Chapter 677 Obedience
Two dudes straight-up asked Caroline and Sophia for their phone numbers, not even trying to be subtle.
Sophia and Caroline shared a look, then glanced at the four kids they were holding onto.
Caroline shut them down, "Sorry, we both have kids."
But the guys didn't back off. "You both look so young, we thought those were your friends' kids."
"They're our actual kids, thanks," Sophia shot back.
The guys walked away, looking bummed out.
Caroline teased, "Sophia, you still got it."
Sophia grinned, "Caroline, you're not too shabby yourself."
They both burst out laughing, while Emma and Josie, two of the kids, quietly sent messages on their smartwatches.
Gabriel and Nicholas got texts on their phones.
Emma: [Daddy, something bad happened. Mommy got hit on.]
Josie: [Dad, some guys just asked for Mom's number.]
Gabriel's face darkened, and the CFO next to him started sweating, thinking there was a problem with the finances.
Gabriel texted back: [Where are you?]
Emma: [I can't say.]
Gabriel called, but Emma hung up on him.
Nicholas read the message, stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, then called Josie, who also hung up on him just like Emma did.
After hanging up, Josie looked worried.
"Emma, do you think my Dad will be mad?"
Emma tapped her nose. "Nah, if he gets mad, just ignore him for a month."
Josie nodded firmly.
She knew deep down that Nicholas loved her, so she wasn't scared to get close to him or act spoiled like she used to.
Paul filled Nicholas in on Aragorn's condition. That night, Nicholas locked himself in his study.
Paul brought Ashley, who had just come back from Country Y to visit Aragorn, into the house.
"Nicholas hasn't visited Aragorn even once?" Ashley asked.
Paul shook his head, "Nope."
Ashley got mad and was about to say something, but Paul quickly explained, "It's not Nicholas's fault; it's all because of Uncle."
Paul told Ashley about the danger Caroline and Nicholas faced in Country Y, and Ashley was shocked.
"Did Aragorn really do that?"
"Yeah."
Ashley sighed.
"He's really..."
"Forget it, let me talk to Nicholas."
Paul and Ashley went to the study and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Nicholas's voice came after a long pause.
"It's me."
Hearing Ashley's voice, Nicholas let them in.
The study was dark, and Paul felt a chill as soon as he stepped in.
Ashley turned on the light and saw how much thinner Nicholas looked. Her heart ached, and she walked over, speaking softly, "Nicholas, I visited your dad today. He's not doing well. He woke up, saw the Watson Group's stock still falling, and fainted again."
Nicholas stayed silent.
"I know your dad has hurt you over the years, but he's still your father. Right now..."
Ashley kept talking, trying to convince Nicholas to visit Aragorn in the hospital.
Paul's throat tightened. 'Nicholas is really going through it,' he thought.
Seeing Nicholas stay silent, Ashley sighed.
"Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."
Nicholas didn't respond, so Ashley left.
But she wasn't great at cooking, so she ordered takeout.
Paul stayed in the study, quietly keeping Nicholas company.
"Caroline went on a trip, Nicholas. Don't worry, I believe she'll come back to you once she sorts things out."
Mentioning Caroline finally got a reaction from Nicholas. He looked at Paul.
Paul knew Nicholas was a different person when Caroline was around. Right now, he was just a shell of himself.
Lately, whenever he wasn't working, Nicholas would lock himself up like this, not talking, eating, or drinking, which was really worrying.
The next morning, Ashley headed to the hospital early.
By morning, Nicholas finally showed up at the hospital.
Aragorn had woken up for a bit earlier and was now asleep again.
Lying in the hospital bed, he looked nothing like his usual strong and shrewd self. He was thin, with protruding cheekbones, sunken eyes, and even half of his hair had fallen out and turned white.
Gummidge had gone out to buy something. When she came back and saw Nicholas, her tears instantly fell, and she threw the stuff in her hands at him.
"You finally came to see your dad, you ungrateful son. You don't answer calls, don't reply to messages, no matter how we try to reach you, you ignore us." Gummidge cried and hit Nicholas.
Nicholas stood there, expressionless, letting Gummidge scold and hit him.
Gummidge's pent-up emotions burst out the moment she saw Nicholas.
"Even if your dad did something wrong, he's still your dad. How can you just ignore his life and death?"
"Your heart is too cruel, Nicholas."
Paul pursed his lips, wanting to say something for Nicholas, but Ashley stopped him.
Gummidge vented for half an hour before calming down, and Aragorn was awakened by her crying.
He lay there weakly, his eyes moving until they fixed on Nicholas.
His pale lips moved.
"You actually have the nerve to show up here?"
Nicholas turned his back to Aragorn.
Aragorn almost couldn't catch his breath, and Gummidge quickly helped him. She looked at Nicholas with resentment. "Do you really want to make your dad so angry?"
Her voice was choked with sobs.
Nicholas took a deep breath and said coldly, "You wanted me to come, so I'm here. If there's nothing else, I'll leave. There's still a lot of work at the company."
Aragorn wanted to ask about the company, but before he could say anything, Nicholas coldly turned his wheelchair and left.
At that moment, Nicholas didn't know why he had come to the hospital.
Ashley tugged on Paul's sleeve. "Go check on Nicholas."
"Okay."
Paul hurriedly followed.
Ashley poured Aragorn a glass of water. After he calmed down, she slowly spoke.
"Aragorn, I get it, but this time, you really messed up."
"Nicholas is your son, not a tool for you to control. But from childhood to adulthood, you've always wanted to manipulate his life. Fortunately, Nicholas is smart and has his own opinions. Otherwise, if he lost his own judgment and became a puppet without thoughts, he wouldn't be able to manage the company after you leave this world."
"And about him and Caroline, I've told you before, Nicholas has deep feelings for her. Your stubbornness in breaking them up will only make your relationship more strained."
Aragorn frowned, disagreeing with Ashley's words. He wanted to argue but had no strength.
Gummidge was very worried about Aragorn.
"If Nicholas were more obedient, he and Nicholas wouldn't be like this," Gummidge couldn't help but complain.
Ashley gave Gummidge a disapproving look.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
