Chapter 217: Do Not Act On Your Own Accord
Worried about Caleb’s safety, Chelsea called the Yardley family’s butler, Perry. He informed her that Caleb had not returned to the Yardley residence. Moreover, Miriam had left early that morning and hadn't yet returned.
If Caleb isn’t at home or the hospital, where could he have gone? Chelsea was filled with anxiety, utilizing all her connections before she uncovered Caleb’s whereabouts—an abandoned factory. Upon receiving the news, she immediately grabbed her car keys, ready to find him.
Who would have guessed that the moment she stepped out of the hospital, she saw Caleb alighting from a black car? After taking a moment to calm down, Chelsea suppressed her lingering rage as she locked her gaze on Finneas.
He offered no excuses, honestly admitting his mistake. “Apologies, Ms. Yardley,” he said. “I know that you’re close to Caleb, so I took the liberty of bringing him out of the hospital without your knowledge. I have no intention of shirking my responsibilities. As long as it makes you feel better, I’m willing to accept any punishment.”
His sincere demeanor managed to quell the anger brewing in Chelsea’s heart. She huffed coldly, “At least you know your place, and I’m not as ruthless as my mother. All you need to do is write a pledge in front of me, promising not to repeat your mistake. Then, go back and accept thirty lashes. After that, we can consider this matter resolved.”
Finneas responded, “Understood!” Caleb, however, voiced his objection, saying, “Wait.” Whenever it came to Caleb, Chelsea would inexplicably find her heart softening.
“What’s wrong? Did he hurt you?” she asked. Caleb shook his head. “No, I just want to say that the punishment doesn’t need to be so harsh. After all, he helped me just now.”
Chelsea was utterly surprised. “He helped you?” Caleb replied, “Mm-hmm.” He recounted the events, particularly emphasizing the part where Rob had instigated the crowd into mocking him in the hospital.
After hearing this, Chelsea felt the anger consuming her subside, her composure restored.
Finneas was taken aback. “Ms. Yardley…” He had initially thought that Chelsea would waive the punishment. However, contrary to his expectations, Chelsea said, “Let’s reduce the punishment by half. Fifteen lashes should suffice.”
In truth, this was still acceptable for Finneas. He lowered his head. “Thank you, Ms. Yardley!” He was full of vigor, his voice resonating powerfully. To the uninformed, they might have mistaken him for someone receiving a royal decree.
Chelsea waved her hand dismissively. “You’re dismissed. Take this as a lesson learned, and stop acting on your own accord.”
“Understood!” The black car sped off, vanishing before their eyes in an instant.
Chelsea asked, “Caleb, what are your plans for the future?”
“What?”
Seeing Caleb’s dazed expression, Chelsea couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Why do I always worry about his problems more than he does? She urgently said, “I’m asking you, what are you going to do going forward? Now that you beat Rob Sanders up, he will undoubtedly come seeking revenge.”
So Rob’s full name is Rob Sanders. After he heard Chelsea’s question, the only thought in Caleb’s mind was this. He chuckled. “No need to worry. I can hold my own in a fight. Even if I’m surrounded by four or five guys, I can still manage to escape.”
Chelsea was still somewhat worried. It was easy to dodge an open attack but hard to guard against a sneak attack. No matter how capable Caleb was, he couldn’t defend himself against someone who ambushed him. The best course of action would be to assign someone to personally guard him.
A light bulb went off in her mind, and she suggested, “How about this? I’ll assign Finneas to you. From now on, he’ll be your personal bodyguard, watching you around the clock. What do you think?”