Chapter 202
In the hallway outside the hospital’s emergency mom, Xena kept wiping at her tears, her eyes red and swollen.
“Aunt Kena, what happened to my dad?” Charlotte asked urgently, her face filled with worry.
Xenachoked back a sob as she spoke. “He said he was just going out to the stairwell for a smoke. I noticed he hadn’t come back for a while, so I went to check on him and her voice broke, “Topened the emergency door and found him lying on the ground unconscious. There was a pool of blood under his head..”
Charlotte stood frozen, her gaze hollow. “How could this happen.” she whispered.
dad just went to have acigarette, “Xenaried. “How could he have fallen like that? He’s not that old, and he’s always been steady on his feet…”
Xena’s words hit Charlotte like a slap
It was him.
Joseph bord.
It had to be him.
He couldn’t get to Sean. He couldn’t find her. So now he was going after the people around her. He was trying to smoke her out.
Charlotte’s lips began to tremble with fury. Her chest bamed with rage.
Why? Why did Joseph Ford keep hurting her family?
First Jodie, now her father.
Her hands clenched into fists, fingemails digging into her palms. Her legal training, her self–control–everything was gone in that moment.
All she could think about was evenge
Joseph Ford.
She wouldn’t forget that nan
rume
Desmond was stabilized and transferred to a private r
recovery room.
Two bodyguards stood at the door, one on each side.
Xene approached with a thennos and paused, confused. “Who are you two?”
Charlotte opened the door froin inside. “Aunt Xena, I don’t think what happened to my dad was an accident. These bodyguards were sent by Sean to protect him.” Xen frowned. “What do you mean?
“Come in I’ll explain everything. ”
Ten minutes later, Xena’s face had gone pale with shock. Her voice was low and uneasy. “So… Joseph Ford, Sean’s half–brother, is trying to lure you out by hurting your family?”
Charlotte nodded, her expression grim.
“Everyone needs to be on high alert,” she said. “Aunt Xena, you should start bringing bodyguards with you too. And Jodie shouldn’t go to school for now. The men who kidnapped her last time worked for Joseph”
“Alright,” Kena said, visibly shaken. “I’ll hire a tutor to come to the house.”
“Make sure it’s someone trustworthy, Vet their background carefully. I’m wonded someone might try to pose as a tutor and get inside the house.”
*I’ll hire the ore we use
cope we used before. She’s reliable.”
“Thank you, Aunt Xena “Charlotte rubbed her temples, exhaustion creeping into her voice. “How’s Jodie doing? Did yesterday scare her?”
Sena shook her head. “No. She didn’t see anything. Your dad collapsed near the end of the party. I just told her he had to leave early for something
“Good. 1 ve Sean assign a few more highly trained bodyguards for you and Jodie.”
“Thank you.”
The next aftemoon, Sean finally arrived at the hospital after wrapping up his livestigation.
Xena sat by the hospital bed, carefully helping Desmond take his medicine.
Charlotte sat on the couch nearby, a laptop and a case file spread out on the small round table in front of her. She worked quietly, staying by her father’s side.
Sean pushed open the door. Behind him, his assistant sam set several large gift bags and fruit baskets down on the table.
“Sorry I couldn’t come earlier,” Sean sald, walking toward the
e bed. “After the incident, I was tied up investigating the attacker,”
Desmond gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment
Charlotte looked up from her screen. “Did you find him?”
“I did.”
Her eyes flared with Intensity. “Where is he now?”
“He’s in police custody. But Joseph made sure to cover his tracks. We’ve only managed to arrest the man who carried out the attack. For now, there’s not enough to bring charges against Joseph himself.”
P
