True Heiress Returns to Her Unemployed Rich Family (Arabella) novel Chapter 532

Colton's face instantly brightened. "Oh, right! How did I not think of that?"

Arabella shot him an unimpressed look. "When did you become so short-sighted?"

"Heh, well..." Colton scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Maybe because you haven't been riding me as hard lately."

"Don't put that on me. You've just been coasting. Seeing someone lately?" Arabella pressed.

"I wish. No one's exactly lining up to go out with me," Colton sighed, putting on a convincingly disappointed face.

Seeing how unserious he was being, Arabella rolled her eyes again.

"Hahaha!" Colton laughed out loud.

Arabella passed the contract over to him. "You sign it."

"Huh? Me?" Colton looked genuinely puzzled, his brain seeming to stall.

Arabella raised a brow. "You want me to sign instead?"

He thought for a second. "Oh... right."

He was Tylin, so his signature needed to match the identity.

Arabella knew if she signed, her own cover could be blown.

"Man, I should've known better than to come in person. I really just needed your signature—we could've handled the rest over the phone," Colton grumbled, annoyed at his own oversight.

Arabella didn't know whether to laugh or sigh. "Fine, I'll take you out for a proper meal sometime to say thanks. Happy now?"

"Seriously? I'm holding you to that," Colton replied, looking satisfied.

"Alright, now tell me—what's the latest with the Clarks and the Johnstons?" Arabella asked, shifting the tone.

Colton grew more serious. "Dylan and Harper are both hospitalized. The Johnstons have kept a pretty low profile, but Freya's side is acting kinda strange."

"So they're using their medical conditions as an excuse to seek treatment elsewhere," Arabella said, her eyes narrowing slightly, a cool sharpness in her gaze.

"Pretty much," Colton confirmed. "Harper's condition seems legit, though."

Arabella's eyebrow lifted. "She's actually sick?"

"From what I've gathered, Freya's been reaching out to psychiatric specialists. And even though Harper's in the hospital, no one's allowed to visit. No one really knows what's wrong—just that she's not doing well. She's completely out of it, like a zombie. Doesn't respond to anything," Colton explained.

"Did the shock really break her that badly?" Arabella recalled how Harper looked when she was taken away—empty, like a shell with nothing left inside.

"Looks like it," Colton agreed with a nod.

Arabella let out a short, humorless laugh. "She really was in deep with Dylan."

"No kidding. And her taste is seriously questionable," Colton said, his expression twisting with disgust. "What's so great about a guy like Dylan anyway? Throw him in the dumpster and you'd feel bad for the dumpster."

Having been around Arabella for years, he knew she'd never had any real interest in Dylan. Yet Dylan always acted like Arabella couldn't live without him and kept pushing himself into her life.

Hearing Colton's take on Dylan, Arabella couldn't help but smile. "You've got him pegged."

"Well, after all this time, I better," Colton said, shaking his head helplessly. "I just didn't expect even after you cut ties, he'd still be bothering you."

So Harper was really sick. But Dylan? He was definitely faking it.

"You think you can hide out in there? Too bad—I'm not letting you have it your way," Arabella murmured with a cold smirk, her eyes icy.

Meanwhile, at Kindwell Hospital.

Freya and Calvin were tending to Harper.

Harper stared blankly ahead, completely detached, unaware of anything happening around her.

"Freya, is Harper going to get better?" Calvin asked, his brow furrowed.

"I've been reaching out to specialists, both here and overseas," Freya replied, her expression tense. "It was just a severe shock. She should recover in time."

"Dylan is such a piece of work," Calvin muttered through clenched teeth.

Freya's eyes darkened. "We're done with them. Don't bring him up again."

"They got off way too easy," Calvin said bitterly. "He's pretending to be sick, but Harper—he messed her up so bad she actually is sick."

Freya let out a cold chuckle. "Cross Arabella? You really think the Johnstons are walking away from this unscathed?"

"True," Calvin conceded with a nod. "That girl is something else."

Who would've thought she had such a powerful brother backing her? She really kept that close to the vest.

"From now on, we need to tread carefully. Let the Johnstons take the lead if anything comes up," Freya said, her voice low and sharp. "If things go south, they'll be the ones taking the fall."