Chapter 109
Finally, the car pulled up in front of a private hospital.
The doctors lifted Eric onto a strecher and rushed him straight to the operating room
Ophelia ran after them, stopping only when a nurse held her back at the door.
Chloe arrived just them, and as soon as she saw the bloodstains Ophelia’s coat, she knew what had happened
Ophelia sat on a chair by the operating room and asked, “What the been doing all this time?”
Chloe replied. “He’s either been downstairs at the studio during the day or outude the shop, Sometimes, he tutori Wyatt in the evenings”
The more normal things seemed, the less they really were.
Ophelia clenched her fists. She thought, How could I have ever believed that? How foolish of me
“Elia, it’s his choice. You can’t change it, Chloe said gently
From what Chloe had observed, Eric was a kind–hearted boy. He was so simple, yet so naive. He seemed our of touch w the world yet desperate to fit in. But it wasn’t that easy.
I know, but Ophelia’s voice faltered. She just wanted Eric to live, to have the chance to be an ordinary boy, living his life in the light. His smile, with small canine teeth, had always been sweet
Just then, the door to the operating room swung open.
Ophelia shot to her feet, her heart skipping a beat. She thought. Why were they out so quickly! Her legs felt like they were made of lead. She couldn’t take a step forward. The color drained from her face.
Chloe stepped up and asked, “How is he?
The nurse said, “He’s lost a lot of blood. We urgently need a transfusion, but the blood bank is low on type A. If we go to another hospital, it might take too long. Are either of you type A
“I–I am” Chloe quickly nodded.
Ophelia let out a breath of relief–at least Eric wasn’t dead. It was only then that she processed what the nurse had said earlier. She hurriedly extended her arm. Tm type A. too.
“That’s great. Both of you, follow me,” the nurse replied, quickly leading them to the blood draw room. But before the transfusion, the nurse had to run a blood test to avoid mistakes
Private hospitali were fast with these things. Within minutes, the nurse returned with the results in hand. “You’re type (A,” said, nodding toward Chlor “You come with me
Ophelia was taken aback. “I’m not?”
The nurse handed Ophelia the results. You’re type O. Rh negative, not A ”
“Are you sure theres no mistake?” Ophelia asked.
The nurse explained patiently. “We have very few patients here right now, so it’s nearly impossible to mix things up.”
Ophelia stared at the test results and frowned deeply.
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Chapter 109.
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When Ophelia had been taken back by the Hastings family, she’d seen the paternity report. It said she was type A, Heather was type A, and Owen was type B. She thought, How could parents with A and B blood types possibly have a child with Of Rh–negative blood? Unless… A realization exploded in her mind,
Ophelia trembled. She said, “Can you check it for me again?”
“Of course.” The nurse drew another vial of blood and filled out the paperwork.
As Ophelia watched the nurse disappear into the lab, her mind went blank. The next few minutes felt like a lifetime. Finally, the nurse came out and handed Ophelia an identical report
Ophelia stared at the words “O Rh–negative” written on the paper. In that instant, something inside her seemed to dissolve.
Ophelia laughed bitterly. In her previous life, she died without ever knowing she wasn’t actually part of the Hastings bloodline. As memories of her past life surged back, a tidal wave of hatred darkened her eyes. No wonder Owen had used her so mercilessly. It all made sense now,
From the moment Ophelia entered the Hastings family, she had been nothing but a pawn, a bargaining chip for their benefit. They sent her to Rosewood Manor for their interest and, later, to that twisted old man.
Perfect, Ophelia thought. At least she didn’t have their filthy blood running through her veins. That was something to be grateful for
Soon after, Chloe donated blood to Eric. Once the two bullets were removed, he was transferred to the ICU. He would have to make it through the next 24 hours before being moved to a regular ward.
Ophelia took Chloe back to Chloe’s apartment and then returned to the hospital, where she spent the night in the nearby
waiting room.
On Monday, at Hastings Group Headquarters, the secretary rushed into the office, flustered. “Mr. Hastings, something terrible has happened”
Owen thought, I’ve heard so much bad news lately. How much worse could it get?‘ He demanded, “Speak.”
The secretary said, “It’s about the houses at Lakeview Cottage, which Mr. Harry oversaw. After they were handed over, several homeowners got sick from formaldehyde poisoning because of poor construction quality.”
“What?” Owen braced himself against the desk, feeling the sharp pulse of pain in his forehead Seal off all information about this. No one can know. Offer each family an extra 30 thousand dollars as hush money. Do not let this get out. Go deal with it right away.”
The secretary replied, “Understood, Mr. Hastings”
Once the secretary left, Owen slumped back into his chair. He thought, Hastings Group wouldn’t survive until next year without new funds coming in
Later that afternoon, Owen returned home. “Heather, come here for a minute”
Heather followed Owen into the study. She knew the company had been going through a lot lately and hadn’t brought up their previous arguments.
“How’s Emily been doing? As her mother, you should be paying more attention to her. Has she been in contact with Max lately?” Owen asked as he took off his jacket and tossed it onto a chair.
“How should I know? She’s locked herself in her room, sulking all day, Heather replied.
Owen sighed, “Honey, I need to tell you something, and you’d better prepare yourself.”
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Chapter 109
Heather felt a wave of unease wash over her at Owen’s words. This was the first time Owen had spoken to her with such a tone. “What is it? Just say it.”
Owen said. “The truth is, our biological daughter is gone. Ophelia isn’t our real daughter. Back when we needed the money from Rosewood Manor, I had someone pick a random girl. She was from the slums, with no parents and no ties. I figured if we gave her food and shelter, she’d be indebted to us.
“But now you’ve seen it yourself. Ophelia has no sense of gratitude, always bullying Emily and going against our family at every turn. We raised a snake in our own nest.”
The weight of the information hit Heather hard. She couldn’t process it all at once. “You…you’re serious?” she asked, her voice shaky.
“Why would I lie to you?” Owen replied, pulling two paternity tests from the drawer. “The one on top is the fake I had made. The one below is the real one.”
Heather stared at the papers and finally believed Owen. “All this time, I treated her like my own daughter, and everything she has now is thanks to the Hastings family. And yet she dares to go against us? What an ungrateful wretch.”
Owen wrapped his arm around Heather’s shoulders, gently consoling her, though a flash of malice flickered in his eyes.
