Chapter 423
After Hayley left the living room, Bette and her grandfather finally stepped out of the study,
They both stared silently in the direction Hayley had gone. Neither of them said a word.
It wasn’t until Hayley’s figure had completely disappeared from the Blanchard family’s estate, that Bette spoke in a calm voice, “Grandpa, I’ll make a trip to Frency”
The elderly man watched her silently for a while before nodding his head. “Yes, go and have a look?
“Mm–hmm. With that, Bette immediately asked the housekeeper to pack her bags for her trip to Frency.
Meanwhile, at a hospital in Frency….
Marina was sit
aron’s hospital bed. Her face was grim as she surveyed the bandages around his head.
When Daron saw her walking in, he smiled brightly. “I already told you on the phone I’m fine. What do you still have to fly here?
Daron was staying in the VIP suite on the topmost floor of the hospital.
From the lobby all the way up, every floor was manned by security personnel. Unless someone working inside the ward or on the security team spilled the beans, there was no way anyone on the outside could find out a thing.
“With all this tight security, how can your plan succeed without my help?” Marina said.
Anyone who had to resort to staging a traffic accident to trip Daron up must be desperate.
Daron was putting on this act to lure the mastermind out into the open.
Since the mastermind had kept himself hidden all this while, it was clear he was a very cautious character.
If this party did not detect any chance to make a move on Daron, he would probably back off and become even more cautious. Then this elaborate trap would have been for nothing.
As Daron listened to Marina, a glint flashed across his eyes. Suddenly, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
“Everything is playing out the way I planned. Your presence here will only put you in their crosshairs. Marina, I don’t want to see you taking any risks,” he murmured.
Marina replied softly, “But I can’t feel at ease if I stay in Vrufield idly waiting for an answer that may never come. I might as well come here to find out the answer myself. Besides, my coming here brings your plan closer to fruition, doesn’t it?”
Daron gently tousled Marina’s hair and chuckled softly. “Mm–hmm. Though I hate the idea of you putting yourself in danger, having you here makes me really happy.”
Marina snuggled into Daron’s arms and murmured, “With all these security guards everywhere, not even a fly can sneak in. I honestly don’t see how I can encounter any danger.”
Daron had given instructions to block outsiders from the top two floors of the hospital, so nobody outside knew which room he was actually in.
All anyone could do was try to pick up on tiny clues here and there to figure out something.
When Daron’s personal assistant, Ludwig Lederman, arrived at Daron’s suite, the sight of Marina curled up in Daron’s arms
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Chapter 423
greeted him.
He immediately beat a hasty retreat.
When Marina heard the door opening and closing, she quickly sat up. She gave Daron a reproachful glare as she tidied he clothes. Thereafter, she opened the door for Ludwig. “Come in, Ludwig,”
Ludwig entered and flashed Marina an apologetic smile. “Sorry to intrude.”
Marina bit her lip as a look of awkwardness crept across her face. She then moved aside to let him in.
While Ludwig was updating Daron about the matters in the subsidiary office, Marina sat quietly nearby, listening intently the entire time
Just then, her phone started ringing from inside her bag.
Ludwig immediately stopped talking.
Both Daron and Ludwig turned to look at Marina.
Marina murmured sheepishly, “Sorry about that.”
As she spoke, she took her phone out of her bag. After a swift glance at the caller’s number, she directed a knowing look a Daron. “It’s from your
aunt.”
Daron frowned at once.
Marina chewed on her lip thoughtfully. Hayley had called her earlier that morning, but Marina ignored her calls.
Now that she was here with Daron, it was up to him whether or not Hayley would be told what the situation here was.
Marina glanced at Daron and asked calmly, “Do you want to tell her?”
Daron frowned in response. After a few seconds of silence, he finally shook his head. “No. It’s best to keep the number of people who know as low as possible.”
Besides, Hayley had been living at the family’s old residence all these years. She did not know anything about the problems besetting the company.
If more people knew about his plan, the risk would increase correspondingly.
Daron decided it was best to keep her in the dark.
Marina nodded knowingly. “I’ll go outside and answer her call.”
Daron acknowledged with a nod.
Marina then left Daron’s suite and headed for the attached lounge next door.
As she stepped out, she pulled the door shut behind her.
Ludwig then continued to update Daron on the company matters.
Marina delayed answering Hayley’s call for as long as possible.
When she finally answered it, Hayley’s nervous voice gushed out at once. “Marina, how’s Daron doing?
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Chapter 423
Marina could hear the anxiety in Hayley’s voice, but she didn’t answer right away. Instead, she kept quiet.
Hayley kept asking a torrent of questions with increasing frenzy. “What’s going on, Marina? What happened to Daron?”
Marina replied glumly. “Well. He was in a car accident.”
Hayley gasped audibly, and then she became quiet on the other end.
Marina wasn’t in the mood to chat. “Things are a bit hectic here, so I’ll have to end the call now.”
Hayley’s urgent voice asked again, “Is Daron’s condition so serious?
“I can’t get any news from the people at the old residence. The Blanchard family won’t tell me anything either. I’m at my wits end.
“Marina, please, I’m begging you. Just tell me how Daron is, so I can stop worrying.”
“I know you’re still upset about what I did before, but this is about Daron’s life and death. I just need some peace of mind. A a woman yourself, you must understand how worried I feel right now, don’t you?”
Hayley’s voice was almost choking on her tears. Marina found herself gripping the phone tighter subconsciously as she listened to her.
Hayley had taken care of Daron for so many years. She probably treated him like her own son.
Even if Hayley had acted out of selfish motives and hurt Marina in the past, Marina couldn’t help sympathizing with her She was like a pitiful mother pleading tearfully.
After a while, Marina was about to say something when Hayley’s voice rang out again with a tinge of reproach. “Marina, Daron’s condition is very serious, isn’t it? You can’t hide it from me. I can tell it’s serious.
“If it weren’t serious, the Zamora family and the Blanchard family wouldn’t be going to all this trouble to keep it a secret.”
At this juncture, Marina swallowed the words she was going to say.
Since Hayley had already come to her own conclusion, Marina didn’t feel the need to correct her or make up a story.
Once this was all over, Hayley would see for herself that Daron was okay.
Keeping Hayley in the dark like this might actually help mislead the mastermind.
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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.
