Bullied and Dumped, But She Won in the End (Adriana) novel Chapter 24

Matthew’s frustration was palpable, his patience wearing thin. Even if Natasha had acted on a whim, there was no way he could simply overlook what she had done. The situation demanded attention, and ignoring it was not an option.

“I understand. I’ll find her,” Matthew said with a helpless sigh, pushing himself to get up and leave once more in search of Adriana. The tension in his voice betrayed his worry. If Adriana didn’t take control of the situation soon, the Jones family wouldn’t just let her slip away without consequences.

Meanwhile, at Haldoria Hospital, Adriana lay motionless on a hospital bed, her body finally succumbing to sleep after a long, restless night. The sterile white walls around her seemed to close in, the faint hum of machines filling the quiet room. Her sleep, however, was far from peaceful.

Adriana was trapped in a nightmare, a haunting replay of her childhood memories. The door to the hospital ward creaked softly, barely audible, as someone slipped inside with silent steps. She hadn’t closed her eyes all night, only drifting into slumber as dawn’s first light crept through the window.

In her dream, she was a little girl again. She saw a couple who had come to adopt her, their faces hopeful and kind. But soon after bringing her home, the wife became pregnant. The moment their own child arrived, Adriana was no longer wanted. She was sent back to the orphanage, discarded like a forgotten possession.

This wasn’t the first time she had been abandoned.

It wasn’t even a rare occurrence.

Her biological parents had given her up at birth. Over the years, different “parents” appeared, each year bringing a new paternity test. Every time, Adriana waited with a fragile hope, longing for the results that might reunite her with her real family. But every year, disappointment crushed her dreams.

By the time she reached college, she had stopped hoping for that reunion.

Then, Matthew entered her life.

“Don’t touch me…” Adriana murmured, her body twitching as she struggled within her sleep.

The figure who had sneaked in approached her bedside, pulling a syringe from their pocket. They aimed it at the IV port on Adriana’s wrist, preparing to inject something sinister.

Someone wanted Adriana dead.

“Every debt has its debtor,” the intruder whispered under their breath, voice cold and bitter. “Don’t blame me for your death. Blame your existence—that it blocks someone else from inheriting the family fortune…” With that, the needle pierced the IV line.

Just as they were about to press the plunger, the door burst open.

“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Joe’s voice rang out sharply as he stormed in, clutching a tray of breakfast.

Startled, the intruder panicked, dropping the syringe onto the bed. They shoved Joe aside and bolted from the ward, disappearing down the corridor in a blur.

Adriana jolted awake, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her eyes locked on Joe as he gave chase. What had just transpired? Her gaze then dropped to the syringe lying ominously beside her, and a shiver ran down her spine.

Joe’s pursuit was in vain; the attacker vanished before he could catch them. He quickly called the police station to report the attempted murder.

“Are the Joneses out of their minds? This is attempted murder!” Joe fumed as he stormed back into the room, his face flushed with anger.

He collected the syringe in an evidence bag. “We’ll send this for analysis.”

“No,” Adriana shook her head firmly. Aside from the Joneses, Mia, and Camelia, she didn’t have any real enemies. And those three were all tangled in the same web—there was no way they’d be foolish enough to attempt murder. “It probably isn’t the Joneses. If they wanted to go after me now, they’d only be shooting themselves in the foot.”

Joe nodded thoughtfully. That reasoning made sense.

Still uneasy about Adriana’s safety, Joe decided to remain in the ward. The officers who arrived were his former colleagues from the criminal division—responsible and trustworthy—which offered him some comfort.

“If we find out what was in the syringe, I’ll let you know immediately,” one of the officers promised. Then, in a quieter tone, he added, “Joe, remember that case from four years ago? It already got you demoted. You really can’t afford to make more powerful enemies. I’ve heard bits about this woman’s situation—the mess between the Joneses and the Langfords… You’d be better off staying out of it.” With that, he turned and left the room.

By midday, the police called with the lab results. The syringe contained sodium cyanide—a highly toxic and strictly controlled chemical. Just 0.1 milliliters of it was enough to cause death.

Joe stared at Adriana in disbelief.

Who would risk so much to kill an orphan?

Someone like Adriana was already at society’s lowest rung—easy to control, easy to silence. Even if she survived, she wasn’t a threat to anyone. So why would someone want her dead? The question hung heavily in the air, unanswered and chilling.