Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Chapter 74 Catching A Cold
A breeze flew by that early morning, and the once-clear sky turned dark in an instant.
Accompanied by a gust of wind, large droplets of rain began to fall, causing the already-chilly weather to turn even colder.
A black Maybach sped on the road at three in the morning before arriving at the entrance of Mansion No. 3, Square Garden.
Seeing that, a butler walked toward the vehicle immediately while holding an umbrella. “Good morning, Mrs. Xander,” he greeted respectfully upon opening the door for the woman seated inside.
“How is Zack?”
Yvonne had received a phone call from the Xander residence informing her that Zack had fallen ill.
In response, she had left Quentin abroad and flown back home right away, not caring that negotiations on their current project had not gone through.
Despite having been married for many years, the couple only had one son as they were constantly busy with work.
Environmental protection was a budding industry that had gained much attention, and its future prospects seemed endless. But at the end of the day, all of Quentin and Yvonne’s hard work was merely to pave the way for their son.
The couple had always felt remorseful for not spending enough time with Zack as a child because of work. Given how much Yvonne doted on him, it was no surprise that she had come rushing back after hearing about his condition.
“His fever isn’t subsiding even after medication,” reported Howard Zahn, the family butler. “Dr. Abbott’s currently giving him a jab for the fever.”
“How did he get so sick all of a sudden?”
With a furrow of her brows, Yvonne walked swiftly into the mansion, her feet not stopping even once.
Zack was born with a silver spoon, but yesterday, he had gone to the Xander residence without eating breakfast, only to be hit and left to kneel outside in the cold rain. He then fell ill right after coming home at night.
The doctor was just done administering a shot when the two walked into Zack’s room. “Good morning, Mrs. Xander.”
“How is he doing, Dr. Abbott?”
Yvonne immediately teared up at the sight of her son lying in bed, his face having turned red due to the fever.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Xander. It’s just a cold. He’ll be fine once the fever subsides.”
“I’m sorry to trouble you at this hour.” In spite of her angst, Yvonne did not forget to be courteous.
“Not at all,” the doctor answered while packing up his medical kit. “Be sure to only give Mr. Zack mild foods when he wakes up. He also needs to get plenty of rest.”
“All right.” Yvonne nodded. “Please see Dr. Abbott off, Howard.”
After watching the two leave, she grabbed a wet towel from the bathroom to wipe her son’s face with.
As she dimmed the lights to ensure Zack could sleep better, she finally noticed the bruises on his face, and her pupils dilated in shock.
“Get some rest, Mrs. Xander,” advised Howard as he returned to the room. “You’ll fall sick if you stay up after such a long journey home. Leave Mr. Zack to me—”
“What happened to his face?” Yvonne demanded before the butler had finished speaking.
Someone obviously hit him!
She had never laid a finger on her son all these years, and yet he was now here with a face full of injuries.
Howard instantly felt the air tense up as Yvonne’s words fell, and he noticed her expression turning grim.
Lowering his head slightly, the butler explained, “I heard from the person who dropped Mr. Zack home from the Xander residence saying that it’s Mr. Jonathan who hit him, although it wasn’t mentioned why. Mr. Jonathan also…”
“He also what?”
Yvonne narrowed her eyes as Howard trailed off.
“He also made Mr. Zack kneel outside the house. That’s why he’s caught a cold, and his fever isn’t going down.”
Howard was already shaking as he described exactly what had happened. Knowing how Yvonne’s love for her son had no bounds, he knew she would be angered by Jonathan’s actions. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
Coupled with the fact that Quentin was not at home, a huge fight would surely ensue if she were to demand justice for her son.
Even so, Howard could only report every information he had received, for he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the incident a secret.
As expected, Yvonne immediately jumped to her feet in rage. “I wouldn’t have said anything if the boy’s uncle only made him kneel, but how dare he hit him? This is too much! I’m going to see Jonathan right now!”
With that, she prepared to storm out of the room. Snapping back to his senses, Howard hastily stopped her despite his worries.
“It’s still raining outside, Mrs. Xander! Besides, they’re still resting at this hour. It’d be trouble if you woke Old Mr. and Mrs. Xander up!”
“Well, wouldn’t that be ideal? I’ll make Jonathan explain himself in front of his parents for hitting my son!” Yvonne was so enraged that her body trembled.
“But Mr. Zack still needs care. He’ll need to be hospitalized if his fever worsens! What would we do if you’re not home?”
At the mention of her son, Yvonne finally came to her senses.
Disregarding her wrath, she stopped in her tracks and responded with slight fatigue, “Get some rest, Howard. I’ll take care of him.”
“Yes, Mrs. Xander.”
Howard quickly scurried out of the room.
Still, the seeds of hatred had already been planted, and there was no escaping the internal strife that would soon plague this household.
Someone else was just as frantic on this rainy morning.
Clad in a white bathrobe, a sleepless Lucille stood beside a window in Room 507 of the Yannick Hotel, gazing out at the pouring rain as she recalled yesterday’s events.
She didn’t leave right away after being chased out of the Xander residence. Instead, she remained outside waiting for Zack for a long time, getting her clothes soaked in the process.
When Zack never emerged out of the house, she then took a cab back to the condominium, only to see the door grill unlocked as several large men were seen rapidly going through all the things inside the building.
“Who are you guys? What are you doing inside my place?” asked Lucille in a panic.
One of the men turned around with a taunting smile. “Is there some sort of misunderstanding, Miss? This building belongs to Stanplex Corporation. It’s not your personal property. These, however, are your items. So please take them and leave.”
While speaking, the man grabbed a box from his subordinate and tossed it in front of Lucille. However, just as he was about to turn and close the door, Lucille screamed at him, “This is Zack Xander’s condominium! We haven’t moved out yet, so what you’re doing is trespassing! I can sue you if I want to!”
“Sure. Go ahead then!” the man replied with a sneer before slamming the door shut.
There was no questioning that everything Lucille had experienced was carried out at the behest of Jonathan.
Alas, not even the Lingard family had the power to retaliate, let alone her while she was on her own.
After leaving the condominium, Lucille then found a nearby hotel to crash in. Yet, she never heard from Zack, and his phone was eventually switched off after multiple attempts at calling him.
An ominous feeling rose in her chest. It seemed as though something bad was about to happen.
Is all my effort really about to go to waste?