Chapter 717 Absconded
When Eleanor woke up the next day, she said angrily, “Where’s Amelia? Bring her to me now!” Benjamin sat beside the hospital bed and said gently, “Now, now. Calm down. Amelia suffered from injuries yesterday and is recovering in a different ward. If she did anything to anger you, I’ll just tell her off on your behalf. You’re not in good health and cannot get too upset.”
Eleanor stared blankly into the distance for a while before her expression softened. In the end, she still ended up being concerned about her daughter’s wellbeing. “Amelia was injured? How did this happen?”
“I’ve already asked Sean to investigate the matter, but we’ve yet to find out who the culprit is,” explained Benjamin patiently. “Anyway, you’re still ill, so don’t worry about her. I think she is at fault too. So it’s good for her to learn a lesson or two. Otherwise, she’d be complaining about things to you non-stop.”
Eleanor leaned back and recalled every shameless word her daughter uttered in front of Amelia Winters in the ward yesterday.
The embers of anger within her that had died down flared to life again. The more she thought about this, the angrier she felt. She thought that Amelia was becoming more and more unruly, daring to even covet her sister’s husband.
“I need you to bring me to her ward. I have things to say to her that I don’t feel good about keeping in me. I’m also weary of lying in bed,” said Eleanor insistently. Benjamin could do little else but support her in her attempt to get up. He said, “I’ll just ask her to come over. Don’t just move around like that. It’ll make your head hurt even more.”
Eleanor nodded in response.
After Benjamin coaxed her back into bed gently, he got up and walked toward the door. He then heard Eleanor ask, “Where’s Lia? I have not seen her since I’ve been up.”
Benjamin paused. Hesitantly, he responded, “She may be going back to Tayhaven today, citing things to take care of back at home. She couldn’t make it here. So, she asked me to tell you that.”
Eleanor was stunned and started to clamber out of bed in agitation. Because she was anxious, she stumbled and almost fell out.
Benjamin turned around and saw this. He was so startled that he nearly had a heart attack. He walked over briskly, stretched out a hand to help her up, and said, “What are you doing? You’re not in full health! What if you fall down and have a concussion?”
Distressed, Eleanor simply grabbed his arm tightly and said, “What time is her flight? Where’s my cell phone? I need to call her!”
Benjamin looked at her with a helpless expression, but his words contained a measured calmness. “Eleanor, calm down. She’s not a child. She has her own family, in-laws, a husband, and a son to take care of. The fact that she’s able to take any time off to come and see you is a miracle in itself. Even if she does have kind intentions, her in-laws won’t remain silent. If you care about her, you should stop latching onto her like this.”
Eleanor was stunned and looked at Benjamin blankly.
“Your attending doctor told me that he will give you a full body examination at eleven o’clock. You should try and remain calm. I’ll go to the ward and bring Amelia over.” Having said that, Benjamin helped Eleanor to lie down.
Eleanor stared at the ceiling with wide eyes, her heart filled with bitterness.
She said absentmindedly, “No need for that. I’m a little tired now. So just leave me be.”
Benjamin looked at her with a complicated expression. He opened his mouth, meaning to say something, but decided against it and left wordlessly.
Just then, Amelia Winters and Oscar came into the ward and saw Eleanor staring at the ceiling in despair. Concerned, she knelt by the bed to ask, “Are you all right, Mom? Is something bothering you?”
Eleanor immediately turned to look at her, reeling. Her eyes then lit up as she said, “Lia?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” Amelia said gently. “Mom, are you feeling unwell?”
Eleanor feebly pushed herself up with both hands. Happily, she exclaimed, “Weren’t you going back to Tayhaven today?”
“Yes, but I thought I’d swing by the hospital for a quick visit. Something has happened that needs our presence, unfortunately. A long-term accountant of ours has absconded with public funds. The company has lost a lot of money, and we need to go back,” explained Amelia.
The news made Eleanor anxious. “An accountant ran off with funds? How much? Is it serious? How could such a thing happen?”
“Don’t worry, Mom. It wasn’t a big amount. Oscar merely needs to go back to put out the flames. This has made people anxious, naturally,” replied Amelia. “We’ll be back in a few days. You haven’t recovered yet, so I’m not just going to leave you be.”
Eleanor took her hand and said with a smile, “Then go back quickly.”
Amelia nodded.
After leaving the hospital, Amelia and Oscar hurried to the airport and boarded the plane to Tayhaven.
Just after getting off the plane, Amelia asked, “Oscar, do you want me to accompany you to the office?”
Oscar raised his hand and stroked her cheek with a smile. “No, you can head home first. Tony hasn’t seen you in a few days. I bet he misses you.”
“All right. I’ll head home, then. If anything happens, just let me know.”
“I will.”
Amelia got into the car sent over by the Clintons and the chauffeur diligently drove her home.
When Amelia left, Oscar’s face sank. He got into the car and ordered, “To the office.”
“Yes, sir.”
When they arrived at the company, Isabella was already waiting downstairs. When she saw him, she immediately greeted him and said, “Oscar, you’re back!”
Oscar merely glanced at her before striding into his exclusive elevator. Isabella followed him shyly from behind.
“Where’s my dad?”
“He’s in the conference room and asked me to wait here for you. Here’s a copy of a document that details all the money that went missing. However, the most pressing matter is that he took one of our most important project contracts. It’ll be worth a lot if a rival gets it, and the company is concerned about the losses,” said Isabella gravely.
Oscar took the document and quickly scanned through it before asking, “Have you called the police? What did the police say?”
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