- Chapter 486
- Diana stormed out, too angry to think straight, barefoot and crying without a care for her image.
- Aaron barked, “Fine, you can leave, but delete the stuff on your phone first!”
- Hearing Aaron’s infuriating voice behind her, Diana stopped and took her phone out of her bag, handing it to Aaron.
- Aaron quietly deleted the “stuff” from Diana’s phone and gave it back to her. Watching as Diana angrily walked away, he didn’t follow her. He bent down, picked up Diana’s high heels, and placed them in his car.
- Aaron stood by his car, gazing down at a broken platinum diamond bracelet in his hand. It was the one Diana had worn today and had accidentally snapped during their tussle.
- Aaron stared at the broken bracelet in his hand, feeling increasingly upset.
- “Aaron, let’s head back, Ellie said after she finally got Yvette and Quinlee to leave. Learning that Diana had already gone, she got into the car with her mind in a flurry. She was eager to get home and use the pregnancy test to see if she was pregnant.
- Seeing the high heels on the passenger seat floor, Ellie turned to Aaron and said, “You know what Diana’s temper is like. She can’t handle being provoked. We’ll figure out what to do about Mom’s medication later, so don’t blame her.”
- “I’m saying this for her own good. She’s so immature and impulsive; she’ll run out of luck sooner or later,” Aaron said with a serious expression. “Let her calm down first, and I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”
- They returned to the Thompson residence, each lost in their thoughts. Ellie immediately locked her bedroom door and rushed to the bathroom to take a pregnancy test.
- Looking at the two lines quickly appearing on the test strip, Ellie collapsed weakly beside the toilet, almost fainting. She was gripping the pregnancy test so tightly that her slender fingers turned white at the knuckles. Her face was equally pale, devoid of any color.
- She secretly went for several check–ups, and each time the results were the same: her follicles were developing abnormally, and she couldn’t get pregnant. Ironically, she actually did get pregnant–with the child of a man she never wanted to see again in her life.
- If she chose to terminate the pregnancy, there was no guarantee she could ever get pregnant again. But if she kept the baby, she and Alex would be tied together for life.
- She broke down silently, her hand shaking uncontrollably on the edge of the toilet. She stared blankly at the pregnancy test in her hand, her eyes empty and filled with endless despair and helplessness.
- Destined for a sleepless night, Ellie came downstairs late the next day. She tried to act normal, sitting next to Joanna and chatting with everyone. But her mind was buzzing so much that she couldn’t hear anything.
- “Ellie, what do you think?” Whitney smiled at Ellie, but noticed she was spaced out.
- “Ellie, why do you look so pale these past few days?” Joanna nudged Ellie’s arm, finally snapping her back to reality.
- “Uh, maybe it’s because I’ve been working night shifts lately,” Ellie said sheepishly, noticing the curious looks from everyone. She wasn’t ready to tell anyone she was pregnant with Alex’s child until she decided whether to keep it.
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- At 6 PM, Ellie left early to work her night shift at the hospital. After more than an hour’s drive, she didn’t arrive until after 7
- PM.
- Ellie went into the staff hallway and sent Aaron a message as she walked, letting him know she had arrived safely at the hospital. After sending the message, Ellie suddenly felt like someone was following her. She quickly turned around but didn’t see anyone.
- Relieved it was a false alarm, Ellie walked faster. After a few more steps, that feeling came back, like someone was watching her from behind. Staying calm, Ellie moved quicker, reached into her bag to take out a stainless steel case, and pulled out the largest needle.
- She suddenly started running and slipped into a small storage room behind the restroom. Through the crack in the door, Ellie soon saw a stranger hanging around outside the storage room entrance.
- With determination, Ellie quickly opened the door and accurately stuck the needle into the man’s pressure point. With a dull thud, the man fell to the ground.
- Ellie carefully approached, holding the needle. She gently kicked the man to check for a reaction. Seeing none, she knelt to remove his mask and call the police.
- Barry, concealed in the shadows, watched as Ellie incapacitated his henchman with a single needle. Not only that, but she had mistaken his subordinate for a stalker and called the police. Barry hurriedly stepped out from the shadows. “Ms. Thompson!” he called, nervously bowing his head.
- Seeing Barry, Ellie’s expression shifted several times. “Have you guys been following me these days?”
- Barry replied, “Mr. Warren is worried about your safety, so…”
- With a stern look, Ellie warned, “I don’t need your protection. From now on, don’t follow me, or I’ll call the police!”
- Barry, with some hesitation, called Alex. Once the call was answered, Barry said, “Mr. Warren, Ms. Thompson found out about my men.”
- There was silence on the other end for a moment, and then Alex suddenly spoke a few words in Terranovan before hanging
- up.
- Ellie couldn’t understand and asked Barry, “What did he say?”
- Barry said, “Mr. Warren told me to do as you say and pull everyone back.” Watching Ellie leave, Barry nervously wiped the sweat from his forehead. If he kept sticking to his boss like this, he might lose it soon.
- *****
- Maybe it was because she was pregnant and more sensitive now, but perhaps the stranger who had been following her was long gone. After that false alarm, Ellie kept reassuring herself.
- “Dr. Thompson, there’s a package for you,” a colleague called out to her as she passed by the mailroom.
- The hospital had a rule that doctors couldn’t receive packages during work hours. Seeing she still had some time, Ellie decided to take the package and put it in her car.
- Looking at the fresh label on the foam box, Ellie couldn’t help but frown. She didn’t recall ordering any seafood online. With the delivery marked as confidential, and both the buyer and seller listed as virtual, Ellie’s curiosity grew.
- Standing by the elevator, she eagerly opened the package. “Ah!” Ellie screamed as the contents slipped from her hands, causing her to faint from shock.
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- A few colleagues and two security guards rushed towards Ellie, and more screams echoed.
- “Mr. Warren, Ms. Thompson is in trouble!” Barry called out, running towards Ellie while alerting Alex.
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- Watching the doctors perform CPR on Ellie, Barry’s eyes fell on the bloody box beside her. The open foam box revealed blood all over.
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- ༥ ༩ 40%2
- +5
- When Ellie woke up, she found a doctor examining her. She brushed away the ultrasound probe, turned over, and slowly got off the examination bed despite feeling weak.
- She wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep the baby, and she couldn’t let anyone find out she was pregnant.
- Remembering the gruesome scene from the package she opened before she fainted made her stomach churn. She couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time and bent over to vomit into a trash can.
- “Thanks,” Ellie said, accepting the mouthwash and tissues from a colleague..
- To avoid holding up other patients, a colleague helped Ellie out of the observation room. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, Ellie took deep breaths to calm herself.
- She always kept a low profile and never offended anyone easily. But someone who knew her name, work hours, and even the department she recently transferred to must be very familiar with her, at least an acquaintance.
- Whoever sent her the package wasn’t just playing a prank; they were threatening her. Ellie was filled with fear, and her legs gave way as she leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down.
- Alex rushed out of the doctor’s office and caught Ellie as she started to slide down. “Are you finished with all the tests? Is your head still dizzy?”
- Hearing Alex’s voice, Ellie slowly opened her eyes. She pushed Alex away and asked, “Was it you who asked the doctor to run the tests on me?”
- Alex replied with a simple “Yeah,” his hands raised, ready to catch Ellie if her unsteady body threatened to fall.
- Just like that, Ellie slapped Alex hard, making his head turn to the side.
- By the doorway, Barry heard the sharp sound of the slap on Alex’s face and instinctively covered his own face.
- “What right do you have to have them run tests on me?!” Ellie’s hand, resting on the corridor wall, couldn’t stop trembling.
- If she’d woken up just a bit later, she couldn’t have hidden her pregnancy. If her coworkers found out, they’d probably just gossip behind her back, calling her names for being immoral because she’s unmarried and pregnant.
- But if Alex knew she was having his child, he was so selfish that he’d try everything to force her to keep the baby and then take it away. She was absolutely sure of that.
- Alex pressed his tongue into his cheek. With a deep voice full of clear concern, he said, “I’ve asked the doctor to call Aaron. Take a few days off and go home with him to rest until this is all sorted out. Leave the rest to me!”
- Ellie took deep breaths to calm herself. Her trembling hand pointed to the end of the corridor, and she said with disgust, “I don’t need you interfering in my life. Go away! Without you, my life wouldn’t be a mess! To me, you’re a nightmare!”
- Alex gave Ellie a deep look, moved his lips as if to speak, but didn’t say anything. Then he turned and left.
- Barry, who had been waiting by the door, saw Alex coming out with his face covered and quickly followed him. “Mr. Warren, are you really okay with leaving Ms. Thompson in there alone?”
- “If I stay, it’ll just make her angrier! I’ve instructed Ellie’s coworker to call Aaron. Until Aaron arrives, keep a close eye on things!” Alex quickened his pace and stepped into the elevator.
- ***
- Over ten minutes later, Alex was sitting in the back seat of a sleek black luxury car parked at the hospital’s emergency lot, his
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- eyes fixed on the entrance of the emergency building through the window.
- “Mr. Warren, the results are in,” Barry said as he got into the back seat and raised the partition.
- “Speak!” Alex’s eyes flashed with a moment of cruelty.
- ས .40% –
- +5
- Barry reported, “The surveillance footage shows that Ms. Thompson’s package was delivered by the courier this afternoon. The police have already talked to the delivery guy and the hospital mailroom staff.
- “They found out that while the courier stopped at a grocery store to buy water, a little kid, around four or five years old, tossed the package inside.”
- Alex frowned, “A kid that’s only four or five years old?!”
- “Yes, a kid about that age. According to the police investigation, the only useful information the kid could provide was that a lady bought her an ice cream and asked her to help put it on the delivery truck.
- “The area the kid pointed out doesn’t have any surveillance cameras, so it looks like the person planned this ahead and scoped out the place carefully.”
- “Keep looking into it, and assign more people to watch her around the clock!” Alex ordered as Barry got out of the car.
- After Barry left, Alex didn’t leave the hospital. He rolled down the car window, lit a cigarette, and quietly watched in the direction of the emergency building.
- Aaron quickly ran into the hospital building and then led Ellie out to the car.
- “Keep up,” Alex told the driver to follow Aaron’s car. He didn’t leave until he saw Aaron’s car drive safely through the gates of the Thompson residence.
- *****
- In the middle of the night, the master bedroom on the second floor of the Warren Manor was pitch–black. Alex, wearing
- only a bathrobe, paced around with a cigarette in his mouth.
- The dark room was lit only by the occasional glow of the cigarette and the sound of Alex’s heavy breathing.
- Alex thought, ‘Planned stalking followed by retreat. Perfectly timed delivery of a threatening package during Ellie’s work hours. Using a three–to–four–year–old child to watch the blind spots for the young women.
- Thoughts swirled in his mind, piecing together Diana’s previous revelations about Ellie being stalked by a creep and the scattered bits Barry had uncovered over this time.
- Suddenly, a woman’s image popped into Alex’s mind. With a click, he turned on the light and rushed into the dressing room. Ten minutes later, Alex was dressed and heading downstairs.
- Barry had been dragged out of bed by Alex, and now he was driving near the Grant Manor in the dead of night.
- Barry lowered the car window to glance at the manor’s back door across the street, and then turned to Alex, “Do you need me to go over and knock?”
- “Are you sure you lost the person tracking Ellie near the residence?” Alex looked around calmly before his back door.
- gaze
- rested on the
- “Yes, Mr. Warren, that day we almost got him, but he managed to escape here and we lost him. This area belongs to the Grant Manor; our people didn’t dare to search around freely, so they had to pull back for now.”
- “Get some clever ones to keep a constant watch on Quinlee!”
- 2/3
- 21:53 Sun, 23 FebNN
- Chapter 488
- “Mr. Warren, Quinlee is the sister of Winnie. It…”
- 40%
- Alex’s cold and harsh eyes slowly narrowed. “No matter how strong her connections are, keep a tight watch on her!” Alex instructed, “If anything seems suspicious, you don’t have to give face to anyone!”
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- 40%
- Quinlee kept claiming she was Orion’s fiancée and Ellie’s friend, yet she’s always being overly nice to Alex, making all sorts of hints, and badmouthing Ellie. Every word Quinlee had ever said about Ellie was full of malice.
- Ever since Ellie’s incident, Alex had thought of countless possibilities but had missed noticing Quinlee, the two–faced, sly
- woman.
- At the same time, at the Thompson residence in West Suburb No. 7, Ellie looked at her family’s worried faces and truthfully recounted how she had been followed these past few days.
- Initially, she was afraid her family would worry, but now things were much more serious than she had thought, and she had no choice but to speak up.
- Even now, she was still unsure about who the other person was. By sharing her concerns, her family could be more cautious.
- Jason asked, “Have you managed to identify any suspicious people around you?”
- Ellie shook her head. She had checked everyone around her but hadn’t yet identified anyone with malicious intent toward her.
- Aaron spent the whole night with a worried expression, watching Ellie look so thin and tired, unable to hide his concern. “The police are already investigating. Take a few days off to rest at home and wait for the results,” he suggested.
- Ellie nodded obediently. For several days, she had been continually followed, leaving her extremely tense. With the unexpected pregnancy and the horrifying package she received that day, everything was wearing her out both physically and mentally. Now, she didn’t even have the strength to speak.
- “Let’s not discuss these upsetting things so late at night. Maybe the police will catch that bad guy tomorrow,” Whitney suggested since everyone was feeling down and Ellie looked especially miserable. She quickly changed the subject.
- “I’ve got some good news! I’m three months pregnant!” She revealed the pregnancy test results she had been keeping hidden.
- As soon as Whitney spoke, the atmosphere in the living room became celebratory, and smiles appeared on everyone’s faces.
- Jason explained, “Joanna, the child is still very young, so I asked Whitney to wait before announcing it earlier.”
- Joanna felt genuine joy and said, “You did the right thing.”
- Aaron was the first to offer congratulations. “Congrats, Jason, Whitney!”
- “Congrats, Jason, Whitney!” Ellie repeated Aaron’s words, looking a bit dazed.
- Seeing her whole family happy, Ellie involuntarily placed a hand on her stomach. She wondered, ‘If I told them I am expecting a child too, would they be happy for me?‘
- With a downward glance, Ellie thought they wouldn’t be. Her family wouldn’t rejoice over her having Alex’s child; they’d just worry about her all the time.
- The next morning, after breakfast, Aaron went to work while Ellie took a day off to rest at home. She went out to the yard to tend to some orchids when Whitney walked up to her.
- Seeing the unstoppable smile on Whitney’s face, Ellie couldn’t help but ask, “Whitney, is having your own child really that
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- important?”
- Whitney’s smile froze instantly at Ellie’s sudden question. Realizing Ellie’s special situation, Whitney quickly reassured her, “If a woman can be financially and mentally independent, getting married or having kids isn’t that significant.”
- Whitney said, “I’m a bit different from others. I just want to have a son for Jason. This child inside me shares my heartbeat and breath, and you can’t imagine how thankful I am.”
- Ellie felt genuinely happy for Whitney and Jason. But as soon as she thought about having Alex’s child in her belly, her heart sank.
- Life is the only irreplaceable treasure in the world. Ellie was a doctor, a protector of life. However, she really didn’t want to have this child.
- But she was afraid that if she got an abortion, she would regret ending its life, and she’s worried she might never have the chance to be a mom again.
- Whitney exclaimed, “Where’s the alarm going off again?”
- Ellie looked around. Jason had installed top–notch military–grade security in this house, even a bird flying by would trigger the sensors.
- “Get down!” Just as Ellie spotted the drone in the yard, Jason was already rushing towards it.
- Jason sprinted forward and threw the military knife in his hand into the sky. The blade hit the drone’s propeller, making a brief noise, followed by a loud “crack“-the drone crashed into a flowerpot in the garden.
- Ellie and Whitney rushed over, but the once healthy green leaves of the potted plant were now horribly corroded by some unknown liquid.
- “This drone is carrying some unknown corrosive liquid. Back away!” Jason warned, as Ellie quickly pulled Whitney back.
- Whitney, clutching her chest with a pale face, exclaimed, “Who would be so bold to attack people at the Thompson residence with a drone in broad daylight?”
- Jason looked at Ellie. “This drone seems to be targeting Ellie.”
- Ellie took deep breaths to steady herself. When Jason mentioned that the drone was carrying an unknown corrosive liquid, she knew it was aimed at her.
- “Even though there are guards at the estate and surveillance outside, this new drone can be remote–controlled from about six miles away. Even if we knew exactly where the person was hiding, with the local traffic, it would take at least ten minutes to drive there.
- “This person is an expert, so be extra careful when you go out from now on! You all go inside; I’ll get someone to collect evidence, Jason ordered.
- Ellie nervously returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. She couldn’t even find peace at home.
- **
- In a stuffy rental apartment at the border of two towns in the southwest suburbs, Quinlee impatiently removed her mask.
- “We just moved to this place, please try to make do,” a man said. “The person following me is a bodyguard hired by the Warren family. If I slow down, I might be in real trouble.”
- Watching the young man sitting on the folding bed in his tank top and shorts, eating instant noodles in front of a fan, a flicker of sadness crossed Quinlee’s eyes.
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- She had lived at the Owens residence for over twenty years.
- 40%
- Even after Alex disfigured her and injected her with drugs before throwing her into “hell,” the Owens never gave up on her. They spent a lot of money to secretly send her to the best hospital in Yorksure for treatment.
- Her younger brother, who had listened to her since they were kids, was closest to her.
- But she could do nothing. She wasn’t really Haley. She was Quinlee, the second daughter of the Janssen family. The real Haley had died at sea long ago.
- +5
- To make Ellie disappear for good and to make Alex regret his actions, Quinlee had no choice but to go after Logan, who had raised her for over twenty years.
- It was such a shame; Logan never knew until he died that the daughter he had lovingly raised wasn’t his biological child at all.
- Quinlee was determined to make Alex regret and make Ellie pay the price.
- Suppressing her last trace of sympathy for the Owens, Quinlee calmly said, “I asked you to find a way to kill that witch Ellie, not just play hide and seek to frighten her away!”
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- Ethan shouted, “I don’t want to kill anyone. I just want to know how my dad and sister died!”
- 40%
- Ethan jumped out of bed and angrily threw the instant noodle box outside. As the sole heir of the Owens family, he was framed by Aaron and sent to prison.
- Now, finally free, he discovered not only that his family was bankrupt, but that his father has died and his sister is missing.
- Ethan said, “We had an agreement! I did as you suggested and intimidated Ellie so you would tell me where my sister is and how my dad really died!
- “Didn’t you say you were my sister’s friend? Then tell me where she is now. I need to find her and let her know about Dad’s death!”
- Quinlee watched Ethan’s reaction, nervously gripping her purse. No matter what, she couldn’t let Ethan find out that she was his beloved sister, Haley Owens.
- Luckily, before Ethan was released from jail, Quinlee deceived Evelyn, saying she got money from the Janssen family for Ethan’s house, wedding, and living expenses. For her only son, Evelyn would rather die than reveal Quinlee’s secret.
- At the time, Quinlee only told Evelyn and Logan that she had cosmetic surgery to look like the second daughter of the Janssen family and had been mistakenly taken into the Janssen family.
- She didn’t disclose to them the truth she found out. Years ago, the Owens and Janssens‘ children were switched at birth, and she wasn’t really Haley Owens, but actually the real second daughter of the Janssen family.
- Fortunately, she had a contingency plan from the beginning, or else Evelyn and Logan wouldn’t have trusted her so much and allowed her to manipulate things.
- “I originally didn’t want to be honest with you, but since you asked, I’ll tell you the truth.” Quinlee pretended to shed a couple of tears.
- “Before your dad died, he came to me. He said Mr. Warren planned the Owens‘ bankruptcy, saying that the Warren family’s bodyguards were after him. He asked to borrow money, saying that once you were out of prison, you, he, and your mom would hide in the countryside.
- “I didn’t have much money at the time, so I told him to wait while I gathered some for him. But the day after he went back, he jumped off a building!” Quinlee said.
- Ethan stood in the small apartment, shocked, as he asked, “What about my sister?!”
- Quinlee paused for a moment and said, “Your sister has actually been dead for a long time!”
- “I don’t believe it!”
- “It was Mr. Warren who tricked your sister to the border of the three states, wrecked her face, and then that bitch Ellie injected her with lots of drugs before making her a hooker.”
- As Quinlee continued speaking, her voice grew shrill and her mouth began to twitch. “I was a good friend of your sister. Before she died, she reached out to me.
- “She wanted me to pass on a message, saying you were her favorite brother and asking you to avenge her once you got out. Your sister didn’t rest in peace!”
- Ethan’s eyes were bloodshot as he lay limp on the cold floor of the cramped apartment.
- Quinlee casually took a couple of steps closer. She said slyly, “You’re a wealthy heir, and not only did Aaron personally put you in jail, ruining your life, but the inheritance that should’ve been yours was completely destroyed by Alex.
