CHAPTER 4: CHAPTER 4: YVETTE ASTON’S LONG-TERM ABUSE

The water didn’t wake Yvette up; instead, it made her develop a high fever.

"What’s going on? Hurry and resuscitate her!" Just as the doctor was doing rounds, he noticed something wrong with Yvette’s complexion and lips and conducted a preliminary examination. "Quickly, take her to the emergency room!"

Jayden Grant stood frozen, his fingers numb, and momentarily lost control, grabbing Stellan Aston by the collar. "Didn’t you say she was faking it?"

Stellan was also a bit flustered, swatting away Jayden’s hand. "How would I know? She’s always acting. Haven’t you heard the story of ’The Boy Who Cried Wolf’?"

"Don’t worry, she won’t die." May Kendrick, stepping in with her high heels, had the full bearing of a wealthy matron. "Doctor, she has agreed to donate a kidney to our Charlotte. Please check at the same time if her kidney is usable."

The doctor furrowed his brow. "Let’s focus on resuscitation first."

"Dr. Lockwood, your father and George have been close friends for years, so I won’t spell everything out." May Kendrick hinted, clearly wanting the doctor not to make a fuss, to proceed with the transplant since the parties have agreed, all documents would be signed, and even if something went wrong, the doctor and hospital wouldn’t bear much responsibility.

Yvette was taken away by the emergency room staff. Lucas Lockwood stood up, adjusted his white coat, and glanced at Jayden and Stellan. "Ms. Kendrick, I’m just a doctor. It’s my duty to heal the sick and save lives. Beyond that, it doesn’t fall under my professional responsibilities."

"You!" Stellan was somewhat agitated and wanted to say something, but May Kendrick stopped him.

"What’s the hurry? Later, have your dad call his dad. These doctors value face; some things are better left unsaid in public." May Kendrick glanced at Jayden. "Jayden, Charlotte is your fiancée; you have the responsibility to take care of her."

Jayden nodded. "Auntie, I will."

...

Emergency Room.

"Yvette, you have to hold on, you must hold on. Your brother is waiting outside, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid of anything, he’s there with you."

"Yvette, your brother won’t abandon you."

Under the bright lights, Yvette’s consciousness was a bit blurry.

Five years ago, her child was born prematurely, and she narrowly escaped death from massive bleeding.

No one cared about her life or death. Ironically, the brother who stayed outside the ward and always reassured her wasn’t Stellan but Caden Summers, her real brother whom she hadn’t seen in over twenty years.

"Dr. Lockwood, take a look at the patient’s condition. Malnourished for a long time, lots of old and new injuries on her body... Should we report this to the police?" The nurse nervously asked in the examination room.

This woman seemed to have been abused over a long period.

"No need." Lucas furrowed his brow.

He was aware of Yvette Aston, the counterfeit eldest daughter of the Aston Family, who had once shocked the entire city of Meridia five years ago. She must have just been released from prison, so malnutrition was expected.

"Where are the patient’s family members?" Lucas looked up, noticing Jayden quietly smoking outside the doorway.

"She has no family," Jayden answered in a deep voice.

"The patient is very weak. She has sinus bradycardia, likely due to long-term malnutrition and doesn’t meet the criteria for kidney donation." Lucas ignored Jayden and merely issued his notification.

"Lucas Lockwood, right?" Jayden tossed aside his cigarette butt, staring coldly at the doctor. "She’s already agreed to donate, so as a doctor, you shouldn’t interfere too much."

Lucas folded the examination reports with an equally imposing presence, perhaps even more so than Jayden. "I’ll give you two choices: take her home and take care of her, improve her nutrition to the standard weight, and then do the check-up. The other option is to find a suitable match from the volunteer list I provide, and proceed with the transplant quickly."

Jayden furrowed his brow. "I choose the first one."

Having said that, Jayden left.

"Dr. Lockwood, do they have a grudge against this woman? Why insist on her kidney?" The puzzled nurse muttered quietly.

Lucas said nothing, only shook his head.

The feud between the Grant and Aston Families was something he preferred to avoid meddling in.

...

In the ward.

Having exited the emergency room, Yvette leaned against the bedhead, receiving her IV drip.

After the doctors left, Yvette, taking advantage of the moment when no one was in the room, pulled out the IV needle and climbed out of the bathroom window.

She knew the Aston Family and Jayden would not let her go, so she had to find a way to save herself.

Even if it was just for her son, she had to survive.

Five years ago, she narrowly escaped death to give birth to her child...

Even though she didn’t know who the child’s biological father was, the child was innocent.

Yvette never blamed the child and never hated him.

She only knew that he was the continuation of her life, her motivation to cling to life through five years of suffering in prison.

After escaping the hospital, Yvette dialed a number from a telephone booth.

"Finally decided to call me?" On the other end, the man’s voice was low. "I told you, if you want to survive, there’s only one way, and that’s to work with me. If it weren’t for me protecting you all these years, you would have died in prison."

"I agree to try to get close to Ethan..." Yvette’s voice trembled. "But I have no confidence Ethan will be interested in me."

Who was Ethan Grant? The star of the Grant Family, a genius in the business world, standing at the pinnacle of the business food chain.

He was someone beyond Yvette’s current reach.

"Don’t worry, Jayden won’t easily let you go. You will have many opportunities to approach Ethan. You must seize them."