Chapter 111
โSo it was he who helped me,โ Zinnia murmured, her emotions in turmoil. When Anne got into trouble, she was worried something might happen to her too, but nothing did. She never expected Yannis would go so far for her behind the scenes.
Looking at Zinniaโs innocent face, so utterly oblivious to everything, Hugo felt a pang of resentment. She thought, โSome people are just born lucky. She doesnโt even realize it, yet someoneโs already taken care of everything for her.โ
Hugo said, โMs. Shawn, youโve seen enough. Just go.โ
Zinnia hadnโt planned to stay any longer. She repeated, โSheโll be fine.โ With that, she turned to leave. As she checked her phone, she saw a message from Charlie informing her that they could go home now.
After Zinnia left, Hugo quietly pushed open the hospital room door. He pulled up a chair to the bedside and gazed at Anne, exhaustion shadowing his usually cold, handsome features.
He muttered, โI told you, you have terrible judgment when it comes to people, but you just wouldnโt listen. You had to be stubborn. Now look at you, see what your stubbornness has gotten you into.
โI never said your face was ugly. But how could you use Bettyโs stuff without worrying it might ruin your skin? That woman only does things for her benefit. Sheโs got the whole Shaw family wrapped around her finger. So what chance do you have?
โIf youโd made friends with Zinnia, I wouldnโt have said a word. After all, sheโs just simple-minded. But no, you had to pick someone as scheming as Betty, and even argued with me that Betty was truly sincere to you.
โAll she gave you was a bottle of cream, and you were ready to give her everything. Who even knows where that cream came from?โ
Hugo stared at the right side of Anneโs face, now perfectly healed, without a trace of scars, and let out a soft sigh.
He said, โYou were always afraid Iโd take the Carson family from you, werenโt you? If you never wake up, itโll be mine by default. Would you be okay with that?โ
Anne remained perfectly still, giving no response.
Hugo had no idea how long heโd been talking; in the end, he kept vigil by her bedside the entire night.
Meanwhile, Zinnia met up with Charlie, and the two headed home together.
In the car, Charlie looked at Zinnia with concern and said, โZinnia, I already know about what happened at school. Why didnโt you come to me?โ
Zinnia replied, โI know youโre all busy. I just didnโt want to worry you.โ
Zinnia had already brushed off similar concerns over the phone a couple of days ago. Now, face-to-face with Charlie, especially after recently dealing with Sofia, she found herself responding more naturally.
She remembered Sofia mentioning how swamped Charlie had been lately, and Zinnia didnโt want to burden him.
Charlie said, โI may be busy, Zinnia, but Iโll always make time for you. Weโre family. Donโt ever hesitate to come to me, promise me okay?โ
Charlie gazed at Zinnia with tender warmth and gently ruffled her hair.
โOkay,โ Zinnia replied softly.
Zinnia had been struggling over who to turn to for help when the accident happened. But then, somehow, she ended up calling Yannis by accident. To her surprise, Yannis picked up on the first ring.
Noticing the troubled expression Charlie had been wearing since leaving the hospital, Zinnia asked, โCharlie, is something bothering you?โ
Charlie said, โIโve been thinking about Anneโs condition. One of her blood vessels is blocked by a blood clot in a critical location. The surgery is extremely delicate. I only have a fifty-fifty chance of success.
โIโm trying to figure out if thereโs anything to improve those odds, even just a little. The Carsons invited someone from the Moore family, but the person was no help at all.
โWe still have to find another solution. She is so young; it would be such a shame if she never wakes up."
Charlie didnโt hide anything. His desire to help Anne came purely from a doctorโs duty. He just wanted to save his patient, nothing more.
As Anneโs attending physician, Charlie felt that a fifty percent chance was already significant, but to Daniel and his family, the risk still seemed too high to accept.
Hoping for the highest possible success rate, the Carsons called in someone from the Moore family. They figured that even if the collateral branch of the Moore family hadnโt inherited most of the main familyโs medical expertise, it would still be better than nothing.
But to their disappointment, the person who showed up turned out to be just a good-for-nothing heir.
Charlie thought, โNo wonder the Moore family has been on a downward spiral for twenty years. Once the main branch died out, the whole family became a disorganized mess, just living off their past glory.โ
The Moore family, once mentioned in the same breath as the Perkins and Lynn families, had become almost unheard of. The Stark family only rose to prominence later. Back then, it was the Moore family that truly dominated the pharmaceutical industry, with a global presence.
Zinnia said, โCharlie, maybe you should run another brain scan for Anne tomorrow. Neurological conditions can change from day to day. Who knows, her situation might be different by then.โ
Charlie smiled and said, โYes, daily check-ups are routine for all patients.โ
Hearing Charlie bring up the Moore family again, Zinnia hesitated and asked, โCharlie, who exactly are the Moores?โ
Though Zinnia wasnโt sure if her Master had any connection to the Moore family, she couldnโt suppress her curiosity.
She obediently refrained from seeking her Master out, as he had forbidden, but whenever something possibly related to her Master came up, she couldnโt help but pay close attention.
Charlie explained, โThe Moore family used to be one of Jinstonโs most prominent families, standing shoulder to shoulder with ours. But about twenty years ago, for reasons no one understood, they suddenly packed up and left the city for good.
โBut just three years after moving abroad, the main branch of the Moore family was wiped out in an explosion, with all three members perishing in that tragedy. Now, the collateral branch has taken the reins of the family.
โThe collateral branch of the Moore family has been riding on the coattails of their former patriarchโs legacy. Theyโve learned nothing useful, just squandering their days away.
โThe person they sent to help is nothing but a good-for-nothing heir. Not a shred of the Moore familyโs true medical expertise has been passed down to him.โ
Charlieโs voice was tinged with regret, and when he thought of the current situation of the Moore family, deep disappointment made his words reflect this sentiment.
He thought, โWithout the main branch of the Moore family, the family canโt last much longer. If they keep letting the collateral relatives squander their legacy like this, theyโll fade into complete obscurity before long.โ
Zinnia blurted out, โWhy did the Moore family move abroad twenty years ago? And how did that explosion happen just three years later?โ
Charlie said, โIโm not entirely sure about what happened twenty years ago. I was just a kid back then. All I know is what the family elders told me.
โAs for the explosion, I heard they might have been sabotaged. When our family found out, they sent people to help at the time.โ
Charlie himself wasnโt very clear about what had happened twenty years ago. He just remembered the adults in his family lamenting the fact that the Moore family patriarch, such a brilliant and extraordinary man, had perished in that explosion.
The entire family of three was lost in the blast, none survived, which left Charlieโs elders deeply grieved.