The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 163

Chapter 163

Chapter 163

Natalie was in the kitchen, brewing vegetable soup, and asked the housekeeper to prepare dinner for ten people Once everything was ready, Natalie and the housekeeper headed to the hospital together.

Jonathan Rivers was in a private ICU room with a window, while Lucas, Andrew, Ethan, and Blake were out in the hallway. all busy on their phones.

Each of them was trying every possible method to track down Jeremiah’s whereabouts.

They all looked serious. When they saw Natalie approaching, they just nodded at her while still on their phones, then went right back to their calls.

Natalie didn’t say a word. She just led the housekeeper into the hospital room.

Evelyn sat there, her eyes empty and swollen from crying.

Nora sat alone in the corner, silently shedding tears.

Charlotte and William were busy reaching out to orthopedic experts from every other province and city, hoping that someone out there might have a solution.

Once inside, Natalie asked the two housekeepers to set out the vegetable soup and food boxes.

She poured the vegetable soup into cups for everyone, then asked the housekeepers to invite the others in from the hallway as they stepped out.

Charlotte glanced up at Natalie. “Sweetie, I’m not hungry. You go ahead and eat first.”

Nora wasn’t lost in thought anymore; she just kept her eyes fixed on Natalie.

Natalie didn’t say anything. She simply handed them the vegetable soup, encouraging them to drink.

The people from the hallway were called in by the housekeeper, phones still pressed to their ears as they spoke.

“Okay, thanks, really appreciate it.”

“Got it, let me know if you hear anything.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for your update.”

After hanging up, they glanced at Natalie, then at the vegetable soup and food boxes on the coffee table, caught off guard for

a moment.

They assumed Natalie had brought food, but had no appetite for it.

It wasn’t that they weren’t hungry; hunger was the last thing on their minds.

With Jeremiah still lying in there and his leg still in jeopardy, eating was out of the question.

And with only three days left, every single second counted.

Ethan looked at Natalie, his lips twitching as if he wanted to say something.

“Natalie, we’re really not hungry right now. Just leave it here, we’ll eat later,” he said.

Natalie kept pouring the vegetable soup, not looking at them. She quietly replied, “Yeah, I know. Just sit down for now.”

09:23 Fri, Jun 5 MO

Chapter 163

As she spoke, she passed the cups to them one by one.

The room was filled with the pleasant aroma of the vegetable soup, and somehow, just breathing it in made everyone feel a little less tense.

They took the cups but didn’t drink.

Whether it was the fragrance of the soup or Natalie’s calm aura, they found themselves drawn to the sofa, sitting down as if compelled by some invisible forcè.

Natalie dragged a chair over and sat down across from them.

Lucas’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, but the worry on his face didn’t fade.

“Natalie, what is it you want to say? I’ve still got people to call…” Lucas said.

Before Natalie could get a word out, there was a knock at the door, and a group of doctors in white coats filed into the room.

At the front was Charles Bennett, the hospital director, along with several of the nation’s top orthopedic specialists. Larkin was right behind them, carrying a medical kit.

When they spotted Natalie sitting there, they all seemed a little on edge.

Everyone bowed respectfully to Natalie. “Miss Moore.”

The Mitchell family members were all caught off guard. ‘Wait, that’s the hospital director… and all those top orthopedic experts from every province, some we tried to call, some we didn’t even get to. How did they all show up here?

‘And they’re all bowing to Natalie like she’s the boss or something? What’s going on?’ they wondered.

“Natalie… what’s happening here?” Lucas asked, his voice shaky and full of confusion.

Everyone sitting on the couch was frozen, totally speechless, not knowing what to say.

Natalie glanced around at everyone in the room and gave a slight nod, signaling them to begin.

Charles caught her cue, stepped forward with a thick folder in his hands, the cover clearly marked “Jonathan Rivers.”

“On behalf of all the specialists, let me update you on what we just discussed in our meeting,” Charles said.

“Mr. Jonathan Rivers has suffered a comminuted fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg, with the fracture line starting just below the knee… His vital signs are stable for now, but the prognosis for blood supply and nerve function in his right leg is grim,” he explained.

Charles laid out the details. “This is Mr. Jonathan Rivers’ current condition.”

Evelyn’s tears started falling again, one by one. Everyone’s brows furrowed as they listened; the situation was even worse than they’d feared.

Natalie leaned back in her chair. “Share your conclusions.”

Charles nodded.

“Without Professor Jeremiah, our hospital can only continue with conservative treatments: infection control, anticoagulation, nutritional support for nerves, and improving circulation,” he explained.

“At the same time, we’ll be prepared to operate at any moment should a vascular crisis or muscle necrosis occur,” he added.

He swallowed hard, watching Natalie for her reaction as he spoke.

09:23 Fri, Jun

Chapter 163

“Honestly, the best we can hope for is saving his right leg, but he’ll never fully recover. It won’t work like it used to,” he said

“He’ll be able to walk, but he’ll always limp and it’ll hurt. Running, jumping, or even standing for too long, those things are pretty much off the table,” he added.

Hearing this, everyone let out a heavy sigh of relief. Even though the odds were still stacked against them, at least there was a glimmer of hope now, way better than when they thought there was nothing left.

Charles blinked, then continued, “Worst case, his right leg could go through irreversible muscle death and blood vessel failure in the next three days. If that happens, to keep him alive, we’ll have to amputate.”

He paused, meeting their eyes. “The amputation would be about two inches below the hip. After surgery, he could get a prosthetic, and with rehab, he’ll be able to walk, at least in a basic way.”

The room fell silent once more; just when everyone thought they could breathe easy, fresh anxiety washed over them.

Everyone knew what the worst-case scenario was, but hearing it spelled out by Charles carried a whole different weight.

Natalie didn’t give them time to spiral. “Larkin,” she called out.

Larkin stepped forward, nodded at her, then looked over at everyone on the couch.

Charlotte’s fingers trembled, her nerves still on edge as she looked at Larkin in confusion.

They had no idea who he was.

Larkin set his medical kit down and introduced himself. “Hello, everyone. I’m the deputy chief of Evergarden. You can call me Larkin.

“Rest assured, if the surgery doesn’t go the way you all hope, Evergarden will step in and handle things.”

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