CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: I’M DAISY’S DAD!

Tiana Linden was startled when she saw the man’s face clearly.

"Hector Chaucer?"

Tiana Linden hadn’t expected that after hearing about Hector Chaucer’s jailbreak earlier this afternoon, she would now encounter him at the hospital.

Hector Chaucer was about to say something...

When suddenly, a group holding pistols rushed over from several directions not far away.

"Over there."

"Don’t move, or we’ll shoot."

Hearing the shouts and turning to look, she saw several uniformed police officers.

They held their pistols, tightening their grip step by step.

It seemed like they could pull the trigger at any moment.

A tense and uneasy atmosphere enveloped Tiana Linden.

When the gunfire sounded, Tiana’s entire body tensed up.

She turned to look back at Hector Chaucer.

But Hector Chaucer was nowhere to be seen in the alley.

He had already climbed over the wall amid the gunfire.

There were bloodstains left on the wall.

It seemed that Hector Chaucer was injured.

Tiana Linden, as the only person who had close contact with Hector Chaucer,

was taken back to the police station.

She was interrogated in the interrogation room, again and again.

"Are you still keeping in touch with Hector Chaucer?"

"Where did Hector Chaucer go? What did he say to you? Do you know where he’s hiding?"

"Do you have any special means of contact?"

"If you don’t come clean, you’ll face serious charges for harboring a top death row fugitive, and you’ll be judged severely as well."

Her phone was tapped, and every incoming call had to go through their scrutiny.

Tiana Linden answered repeatedly that she didn’t know.

She knew nothing.

Hector Chaucer had shouted to her and was about to speak when the police rushed in; she truly didn’t say anything to him.

"I really don’t know anything."

"Can you please let me out?"

"My daughter fell in the elevator and injured her head. I need to go to the hospital to take care of her. Please let me out."

Seeing that she wouldn’t admit to anything, the two interrogators’ expressions turned stern.

"If you don’t confess honestly, you won’t be allowed to go anywhere."

Tiana Linden remained in the interrogation room.

She wanted to call Ms. Hayes to ask about Daisy’s condition.

Her heart felt like it was being clawed at.

No matter how nicely she asked, they wouldn’t allow it.

The next morning, at ten o’clock.

The interrogation room’s television was playing a news report.

In the news, Aiden Grant was being interviewed.

"Mr. Grant, what prompted you to personally develop a pharmaceutical-grade sanitary pad capable of alleviating menstrual pain?"

Aiden Grant on the television did not answer immediately.

At that time, Tiana often suffered from menstrual pain.

The sanitary pads available on the market adhered to subpar standards.

The quality was particularly worrying.

During the March 15th consumer protection period, many sanitary pad manufacturers were exposed for using substandard materials.

Many women experienced allergies, infections, inflammation, and illness from problematic sanitary pads.

At the time, Tiana also used substandard sanitary pads, resulting in a severe infection.

Therefore, Aiden personally developed a pharmaceutical-grade sanitary pad.

This sanitary pad adhered to medical-grade standards.

Absolutely safe!

The herbal ingredients included could also relieve menstrual pain.

Now this pharmaceutical-grade sanitary pad was finally on the market, yet he and Tiana had become enemies.

In the interrogation room.

Tiana watched Aiden on television, full of vigor, and listened to him reply:

"Because my fiancée once suffered an infection from using substandard sanitary pads."

Reporter: "So Mr. Grant specifically developed this pharmaceutical-grade sanitary pad for your fiancée?"

Aiden: "Yes!"

Reporter: "Mr. Grant, your wedding with your fiancée is imminent on May 1st. Best wishes for a happy marriage and prosperity."

There’s a month and a half left until May 1st.

In the interrogation room, Tiana withdrew her gaze from the TV and lowered her head.

May 1st...

She feared she wouldn’t live to see that day.

Aiden and Vivian Linden’s wedding didn’t cause her much pain.

The real pain was whether she could ensure Daisy’s future was secure before her death.

...

The interview ended.

Aiden and the group’s chief PR officer, Old Zhang, got into the ceremonial Hongqi car.

In the car, Aiden looked grim, "Is there still no news about Hector Chaucer?"

Old Zhang rubbed his bald head.

He paused and shook his head grimly:

"None. The police are searching everywhere for Hector Chaucer."

"Aiden, I’ve heard from above that there’s a red notice issued."

"They can shoot to kill Hector Chaucer on sight during the arrest."

Hector Chaucer is a top dangerous individual.

Shooting him on sight during capture is not an impossibility.

This information made Aiden’s brow knit tightly.

A feeling of suffocation washed over his chest like icy tide.

The car drove back to the suburban pharmaceutical lab.

Aiden asked, "How about Tiana’s side?"

Old Zhang didn’t answer directly, instead he sighed deeply.

"Aiden, Christopher is right, you have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Tiana and Hector Chaucer have hurt you the most, yet you still care about them."

Aiden’s face was devoid of a smile as he asked again, "Have they let Tiana go home from the interrogation room?"

Old Zhang: "Can they let her go? She’s the only one who had close contact with Hector Chaucer, plus she’s his old fl..."

Old lover... Old Zhang hadn’t finished these three words.

Aiden’s expression became even darker.

Old Zhang had to pause and then said, "She’s still being kept in the interrogation room, not allowed to leave."

Upon hearing this, Aiden looked toward the driver, "Turn around."

Old Zhang: "You’re not going back to the lab?"

Half an hour later, Aiden arrived at a police station’s interrogation room.

Through a glass window, Tiana’s small, curled-up figure in the corner looked frail.

She seemed thinner than a few days ago.

The staff opened the door, and Aiden walked in.

Tiana, hearing the noise, looked up, and upon seeing Aiden, immediately got up.

At this moment, she pinned her hopes on Aiden, pleading as she tried to approach him.

"Mr. Grant..."

Squatting too long had made her legs numb.

Tiana almost collapsed softly to the ground.

A large, strong hand grasped her wrist, helping her up.

Aiden then realized that her wrist was too slender.

Tiana stabilized herself, withdrew her hand, and pleaded with her eyes full of desperation:

"Mr. Grant, could you please do me a favor, put in a good word, let them release me."

Tiana knew Aiden had wide connections.

Seeing her pitiful and pleading state, Aiden’s expression turned cold.

"What’s the hurry to get out, to meet with your old flame?"

The old flame in Aiden’s words was Hector Chaucer.

Tiana understood.

Not wanting to explain, she said directly:

"Ms. Hayes called and told me that just as they entered the elevator, it fell. Daisy injured her head, and I don’t know how badly she’s hurt. I just want to go to the hospital to care for Daisy, I’m scared something bad will happen to Daisy..."

She had no idea about her daughter’s condition.

Filled with panic, she choked up and continued pleading:

"Mr. Grant, I know you have power and influence, can you help me get bailed out?"

"Don’t even think about it." Aiden cut her off coldly.

Clearly, he didn’t trust her at all.

"Tiana, it was one thing to falsely claim you had cancer, but now you’re using a child to gain sympathy. Are you fit to be a mother?"

"Daisy is really hurt..." Her voice trembled as she choked.

Aiden listened, his brow furrowing even tighter, "Enough, Tiana."

Having no other options, Tiana knelt on the ground, "Daisy is really hurt, Mr. Grant..."

"Tiana, don’t think I don’t know, you want to see Hector Chaucer." Aiden was still relentless.

Recalling her affair with Hector Chaucer, he lost his rationality.

He squatted down to look at her kneeling on the ground and asked:

"Tiana, why did you sleep with Hector Chaucer in the first place?"

"What did you see in him?"

"Better than me? More handsome than me?"

Hector Chaucer was the most handsome among the three of them who were good friends.

Back then, even if Tiana only glanced at Hector Chaucer, Aiden would be overwhelmed with jealousy.

Those past events no longer concerned Tiana.

Unable to see Daisy, she was in turmoil.

"Mr. Grant, could you not mention Hector Chaucer again?"

"I had nothing to do with him before and have nothing to do with him now."

"I just want to go to the hospital to see my daughter. What do I have to do for you to help me?"

She was already kneeling; wasn’t that enough to appease him?

Aiden stood up, "Don’t pretend to be pitiful in front of me. Even if you kneel, no one will pity you."

In truth, he didn’t feel good about it either.

He was suppressing many emotions, appearing indifferent as he looked down at her.

"Tiana, if you have any contact with Hector Chaucer, disclose it completely."

"Don’t ruin yourself for a man who isn’t worth it and end up sentenced as a repeat offender."

He added:

"Tiana, hiding things won’t benefit you at all."

"Think about your child. If you go back in, what will happen to her?"

"Tell me, what did Hector Chaucer say to you, and where is he?"

He didn’t want her to keep violating the law.

Didn’t want her to go to jail again.

"The law will not indulge anyone."

"Only if you truthfully explain everything can I really help you."

That was all he could do to help her.

Seeing her unwilling to confess, instead letting out a mocking cold laugh, Aiden asked painfully:

"Tiana, do you really want to harbor that murderer? Willingly ruin yourself, go back inside leaving your child uncared for, rather than just tell the truth?"

"Is Hector Chaucer really worth it?"

The trust between them had crumbled like a falling rock five years ago.

No matter how eloquent she was, she couldn’t explain it.

Moreover, she truly didn’t want to explain anymore.

She was exhausted physically and mentally.

"Mr. Grant, if you truly pity Daisy, could you call Ms. Hayes and ask about Daisy’s condition?"

"I have nothing else to say."

Aiden said nothing more.

Seeing her insistently unwilling to disclose anything about Hector Chaucer, he walked out of the interrogation room disappointed.

The staff asked him, "Mr. Grant, is she still unwilling to speak the truth?"

Aiden asked back, "Is there really no way for Tiana to be released?"

The other party furrowed their brows in difficulty.

"Mr. Grant, I know you and Tiana are old acquaintances, but this is a significant matter. Hector Chaucer is a top dangerous figure, and Tiana is the only one who has seen him. It’s possible she is even an accomplice in his escape. We cannot release her. Sorry!"

Hospital.

Daisy, with a moderate concussion, was kept under observation.

When the elevator fell, Ms. Hayes protected Daisy with her body.

But during the impact, Daisy still injured her head.

And Ms. Hayes suffered a comminuted fracture in her right arm, along with multiple minor injuries.

At this moment, Daisy, having been given a sedative, lay on the bed.

There was no one to take care of Daisy.

After leaving the interrogation room, Aiden, though very reluctant to believe Tiana, reflected on himself.

What if what she said was true?

What if Daisy really sustained a head injury?

Eventually, Aiden inquired and went to the hospital.

Seeing little Daisy lying on the hospital bed, her eyelashes wet with tears, Aiden knelt by the bed.

Holding little Daisy’s small hand, he felt as if his heart was being tightly gripped.

It hurt a lot.

Daisy was really injured.

Tiana did not lie to him.

In his mind, the image of Tiana kneeling and begging him to let her leave the interrogation room flashed...

He asked the doctor beside him, "What’s the child’s condition? Does she need surgery?"

The doctor replied, "For now, surgery doesn’t seem necessary, but while the scans are normal, latent intracranial bleeding shouldn’t be ruled out."

Aiden’s heart wrenched painfully, "Latent intracranial bleeding?"

The doctor explained, "Head trauma with no obvious bleeding symptoms, delayed bleeding symptoms. The child vomited twice this morning, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. If bleeding develops in the skull later, surgery will have to be arranged."

The doctor’s words made Aiden’s heart grow heavier.

Such a well-behaved child, if she had a brain hemorrhage, she would suffer so much!

The doctor asked again, "Mr. Grant, can you contact the child’s family? If the child needs surgery, her parents will need to sign the consent."

Tiana couldn’t get out of the interrogation room.

Before Tiana begged him for help, he had already approached a lawyer.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to bail her out.

For the sake of the past, he was willing.

But Tiana was heavily suspected of harboring the primary death penalty fugitive and assisting Hector Chaucer in escaping.

No one could bail her out.

After a moment of contemplation, he said to the doctor, "The child will be fine. If it really comes down to surgery, I’ll sign."

The doctor said, "But if the child needs surgery, only the legal guardian has the authority to sign."

Aiden claimed, "I am the child’s father."

Tiana had temporarily left Daisy under Ms. Hayes’ care.

But Ms. Hayes had injured her bones in the elevator fall and was also in the orthopedic ward.

So no one came to take care of Daisy.

Since Aiden claimed to be the child’s father, the hospital entrusted the child to Aiden.

Aiden called Vivian Linden to take care of Daisy.

He, on the other hand, sat back in the black Hongqi limousine and instructed the driver to head to the city public security bureau.

...

Interrogation room.

The investigators began their fifth interrogation of Tiana.

"Tiana, assisting a primary death row inmate in escaping, this charge of harboring carries a prison sentence of five to ten years."

"You’ve already been to prison once; do you want to go back again?"

"Don’t you think about your daughter?"

"Tiana, you can still come clean now."

Tiana replied, "I’ve already told the truth. When I went to the hospital to see my daughter, Hector Chaucer called out to me in that alley. He didn’t say anything else, and you guys just chased after him with guns."

At this moment, someone pushed open the door and entered.

The interrogation was interrupted.

The investigators walked out and saw Aiden.

Aiden had brought along Lawyer Lowell.

Lawyer Lowell stated directly, "Director Lewis, even if you suspect Tiana of harboring an escaped criminal, you have no evidence. Detention over 24 hours requires her release."

For Daisy’s sake, Aiden wanted to get Tiana out.

But after Lawyer Lowell’s negotiations with Director Lewis, the situation didn’t seem optimistic.

A few minutes later, Aiden entered the interrogation room.

Tiana didn’t know why Aiden had come to the interrogation room again.

She was more concerned about whether he had called Ms. Hayes and if he knew about little Daisy’s condition.

She stood up, both excited and nervous, "Mr. Grant, do you have any news about Daisy?"