Free Web NovelChapter 474: Is Everything Settled?
When Wendy’s voice was heard, the two men went silent immediately. Michael walked to the door and saw that Wendy’s head hung low. Though he could not see Wendy’s expression, he knew that she was feeling infuriated and frustrated.
"Sorry, Wendy." Michael’s apology went unanswered.
Wendy just wanted some peace. She did not want to be bothered by the two men fighting and arguing anymore. They could do whatever they wanted, for all she cared.
Seeing that there were no movements from Wendy, Michael walked over to Todd and gripped his arm to pull him aside. Though they were already at quite a distance from her ward, Michael was worried that it would not be conducive still for Wendy.
He said to Todd coldly, "Let’s talk outside." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
It should be about time to really talk things through with Todd.
Todd raised his hands to straighten his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair which was slightly messed up after Michael got rough with him. After which, he held his head high as he followed behind Michael.
While Michael stepped out, he was not comfortable leaving Wendy alone in the hospital. While walking, he took out his phone and called Mr. York. Michael asked him to stand guard outside the ward to watch over Wendy and to inform him if anything happened.
Michael did not walk far from the hospital. He found a cafe that was near the hospital. They went to a private room in the cafe and ordered coffee. Michael sat down on the chair and placed both hands with fingers interlocked on the table. He stared straight at Todd who walked in behind him.
"I don’t have much time to waste on you. Let’s be truthful and direct about our inner thoughts. There is only the two of us here," Michael said coldly.
"Aren’t we done talking earlier?" Todd replied. Since you don’t trust me, whatever I say now would be just in vain, isn’t it?"
"Those are really your honest views?" Clearly, Michael did not believe a word. "Todd, what role did you play in the whole ordeal with Clement?"
Seeing that Michael was serious about the question, Todd panicked a little as he looked away. But he quickly regained his composure and suppressed his uneasiness.
Todd scoffed as he shook his head in disappointment. "Mr. Lucas, just tell me directly. What do you think?"
"I suspect that you told Wendy on purpose what happened that night. You wanted her to feel dejected," Michael said blatantly, true to his thoughts.
"Michael, don’t forget, it was you who asked me for help. You can’t blame me just because I did not succeed and then claimed that I have an ulterior motive," Todd defended. "And as I said before, how I feel towards Corrine is not any less than you.
I, more than anyone else, want her to be happy."
"But what you really want is to be the person who gives her that happiness, right?"
Michael pressed on. "Do you think that if our relationship is on the rocks because of this, you will stand a chance with her? Or from the beginning, you are secretly hoping that I would mind? You are just waiting, waiting for me to start arguing with Wendy over this matter. When our relationship goes south, you can then take advantage of the situation and hit the iron while it’s hot? But you did not expect that I did not mind at all.
"And what could you do? The drama you were expecting did not happen, so you needed to create another opportunity. That was when you acted as if you accidentally said certain things so that Wendy would find out about that night. You know Wendy well. Being proud as she is, she could not accept the truth for sure. To you, this is your second chance, right?"
...
Every word Michael said was spot-on. It was exactly what Todd had planned. Truth be told, right from the start, he purposely let Michael come in to rescue Wendy who was unclothed on the bed so that he would misunderstand.
He thought that a man like Michael would not possibly accept his woman being violated by other men. He would resent for sure. Todd never thought that Michael loved Wendy so deeply that he would not mind at all. Either that, or Michael did mind but he hid his feelings really well that Todd could not tell.
If Michael did not mind, then what next? Todd would not walk away empty-handed from the plot he laid down. That was the best opportunity for him. If he could not make things work his way and break their bond, he would probably not have another chance to do so. Hence, Todd decided to leak information that she had been violated and tell her that men would mind if this happened to their other halves. As long as Wendy was ascertained that Michael would mind, she would be scared, she would panic, and she could not face Michael. Indeed, this was a second chance for Todd.
Todd knew that this was a shameless deed, but what else could he do? He had loved Wendy for so many years. Initially, he had thought things through and decided to let go. But Michael hurt Wendy once again, which made Wendy come back to Rheinsville City. After Wendy came back, she even agreed to give Todd a chance to be in a relationship with him. Just when Todd was in his happiest moments, the bubble burst when she told him that it was all for show. The days he had always hoped for were short-lived and only existed in fairy tales, and Michael was the malicious villain in his fairy tale. Since Michael was the villain in Todd’s fairy tale, Todd should, in turn, be the villain in his.
"Mr. Lucas, are you speculating or questioning me?" Todd took a deep breath. Deep down, he was panicking, but he had to keep calm on the outside.
"What’s the difference?" Michael asked.
"The difference is huge," Todd replied. "If you are questioning me, I can still explain myself. If you are speculating, then there is no point for me to say anything more."
"And so? What is your response?" Michael said. "Today, I just want to have a good talk with you. If you have anything in mind, just speak."
"What if I say that, Mr. Lucas, you read too much into the situation?" Todd would never admit to this allegation.
Michael had not gotten hold of any evidence. Whatever he said or suspected would just be his own guesswork.
"Really?" Michael thrummed his fingers on the table and scoffed, "I do hope that it is just me having a vast imagination."
"Mr. Lucas, instead of spending time and energy pinning your suspicions on me, why not use them on Corrine? Her situation now isn’t good. Spend more time with her."
Todd sighed.
"I will handle any issues pertaining to my wife myself and not trouble you, Mr.
Lewis," Michael said. "In the future, I hope you can keep your distance from my wife."
"Mr. Lucas, you are really cold-hearted, aren’t you? A while ago, you were asking meto help convince Wendy, and now you are instructing me to stay away from her."
Todd let out a light laugh. "Looks like it is not just Mr. Lucas who thought I have changed. I think you have changed too."
"I trust that Mr. Lewis would know the appropriate distance a matured man should observe when it comes to other men’s wives," Michael said coldly.
"As you mentioned, ’appropriate distance’ of course. I don’t think the distance between Corrine and I is inappropriate." Todd stood up as he did not want to continue the conversation. "If we are not speaking at the same frequency, then I shall make a move first."
...
Todd walked out of the private room. His fists were tightly clenched. He did not think that Michael would get on to him so soon. It seemed like he had underestimated Michael.
After he left the cafe, Todd took out his phone and called a number. He asked flatly, "Is everything settled?"
The person on the other line replied immediately, "Don’t worry. The letter went through many people before it was delivered to the hotel. Even if someone found out who the culprit was, the person has already left Rheinsville City."
Todd acknowledged and felt a little more relieved. He knew that Michael was influential, but this was Rheinsville City, not Lake City. Michael’s influence would not work as well in Rheinsville City. As long as Michael could not find any evidence against him and he insisted on his stand of being innocent, Michael would not find out the truth behind his plot.
After Todd left, Michael sat in the private room alone. He was worried about Wendy, and soon he made his way back to the hospital.
When Michael got back, Wendy was still seated on the bed like before. Michael did not dare to step into the ward as he did not want to trigger anxiety in Wendy again.
Initially, Michael’s suspicion of Todd was not too deep. Otherwise, he would not have asked him for help in the first place. But when Todd came out, he mentioned that Michael would not mind the incident that night. It was almost equivalent to telling Wendy that something really happened that night and whatever Michael was doing then was to cover up for the incident and hide the truth from her.
Todd was smart. Even if he could not convince Wendy otherwise, he would not have told the truth so easily. And now that he had done so, it became evident that something was wrong with his intentions.
Michael stood at the door and peered into the room worriedly. He waved at Mr. York and gestured him to follow alongside. After they were a distance away and they ensured that Wendy could not hear them, Michael asked, "How was Wendy doing after I left?"
Mr. York relayed what he saw, "I did not go into the ward and just observed from outside. Mrs. Lucas had been sitting on the bed like this. She did not say a word nor move at all."
Michael nodded and said, "Send some people to investigate Todd. See if they can find anything. Then, go back to the hotel and retrieve the surveillance footage to check who sent the letter."
"Okay, I will go immediately." Mr. York asked with a frown, concerned, "But Mr.
Lucas, this is not Lake City. My connections are limited here, and we may not be able to find anything. But rest assured, I will do my best to get to the bottom of it."
"Okay." Michael was well aware of it. He raised his hand and patted Mr. York on the shoulder. "Thank you."
Mr. York shook his head without saying anything and turned to leave.
Michael sat by himself outside the ward. He did not want to leave Wendy there alone. At times like this, this was the only way Michael could watch over Wendy. He wanted to be there in case she felt calmer and was willing to talk to him.
The night had passed, and Michael was still outside the ward. Mr. York came with some breakfast the next morning. Seeing that Michael did not look well, he got a little concerned and asked, "Mr. Lucas, why not take a break and rest for now? I will keep watch of Mrs. Lucas."
Michael shook his head and rejected. He wanted to be there personally, and he would not be able to sleep anyway.
"In that case, have some breakfast." Mr. York passed the food to Michael. He asked, "For Mrs. Lucas... Do you want to bring it in or should I go?"
...
"I will bring it in." Michael shut his eyes for a while. He was exhausted. He stood up and took over the food from Mr. York. He made his way quietly into the ward.
At the moment, Wendy was still seated on the bed. Her eyes were shut. Michael was not sure whether Wendy was sleeping, so he took extra caution not to make any sound when he placed the breakfast on the table and exited quietly. He did not want to interrupt her.
Mr. York saw Michael coming out and hurried him to eat something. "Mr. Lucas, have your breakfast first."
Michael did not have any appetite, but Mr. York rationalized that he had to eat something to sustain his energy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to protect Wendy if he collapsed.
The delicious food in his mouth tasted bland to Michael, and he had to force himself to swallow down the food.
Mr. York felt more at ease after seeing Michael eat. He said, "Mr. Lucas, I have checked the surveillance footage of the hotel. However, I wasn’t able to get much progress from it. I found the person who sent the letter as seen in the surveillance footage, but he mentioned that he was paid to send the letter. As to who asked him to send the letter, he had no idea. I didn’t pursue the lead further as I thought it would likely be a wild goose chase if we continued to investigate.
"And a quick update on Todd, I have sent some people to follow him. If any situation arises, they will let us know immediately."
Michael had expected this outcome. This was not Lake City. It was not their turf.
"Okay." Michael looked sullen as he replied.
Mr. York let out a sigh, and he did not know what else to say.
It had been two days in the hospital. Wendy had been in the ward the whole time and Michael outside the ward watching over Wendy.
Wendy did not touch any of the food that Michael brought in for her. Michael was very concerned about her well-being. He had tried to talk to her a few times into taking a few bites, but Wendy would not listen at all. Michael had no idea what else he could do to convince Wendy.
For the past two days, Michael did not have much sleep. He got quite lethargic and drowsy. At midnight, Michael checked on Wendy once more. She was lying in bed with her back facing the door, and Michael could not see her face.
He sighed as he turned away and sat on the floor outside the ward, leaning against the wall. The drowsiness from the lack of sleep the past few days got the better of him. Michael eventually gave in and slowly closed his eyes.
"Sir, Sir..." In his sleep, he heard someone calling out to him. His eyelids were very heavy, and he struggled to open his eyes. When he did, he looked up and saw a nurse standing beside him. "Hmm?" he asked groggily.
"Where is the patient?" The nurse pointed at the empty ward.
"She’s sleeping inside," Michael replied.
The nurse shook her head. "There isn’t anyone inside."
Her words awakened Michael. He stood up immediately and rushed into the ward.
Indeed, Wendy was nowhere to be seen.
He called out her name as he searched behind each furniture in the ward. "Wendy!
Wendy..." There was no reply.
Michael panicked. He looked into the toilet, and there were still no signs of Wendy.
Turning back to the nurse, he shouted with bloodshot eyes, "Where is Wendy?"
The nurse was a little taken aback by Michael’s expression, and she took two steps back subconsciously. "I... I don’t know. I came to do my rounds, and I didn’t see the patient anywhere. That’s why I woke you up."
"Oh no, Wendy..." Michael took a deep breath.
He took out his phone instantly and called Mr. York.
