Chapter 53: A Jinx
Yelena, her tone hesitant, snapped, “Then tell me, where were you when Jesse was in the hospital?”
This question had been on Deborah’s mind during the car ride, but it wasn’t until Yelena voiced it that her heart clenched. She fixed her gaze on Caleb, her eyes so focused she forgot to blink.
Caleb found their question almost amusing. His eyes flicked subtly toward Raquel. “I made it clear a long time ago. It’s your fault for not staying updated, so stop asking me the same questions over and over.”
Yelena’s gaze followed Caleb’s, her eyes narrowing as she finally understood. She looked at Raquel, who had been the first to send a message stating she had spotted Caleb. If Caleb had explained himself to anyone, it could only have been her. Without a doubt.
Feeling multiple pairs of eyes on her, Raquel couldn’t help but feel a surge of anxiety. With a flicker of unease in her eyes, she blinked rapidly, her words spilling out in a flustered rush. “When I saw him, he was at Gianna’s private mansion!”
A heavy silence fell over the room. Moments later, George erupted in fury. “Caleb, it’s bad enough that you didn’t come back to take care of your brother, but to go off and mess around with women instead?”
Caleb’s eyes turned icy, his expression hardening immediately. “Raquel, don’t speak against your conscience,” he said coldly. “Think carefully about what I actually told you back then.”
Raquel’s hand trembled slightly as she struggled to respond. “Cale, I… I didn’t mean—”
Deborah, sensing there was more to this than met the eye, intervened gently. “Raquel, take your time. There’s no need to be nervous,” she reassured, her voice soft and encouraging.
A loud crash echoed from behind. Everyone turned in alarm, only to see Jesse collapsed on the floor. “Jesse! What’s wrong? Someone call a doctor! Hurry!” Deborah cried, rushing to his side. She cradled him in her arms, her face pale with panic, completely forgetting about Caleb and everything else.
The room erupted into chaos as doctors and nurses were summoned. No one gave Caleb a second glance.
It was a scene all too familiar. Caleb stood motionless for a moment, irritation flickering in his eyes. Then, without a word, he turned and stepped out into the corridor.
As expected, the matter at hand had once again been swept aside. It was always the same. The moment something happened to Jesse, everyone dropped everything to fuss over him.
Caleb sank into a chair outside the ward, watching silently as medical staff came and went. No one even looked his way.
Roughly two hours passed before Jesse’s condition finally stabilized.
George approached with a frosty expression. “Go home and wait,” he ordered curtly. “Until the compatibility results come out, you’re not to show your face in front of Jesse again!”
Caleb raised an eyebrow slightly. That was more than he could have wished for. Without a word, he turned and prepared to vanish before their eyes.
Just as he stepped forward, George’s voice rang out again. “Take the back roads home. Don’t let Mdm. Yardley’s people see you and stir up more trouble for our family.”
Caleb paused for a moment, not bothering to turn around. Without saying a word, he walked off.
George’s expression darkened, his thoughts churning until he finally let out a cold snort. “Nothing but bad luck. If I’d known things would end up like this, I never would’ve taken you in.”
When Caleb arrived home, he hadn’t even had time to catch his breath before a servant approached to report a visitor waiting outside. With George absent, Caleb was the only one left to receive them. Left with no other choice, he made his way to the living room.
Seated on the couch was an older man, likely in his forties or fifties. His hair was peppered with gray; the lines at the corners of his eyes and brows spoke of age and experience.
Upon seeing Caleb enter, the man stood and greeted him politely. “You must be Mr. Caleb Quixall? I’m Norman Langford, the butler of the Sherman family.”
Caleb’s brows knit slightly. What’s the Sherman family’s butler doing here? If Gianna needed something, why didn’t she come herself? Why send a butler instead?