From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 396

hapter 396 No Big Deal

“I should get back to her room” Riley said, then hung up.

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When she walked back into the hospital room, Melissa was still lying there with her eyes shut–same position, like she hadn’t moved an inch.

A little while later, Riley’s phone rang again. This time, it was Raymond.

He didn’t even wait for her to say hello. “Riley, my assistant said you called a few times? What’s going on?”

She filled him in on everything.

“Got it.” His voice turned serious. “Don’t panic. Dad and I are on our way.”

About half an hour later, footsteps echoed down the hallway outside the room–fast and urgent.

Riley looked up. Three people walked in.

Zavier and Raymond came first, their faces grim. Right behind them was Elsie, her eyes full of worry.

They probably ran into each other in the lobby.

“Mom.” Elsie rushed straight to the bed and grabbed Melissa’s hand. Her eyes welled up instantly. “Why did you just collapse like that?”

She looked up at Riley, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Riley calmly repeated what the doctor had told her.

Then she turned to Zavier and Raymond–both of them looked just as confused as she felt–and asked, “Is she allergic to something this serious?”

Raymond and Zavier exchanged a glance. Neither one had an answer.

Zavier furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before finally saying, “Melissa’s been healthy all these years. She never had to avoid any specific foods. So why the sudden allergic reaction?”

Right then, the doctor came in for his rounds.

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He was holding a fresh lab report. “Preliminary results show she had a severe allergic reaction to a specific type of mushroom.”

“Mushroom?” Elsie, who had been quiet until now, suddenly perked up as something had clicked. “Oh, right. Mom’s been taking some herbal supplements lately. To boost her energy. What if something in that medicine reacted badly with what she ate today?”

She turned straight to Riley. “Hey, you were with her this afternoon. What did you guys eat?”

Riley gave the name of the luxury store. Her voice stayed flat. “We didn’t eat together. She’s a VIP there. The manager invited her into the VIP room for coffee and snacks. I left to go shopping on my own. I don’t know what they served in there. Maybe… one of the pastries had mushrooms in it.”

Just then, there was a soft knock on the ward door.

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5:21 pm P

Chapter 396 No Big Deal

Everyone turried, and the door opened. Walking in first was Sebastian, tali and composed.

Behind him came his parents, Wayne and Miranda

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Miranda stepped inside, her warm eyes landing right on Riley. She walked over quickly, concern written all over her face. “Riley, Sebastian told us your mother was hospitalized. How is she doing?”

Riley hadn’t expected them to come in person. She was a little surprised, but still polite. “She’s not awake yet. But the doctor said she’s out of danger.”

Then she turned to Wayne and Miranda apologetically and gave a nod. “I’m really sorry. This family emergency made me miss dinner tonight.”

Wayne waved a hand. His expression stayed warm, unbothered. “Don’t be silly. Your mother is sick. Of course, you need to be here with her. It’s just one dinner. You can come another time. No big deal.”

Right as he finished speaking, Melissa slowly came to.

Her eyes fluttered open. She blinked slowly, looking perfectly lost. Her gaze drifted around the room, landing on everyone one by one. Then she spoke, weak and confused. “Where… where am I? What happened?”

“Mom.” Elsie rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. Her voice cracked, shaking with fear. “You’re finally awake. You scared us to death.”

Melissa squinted like she was trying to remember. Her words came out slow, broken. “I… I just remember going with Riley to pick out a gift for… for Sebastian’s parents. And then… how did I just… pass out?”

Zavier explained, his voice low, “The doctor said you had an allergic reaction to mushrooms. There’s a good chance the pastries they served you at that store had mushrooms in them. And with the herbal medicine you’ve been taking, the two things mixed badly. That’s why the reaction was so severe.”

“Oh… I see,” Melissa murmured to herself. Her face showed a mix of sudden realization and lingering fear.

But then, Elsie, who had been nothing but worried this whole time, suddenly turned. She pointed her finger straight at Riley, the one person in the room who had stayed calm through all of it.

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