Chapter 28 Totally Don't Care About Your Reconciliation
ICU, Heartfelt Hospital, Serenitia City.
Lucas was hooked up to a bunch of tubes, barely hanging on. Every little move made him wince in pain!
His once good-looking face was now so swollen, you couldn't even tell it was him.
The Smith family trio stood there, totally floored!
Clara looked at Lucas, wanting to hold his hand, but there were just too many tubes in the way!
'His face is beyond recognition!'
Clara was in shock.
"Lucas, what happened to you?"
Celeste was also stunned.
Lucas had always been the handsome, refined type since he was a kid. When he was still in diapers, Celeste had already set up this marriage with Lucas's mom, Molly Reed, worried that such a catch would get snatched up by someone else.
Now, seeing Lucas's face, Celeste could hardly recognize him!
"Lucas, what happened to you?"
Molly, wiping her tears non-stop, said, "Who knows? Lucas was on his way to a business meeting when someone suddenly attacked him! It's outrageous!"
Clara was fuming. "Did you call the cops? This is too much. We gotta call the cops and get justice for Lucas!"
Molly hesitated.
'If we call the cops, everyone would find out that Lucas has been out partying at a bar with a dozen hostesses.'
Molly didn't dare call the cops, not only because she was worried that Lucas might have ticked off some woman, but also if the Smith family found out, their marriage agreement would be toast!
Lucas extended his hand, his voice hoarse, "Catherine!"
The Smith family trio was puzzled.
Celeste frowned slightly, thinking, 'Does he mean that his beating has something to do with Catherine? But isn't Catherine already kidnapped? We haven't heard from the kidnappers for days, not knowing if the plan has succeeded, probably due to poor signal in remote areas! Catherine might have already been sold off by now.'
Lucas gritted his teeth and said, "Catherine! It's all because of Catherine!"
Clara, seeing him, felt heartbroken and asked, "Lucas, do you mean that your beating has something to do with Catherine?"
Lucas nodded with difficulty.
Oliver, unaware of what Celeste and Clara had done, quickly explained, "Catherine has already been sent back to the country. Could it be that she didn't want to leave Serenitia City and found a job as a waitress there?"
Molly, known as a shrew in her younger days, immediately glared, saying, "So, Lucas ended up like this because of you? You must give me an explanation. Lucas is my only son, and the doctors have issued three critical condition notices for him!"
Celeste quickly spoke up, "No, Catherine has nothing to do with our family. Clara is our daughter. I will immediately announce in the newspaper that we are severing all ties with Catherine."
'How did Catherine escape from the kidnappers?' Celeste thought.
Molly, raising an eyebrow, said, "So you admit it has something to do with Catherine? You must give me an explanation."
The Smith family was in a bind. Molly's loud outburst could be heard throughout the hospital, and the Smith family couldn't afford to lose face, so they had to agree.
After being kicked out of the ICU, the Smith family trio stood at the door, looking at each other.
"Celeste, did Catherine escape with the help of that rich guy who called her at Evergreen Mall last time?" Clara said.
"It must be. I didn't expect Catherine to have such luck."
Clara was relentless, "Celeste, she must be entangling with Lucas again. How can she be so bad? Does she want to take Lucas away from me?"
'This is a marriage agreement I have worked so hard to secure! There is no way I would let such a good man like Lucas go to Catherine!'
"Don't worry, Clara. As long as we find Catherine and personally see her back to the remote countryside, she won't be able to affect your engagement."
Just thinking about finding Catherine gave Celeste a massive headache.
'What if Catherine's scrubbing dishes in some dive to make ends meet? We can't be seen in places like that!'
Oliver chimed in, "Just hire some muscle to track her down. Catherine doesn't have anyone to back her up. Maybe Lucas got jumped by a business rival. The Johnson family's business has been shaky lately, so we need to keep an eye on Clara's engagement."
"Oliver, are you saying I should find a new fiancé? No way, I only want Lucas!"
'More importantly, all the boys who visited the Smith family growing up only had eyes for Catherine. Only Lucas has always been different towards her. I believe that Lucas and I are truly in love!'
Oliver, always the businessman, weighed the pros and cons.
"Let's wait and see. If the Johnson family can't bounce back, we can't let Clara get dragged down with them," he said.
Celeste nodded.
Just as they reached the hospital entrance, a bunch of uniformed cops blocked their way.
"Ms. Brown, Ms. Smith, you're under arrest for kidnapping. Please cooperate with the investigation!"
"Officer, there must be some mistake. How could my wife and daughter be involved in a kidnapping case?" Oliver protested.
The cops flashed their badges and said, "Ms. Brown and Ms. Smith are suspected of orchestrating the kidnapping of Catherine. Please come with us."
Clara was freaking out, tears streaming down her face.
"Celeste, didn't Catherine turn out fine? She still seduced Lucas, so why are they arresting us? Officer, Catherine even had someone beat up my fiancé. Shouldn't you arrest her too?"
The cops, seeing their unreasonable behavior, had no sympathy.
"Come with us first!"
Celeste and Clara were bawling as they were taken into the police car, leaving Oliver standing there, dumbfounded.
'What the heck is going on?!'
Oliver called a lawyer first, then told his secretary, "Find the number of the person who called me claiming to be Catherine's family. Contact them and see if Catherine is with them. Tell her to come see me immediately!"
As for Catherine's number, he had never saved it because he never needed to contact her before.
Now, he could only reach out to that country bumpkin who had called him last time to find Catherine.
"Mr. Smith, I didn't save that number either."
"Look it up. It was a call from Tranquil County. We need to find Catherine and get her to sign a settlement agreement. Catherine must be looking for a way to come back. Just offer her some benefits!"
'The Smith family would never let Catherine return. Catherine has even managed to get Celeste and Clara arrested, showing how cunning and calculating she is!'
Windsor Manor.
They were having dinner together, with fresh flowers adorning the large dining table. The light falling on the food made the scene especially warm.
Juniper's phone rang just as she was peeling shrimp for Catherine.
She wiped her hands and answered the call, "Hello, how can I help you?"
Oliver's secretary spoke arrogantly, "I'm Mr. Smith's secretary. I'm informing you that Catherine needs to go to the police station immediately and sign a settlement agreement to forgive Clara and Celeste."
Juniper frowned slightly and said, "What did they do that needs forgiving?"
"Clara and Celeste may have had Catherine kidnapped, but it was only to assist her in returning to her rural hometown. It was just a kidnapping. They did nothing wrong! Get Catherine to the police station quickly!" he said.
'Can you believe this?' she thought.
"Mr. Smith said that if Catherine doesn't go to the police station, he will immediately announce in the newspaper that the Smith family is severing all ties with her. You better think it over!" he added.
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