Wesley Wade glanced at the caller ID on Madeline's phone before handing it to her, his tone laced with a thinly veiled warning. "Miss Vance, I trust you know exactly what to say. If Mrs. Fairchild were to suddenly see her daughter lying in a hospital bed covered in severe injuries and collapsed from the shock, that is a consequence you cannot afford to bear."
Madeline fully understood it was a blatant threat. Furious and resentful, she spat, "You—!"
But left with absolutely no other choice, she braced herself and answered the call.
Caleb's anxious voice came through the speaker. Forcing a casual tone, Madeline pretended everything was perfectly fine. "Caleb! We're still out having fun. We'll be heading back soon."
"Oh, Lyra dropped her phone in the water and ruined it, and my battery is completely shot. Leo wandered off to do his own thing, so he hasn't been with us either."
"You want to talk to her right now? She actually just hopped in the shower. I'll make sure she calls you back the second she's out."
"Going abroad? I really don't know anything about that. You'll have to ask her yourself when she gets back."
The moment she hung up, Madeline's shoulders slumped in total defeat.
Wesley nodded approvingly. "Going forward, if the Fairchild family calls again, I must ask you to stick to that exact story. You know very well that Mrs. Fairchild's health cannot handle that kind of shock."
Madeline let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Since when does Rowan Jameson care about Mrs. Fairchild's health? He's turning into a psycho, and it genuinely terrifies me. Does he really think playing god makes him some kind of saint?"
Wesley blinked, momentarily taken aback.
He had worked for Rowan for years, and he had never met a woman bold enough to openly insult his boss to his face. He silently marveled at how someone could be so foolishly brave.
Two more days passed before Lyra finally regained consciousness.
Her face was completely drained of color, her eyes hazy and unfocused. She was so frail she couldn't even summon the strength to lift her arm.

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