The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 161

09:22 Fri, Jun 5

Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Lewis stood by the black Bentley, watching as a military bus rumbled past.

He glanced down at his phone and saw a message from Henry. He was totally baffled, just like that time over a month ago when, out of the blue, Henry had suddenly handed him a pile of work and said he’d be busy for two months.

Lewis blinked. He had no idea what Henry was up to, but he was just a regular employee; he just followed orders. He put his phone away, got in the car, and drove off.

Five hours later, in Harbor City.

At the gates of the Pierce family estate, Henry got out of the car. Natalie cracked the window and gave him a wave

Henry saw that fair, slender arm reaching out the window, and a smile tugged at his lips.

Henry thought, ‘Natalie waved at me! My girl Natalie actually waved at me!

“That’s huge!’

“Mr. Pierce?” Lewis called out.

He had appeared out of nowhere, standing beside Henry, looking at him expectantly with a fixed professional smile. He had to call out to Henry several times before Henry finally snapped out of it.

Henry turned his head and saw Lewis’s fake smile, and his own smile faded immediately.

“You can head back now. Just come to the office this afternoon,” Henry said.

“Alright,” Lewis replied.

*****

At the Mitchell family villa, everyone was already gathered in the living room.

Ethan and Andrew were busy cooking in the kitchen, while the rest of the family was decorating the place.

A big red banner hung on the wall, reading, “Welcome Home, Nat!”

Ryan was still blowing up balloons over in the corner, while Blake and Jason were sticking them to the wall. William and Charlotte were on the floor, setting up the balloons and Natalie’s cardboard standee.

“Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Mitchell, Natalie’s back!” someone shouted.

“Oh, she’s here already? Hurry, hurry! Are you guys done yet?” Charlotte called out.

“We’re ready, we’re ready…” they replied.

Everyone rushed to the door with their confetti poppers, waiting excitedly for Natalie to come in.

After waiting for a few seconds, the door swung open!

As soon as Natalie opened the door, confetti exploded everywhere, and she was immediately pulled into a warm hug.

“Nat! You’re finally home! Mom missed you like crazy!” Charlotte cried.

“I missed you so much! Ahh, I couldn’t wait to see you!” someone else shouted.

09:22 Fri, Jun 5 M

Chapter 161

Natalie looked a bit dazed as she took in the group at the entrance, all standing there with confett poppers in hand and behind them were balloons, a standee, and a big banner.

She let out a small breath, her lips finally relaxing. “Thanks…”

Jason laughed, “Thanks? Come on, we’re family! Family doesn’t say thanks!”

Jason gave Natalie a gentle trug, his whole expression soft and warm.

“Dad just caught two big fish, using the method you taught him last time! Ethan will cook them up in a bit, Jason said.

William’s grin stretched from ear to ear, looking absolutely thrilled. “Your uncles were so jealous. Seriously, they couldn stop talking about it!”

Ethan and Andrew came out of the kitchen when they heard the commotion, still wearing their aprons, and their faces li when they saw Natalie.

“Nat, you’re back! Just one last dish, it’ll be ready soon,” Ethan said.

“Where have you been lately? Was it fun?” Andrew asked.

“You won’t believe it, I got my helicopter license over the past two months! It was amazing! Next time, I’ll take you flying!” Natalie replied.

“Mom bought a necklace at an auction a few days ago. It’s perfect for you! Hold on, I’ll go grab it…” Charlotte said.

Natalie watched her family bustling around for her, and her heart was overflowing with feelings she couldn’t even describe.

She wasn’t the type for sappy words, so with all those feelings swirling inside, all she could say was, “Okay.”

* 144 14

The next afternoon, Natalie had just walked in from outside when she saw Charlotte and William heading out in a hurry, both looking anxious.

“What’s going on?” Natalie asked.

Even though Charlotte was clearly worried, she tried to speak gently to Natalie.

“Your uncle was struck by falling materials while inspecting the construction site. He’s being treated urgently right now. Your dad and I are heading to the hospital,” Charlotte said.

Natalie paused, her heart skipping a beat. It didn’t sound good at all. “I’ll go with you.”

Charlotte’s hands trembled as she replied, “Okay.””

St. Alden Medical Center.

Evelyn, Lucas, and Nora were waiting anxiously outside the operating room.

Evelyn sat on an icy blue chair, unable to hold back her suppressed sobs, while Nora did her best to calm her own nerves as she comforted her mother.

When Charlotte and William arrived, Evelyn hurried over to them, as if they were her last hope.

“Charlotte, William, what are we going to do about Jonathan? I saw his whole lower body. It was mangled and covered in blood…” Evelyn broke down in tears, barely able to get the words out.

Charlotte felt her legs go weak when she heard how serious it was, and William quickly caught her to keep her from

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09:22 Fri, Jun 5

Chapter 161

collapsing.

“It’s going to be alright… He’s in surgery right now. Let’s wait and see what the doctors say,” William said, trying to reassure her

Just then, the operating room light turned off, and a doctor in green scrubs stepped out.

Evelyn and the others rushed over. “Doctor… how’s my husband?”

The doctor stood at the door, looking at the group in the hallway. He took off his mask, his expression grim

“I’m sorry, we did everything we could…”

William frowned, looking tense. “What do you mean?”

“His leg was crushed by a heavy object, both the main bones were shattered, and the nerves and blood vessels got pretty badly damaged,” the doctor said.

“We did emergency surgery and managed to keep his leg, at least for now.”

The doctor paused, swallowing hard.

“But that’s only for now,” he said.

Evelyn’s legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed, but Lucas caught her just in time.

“In the worst-case scenario, he’ll need an amputation,” the doctor said.

His voice was so low that everyone in the hallway held their breath, straining to catch every word.

“The nerves are too badly damaged. With what we’ve got here, there’s no way to be sure he’ll ever get better.

“If he doesn’t show any improvement soon, we’ll have no choice but to amputate.”

Evelyn finally couldn’t hold it together and let out a wail.

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