CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: RHYS HAWTHORNE HOLDS HER IN HIS ARMS

As soon as Julian Fordham stepped out, he saw Victoria Monroe suddenly fall forward, and his heart tightened sharply, "Victoria!"

A pair of distinctly skeletal hands gentlemanly caught Victoria Monroe’s shoulders, stopping her from falling.

Victoria Monroe’s head gently leaned against his firm chest.

The moment she was held, Victoria Monroe was frightened; she feared it would be Julian Fordham.

She cautiously lifted her head, and what met her eyes was Rhys Hawthorne, in a long black cashmere coat, with a black half-turtleneck cashmere sweater resting against his porcelain white Adam’s apple.

At this close distance, she could clearly see the fine soft cashmere lent a few traces of gentleness to the all-black-clad man.

Thank goodness it was Rhys Hawthorne.

His gaze lowered, his pitch-black pupils carried a trace of concern, and his voice was deep, "Are you okay?"

Julian Fordham hurriedly walked toward Rhys Hawthorne, wanting to bring Victoria Monroe into his embrace.

Just as Julian Fordham reached out his hand, the tenderness Rhys Hawthorne had for Victoria Monroe dissipated in a second, leaving only a fierce stare at him.

As if ripping apart the facade of noble elegance, returning to the most primal savagery and domination of male creatures, ready in the next moment to pounce and bite off Julian Fordham’s neck.

Rhys Hawthorne warned in a deep voice, "Don’t touch her!"

Julian Fordham saw Victoria Monroe’s face pale, covered in a layer of dense sweat, and her brows furrowed tightly as if in considerable discomfort.

Knowing it’s low blood sugar, he didn’t care about fighting Rhys Hawthorne over her.

He took out a candy from his pocket.

Coincidentally, Rhys Hawthorne also knew she had this condition and always carried chocolate with him.

Victoria Monroe was very unwell at the moment, dizzy, flustered, her body going cold, sweating all over.

She could only lean lightly on Rhys Hawthorne to maintain her balance.

In front of her were two broad palms; Julian Fordham’s palm injury hadn’t healed, showing an obvious scar.

Rhys Hawthorne’s hands, like everyone else’s, were clean and slender.

The candy in Julian Fordham’s hand was precisely the brand of candy Victoria Monroe first gave him years ago; he always remembered it.

That candy brand in his heart was like a token of love between them.

Victoria Monroe neither wanted the candy nor the chocolate.

Between two men, she chose neither.

She steadied herself, waited for the dizziness in her mind to pass, then spoke to explain, "Sorry, I don’t want to eat anything right now."

Rhys Hawthorne knew she was just finding an excuse; he indifferently withdrew his hand, "It’s okay."

"Grandma..."

"Don’t worry. With Assistant Woods and the bodyguards there, I contacted several cardiac specialists to consult after the surgery to see if there are better outcomes."

Victoria Monroe’s heart warmed, "Thank you, let’s go."

She moved away without casting another glance at Julian Fordham, leaning against the wall as she left.

At least, she offered Rhys Hawthorne an explanation.

To Julian Fordham, she treated him like air, not wanting to argue, not even granting him a glance.

Watching the two walk side by side, Rhys Hawthorne, although not touching her, deliberately slowed his steps to match Victoria Monroe’s pace with his long legs.

His hands hung at his sides, ready at any moment to support her should she faint again.

He was already closer to Victoria Monroe than himself.

Julian Fordham realized this, feeling his heart constricted like it was entangled by thorny vines, suffocating him to the point of being unable to breathe, yet pricked by the sharp thorns until it bled profusely.

He had a clear sense that Victoria Monroe was getting further and further away from him.

Looking at the candy in his hand, how did it end like this? He had already arranged for Rachel Hayes’s child to be terminated.

From start to finish, he hadn’t touched that woman, and she knew the previous incident was a misunderstanding.

Why wouldn’t she even give him a chance to make amends? Why was she intent on escaping from him?

Victoria, I won’t let you leave me.

A child, yes, once there’s a child, she would have to come back.

He would become the world’s best father, taking good care of them.

Julian Fordham suppressed the ferocity in his eyes and immediately chased after them.

At the door of the operating room, led by Assistant Woods and Assistant Prescott, followed by an array of suited bodyguards.

The two factions stood side by side, silent, with the air seemingly frozen.

The passing medical staff all huddled their necks, cautiously passing by.

Rhys Hawthorne, determined to prevent Julian Fordham from using grandma as leverage again, certainly wouldn’t allow him another chance to take her away.

With one hour left for the surgery, Rhys Hawthorne pointed to the chairs, "Sit for a while."

"Okay."

Victoria Monroe tightly clutched her clothes, anxiously and tensely staring at the operating room door, each second feeling like a year.

In her ears came the sound of steady footsteps, and in the corner of her eye appeared a figure.

Julian Fordham, wearing a deep gray cashmere suit jacket, with a high-quality white shirt underneath, the hem tucked into his waistband, his figure lengthened and upright by the belt at his waist.

The distinguished man carried a heap of food to her, kneeling on one knee, humble as dust.

Seeing Victoria Monroe’s face full of coldness, he spoke warmly, "Even if you’re angry with me, your body belongs to you, and you still need to care for grandma."

Victoria Monroe felt this person was like someone with schizophrenia; for eighteen years, she’s only seen his good side.

Beneath his refined, ascetic facade lies a paranoid devil; if you hit the nerve that’s off, he becomes another person, unpredictable and making her feel both unfamiliar and afraid.

Victoria Monroe dares not approach him, and even less wants to eat what he’s brought.

"I’m not hungry," she coldly refused.

Rhys Hawthorne’s magnetic voice came from above her head: "There’s no need to punish your body because of irrelevant people. You’ll need strength to take care of Grandma once you’re full."

As he spoke, he handed the soy milk Julian Fordham bought over to Victoria Monroe.

Julian Fordham bought several kinds of beverages, but Rhys Hawthorne picked soy milk specifically.

That means he’s quite familiar with Victoria Monroe’s habits!

Victoria Monroe could not politely decline Rhys Hawthorne’s goodwill; she took the cup and bit on the straw, sipping. The warm soy milk traveled from her throat down to her stomach, making her feel slightly better.

Seeing the man lean his body to care for her, Victoria Monroe felt quite bad about it.

Even if she once saved his life, he’s already helped her many times.

Victoria Monroe stopped hesitating, "Thank you, let me do it myself."

The redness at the corner of her eyes gradually faded away, and her gaze became steady again.

She was the only one Grandma had, she could not fall.

Because of her pregnancy, her appetite was quite poor, and after eating a bit, she couldn’t eat any more.

Julian Fordham furrowed his brows slightly; she’s been drinking herbal medicine every day for all these years, which has made her appetite small.

When he was home, he’d coax her to eat more; this half-year, he was especially busy, and most of the time, he supervised her eating through video call.

Her appetite was even smaller than it was in the recent past.

He showed concern: "Eat a bit more."

"No need," she coldly replied.

Julian Fordham opened a food box, "Don’t you like shrimp? I’ll peel them for you. Come on, eat a bit more..."

Victoria Monroe furiously overturned the food box, and the shrimp coated in sauce flew out, splashing all over him, trickling stickily down his high-quality wool coat.

The air was dead silent; the bodyguards either looked up at the sky or down at the ground, unwilling to witness this hellscape.

Victoria Monroe originally intended to keep things dignified, which is why she hadn’t lost her temper in front of anyone.

But Julian Fordham had repeatedly crossed the line.

Why did he think he could still win her favor by acting like nothing happened after doing those things?

Was she some cheap woman, who’d accept a slap followed by a sweet date?

Victoria Monroe suppressed the fury in her chest and gritted her teeth as she said, "Julian Fordham, why do you always force me to do things I don’t want? Can’t you respect me just once?"

Sadness flickered across Julian Fordham’s cold face: "Victoria, I’m just..."

Just then, the door to the operating room opened, and Victoria Monroe bypassed him and rushed in.

Grandma lay with her eyes closed, still not awake; Victoria Monroe felt incredibly anxious inside. "Doctor, is my Grandma okay?"

"She’s indeed old; surgery was unavoidable. Though the operation was successful, her organ indicators are quite poor. She needs to be in the intensive care unit for two days to check post-operative rejection symptoms. It’s best for the family to prepare mentally beforehand."

Upon hearing this, Victoria Monroe felt like someone had gripped her throat, taking away her breath.

Her mind went blank, her body weakened, leaning against the wall was the only thing sustaining her.

"Family, please handle the paperwork."

Assistant Woods and Assistant Prescott stepped forward simultaneously, "I’ll do it."

The cardiologist had just transferred here, unaware of Julian Fordham’s identity, merely thinking they were wealthy people.

He frowned, "One person is enough, why are so many people blocking the way here? It’s affecting our medical work."

Despite his words, neither of them backed down and stubbornly followed along.

The methods of Julian Fordham Rhys Hawthorne had already seen; he couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t use this chance to relocate Grandma.

This time, he wouldn’t yield an inch.

Victoria Monroe, weak in both hands and feet, followed the nurse, holding Grandma’s cold hand while tears uncontrollably slipped down.

"Grandma, please open your eyes and look at me."

Her body was blocked outside the ICU, "Family, please cooperate with our work."

Victoria Monroe could only press against the glass, watching as nurses connected various instruments to Grandma.

How could this be? Just the day before yesterday, she had made chicken soup for her, smiling with joy as she touched her belly, telling her to get pregnant soon.

She hadn’t even told Grandma she was pregnant yet; how did Grandma end up lying there unable to open her eyes?

Rhys Hawthorne watched Victoria Monroe lean against the glass, a hint of heartache flashing across his face.

Assistant Woods handed over the receipt, "Should we transfer the elderly lady to another hospital?"

"Let’s wait for the situation to improve first. Did those experts arrive yet?"

"They’ve taken a private plane to get here; the soonest will be in nine hours."

Rhys Hawthorne nodded, "By the way, do me another favor, check the surveillance before the elderly lady encountered trouble, who did she meet, what did she hear."

"Boss, are you suspecting..."

Rhys Hawthorne stood with his hands behind his back, the coldness in his eyes chilling as he coldly said, "I suspect it wasn’t an accident. I’ll go to any length to uncover the truth!"