Chapter 308
Caitlin was about to ask Sienna about the strange marks on Teresa’s hands when, just in time, Sienna arrived with Zeke at the hospital room.
“Caitlin, Zeke is here.”
“Zeke!” Caitlin stood up to greet him as Zeke walked over and glanced at Teresa, lying on the bed. “Is Teresa okay?”
“She’s fine now,” Caitlin replied, giving him a slight look of reproach. “You shouldn’t have sent them to protect me. If not, Teresal wouldn’t have been injured.”
“It’s fine,” Zeke explained, “It’s my responsibility to protect you. I didn’t expect someone would actually try to attack you.”
Just then, Sebastian walked in, his tone sharp, “Who knows if the attacker was arranged by you? If you wanted to show off in front of Caitlin, you should’ve come and played the hero yourself. Wouldn’t that have been better?”
Zeke turned to face him, their gazes locking, and the air grew tense.
“What do you mean by that, Mr. Vanderbilt? You think I arranged the attack?” Zeke asked, his expression darkening.
“Whether you did or not, Zeke, you should know best. Why would your people show up just when the attack happened?” Sebastian shot back.
The tension between the two men was palpable. They clearly had a history of mutual disdain.
“Alright, enough of this,” Caitlin interjected, pulling Sebastian out of the room. “Teresa needs rest. We can talk outside.”
Zeke followed them, giving Sienna a brief command as he walked past, “Take care of Teresa.”
“Of course, Zeke.”
In the hospital corridor, Caitlin hooked her arm around Sebastian’s. “Can you stop picking fights with him?”
Sebastian scowled. “I can’t stand his attitude.”
“Well, let’s just forget it for now.” Caitlin glanced back, noticing that Zeke was following them. She didn’t want another argument, especially not in front of him.
“Caitlin, wait!” Zeke called out as they reached the door.
Caitlin stopped, and Sebastian turned back, his eyes narrowed, as if warning Zeke to behave.
“What’s the matter, Zeke?” Caitlin asked.
“Tomorrow evening, I’m hosting a celebration for SY Capital Partners‘ entry into the US, aboard
ise. I’d like you to come.”
Caitlin nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Zeke hesitated, then added, “And, would you be willing to be my companion for the evening?”
Sebastian’s brow furrowed, his suspicions about Zeke’s intentions clear.
Before Caitlin could answer, Sebastian wrapped his arms around her protectively, boldly claiming, “Sorry, Caitlin will be my
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Chapter 308
companion. You can forget about it. If she’s going, I’ll be accompanying her. Is that alright with you, Zeke?”
Zeke’s face stiffened. He couldn’t argue with Sebastian’s claim, though his displeasure was evident.
“Of course, Mr. Vanderbilt. I look forward to your presence at the event.” Zeke’s voice was tight as he quickly walked away clearly still holding onto his own plans.
After Zeke left, Caitlin sighed. “Why do you always intentionally provoke him?”
Sebastian grinned. “He has intentions toward you, so it’s only natural I get under his skin.”
Caitlin smirked, rolling her eyes. “What’s the matter? Jealous?”
“Jealous? I’m not jealous. I’m just defending what’s mine,” he said, leaning in closer to her. “By the way, I’ve got an idea that might resolve all our issues.”
“What’s that?”
“You marry me, and Zeke will completely give up. As for me, I’ll stop being hostile toward him.”
“Dream on!” Caitlin laughed at the thought, giving him a playful punch.
Sebastian caught her fist, grinning even wider. “The more I think about it, the more I realize I’m the lucky one. After all, I’ve got you.”
“Stop being so cheesy!” Caitlin smacked him again, trying to hide her smile.
“How do you know I’m cheesy? Am I cheesy? Want to test it?” he teased.
“Go away!” Caitlin laughed, finally feeling the weight of her worries lift, if only for a moment.
“Come on, let’s go check on my sister,” Sebastian said, tugging her towards Molly’s room.
When they arrived, the room looked more like a party venue than a hospital room. The bed was surrounded by balloons, colorful lights hung from the ceiling, and posters of Yates covered the walls. There were fresh flowers everywhere, giving the room a festive feel.
“Looks like my sister’s obsession with Yates is a bit much,” Sebastian muttered as they entered.
“Molly, we’re here to see you.”
“Molly,” Caitlin called out, smiling.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Molly greeted them enthusiastically. “Do you like my room? It’s all thanks to Mr. Smith here.”
She then gave them a mischievous look. “That Smith is totally crazy about me, but I haven’t s
syet.”
“Why not? Smith’s not bad,” Sebastian teased.
“Not bad? I don’t like him like that. I’m not just going to be some easy girl!” Molly proudly declared.
Sebastian sighed. The girl’s brain was still recovering, even though she had been a little obsessed with Simon before her injury. Now, she’d forgotten all about it.
09:43 Fri, 1 Aug G
Chapter 308
At that moment, Simon walked in, holding a tray of Molly’s favorite snacks. When he saw Caitlin and Sebastian, ha awkwardly greeted them. “Caitlin, Mr. Vanderbilt, you’re both here,”
He walked over to Molly, offering her the food. “Here, eat these while they’re fresh.”
“Thanks, Smith,” Molly said eagerly, not hesitating to dig in.
“Take it slow, you don’t want to choke,” Simon advised, watching her with gentle eyes.
Caitlin glanced at Sebastian, then turned to leave the room. “Let them have their moment. They’re clearly happy, so why ruin it?”
As they stepped outside, Tyler and his team were waiting, and he immediately approached them with news.
“Mr. Vanderbilt, we need to brief you about The Silent Order.”
Caitlin was curious too. She wondered how things had gone with Sebastian’s attempt to raid their hideout.
Sebastian made a gesture to move to a quieter place, and they followed him.
“What’s the situation?”
“Well, we made our move, but when we arrived, The Silent Order’s hideout was empty. It seems they got wind of the raid and fled. We have no idea where they went.”
“So, the operation failed?” Caitlin asked.
Tyler nodded. “Yes, it seems like the plan didn’t work.”
“Who leaked the information?” Sebastian asked, his tone full of suspicion.
“I don’t think it was our people,” Tyler said thoughtfully. “It’s more likely that they didn’t finish their mission. They probably knew your brother was still alive and that information might get out, so they abandoned the hideout.”
Caitlin’s suspicion made sense, and Sebastian nodded. Still, he turned to Tyler and gave a new order.
“Keep searching for any clues about The Silent Order. Don’t let them slip through our fingers.”
“Understood,” Tyler replied before leaving.
Soon after, Xavi called, saying they had found new leads and needed them for identification.
“Let’s go, Xavi has new information!” Sebastian said, and they headed off together.
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