CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 26: SLEPT WITH HIM ALL NIGHT

It’s been a very, very long time since he held me so tenderly.

His chest is as broad as ever; through the thin fabric of his clothes, I can clearly feel his strong heartbeat, yet the warmth I once felt is gone.

I no longer feel my heart flutter.

...

I spent the night asleep in Timothy’s arms; when I woke up, he was still holding me from behind.

I hadn’t fully come to my senses when a knock sounded at the door.

"Daddy, are you in there? I’m coming in!"

Timothy was also startled awake by Doris’s voice.

In the next moment, Doris pushed the door open and came in.

He quickly pulled the quilt over my head, covering me completely; I almost suffocated.

Bitterly, I curled my lips under the blanket.

I surely resemble a mistress caught in the act by the lawful wife now!

But in fact, I am Timothy Xavier’s rightful legal wife!

Timothy’s voice was lazy from the morning and noticeably displeased, "Why did you bring Doris here?"

Serena smiled slightly and said, "Doris didn’t see her dad all night yesterday, and today she refuses to go to kindergarten unless she sees you."

After she finished speaking, Doris had already run to the bedside, even trying to climb onto the bed.

Timothy covered me tightly, afraid that his precious daughter would discover my existence.

Using the excuse of germs on the hospital bed, he had Serena pick Doris up and keep her from approaching.

He was terrified of shattering his daughter’s dream of harmonious parental love!

Doris asked in her childish voice, "Daddy, are you sick? Why are you in the hospital?"

Timothy explained gently, "Daddy has a little cold and is worried about giving it to you, Doris. So I’ll come home once I’m better."

Doris stubbornly asked, "But what if I miss Daddy?"

Timothy replied, "Daddy can video chat with you every day. But if I pass the cold to you, you’ll have to get a shot from the nurse. Aren’t you the most afraid of shots?"

Doris said very sadly, "That’s such a shame! Today our kindergarten has a parent-child activity, and all the other kids have their mom and dad going. But my mom’s a celebrity and can’t go. I didn’t expect Daddy can’t go either."

Hearing this, how could Timothy bear to let his daughter endure this regret?

Just before, Timothy swore it would be days until he could go home, but now he’s changed his mind: "Doris, wait outside for a bit. Daddy will change his clothes and come out."

"Yay! That’s awesome!"

The little girl clapped her hands happily.

Serena said gently, "Then we’ll wait for you outside."

After they left, Timothy lifted the blanket off me.

I stared expressionlessly at the ceiling; being abandoned wasn’t just a one-time occurrence, and my heart had become increasingly calm.

Timothy’s tone carried rare apology, "You take a good rest. I’ll come back after the parent-child activity at Doris’s kindergarten."

"Okay."

I responded calmly, listening to the sound of water in the bathroom, the rustling of his dressing, and finally the closing door.

Shortly after he left, my phone rang; it was Victoria Monroe calling.

"Zoe Ellison, how are you doing? You were vague about taking leave yesterday; how serious is your foot injury? Will it hinder your work?"

Her barrage of questions boiled down to concern over whether I could finish my work.

After all, the interview material from Xavier Group yesterday was only with me. Plus, this matter is continually progressing, and timeliness in news is crucial.

I mentioned my surgery and then said, "I’ll complete the work on time; the article will be in your inbox by noon."

After talking to Victoria, I started using my phone’s software to write a news article about the migrant worker suicide incident under the Xavier Group.

With Timothy’s efforts over the past two days, Xavier’s PR and hired commenters have completely reversed the public opinion.

Essentially everyone forgot about the migrant worker who despairingly committed suicide after not receiving his wages for six months. Most are now praising Xavier Group for its daring spirit.

After all, Timothy compensated each worker with double the wages.

In addition to Serena personally visiting the construction site to offer condolences.

All these actions make people feel that Xavier Group genuinely respects the low-level workers.

There’s even a narrative implying the suicidal migrant worker had poor mental resilience and was impulsive and extreme, and his death was his own doing!

If he’d lived like others, wouldn’t he have received compensation from Xavier Group now?

My article reminded everyone that without this migrant worker’s suicide, this issue wouldn’t have surfaced publicly, nor caught the attention of Xavier’s higher management. Though the living have received their due wages, no amount of money could buy that vibrant life, only forty years young.

After editing the draft, I sent it to Victoria Monroe.

Ten minutes later, Victoria responded, "No revisions needed; I’ll arrange for publication now."

Soon, my article became a trending topic.

The public opinion was reversed again:

"This news article is well-written! After all, it’s a human life, and the Xavier Group doesn’t even mention it. The CEO runs off with a celebrity for publicity, and that’s supposed to satisfy the public?"

"Exactly! Signing an autograph and taking a picture—is that going to bring the dead back to life?"

"Actors just act! Did you see the outfit Serena wore to the construction site? It was top luxury, over 200,000! How ironic!"

"..."

The article I wrote quickly shot up in clicks, marking a successful start to my work here.

At that moment, Jenna Sutton sent me a picture on WeChat.

In the photo, Doris was sitting all alone on a chair, while the other kids were playing games with their parents.

"This is so satisfying! This is the Zoe I know! When it’s time to fight back, you must fight back!"

Jenna’s voice message was trembling with excitement, "I read your article! Xavier’s stock price plummeted, and Timothy rushed back to the company, leaving his daughter behind. Seems like his precious daughter isn’t as important as the company, huh!"

I was filled with mixed emotions.

Actually, I wasn’t trying to take revenge on anyone with personal vendettas. I just believe people should have basic conscience, and revealing the truth behind appearances is the essence of my work.

Unexpectedly, this unintended strike not only caused Xavier’s stock to drop but also engulfed Serena in negative news.

In no time, the scandalous news about Serena started flooding the charts.

Near noon, a nurse came to me and said, "Miss Ellison, there’s a lady here to see you, are you able to have visitors now?"

I thought it was Jenna Sutton, so I nodded and said, "Let her in."

But I didn’t expect the visitor to be my mother-in-law, Sophia Kendall.

I’ve met my mother-in-law only a few times. Back in the day, she was the most opposed to Timothy marrying me.

After the marriage, she was particularly cold to me, saying I was of no value to the Xavier Family other than bearing children.

On the day I gave birth to a stillborn, utterly devastated, she stood by my bed and snorted coldly, "You’re truly useless! Now you can’t even fulfill your only value of giving birth!"

Since then, she couldn’t even be bothered to keep up appearances. During holidays, she only allowed Timothy to visit the family.

To avoid worrying my parents, I spent festivals alone in the huge Xavier Manor.

Now, with Sophia suddenly coming to see me, I quickly realized why.

She stood by the bed, adjusting her cashmere shawl, and asked, "The defamatory article about the Xavier Group, did you write it? Signed by Zoe Ellison, not just a namesake?"

"Yes, I wrote it."

I admitted frankly; it’s not like I did something underhanded or immoral, so there’s no need to lie.

But as soon as I finished speaking, she slapped me hard.

My ear was ringing from the blow, and my face was burning with pain.

With my current mobility issues, I was sitting on the bed, completely defenseless.

Afraid I would suffer more, I hurried to reach the call button by the bed, hoping a nurse would come and drive her away.

She saw through my intentions and immediately pulled my hand away, angrily saying, "Shameless creature! How did Timothy end up marrying you? Can’t even produce a child, and now you’re biting the hand that feeds you!"

I looked at her coldly, "Does the Xavier Family really lack children? Your son already has another woman giving birth for him, didn’t you know?"

Sophia’s face showed no surprise; instead, she smiled delightfully, "You mean Serena?"

I was slightly taken aback, then understood.

Timothy was almost publicly announcing his relationship with Serena, so how could he not introduce her to his mother?

I remember Serena saying that day that Timothy’s car was sent to pick up his mother.

It seems both sets of parents have already met.

I wonder what Sophia’s reaction will be when she discovers that Serena isn’t her only daughter-in-law?

After all, the Ellison Family parents are also waiting to meet their future daughter-in-law!

I sarcastically remarked, "Seems like you’re very satisfied with this daughter-in-law."

Sophia made no attempt to hide her fondness for Serena, "Of course! Serena’s father and brother are research experts, and Serena herself is a big star. Ever since she became the spokesperson for the Xavier Group, our stock price has soared."

She spoke with increasing pride, but when she looked at me, her gaze was filled with disdain, "And what are you, Zoe Ellison? You grew up without a father, with a mother practically bedridden, living off the Ellison Family as a parasite for twenty years. With such a background, how could you possibly be worthy of Timothy?"

I had no interest in arguing over the two rotten individuals.

But her harsh words about my mother were something I couldn’t tolerate.

I looked up at her and said, "Mrs. Xavier, you may be from a prestigious family, but so what? My father-in-law still divorced you, willingly giving up Xavier Group to be with his mistress. In comparison, it seems you lost even more terribly. After all, Timothy hasn’t even divorced me yet!"

My words were like a sharp stab to the only real pain Sophia felt in her life.

"You shameless woman! When did my business become any concern of yours!"

Furious, her eyes turned red, and she raised her hand, ready to strike again.

Her expression was as if she wanted to tear me apart!

But just as she was about to strike, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

To my surprise, Timothy Xavier had arrived.

Sophia was equally surprised that her son would stop her like this.