into the hospital room without so much as a backward glance, even slamming the door shut behind them. He was so furious he could’ve coughed up blood and passed out on the spot.
‘Ungrateful wretches! Dominick never should’ve put his life on the line for them!’ he fumed.
Kayla unpacked all the food she’d brought, laying it out so Diane and Maggie could eat together. Tuff had been at the hospital all night without leaving, and he was starving. But since he liked his food with stronger flavors, he said, “Honey, I’m gonna go grab something from the cafeteria.”
“Got you covered too!” Kayla said.
“I don’t do bland food… Wait, is that stir-fried eggplant with savory sauce?” Tuff broke into a big grin before he could even finish his sentence.
Turns out Kayla had packed all his favorites for him. There were other dishes–all the stuff Tuff loved most.
“Tuff’s really lucky, huh? Just look at how thoughtful Kayla is,” Diane said with a smile.
“Damn right!” Tuff replied, grinning from ear to ear.
He strutted over to the couch with his own special plate, making sure the mouthwatering aroma wouldn’t make the two ladies too jealous. He was so happy he couldn’t help but laugh between bites.
Maggie and Diane shared a knowing smile, but didn’t tease him for it. They were stuck with mild dishes for now, but Kayla had clearly made sure the kitchen went all out. The fresh mushroom soup was rich and flavorful without being heavy. No one had a clue how she managed to get fresh mushrooms in this season. These dishes had never been served at the Prescott family table before, but today, they tasted unbelievably good. There were also four or five kinds of fresh veggies and a bowl of rice oatmeal on the side. The two ladies were more than satisfied with the meal, especially Maggie. It was hard to imagine that Kayla would be this thoughtful for her.
After the meal, Maverick showed up again. He might not have much going for him, but he treated his wife like she was the center of his world. Maggie couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. Thinking about her own husband, she leaned over and quietly asked Tuff, “Is your dad coming back today?”
“Mom, why don’t you just ask him yourself?” Tuff frowned.
Maggie hesitated, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words. Kayla caught on right away and said, “Mom, Dad won’t be back until later this afternoon.”
“Alright, I was just asking offhand,” Maggie replied, giving a slightly sheepish smile.
As they walked out of the hospital, Kayla kept turning things over in her mind, feeling more and more uneasy. ‘Something’s definitely off here,’ she thought.
“Honey, are your parents… not really getting along?” Kayla asked, her voice low and a little hesitant.
“No, they’re totally fine! They’ve always been good. Or with her clueless mind, how could she have stayed the lady of the house all these years?” Tuff said, sounding genuinely puzzled.
Overall, that seemed true, but…
Kayla still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The Prescott family’s business wasn’t even based overseas, but Raymond always went abroad. The New Year is basically the biggest deal of the year for anyone back home. And Maggie’s been counting down the days, waiting for him to come back.
Tuff hadn’t really given it much thought before, but now that Kayla mentioned it, he couldn’t help but start thinking in that direction too.
‘Wait, could they actually be having problems?’ Tuff wondered, a little uneasy.
Just then, a man walked through the hospital entrance. Kayla recognized him right away. It was Quentin.