Chapter 69
Chapter 69
“Okay, Zack, I’ll go see your dad, but I don’t want to deal with your grandmother.” Sylvia finally gave in to her son’s pleas, though reservations lingered. Liana had always despised her, and Sylvia had no desire for another confrontation.
“Mommy, Grandma went away to pray for Dad. She’s not home,” Zack quickly explained..
It turned out that Liana, seeing Byron’s fever wouldn’t break even after multiple doctors had come and gone, had resorted to desperate measures, seeking intervention elsewhere.
Sylvia couldn’t help a small, wry smile. ‘If praying actually worked, who’d need doctors?‘
Still, with Liana gone, at least that was one less headache.
So, she grabbed her medical bag and drove Zack back to the Blair estate.
The household staff froze when Sylvia walked in. She was, after all, the former Mrs. Blair, even if she and Byron were now divorced. More importantly, she
was young Zack’s mother.
“Ms. Sullivan,” they murmured one by one.
Seeing the familiar faces stirred a mix of emotions in Sylvia. She gave a few polite nods and hurried upstairs.
Most of the staff here were decent, regular people. The one who’d given her the most grief in this house was the man who should have been family-
Byron.
Thinking of the past brought a fresh wave of resentment, but she pushed it down for Zack’s sake. She’d treat Byron and leave immediately.
“Mommy, Dad’s in his bedroom!” Zack scampered ahead.
Sylvia followed, medical bag in hand, into Byron’s room.
Byron lay still on the bed, his usually stern face expressionless. His back, whipped the night before, was bandaged beneath a crisp white shirt and tailored trousers. He’d been running a high fever since coming home, unconscious the whole time.
Sylvia sat beside the bed and gently took Byron’s wrist, checking his pulse.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
‘His pulse is racing,‘ she thought. ‘He’s seriously stressed out, running hot internally.’
She felt a flicker of cold satisfaction. ‘Mr. Control Freak himself? What’s he got to be so worked up about?‘
“Mommy, how is he?” Zack asked anxiously from the side.
“I’ll give him some acupuncture and prepare a remedy, He’ll be fine.” Sylvia comforted Zack for a moment, not wanting him to miss any more school, and persuaded him to leave.
Once he was gone, she took out her needle case. Silver needles glinted as she placed them precisely onto Byron’s body. Normally, a dozen would suffice, but thinking of all the crap she’d endured over the years, a mischievous glint appeared in Sylvia’s eyes.
She added another dozen needles to the top of his head, making him look like a human pincushion.
‘Still, she mused, ‘the extra stimulation might just wake him up faster!
“Byron! I heard you were sick! Oh, you scared me half to death! Are you feeling any better?” Footsteps approached, and Joanna Moore’s voice echoed from the hallway.
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Chapter 69
Sylvia frowned and stepped out of the room, closing the door slightly behind her.
Joanna was just about to push the door open when she saw Sylvia. Her face instantly clouded over. “Sylvia? What are you doing here?”
Sylvia glanced at her coolly. “If you can be here, why can’t I?”
Joanna sputtered, taken aback. “But… you and Byron are divorced! You shouldn’t be bothering him anymore.”
Sylvia scoffed. “I’m still Zack’s mother. Can’t I come see my son?”
Joanna’s eyes flickered with a hint of calculation. “Sylvia, you gave up full custody three years ago. You really shouldn’t be seeing Zack either!”
She needed Sylvia completely out of the picture. Surely Sylvia would get the hint and leave now that she’d laid it out so clearly.
“And who are you to tell me that?” Sylvia sneered. “Joanna, has Byron married you yet? Are you Mrs. Blair now? Does Zack accept you? Does he call you Mom?”
Joanna flushed crimson, stammering, unable to answer.
“But… Byron’s mother accepts me!” Joanna finally managed, grasping for justification.
“Then maybe you should marry Byron’s mother!” Sylvia shot back, leaving Joanna sputtering with rage. “Since neither Byron nor Zack has accepted you, stop telling me what to do. Who do you think you are?”
Joanna’s eyes reddened. “Sylvia, how could you say that? Byron will be furious when he finds out.”
Sylvia stepped aside from the door. “He’s right in there. Go ahead, tattle.”
With that, she turned and walked down the stairs.
Joanna entered Byron’s room, feeling wronged and ready to complain, only to find Byron still unconscious on the bed.
‘Byron, what happened?‘ she thought, eyes widening. ‘Did Sylvia do something to you?‘ An idea sparked in Joanna’s eyes. She was about to rush downstairs to stop Sylvia from leaving when, suddenly, Byron coughed and slowly opened his eyes.
Still groggy, he instinctively reached up, feeling the needles prickling his scalp and body. He pulled them out irritably.
“What… what happened?” Byron rubbed his forehead, the memory of collapsing in the rain flooding back. He realized how long he’d been out. Suddenly, he froze, staring at the acupuncture needles in his hand. He looked sharply at Joanna. “Was Sylvia here?”
“Yes, Byron, Sylvia was just here.” Joanna immediately put on a hurt expression, her eyes welling up. “I asked her why she came, and she didn’t answer, she just yelled at me…”
She was about to embellish the story when Byron suddenly lurched out of bed, grabbing her arm urgently. “Where did she go?”
Joanna faltered, momentarily confused. “Sylvia… maybe she got scared when I saw her and ran off! Like she had something to hide!”
“Ran off?” Byron’s initial surge of hope instantly cooled, but a desperate urgency remained. He rushed downstairs.
‘The needles,’ he thought, his mind racing. ‘She treated me. She used acupuncture.‘ His heart pounded again. The dense fool felt a thrill–maybe she did still care about him after all.
But the living room was empty. No sign of Sylvia!
“Byron, maybe you should check if anything’s missing? Sylvia looked awfully shifty when I saw her,” Joanna suggested helpfully, following him down.
Byron whirled around, snapping, “Shut up!”
Joanna looked stunned and hurt. “Byron, how can you talk to me like that? I’m just telling you what I saw!”
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Chapter 69
“And what exactly did you see?” Just then, Sylvia walked back in from outside, carrying a bag of freshly prepared herbs.
