“President Fuller called me earlier, so I came to visit,” Sonia answered.
Rose acted as if she was exasperated and grunted, “Hmph! That b*stard! Didn’t I tell him not to inform you?!”
“Grandma.” Sonia touched Rose’s hand in disappointment and asked, “Why didn’t you want me to know? Is it because you don’t like me?”
“No. Of course not.” Rose ruffled Sonia’s hair as she added, “I just didn’t want to worry you.”
“However, if you don’t tell me, I would be even more worried when I learn about it later and I would never forgive myself for not learning it any sooner.” Sonia gently held the old lady’s hand. “Promise me, Grandma. You must never keep me in the dark if something like this ever happens again.”
“I agree with Sonia since she has a point.” Mary expressed her agreement with Sonia’s words when she was done arranging the flowers in the vase.
Upon hearing what the ladies said, Rose grinned from ear to ear. “Alright. Alright, I promise I’ll tell you everything.”
“That’s more like it.” Sonia responded with a chuckle.
“I’m going to follow up with the doctor about your condition, Old Mrs. Fuller. So, perhaps I shall leave you and Sonia to it,” Mary said as she rubbed her hands.
“Alright, go ahead.” Rose nodded.
As soon as Mary left, Rose seized Sonia’s hand and asked, “Tell me: how have you been lately, Sonia?”
“Alright,” Sonia replied. Then, she proceeded to share with Rose the recent happenings while only mentioning the pleasant ones. As she refused to worry Rose, she didn’t bring up a single word about the detrimental politics against the Gray Family.
A few moments later, they heard laughter outside the ward, which Sonia quickly recognized to be Tina and Jean.
At the same time, Rose could also tell whose voices those were as the benevolent look on her face was instantly replaced by a glacial expression. Soon, the door was open before Jean and Tina walked in while they chuckled in the middle of their conversation.
After noticing their reaction, Sonia raised her eyebrows in an annoyed manner and wondered why they didn’t look sad and worried about Rose’s condition. What’s wrong with these two people? Grandma is sick, but their laughter is telling me they’re not concerned about her at all.
“Miss Reed?” Tina appeared to be surprised the moment she noticed Sonia’s presence.
The moment Jean heard Tina’s words, she turned around and set her eyes on Sonia who was sitting beside Rose. As Jean’s expression darkened, she questioned Sonia in a harsh tone, “What are you doing here?! Who gave you the permission to come?!”
Before Sonia could answer, Rose tightly held Sonia’s hand and replied, “I told Sonia to come. Do you have a problem with that?”
Jean gave an awkward smile and spoke, “Easy, Mom. Of course, I don’t have a problem with that, but she is still an outsider after all, which doesn’t seem like a good idea for her to be here.”
Rose coldly grunted and refuted Jean. “Who says Sonia is an outsider? She might have been forced to divorce Toby, but she will always continue to be like a granddaughter to me.”
“Grandma…” Sonia looked at Rose in a touched manner.
In that instant, Tina looked down as she tried to mask the shame on her face because she knew that Rose was referring to her.
“Alright, you win. She is indeed like your granddaughter.” Jean forced a brittle smile despite her strong grudge against Sonia. I don’t understand what this old lady likes about her. She’s already left the Fuller Family, so why does the old lady still protects her?
“It’s getting late, Grandma. I should make a move now.” Sonia took a look at her watch and realized it was time for her to leave. Although she was planning on accompanying Rose for a little longer, she had changed her mind when Jean and Tina arrived.
However, Rose refused to release Sonia’s hand. “Stay with me for a few moments. I have something for you.”
“Something for me?” Sonia was confused but was still smart enough not to ask what it was at that moment.
Upon hearing Rose’s words, Tina bit her lip as her jealousy overwhelmed her. I’ve never stopped visiting and pleasing you all this time, Old Mrs. Fuller, but why won’t you even cast an eye on me? Yet, Sonia gets to have a gift the moment you see her. What has she done to deserve that?!
In the meantime, Jean was unhappy about Rose’s decision as she squinted and asked, “Why do you have a gift for an outsider but nothing for us? We’re your family.”
“You really are shameless, aren’t you?” Rose showed her anger. “A leopard cannot change its spot, but you can never stop being greedy throughout the last decade since you married into the Fuller Family. Furthermore, I can give whatever I want to anyone and there is nothing you can do about it. Moreover, this is something that belongs to Sonia in the first place.”
Rose’s words had caused Sonia to frown. Isn’t Jean Toby’s mother? Toby is already 30 this year, so how is it possible that she only married into the Fuller Family a decade ago?
After being lectured by Rose, Jean stood up for herself as she pouted, “No one knows for sure whether it’s hers to claim. In fact, you might be saying that to fool us.”
“You—” Rose coughed, her face turning red.
“Grandma!” Sonia was extremely worried about Rose that she was unbothered by Jean’s insolence. As an anxious look flashed across Sonia’s face, she leaned closer and gently rubbed Rose’s chest with her hand to help alleviate her difficulty in breathing.
Meanwhile, Jean was frightened by Rose’s intense coughs as she was too panicky to think about her next move. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to work you up.” Oh man! I didn’t know this old lady was so weak that she could get a heart attack from anyone who pisses her off. Jeez, I hope she is fine! She has to be, or it’s going to be over for me.
Fortunately, Jean’s prayers were answered when Rose finally seemed to feel better.
It was only then that Sonia and Jean heaved a sigh of relief, but the same couldn’t be said for Tina. Tina had secretly hoped that something bad would happen to Rose because no one in the Fuller Family would stand in her way to marry Toby if her wish came true.
“Try some of my chicken soup, Mom.” Jean quickly changed the subject in the hopes of diverting Rose’s attention from her provocative attitude earlier. At the same time, Rose, who knew Jean for who she was, only responded with a cold grunt without saying a word more.
Then, Jean placed the thermal flask on the table and opened the lid, whereupon the appetizing aroma of the chicken soup wafted through the air. However, Sonia somehow found the smell disgusting as she immediately felt nauseous with her face turning as pale as a white sheet.
Upon noticing Sonia’s reaction, Tina knitted her eyebrows in confusion until something crossed her mind as she set her eyes on Sonia’s tummy.
“What’s wrong, Sonia? Are you alright?” Rose looked at Sonia and asked in a concerned manner.
Sonia took a deep breath, trying to suppress her nausea as she nodded her head and endured her discomfort. “Don’t worry about me, Grandma. I’m fine.”
“You don’t seem to be fine to me, though. Are you under the weather or something?”
“I guess I might have caught a cold from the air con on my drive here. Don’t worry, it’s no big deal,” Sonia answered.
Rose frowned in disagreement. “Well, like you said, you might have caught a cold, but I say it’s better to let the doctor check on you.”
“No!” Tina shouted before Sonia could respond, which drew the attention of those around her. At that moment, she panicked because she knew her overreaction could have aroused their suspicion. Thus, she quickly looked down and explained, “I’m sorry, Old Mrs. Fuller. There was a mosquito trying to bite me, so I was just chasing it away.”
“A mosquito?” Jean looked up and around her. “Nope, I don’t see any here.”
Tina was frustrated as she cursed Jean for her unintelligent response. Idiot! Is she on my side or theirs?
“Alright, quit looking around. You’re almost spilling the soup.” Rose felt revolted when she looked at Jean holding the thermal flask.
Nevertheless, Sonia gazed at Tina with suspicion while pondering in a broody manner, Was Tina really just chasing mosquitoes away? Because she really looked like she was trying to stop me from seeing the doctor. At the thought of that, Sonia decided to sound her out as she smiled at Rose and replied, “It’s okay, Grandma. I have some medicine at home, so maybe I’m fine without seeing a doctor. I’ll be sure to grab a pill when I’m back home.”
Upon hearing Sonia’s reply, Tina let out a sigh of relief, believing that Sonia was really not going to consult the doctor. Phew! This is good news! I was even thinking of sneaking out to meet the doctor and bribe him first if Sonia was going to see him, but it looks like I don’t have to do it now.
Sonia secretly peeked at Tina’s reaction from the corner of her eyes. When she noticed the relieved look on Tina’s face, Sonia squinted. It seems that I was right. Tina just tried to stop me from seeing the doctor. Why did Tina do that? Is she hiding something?
