Chapter 282
Eliana had no choice but to reach out her hand.
Samuel placed two fingers on her wrist, and after a moment, he said seriously, “You’re letting your anger get the best of you. Whn made you
se upset?”
Eliana was about to deny it when Samuel added earnestly, “Trust me, it’s better to talk about it. Bottling it up will only make you feel worse.
Since she trusted his medical skills, Eliana ended up blurting out what was really on her mind. “Why did you all keep the truth about my stomach pain from me?”
“You found out?” Samuel asked.
“I guessed most of it. It has something to do with Alice, doesn’t it?” Eliana replied.
“Uh, yeah,” Samuel admitted.
“So that’s why he kept it from me.” Eliana let out a bitter laugh. “Does he really think I’d go all out and kill Alice or something?”
Samuel quickly explained, “Mr. Russell just didn’t want you to feel stressed, so he decided to keep it from you.”
Eliana froze for a moment. “You mean he was actually worried I’d get too stressed out?”
Samuel nodded. “I bet you’ve seen articles about this before. When couples struggle to have a baby, the more they stress about it, the harder it gets. Sometimes, having the right mindset is the best cure. Mr. Russell just didn’t want you to overthink everything.”
Eliana was confused.
She didn’t snap out of it until a chill touched the back of her hand. Looking down, she saw Samuel had set a can of ice–cold cola beside her.
“I can have cold drinks now?” she asked, a little puzzled.
“With my skills, you might get pregnant soon enough, let alone having a cold drink,” Samuel said, shooting a glance at her stomach before reassuring her, “So cheer up, okay?”
Eliana laughed at his words.
Just then, footsteps sounded from the stairway. Theodore must have come back.
Eliana, feeling a little awkward, said, “Dr. Wilson, I’ll go back to my room now.”
When Theodore came upstairs, he happened to see Eliana closing her door.
His expression darkened as Samuel leaned in and said, “Mr. Russell, the moment you called, I rushed to buy that pudding and did everything
I could to cover for you. If Mrs. Russell still won’t forgive you after all that, you might be in real trouble.”
Theodore stared at the tightly closed door and asked, “How did she react?”
“She seemed a bit happier. If you go in now and have a good talk with her, the storm might just pass,” Samuel replied.
Theodore hummed in response and was just about to reach the door when Eliana swung it open, clearly annoyed. “Dr. Wilson, you two teamed up to fool me around?”
Samuel looked flustered and stammered, “N–No, of course not.”
1/3
Chapter 282
Eliana fumed, “I heard it all. That pudding was store–bought, not something he told you to whip up for me
She thought, ‘Turns out all that stuff about Theodore feeling sorry for me eating too much plain food was just made up!
Samuel, realizing he’d slipped up, was scrambling for an excuse when Eliana pressed on, “So when you said he was worried about me being stressed and that’s why he kept the truth from me, that was just to make me feel better, wasn’t it?”
Samuel was more nervous than he ever was in the operating room. “Mrs. Russell, I admit I was playing it up a bit, but I swear, everything f
said was the truth!”
“That’s enough!” Eliana slammed the door, refusing to look at those two shameless faces any longer.
Outside, Samuel clicked his tongue. “Well, we really messed up…”
The next second, meeting Theodore’s icy stare, he braced himself and said, “Mr. Russell, how was I supposed to know she’d be listening in?”
Theodore sneered. “So, you’re saying it’s her fault now?”
Samuel hurriedly said, “Of course not. It’s all my fault, alright?”
Then he watched as Theodore walked over to a small dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down, looking all stiff and stubborn.
“Sir, what’s this about?” Samuel asked.
“I’ll just sit here for a bit,” Theodore replied.
He didn’t want to barge in and make things worse. Eliana would have to come out for dinner, anyway.
After dinner, Jayden suddenly said, “Eliana, can you come to my room and test me on my poetry recitation? I need you to sign on my form to prove that I’ve finished my homework.”
Lainey’s face immediately fell. “Jayden, don’t trouble Eliana. I can help you.” Jayden turned toward her and asked, “Mom, didn’t you make plans to play cards tonight?”
Lainey looked a bit embarrassed. “I can skip my card game for you.”
Just then, the doorbell rang.
A moment later, three middle–aged ladies strolled in gracefully–Lainey’s card–playing friends.
But now, Lainey couldn’t even force a smile. “Why are you all here so early?”
One of them said, “Oh, come on, we were just bored at home anyway. Besides, if we come early, we get to hang out even longer, right?”
After a moment, they said casually, “We’ll head to the card room; see you later. Take your time eating.”
“Hey!” Lainey wanted to say something, but Jayden cut in, “Mom, just go ahead. You seem quite busy.”
Lainey felt a lump in her throat. The word “busy” felt especially ironic to her.
Meanwhile, watching Eliana agree to Jayden’s request, Theodore felt a knot of frustration in his chest.
But since he’d already given his silent approval for Eliana to help Jayden, it would just make him look petty if he tried to take it back now. All he could do was watch helplessly as they walked away.
22:05 FII, 8 AUD OD
Chapter 282
Just then, Theodore’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw a message from Felix.
[Come with me. We’ll have some fun!]
At nine that night, Felix waited at the entrance of the shooting range.
When he saw Theodore show up alone, he looked genuinely surprised. “Whoa, how come you didn’t bring your wife along?”
Theodore replied coolly, “She’s busy tonight.”
“Alright, come on,” Felix said, leading him inside. The usual crowd was already there, testing out their guns.
Theodore asked, “Where’s Ashton?”
“Over there,” Felix said, jerking his chin toward the lounge area.
Theodore glanced over and spotted Ashton hunched in the corner, drinking alone and looking upset.
Felix lowered his voice, “I heard Harper ditched him without saying goodbye. Now he looks like a total wreck. Love, huh.”
Seeing Ashton looking so down and out, Theodore felt a pang of guilt. ‘If I hadn’t stepped in and helped Harper get out of the country… he thought to himself.
“Hey, don’t just stand around. It’s been two years since we last saw you in action,” Felix said, throwing an arm around Theodore’s shoulders and leading him over to pick out a gun.
An entire wall was lined with pistols, rifles, submachine guns, and more…
Theodore picked out a Browning, grabbed a few boxes of ammo from the owner, and headed to the first shooting lane. He pressed the button in front of him, and clay targets started popping up one after another down the empty lane.
Theodore’s eyes narrowed, his gaze turning icy as he tracked the targets.
Then, he shot three times, and none of them missed.
Felix whistled in amazement. “Damn, your shooting skills haven’t faded a bit–you never miss a shot!”
The next moment, he caught Theodore’s fierce look and murmured under his breath, “Geez, who is he imagining as his target right now?”
AD
Comment
