Chapter 10
5 vouchers
By the time Hannah rushed over, Samuel was practically emptied out. The kid was curled up on the couch, pale and trembling, barely conscious. The sight set Hannah off instantly.
“Eliana, come here right now!” she shouted, fury exploding out of her. “You don’t lift a finger at home, and you can’t even take care of your son. What exactly are you good for?”
Sophie stood off to the side, visibly uncomfortable. After hesitating for a second, she spoke carefully. “Mrs. Eliot isn’t home. She hasn’t come back since last night. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared call you this late.”
As she spoke, Sophie couldn’t help letting out a quiet sigh. She’d worked for the Eliot family for years, but she’d never been this exhausted, not even close. And that was with everyone here pitching in.
Which meant she could only imagine what Eliana had been carrying alone all these years. Too bad no one in this house ever bothered to see it.
“She didn’t come home last night? Done with her family?” Hannah snapped. “Logan has spoiled her rotten. She’s got a perfectly good life and still isn’t satisfied. I’d really like to ask her how long she plans to keep this up!”
Hannah remembered that when Isabella had just returned before, Eliana had thrown a tantrum too. She stormed back to the Lyons family home in a fit of anger. But less than half a day later, she’d come running back, cooked a whole table of food, and apologized to Logan.
She believed a woman like Eliana didn’t need comforts. Leave her alone for a bit and she’d crawl back on her own.
That pattern had happened so many times, especially because she always caved for Samuel. The entire Eliot household had gotten used to it. They were convinced they had her completely figured out. So when Eliana stormed off yesterday and even mentioned divorce, no one actually took it seriously.
Still ranting, Hannah grabbed her phone and dialed Eliana’s number. Sophie almost spoke up, to say the phone couldn’t get through. But then she stayed quiet, deciding it was better not to stir the pot.
The call didn’t connect. Hannah was so furious she nearly smashed her phone.
“Grandma, my stomach hurts…” Samuel whimpered, finally breaking down in tears.
That was when Hannah turned to Sophie instead. “What did he eat tonight? You know his stomach’s weak. What am I paying you people for?”
Sophie was stunned by the accusation, but she refused to take the blame. She hurriedly explained, “It was Ms. Hewitt who took Mr. Samuel out to eat. I don’t know exactly what they had. Not long after she brought him back, he started having diarrhea, and vomiting too.”
She watched Hannah’s expression before continuing, “He screamed in pain whenever we touched him. I didn’t dare make any decisions on my own, so I called you.”
Samuel was so weak he could barely sit up, yet he still stubbornly spoke up, “This has nothing to do with Isabella. It’s Mom’s fault. She never lets me eat out. I never want to see her again!”
He then burst into tears. “That barbecue stall had tons of people eating there. They’re all fine, but only I’m sick. Isabella said if I follow her way, I’ll get better soon. I…”
He didn’t even finish before throwing up again. Samuel had already been weak after yesterday’s allergic reaction. Now with the vomiting and diarrhea, Hannah finally panicked. She rushed him straight to the hospital.
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2:22 am P
Chapter 10
5 vouchers
After running back and forth all night, Hannah felt like she was about to fall apart. It was an Eliot Group private hospital, and most things were handled automatically. All she had to do was stay with Samuel. But even that nearly wiped her out.
The moment she sat down, she called Logan and launched straight into complaints, completely forgetting how she’d once treated Eliana.
When Samuel was younger, hospital visits were routine. A sick child was clingy, constantly needing to be held.
Back then, Eliana had once forced herself to be firm, saying she couldn’t let him develop that habit, or he’d expect it every time he got sick.
Hannah had ripped into her for that, accusing her of being lazy and heartless.
“Look at the child! And you can say something like that?” Hannah had yelled to Eliana. “If you can’t take care of him properly, then you don’t need to take care of him at all!”
With no way out, Eliana ended up holding Samuel through every illness, alone. For nights on end, she didn’t sleep. The moment she put him down, he’d cry. Her face turned sallow, and her hair fell out in clumps.
And yet no one in the Eliot family pitied her. Instead, they criticized her for looking unkempt, and said she didn’t look like a proper Mrs. Eliot at all.
Now, karma had finally come full circle. Hannah never imagined the bad habits she’d indulged would one day come back for her to clean up.
When Logan finally picked up, Samuel started fussing again on the hospital bed. Hannah truly couldn’t hold him anymore.
“Samuel, please, just calm down for a minute,” she begged. “If you keep this up, I’m going to collapse right here.”
Logan had stepped out of an international conference to take the call. Ever since Nathan suddenly returned to Ockgend, Eliot Group had been on the defensive. He was scrambling to keep things afloat.
Once Nathan shifted his focus back to the domestic market, several of Eliot Group’s business lines were instantly squeezed. Logan still didn’t understand why Nathan had come back at all, but the threat in front of him couldn’t be ignored.
Already irritated beyond measure, Hannah’s words only made things worse. Logan rubbed his temple and asked coldly, “Where’s Eliana? Still not back?”
The mention of Eliana opened the floodgates again. Hannah complained at length, but it boiled down to one thing: Eliana hadn’t returned, and she wasn’t answering her phone.
“Does she know about Samuel’s condition?” Logan frowned. “Just call her parents. She’ll come back once she knows Samuel’s in hospital. I still have things to deal with here.”
With that, Logan hung up and walked back into the conference room. In less than twenty–four hours, he felt utterly drained.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
