Chapter 84: Their Protection

If it had been someone else, Chase probably wouldn't have needed to handle this. But the sooner Avery got back to work, the better it would be for Wendy, too.

“Alright, let’s leave it like this for now.” After the video meeting ended, Wendy stretched and walked over to Chase. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sat in his lap. “Aren’t we off work already? Why are you still busy with all this?”

Chase quickly caught her and said with a smile, “Ms. Quinn, aren’t you working too? I’m only still at it because I’m trying to keep up with you. The food’s getting cold. How about giving me the honor of eating first?”

“Approved.”

The meal was made up of their usual favorites, nothing special. Ever since Chase started working full-time, he rarely had the chance to cook at home. Lately, with everything going on—her at the company, him at the hospital—they only saw each other when they went to bed.

“Waylon already got Avery’s statement. I think we’ll catch the person who pushed him soon. But honestly, I’m not getting my hopes up. Winnie didn’t bring up Henry at all, which tells me Henry never showed his face from the beginning.”

Wendy nodded. That sounded just like Henry. No matter what he did, he always stayed in the shadows. He might fund things behind the scenes, but he would never be the one everyone saw.

“I saw Larry at the hospital today.” Chase paused for a second, unsure, then added, “Well, I think I did. The figure looked just like him. It wasn’t just me; Waylon saw it too.”

Wendy said calmly, “With everything that’s happened, Larry probably wants it to be Henry more than anyone. He thinks if Henry really pulled something like this, the Harrison family would kick him out. But he’s never understood—this is exactly who Henry has always been.”

“So Larry’s the obvious pawn,” Chase said. And honestly, just a completely pitiful one.

Avery’s recovery plan had been revised over and over until they finally settled on something. When Lemon called to ask about the timeline, Chase answered firmly.

“I can’t shorten it any further. You all want Avery to make a full recovery. If he starts working now, it’s not impossible—but if his body completely breaks down a few years from now, are you just going to abandon him then?”

19:25 PM

Lemon flipped through the files on her desk, pages fluttering one after another. Her secretary pointed out the place to sign, and she scribbled her name down, holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder.

“Of course not! We’re not heartless. It’s just that he’s got a lot of plans lined up. If he can’t show up… I’ll need someone to take his place. It’s a hassle, sure, but you’re right, Chase. Health comes first. Let’s do it your way.”

“I’ve already compressed his recovery period down to six months,” Chase replied. “As long as he recovers fast enough within that time.”

They talked for a while longer—first listening to her vent, then discussing Avery’s condition—before ending the call.

Lately, Chase hadn’t been seeing patients downstairs. He was holed up in his office, preparing for the hospital’s IPO. He had to go through every year’s medical records, one by one, to make sure there were no issues before they could pass review and submit the application. He already knew what year his father-in-law’s car accident happened. He just hadn’t gotten to it yet.

He had heard about the surgery from one of the old professors, who said everything went fine—the man was already breathing again at the scene. But according to eyewitnesses, the guy hadn’t even died. When they put him in the ambulance, he was still able to open his eyes.

The two sets of accounts didn’t match at all. No one knew who to believe. But Wendy definitely sensed something wasn’t right, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

“What do you know about Paul’s death?”

He asked the question on his day off. After visiting Mandy, he went home and made dinner for Wendy. No one had brought up her late husband in a long time. When Mandy heard the question, she froze for a moment, and the smile faded from her face.

“What made you suddenly bring that up?” she asked, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders and looking up at Chase. “I said a long time ago there was no need to investigate that anymore. Did Wendy ask you to look into it?”

These two women were both powerhouses in the business world. The way they showed love to their family was through protection. Wendy had learned that from her mother. Back when Wendy was cold toward Chase, Mandy had done the same. Mandy had even kidnapped Paul. And after that, Mandy started distancing herself from him. She wouldn’t take him to business events, and people began to gossip that their marriage was falling apart and heading for divorce.