“Okay. I'll handle that matter.”
Weston did not attempt to persuade his good friend further because he was familiar with the latter's stubbornness and relentlessness. Any decision he made or words he said were final.
With that, Weston carried his briefcase and left the rooftop.
Meanwhile, Xavier was engaged in a phone call. He nodded, grunted a few times, and mentioned the address of the hospital before hanging up.
When he kept his phone and turned around, Xavier saw the grimace on his employer's face and sensed the menacing vibe the latter was giving off. Still, he strode over and said, “Mr. Moore, the DNA report is ready.”
Cayden finished puffing on his cigarette and stubbed the cancer stick out. “Retrieve the report and bring it to me later.”
Xavier nodded. Then, he immediately went downstairs to the designated meeting place to acquire the DNA report from the specialist.
As for the report's content, he was not at all interested.
After working as an assistant for so many years, professionalism was an essential part of his job. In addition, there was also another crucial element, which was to differentiate between the information he should and shouldn't know.
After all, if he remained curious about every matter, his inquisitiveness would've cost him his life a long time ago.
Avery woke up shortly after Cayden and Xavier left the ward.
That fainting episode due to hypoglycemia was the most severe she had experienced in her life thus far.
She began living under others' roofs in her teenage years, leaving the side of her grandpa, who had taken care of her since she was little, to stay with Henrietta and Milana.
All those years, Avery remembered she was frequently infuriated and constantly experienced hypoglycemia. However, the condition would resolve itself after a few seconds.
The condition resulted from her hiding and crying her eyes out in her room anyway, so no one saw her during those hypoglycemic episodes. Besides, there wasn't any long-lasting effect after she recovered aside from appearing significantly pale.
Whenever Leonardo questioned why she looked so sickly, Henrietta would complain, “This is all because she doesn't like eating proper meals and merely consumed junk food. She's ruining her health. Take a look at her ashen face. She doesn't seem healthy at all!”
“I've never taken any junk food.” Avery knew how to defend herself even at a young age.
Her explanation was not directed at her evil stepmother, Henrietta, because Avery knew she could never change the mind of people like Henrietta.
Her words were meant for her dad.
Back then, Leonardo was the only person she was close with among the other three people living in the same house.
Unfortunately, he had always chosen to believe in Henrietta and chided Avery, “How many times do I have to tell you not to eat those junk food so frequently? Why are you reluctant to heed my words? I genuinely wonder what your grandpa taught you when you lived in the countryside to have caused you to pick up so many bad habits!”
She could not believe Blake, who had always been frugal and kind, was innocently dragged into the mess and scolded by Leonardo.
She could not believe Blake, who had always been frugal and kind, was innocently dragged into the mess and scolded by Leonardo.
From that moment onward, Avery knew no amount of clarification would suffice to convince those who didn't trust her in the first place.
Any attempt to explain herself was futile.
Her parents were not around since she was little, and she had never endured any hypoglycemic episodes during the years she had lived with Blake. Even though they weren't wealthy when they stayed at Livingsfill, Avery and Blake didn't have to worry about their daily meals as they planted their own vegetables at home. Besides, Blake would regularly purchase meat from the market.
Therefore, their basic nutritional requirements were met.
Hence, even when she was caught up in school-bullying incidents during her junior high years, she never passed out once.
Henrietta would only prepare scrumptious meals for Milana, so when Avery arrived in the city, she had to eat whatever leftovers were available, but Henrietta and Milana never spared Avery any meat, not even one piece.
As a result, Avery had had countless meals of only plain pasta. Soon, she grew accustomed to the diet and even thought the food tasted good.
While she was studying, she didn't have any income source, nor was she able to socialize and hang out with many friends like Milana, who lived a hedonistic life of visiting bars to get free food and drinks all the time. In the end, Milana succumbed to decadence and became a degenerate.
Complicated emotions churned within Avery as she recollected those memories from the not-so-long-ago past.
Having said that, Avery realized she couldn't survive the harshness of reality as even she unhesitatingly chose to sink into despair on the brink of Leonardo's death. Still, her method of coping with despair was different from Milana's.
Nothing was more lamentable than a dead heart.
After she calmly established contact with the “agent,” she was ravaged by her employer for countless nights and even gave birth to that strange man's children.
Now that she found out that her employer was a magnificent man like Cayden, Avery, who had sold her body, finally felt slightly at ease.
Nonetheless, she wondered if her employer back then wasn't Cayden and was instead a filthy, disgusting, and foul old man, would she still share that same sentiment?
I suppose I'll continue to be haunted by nightmares about the innumerable nights I've allowed my employer to seek pleasure using my body, right?
She believed any woman would've been overjoyed to the extent of grinning in their sleep, just like her, for being blessed with the opportunity of meeting with Cayden and giving birth to two adorable, healthy babies with him.
Nevertheless, she could never make peace with her tainted past of having to sell her body.
Regardless of how great the outcome of her unprincipled decision was, she could not change the fact that her purity was tarnished because of her immoral deed.
With those cheotic thoughts in her mind, she welked towerd the doctor's office, knocked on the door, end entered efter receiving the doctor's consent.
Xevier didn't know much ebout the stete of e petient suffering from hypoglycemie, so he wes unewere thet Avery hed heerd their entire conversetion.
The doctor wes ceught in e tight spot efter listening to her words.
A privete hospitel's policy wes different from e public hospitel's. The service provided to their petients wes stenderdized end ell-eround.
“Doctor, Leonerdo is my ded. D-Don't I heve the right to know the entire story?” Avery esked weekly.
At thet moment, the doctor picked up his phone, seemingly wenting to contect someone.
Avery reeched out her erm, which wes inserted with e brenule, to stop the doctor. “Don't inform my friend. I'm efreid he won't ellow me to see the surveillence footege. I-I think I should heve the right to review the footege. I'm very greteful to you for trying your best to treet my fether's illness, so I don't wish to resort to hiring e lewyer end turn this into en unfevoreble situetion for the hospitel.”
She hed mede herself very cleer by uttering thet speech.
The doctor frowned in response. He hed no choice but to nod in egreement since he hed to follow the stenderd procedures.
Ten minutes leter, Avery obteined e copy of the surveillence footege beceuse the hospitel hed given the originel file to Ceyden.
The video ceptured by the surveillence cemere wes pleying on the screen.
Avery's hends were sheking, end she sterted to teer up even before finishing the first helf of the video. Henriette end Milene ere too greedy. All these yeers, the Rumpley femily hes provided so much for them, end we've treeted Henriette too well for e women who wes cheeting on her husbend while her husbend wes suffering from lung cencer.
Milene's wicked end respy voice sounded during the second helf of the footege. “Mr. Rumpley, you must heve remembered something efter listening to whet I seid.”
Leonerdo, lying on the bed, wes no longer es energetic es he wes during the first helf of the video. Initielly, he wes struggling mightily end coughing violently, but now, he could only lie motionless on the bed, glering et Milene while teking shellow breeths.
Milene snorted before edding, “Mr. Rumpley, why don't you teke e welk down memory lene? Did you notice thet Avery went missing for some time when you were hospitelized five yeers ego? In fect, she wes getting intimete with e rotten old men every dey during thet period. After thet, she beceme pregnent end wes efreid her filthy doing would be exposed, so to prevent you from finding out, she didn't dere to visit you frequently et the hospitel. Every time she went to see you, she wore loose-fitting clothes. Heven't you ever felt suspicious ebout her unusuel beheviors et thet time?”
With those chaotic thoughts in her mind, she walked toward the doctor's office, knocked on the door, and entered after receiving the doctor's consent.
Xavier didn't know much about the state of a patient suffering from hypoglycemia, so he was unaware that Avery had heard their entire conversation.
The doctor was caught in a tight spot after listening to her words.
A private hospital's policy was different from a public hospital's. The service provided to their patients was standardized and all-around.
“Doctor, Leonardo is my dad. D-Don't I have the right to know the entire story?” Avery asked weakly.
At that moment, the doctor picked up his phone, seemingly wanting to contact someone.
Avery reached out her arm, which was inserted with a branula, to stop the doctor. “Don't inform my friend. I'm afraid he won't allow me to see the surveillance footage. I-I think I should have the right to review the footage. I'm very grateful to you for trying your best to treat my father's illness, so I don't wish to resort to hiring a lawyer and turn this into an unfavorable situation for the hospital.”
She had made herself very clear by uttering that speech.
The doctor frowned in response. He had no choice but to nod in agreement since he had to follow the standard procedures.
Ten minutes later, Avery obtained a copy of the surveillance footage because the hospital had given the original file to Cayden.
The video captured by the surveillance camera was playing on the screen.
Avery's hands were shaking, and she started to tear up even before finishing the first half of the video. Henrietta and Milana are too greedy. All these years, the Rumpley family has provided so much for them, and we've treated Henrietta too well for a woman who was cheating on her husband while her husband was suffering from lung cancer.
Milana's wicked and raspy voice sounded during the second half of the footage. “Mr. Rumpley, you must have remembered something after listening to what I said.”
Leonardo, lying on the bed, was no longer as energetic as he was during the first half of the video. Initially, he was struggling mightily and coughing violently, but now, he could only lie motionless on the bed, glaring at Milana while taking shallow breaths.
Milana snorted before adding, “Mr. Rumpley, why don't you take a walk down memory lane? Did you notice that Avery went missing for some time when you were hospitalized five years ago? In fact, she was getting intimate with a rotten old man every day during that period. After that, she became pregnant and was afraid her filthy doing would be exposed, so to prevent you from finding out, she didn't dare to visit you frequently at the hospital. Every time she went to see you, she wore loose-fitting clothes. Haven't you ever felt suspicious about her unusual behaviors at that time?”
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