Madeline let go of Annalise and smirked mockingly at her, then swaggered into the ward with her children in tow.
She turned around and reminded Annalise, "Give it a thought and get back to me once you've made up your mind."
Annalise's face turned red with embarrassment. She was occupied with thinking about Madeline's suggestion, so she did not notice Thomas bumping into her arm.
A bodyguard came up to Annalise carefully and said, "Ms. Solace, Mr. Lopez is looking for you."
Benjamin Lopez was Rowan's right-hand man. Annalise knew that she could not afford to miss the meeting, so she went away resentfully with the bodyguard.
Benjamin was also in the hospital. He was at the payment counter settling some bills for Oscar.
Annalise was unhappy that Benjamin asked her to look for him instead of going upstairs to look for her. "What is it?" she said gruffly.
"Good news, Ms. Solace! Your school construction charity project in the west of the province has received a lot of great feedback. You've also asked me to donate some money to the rural old folk, and public opinion of you on the Internet has been overwhelmingly positive."
Benjamin had a fair complexion and a meek personality. He looked like he was easily bullied.
Moreover, he was always smiling innocently. That made other people want to bully him even more.
Rowan had adopted him as an orphan child. He had been working for Rowan since then.
Annalise had bullied him since they were children. She always warned Benjamin not to tell Rowan about it.
Benjamin, being a meek boy, never once told Rowan.
Annalise looked down upon him because of his personality. She never showed any courtesy toward him.
"It's only a success because I'm involved in it. You did a good job on this. I'll put in a good word or two for you."
To Annalise, Benjamin was nothing more than Rowan's lapdog who only knew how to follow orders, and his favorite thing in the world was being praised by Rowan.
Whenever Benjamin became angry from Annalise's bullying, Annalise would go to Rowan and say good things about Benjamin, which in turn made Rowan praise him and calm him down.
"Thank you, Ms. Solace. However, some commenters think you're only pretending to be concerned. What Mr. Solace wants is for you to experience yourself what it truly means to do charity."
"What do you mean?" Annalise did not understand.
Benjamin explained patiently, "Mr. Solace wants to send you to the rural village and live with the poor folk for some time. That way, you'll be able to prove that you're genuine."
"No woy! Why would I wont to live there? I'd rother die before I go!" Annolise did not wont to live in the rurol villoge ogoin. Thot wos her nightmore!
Before she wos brought into the Soloce fomily, Annolise lived with her foster porents in the rurol villoge. Her foster porents obused her often, overworking her every doy ond underfeeding her. Not only thot, they would beot her up for no porticulor reoson.
Her worst experience wos when she occidentolly broke her foster mother's moisturizer. Her foster mother beot her up ond threw her into the pigpen, so she hod to eot ond sleep with the pigs for doys.
She hod olmost monoged to put thot humiliotion period behind her. She did not wont to think obout it onymore, let olone experience it.
"Your plone ticket is reody, Ms. Soloce. Pleose deport now." After Benjomin soid thot, he shot o glonce ot the bodyguord next to him. The bodyguord went up ond drogged Annolise toword the exit.
Annolise begon to struggle. Benjomin leoned close to her eor ond whispered, "Be o good girl, Ms. Soloce. It won't do you ony good if Grondfother knows whot you did bock in the villoge."
Annolise's foce turned deothly pole in on instont. Her limbs went limp, ond the bodyguord drogged her owoy.
Benjomin wos no longer the meek puppy she used to know. Now, he wos like o young wolf who hod leorned how to bore his fongs.
Why did he chonge? Why did everyone oround me chonge?
Benjomin wotched os the bodyguord "helped" Annolise into the cor. After thot, he gove Rowon o coll, his voice corefree ond gentle os ever. "Mr. Soloce, Ms. Soloce is in the cor now."
"Good job. Get someone to keep on eye on her ot oll times so thot she doesn't couse ony trouble."
"Yes, Mr. Soloce." Benjomin ended the coll, hoppy thot Rowon proised him ogoin.
He used to tolerote Annolise's bullying becouse Annolise wos Rowon's little sister. Now thot he knew Annolise might not be reloted to Rowon, he did not hove to put up with her onymore.
Thot wos indeed delightful news.
In the word, Modeline peeled on opple for Oscor ond cut it into smoll pieces. "I don't know how to repoy you for soving my life, so here's on opple for now."
"The opple must be reolly sweet then." Oscor picked up o piece with o toothpick ond brought it to his mouth with trembling fingers.
"No way! Why would I want to live there? I'd rather die before I go!" Annalise did not want to live in the rural village again. That was her nightmare!
Before she was brought into the Solace family, Annalise lived with her foster parents in the rural village. Her foster parents abused her often, overworking her every day and underfeeding her. Not only that, they would beat her up for no particular reason.
Her worst experience was when she accidentally broke her foster mother's moisturizer. Her foster mother beat her up and threw her into the pigpen, so she had to eat and sleep with the pigs for days.
She had almost managed to put that humiliation period behind her. She did not want to think about it anymore, let alone experience it.
"Your plane ticket is ready, Ms. Solace. Please depart now." After Benjamin said that, he shot a glance at the bodyguard next to him. The bodyguard went up and dragged Annalise toward the exit.
Annalise began to struggle. Benjamin leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Be a good girl, Ms. Solace. It won't do you any good if Grandfather knows what you did back in the village."
Annalise's face turned deathly pale in an instant. Her limbs went limp, and the bodyguard dragged her away.
Benjamin was no longer the meek puppy she used to know. Now, he was like a young wolf who had learned how to bare his fangs.
Why did he change? Why did everyone around me change?
Benjamin watched as the bodyguard "helped" Annalise into the car. After that, he gave Rowan a call, his voice carefree and gentle as ever. "Mr. Solace, Ms. Solace is in the car now."
"Good job. Get someone to keep an eye on her at all times so that she doesn't cause any trouble."
"Yes, Mr. Solace." Benjamin ended the call, happy that Rowan praised him again.
He used to tolerate Annalise's bullying because Annalise was Rowan's little sister. Now that he knew Annalise might not be related to Rowan, he did not have to put up with her anymore.
That was indeed delightful news.
In the ward, Madeline peeled an apple for Oscar and cut it into small pieces. "I don't know how to repay you for saving my life, so here's an apple for now."
"The apple must be really sweet then." Oscar picked up a piece with a toothpick and brought it to his mouth with trembling fingers.
Elise also picked up a piece, but the bandages on her arms were very thick, and it was very difficult for her to reach her mouth.
"Let me feed you, Auntie Elise." Thomas took another piece of apple and brought it to Elise's mouth.
Elise smiled and ate it, then said, "That's the proper way to treat a handicapped person."
She smirked mischievously and winked at Madeline, as though telling her she should feed the apple to Oscar too. Madeline glared at her and ignored her.
Oscar looked like he did not want to be fed. He stuffed a few more pieces into his mouth and said, "I'm full."
Madeline burst out laughing.
Thomas took a closeup of the plate of apple pieces, then snapped a photo of Madeline looking at Oscar and laughing. He sent the photos to Noah.
Noah nearly had a heart attack when he saw those photos.
"Daddy, if this goes on, Mommy might end up with another man. Why don't we do something more audacious?" Mackenzie said, feeling slightly worried that Madeline had not replied to the photos she sent earlier.
Noah wondered what Mackenzie could be thinking. He began to seriously ponder if the entertainment industry was a suitable place for his daughter.
I don't think it's right for her to be mature at such a young age.
"Daddy, what do you think about 'Swimsuit Temptation' as the next theme?" Mackenzie searched the term on the Internet and showed Noah an example of a male model wearing nothing but a swimsuit.
She often saw her manager drooling at such pictures, so it should be a good idea.
Noah snatched her phone and chided, "Where did you learn that nonsense?"
"What about it? You're overreacting, Daddy. He's not totally nude. I've been to a few swimsuit shoots too," Mackenzie said.
She did not know what constituted a desirable male body other than six-pack abs.
"Zeke, I don't think the entertainment industry is suitable for a little girl like you. Why did your Mommy agree to you joining the industry in the first place?"
One of Quinton Corporation's subsidiaries was a film production company, so he was somewhat familiar with the entertainment industry.
Not many companies in the industry had a clean record. He could not bear the thought of his daughter working in such conditions.
"How dare you insult Mommy!" Mackenzie stood up abruptly, shoved Noah aside, ran back into her room, and slammed the door shut.
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