Chapter 637 Playing the Victim
Hearing the name "Jake," Sophia shot Ruth a puzzled look.
"Grandma, what's up with him?"
"He's a rival of the Lancaster Group. Grew up in Country M, and his background's pretty shady. We don't have proof it was him, but we can't rule him out."
Sophia wanted to say Jake was a good guy, not the type to go after Gabriel, his competitor, like that.
Ruth turned to her. "Sophia, I know Jake saved you and the kids. He's been good to you and our family, but business is a different beast."
"We're not jumping to conclusions, but we need to dig deeper."
Sophia nodded, "Got it, Grandma."
She remembered how Gabriel and Jake always clashed, like they were sworn enemies.
Sophia wondered, 'Could it really be Jake? Could someone so kind really want to hurt Gabriel?'
When she thought of Jake, his warm, sunny smile popped into her mind.
Sophia didn't want to doubt him, but the seed of doubt was there.
As dawn broke, Ruth decided to catch a few hours of sleep at the hospital.
The three kids couldn't stay awake and dozed off by Gabriel's bedside.
David came to pick them up, and Sophia, along with David and Colin, took the kids back to Blackwood Villa nearby.
In the morning, Tiffany showed up with breakfast, all smiles, ready to visit Gabriel.
Mira Davis hadn't reached out last night.
Tiffany thought, 'Mira must've pulled it off.'
But as she got closer, she saw someone sitting at the door.
Her steps slowed, and her face darkened.
'Why is Ruth here?' she wondered.
Ruth gave her a smile, but it felt more like a smirk to Tiffany.
Tiffany braced herself and walked up.
"Why are you here? I'm here to take care of Gabriel. He'll be better soon," Tiffany said sweetly, trying to sound obedient.
Ruth sneered.
"You? Take care of Gabriel? The Lancasters wouldn't even know if a fake kid showed up."
Tiffany's face fell.
"How could that be, Grandma Lancaster?"
"Don't call me Grandma; we're not related."
Tiffany clasped her hands in front of her, looking all innocent and hurt.
"Grandma Lancaster, when I saved Gabriel, he was really hurt and needed someone to look after him." Tiffany stressed that she had saved Gabriel, hoping Ruth would remember her good deed.
Ruth shot back, "You saved Gabriel, so should we worship you? Do you even know who you are? You saved Gabriel? I think you set up the whole thing just to make us grateful."
Ruth's sharp tone and piercing gaze made Tiffany feel guilty, unable to meet her eyes.
"No, I didn't. I love Gabriel; I'd never hurt him."
Tiffany's defense was weak. She hadn't set up the incident, but she knew it was coming.
So she had been waiting on that road to save Gabriel.
"Because you love him, you let others hurt him badly?"
Tiffany grew more flustered and panicked.
She hadn't meant for Gabriel to get hurt, but to get what she wanted, she had to push that aside.
"You even bribed your schoolmate while he was out of it with a fever..."
"I didn't!" Tiffany shot back immediately.
Ruth pressed on, "She already confessed. You wanted to get pregnant with Gabriel's child. You're delusional!"
"Grandma, please let me see Gabriel."
Tiffany dropped to her knees.
When Sophia came in with breakfast, she saw Tiffany kneeling there.
Sophia walked over, her face blank.
"Grandma," she greeted Ruth.
Ruth's face softened instantly, turning kind.
"Go on in; Gabriel seems to be waking up."
"Okay."
Sophia walked past Ruth and into the room.
When Tiffany tried to follow, the bodyguards stepped in to block her.
"I'll tell Gabriel everything that happened last night when he wakes up, so he knows what kind of person you really are."
Tiffany's face went pale.
She thought, 'If Gabriel finds out what I've done, he'll definitely hate me!'
"No, Grandma Lancaster."
"Throw her out," Ruth said with disgust.
The bodyguards grabbed Tiffany and tossed her out.
Tiffany hit the ground hard, looking a mess.
She glared angrily inside.
In the room, Gabriel had woken up, but his eyes were filled with confusion.
"Gabriel, how are you feeling?" Ruth asked, concerned.
Gabriel blinked a few times.
"My vision's a bit blurry."
"Get the doctor."
Harrison ran out.
Soon, the doctor came in and checked Gabriel over.
After a few minutes, the doctor said, "His head injury caused some inflammation, affecting his optic nerve. The blurred vision is temporary and will clear up as he heals."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Ruth held Gabriel's hand, her voice shaking.
"You scared me to death."
"I'm sorry, Grandma." Gabriel squeezed her hand back.
With his vision impaired, Gabriel's other senses were heightened. He could tell there were more people in the room than just Ruth and Harrison.
"Have some water." Sophia handed him a glass.
Hearing Sophia's voice, Gabriel's heart skipped a beat.
He thought, 'She came too? Is she here because she was worried about me?'
Gabriel smiled, his voice hoarse but gentle, "You're here too."
"Yes, the kids are here too. They're really worried about you, but they're with Uncle David now. Colin will bring them to see you later."
Gabriel reached out, and Sophia placed the glass in his hand.
He slowly brought it to his lips to drink.
Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind.
He remembered being seriously injured in Country M and being saved by Tiffany, who took him to the hospital. He had also experienced temporary blurred vision then, and Tiffany had handed him a glass of water in the same way.
The feeling was eerily similar to now.
Ruth looked at Gabriel, then at Sophia, and gave Harrison a knowing look.
She yawned.
"I'm totally jet-lagged and can't stay awake anymore. I need to rest. Sophia, take care of Gabriel for me."
Sophia nodded slightly.
Harrison added, "I have things to do, so I'll head out. Gabriel, if you feel uncomfortable, just say so."
His last sentence was loaded, hinting that Gabriel should play the victim to get more attention from Sophia.
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