Chapter 650 Maria Gets Punished
"Got it." Steven didn't say if he'd come back or not and just hung up.
Maria was super anxious. She checked Lola's temperature again—it was already 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
She opened the door and told Lauren, who was standing outside, "Lola has a fever. Get some fever patches and have the kitchen make her favorite foods."
"Are you ordering me around?"
"What?" Maria snapped. "Lola's really sick. As a servant, shouldn't you be helping her?"
"Why don't you do it yourself?"
"I need to stay here and take care of her!"
Lauren smirked. "Lola hasn't apologized to Abella yet today."
"What did you say?"
"Steven said until Lola shows remorse, she won't get dinner. If you want fever patches, get them yourself. My job is to stand guard."
"Lauren," Maria fumed. "Who do you think you are?"
"I'm just a dutiful servant," Lauren replied coolly. "And so are you."
"You!" Maria was furious. "Just wait!"
As she left, she bumped into Lauren, who tripped her in return.
Maria nearly fell. "When Lola wakes up, I'll tell her everything!"
"Go ahead!" Lauren wasn't scared and went back to guarding the door.
Maria's eyes flashed with anger, but she held it in.
After a while, Maria finally got a fever patch on Lola's forehead.
Hearing a knock, Maria ran to open the door. "Steven, you're finally back! Lola's had the fever patch on for a while, but her temperature hasn't dropped. I'm really worried! Before she passed out, she kept saying 'I'm sorry' and admitting her mistakes."
Steven looked at Lola. Her face was red, and she didn't seem to be faking it.
"Did you call a doctor?" Steven asked.
Maria cried. "Lauren wouldn't even get the fever patch. I had to do it myself. Forget about a doctor; it's a miracle we even have the fever patch!"
Lauren, standing at the door, was about to speak up.
Maria cried harder. "Lola's so sick, and there's no doctor. She hasn't eaten since noon. She's never suffered like this! She kept saying she was wrong and wanted to apologize to you and Abella, but she couldn't hold on."
Before Steven could speak, Maria knelt down. "Steven, I beg you, for the sake of family, let a doctor see Lola? I'm really scared for her; she's had a fever for so long! Please let the kitchen make her some hot porridge? I beg you."
Seeing Maria, a woman in her fifties, kneeling and crying, Steven felt moved.
He looked at Lola and remembered how the whole family used to gather around her when she had a fever.
"Call the doctor."
Maria was overjoyed. "Thank you, Steven! I'll call Dr. Aaron right away."
When Dr. Elijah Aaron arrived, Maria, teary-eyed, said, "Lola, Dr. Aaron is here. You'll be fine. Steven is here too."
As Elijah examined Lola, Maria worried he'd figure out the fever was from a cold, so she made up a story. "Lola was upset and cried all afternoon. Somehow, she developed a fever."
Elijah nodded. "Crying can raise body temperature, but it should go down once emotions stabilize."
"But Lola's had a fever for a long time, and it hasn't gone down."
"She caught a cold."
Maria's heart sank; she hadn't expected Elijah to figure it out!
Feigning ignorance, she asked, "Can crying too long cause a fever?"
Elijah paused and looked at her. "Crying can weaken the immune system, making it easier to catch a cold. If exposed to cold wind or rain, it's easy to get sick."
"She was fine this afternoon," Steven added.
Maria, worried someone might guess Lola had taken a cold bath, quickly said, "Oh, I remember now. Lola cried for a long time and went to the balcony to get some air. Maybe she caught a cold then."
Elijah nodded. "That could be it."
"She mentioned the family gathering around the fireplace last winter," Maria said, seeing Steven's eyes soften with memories. She felt relieved, knowing that talking about Lola's past family moments would make Steven forgive her.
"Take some medicine. Fever patches are useless above 101 degrees Fahrenheit." Elijah finished the examination and handed the medicine to Maria.
Maria thanked him repeatedly and, after seeing Elijah off, fed Lola the medicine.
"Come out for a moment," Steven suddenly said after she finished.
Maria had a bad feeling but followed Steven to the balcony.
Steven's gaze was intense. He looked at Maria and asked, "You've been with this family for years. I'll ask you directly."
"Please ask, Steven," Maria said respectfully. "I'll tell you everything I know."
Steven asked, "What kind of person is Lola?"
Maria replied, "Lola is kind-hearted, pure, elegant, cheerful, beautiful, brave, strong, considerate, filial, and skilled in music, Go, poetry, and painting."
Steven added, "Then how could such a person suddenly become narrow-minded, scheming, and manipulative?"
Maria quickly explained, "Steven, I have never instigated Lola to do anything bad. Please believe me!"
"Lola was raised by you. If she made such a mistake today, you also bear responsibility." Steven looked at her impassively. "You won't be getting this month's salary."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
