The Billionaire Heir Fell for the Wrong Girl (Hathaway Whitmore) novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Chapter 96

55 vouchers

Hathaway and Avery went to the chief physician’s office to ask about Sylvia’s condition. “Dr. Liu, can you be honest with me about my mom’s situation?” Hathaway asked.

Dr. Liu flipped through the test results, his tone gentle. “Mrs. Whitmore’s condition could be minor or serious/Right now, it’s insomnia, but if it lasts too long, it could start affecting her overall health.”

“If you want to call it serious, it can be; if not, it’s not that bad. The most important thing is for your mother to stay positive and relaxed. We’ll do our best, and we need your family’s cooperation too,” Dr. Liu added.

Hathaway nodded softly. “I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Liu. We’ll fully cooperate with any medication or treatment you recommend.”

In her previous life, Sylvia had seen countless therapists.

But in the end, she still suffered a mental breakdown.

And insomnia was the beginning.

Hathaway followed Avery out, her mind weighed down, absentmindedly wringing her fingers.

Avery, on the other hand, felt more relaxed after hearing the doctor say Sylvia was fine.

Seeing that Sylvia had finished her porridge, he was getting ready to leave for work. “Mom, I have a business party at noon, so I probably can’t make it. I’ll come by the hospital tonight to see you.”

Sylvia smiled gently. “Go ahead and take care of your work.”

Hathaway suddenly snapped out of it, her heart dropped. “I’ll go.”

Avery looked surprised. “I should go. You stay here with Mom.”

“No, I’ll go to the business party,” Hathaway insisted.

In her previous life, after Conrad passed away, nobody really believed Avery could handle things. When he went to the party, he was hit with some harsh criticism, and by the time he got home, he was totally drunk.

When Hathaway insisted on going to the party, Sylvia and Avery exchanged surprised glances, but in the end, they decided to let her go.

At noon, Hathaway arrived at the party. The host hadn’t expected Ms. Whitmore to show up instead of Avery, but he was used to these situations and instantly switched to a warm, welcoming smile. “Ms. Whitmore, glad to have you here!”

Hathaway said, “Jeremiah’s really swamped with company business, so he specifically asked me to attend on his behalf.”

“Business always comes first, totally understandable. It’s really considerate of you to show up for him,” the host replied.

After chatting with Hathaway for a bit, the host moved on to welcome other guests.

Hathaway’s gaze swept over a few familiar business partners in the room. She walked over with calm confidence, reaching out her hand. “Mr. Wang, it’s been a while.”

“Mr. Liu, it’s been a while,” she greeted another.

The business partners had already heard about the recent troubles in the Whitmore family, and when they looked at her, there was a clear mix of pity and sadness in their eyes.

17:58 Tue, Jul

Chapter 96

“Ms. Whitmore, we’ve all heard about Conrad. It’s really a shame,” one of them said.

Yeah, Conrad was someone we all respected. Sometimes life doesn’t go the way we hope,” another added.

Everyone’s words were full of sighs and regret.

Hathaway nodded calmly, her expression steady. “Thank you all for your concern,” she said quietly.

55 voucher

But Hathaway knew better than anyone-those polite words of sympathy were for show. There was always more going on beneath the surface.

If that were really the case, Avery wouldn’t have stumbled home drunk, a total wreck.

Hathaway scanned the party hall with a calm, unreadable expression, not letting anyone see what she was thinking.

The truly influential families-the Blackwood family, the Gu family, the Lu family-were nowhere to be seen. Honestly, this party wasn’t anything special.

‘What’s up with Avery, anyway?’ Hathaway wondered.

Hathaway slipped away from the crowd and headed to a quiet corner of the party hall. as she was about to call her sister-in- law, she overheard some people in a private booth talking about the Whitmore family.

“I heard the Whitmore family’s been having all sorts of trouble lately. Now that Conrad’s gone, it’s all flash, no substance. Having money but no real power? That’s not a good thing,” one of them said.

“In Bayridge, it’s still the Blackwood family running the show. Jeremiah has to say the word and the whole industry falls in line. Avery’s nowhere near as connected.

“Jeremiah’s got both business and political pull. What Jeremiah can settle with a single sentence, Avery might have to pay out of pocket to get done,” another added.

“Exactly. Money isn’t everything. When it comes to the real game, money alone won’t cut it-you’re still under someone else’s thumb,” someone else chimed in.

Hathaway listened in silence, her nails digging painfully into her palm. “Turns out, this is exactly what Avery had to listen to back then, she thought.

‘No wonder he came home drunk and completely defeated, making my sister-in-law and mom more anxious about him,’ she thought.

The people inside kept talking. “Honestly, Conrad shouldn’t have broken off the engagement with the Blackwood family. Word is, Ms. Whitmore was the one who ended it.

“Conrad was way too soft on his daughter. Now that he’s gone, who knows if Avery can really keep Whitmore Group running?”

“You’re right. Jeremiah’s supporting the Kingsleys now, his soon-to-be in-laws,” someone else chimed in.

Hathaway quietly walked away. When she called off the engagement, she hadn’t really thought through all the consequences.

But now that things had come to this, she never once thought about turning back.

She’d always expected this kind of coldness from people.

After Conrad died, Whitmore Group was only stable on the surface for now. The numbers looked stunning-cash flow was strong, assets were massive, and to outsiders, it seemed like a top-tier powerhouse.

But having lived through it all once before, Hathaway knew they were right. They might have a mountain of gold, but not a

24

TUE

224

21

O

R

11:58 Tue, Jul

Chapter 96

55 vouchers

single get-out-of-jail-free card. Without any political backing, with all those patents, the company was still in danger.

Hathaway made her way through the noisy crowd, casually grabbing a glass of red wine from a waiter.

She took a sip, glancing around at the people laughing and chatting, and couldn’t help but think, ‘When push comes to shove, the Whitmore family doesn’t have a single old family friend who truly stands by us.’

Just then, a middle-aged man stepped in front of her. “Ms. Whitmore”

Hathaway sneered inwardly. The president of Bayridge’s biggest state-owned bank, she thought.

Obviously, the bank had a lending quota to meet. He handed her his business card with both hands, his tone all smiles. If Whitmore Group ever needs a loan, come to me.”

But Hathaway knew this guy was the type to turn on you faster than flipping a page. Banks were more ruthless.

They’d shower you with credit when the sun’s shining, but snatch the umbrella away the moment it starts to rain. When Whitmore Group was thriving, they’d bend over backwards to offer credit lines; but when trouble hit, you couldn’t borrow a single dollar.

Back in her previous life, Avery could barely get a meeting with this guy. The bank president was another opportunist, always going with the flow.

Hathaway nodded. “If we ever need anything, we’ll be sure to trouble you, Mr. President.”

“Of course, of course. I won’t keep you any longer, Ms. Whitmore,” he replied.

They exchanged business cards.

Once he was gone, Hathaway tossed his card straight into the trash.

“I knew you weren’t as innocent as you pretend”

Just then, a voice oozing with forced elegance lazily drifted over from behind.

Melanie Kingsley, heels clicking on the floor, shot Hathaway a look full of smug satisfaction and disdain.

“Your father’s gone, and all his connections are about to vanish with him,” Melanie laughed, her tone sharp and triumphant. “Hathaway, you never measured up to my daughter, but you always thought you were so special!

“Well, how’s that working out for you now? Looks like reality’s about to smack you right in the face. See? Fate’s got a way of being more ruthless than we ever thought.”

Melanie’s eyes glinted with satisfaction. The one person the Whitmore family could least afford to lose is gone-now their time is up.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify