Chapter 923
"Why the sudden decision to move to a hospital in Miracalia?" Nanny Quiana paused, looking at Calliope with surprise.
"It's because of Phaedra..."
Quiana's face showed concern. She had been taking care of Calliope since she gave birth, and later helped with Phaedra as well.
Calliope was easygoing and generous, a wonderful employer.
Over the years, Quiana had developed a familial bond with Calliope, and since she had practically raised Phaedra, hearing about the transfer naturally worried her. She feared Phaedra's condition had worsened.
Seeing Quiana's misunderstanding, Calliope quickly waved her hand.
"No, no, it's not that. I recently took a job that requires me to be in Miracalia for a while."
She hurried to explain, but the truth was, after running into Ambrose, her heart had been racing.
She was still worried that Ambrose might have sensed something and would come looking for her.
"Mom, is Miracalia fun?"
Phaedra's eyes lit up at the mention of Miracalia. She had never been outside Seaspring Valley City.
Calliope bent down to kiss Phaedra's cheek, holding her and gently swaying.
"Of course, Miracalia is fun! It has an amusement park even bigger than the one here in Seaspring Valley City. Once you're out of the hospital, I'll take you there."
Phaedra immediately hugged Calliope's neck, pouting her lips to kiss her back, her little chin resting softly on Calliope's shoulder as she asked.
"Mom, can Dad come with us?"
Calliope's heart ached, but she quickly stroked Phaedra's hair and said.
"Phaedra, you know Dad is very busy. I'll call and ask him, okay? If he's not busy, I'm sure he'd love to join us."
Phaedra nodded happily and expectantly.
Calliope patted Phaedra, coaxing her to eat, and after playing for a while, Phaedra started yawning, feeling sleepy.
Phaedra had a habit of taking afternoon naps. When she got sleepy, she didn't need anyone to coax her. She automatically grabbed the bunny plushie from her bedside and lay down, closing her eyes.
She was so well-behaved and sensible.
Calliope watched Phaedra's peaceful face, leaning in to gently stroke her hair.
Phaedra, half-asleep, opened her eyes and said.
"Mom, I really like the bunny plushie. I don't need Dad to bring me new gifts. Having him take me to the amusement park would be the best gift."
Calliope leaned in closer, her hand pausing as she stroked Phaedra's head, her heart filled with a mix of sadness and tenderness.
She kissed Phaedra lightly. "Sleep now."
In a moment, Phaedra's breathing became steady, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Quiana, sitting nearby, couldn't help but speak up.
"Phaedra is growing up, and she's been asking about her dad more and more. You can't keep this up forever, Calliope. You're still young. Haven't you thought about finding someone suitable and giving Phaedra a father?"
When Phaedra was younger, she didn't understand the concept of having a dad.
It was half a year ago, when Phaedra was seriously ill and hospitalized, that she saw other kids in the ward being carried by their dads and started asking about her own.
At that time, Calliope couldn't bear to tell her that she didn't have a dad or that her dad was gone.
So she told Phaedra that her dad was away for work, doing something very important, which was why he couldn't come to see her.
On the morning of Phaedra's surgery, Calliope placed a bunny plushie by her bed, telling her that her dad had come back to cheer her on for the surgery but had to leave for another important task before she woke up.
Phaedra believed it completely.
Calliope had just wanted to give Phaedra more courage and strength for the surgery.
She thought little girls were forgetful and easily distracted by new things.
But unexpectedly, since then, Phaedra had been asking about her dad more frequently.
Calliope felt a headache coming on, her expression dazed for a moment before she smiled at Quiana.
"It's just that I haven't met the right person."
Meanwhile, Ambrose left the hospital, and the driver headed towards the Kelly Manor.
"Mr. Kelly, there have been quite a few reporters camping outside the villa these days. Should we take a detour and enter from the back?" The driver asked.
But there was no response from Ambrose in the back seat.
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, thinking Ambrose might have fallen asleep from exhaustion due to the recent search for Taylor.
But Ambrose wasn't asleep. He seemed to be deep in thought, staring out the window.
The driver was puzzled. Taylor had been found, Ruby had been dealt with, and the Lawson family was in shambles. The Kelly Group's turmoil had ended, and since Jackson's high-profile return to Seaspring Valley City with Lillian, the Kelly Group's stock had soared, even surpassing its pre-crisis levels.
What could still be troubling Ambrose?
The driver was curious, but Ambrose himself couldn't quite explain it.
His mind kept replaying the encounter with Calliope at the hospital. He felt she was avoiding him for some inexplicable reason.
He sensed he was missing something, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Noticing the driver's gaze, Ambrose finally looked away from the window and said.
"No need."
As for the reporters, he was ready to expose Ruby's actions.
The Lawson family's two sons were under investigation, and Ronan had been hospitalized from the stress.
Ronan, known for his philandering ways, had two illegitimate sons, Nathaniel and Tobias, who followed in his footsteps.
With a little push from Ambrose, the mothers of these illegitimate children had all come forward, turning the Lawson family into a chaotic mess and making them the laughingstock of Seaspring Valley City.
Ronan's illness had led to a significant reclaiming of the Lawson family's shares.
But Kenneth remained unaffected, holding onto his shares tightly.
Kenneth had been playing sick, staying out of sight to reduce his presence.
Ambrose had no intention of letting him continue to hide.
As the car approached the villa, a group of reporters was indeed waiting outside.
Recognizing Ambrose's car, they swarmed around it.
The driver slowed down, and soon the car was surrounded.
The reporters' cameras were practically pressed against the car windows.
Ambrose slowly rolled down the window, revealing his composed face. The reporters immediately began bombarding him with questions.
"Mr. Kelly, is it true that Ruby was the one who switched Ms. Kelly at birth?"
"Is it true that Ruby tried to kill Ms. Kelly multiple times?"
"Mr. Kelly, Mr. Frane has publicly pursued Ms. Kelly. Are the two families planning to unite through marriage soon?"
"There are rumors that you were groomed by Mr. Oberon Kelly to be his grandson-in-law. Does that make you and Mr. Frane rivals?"
The car came to a complete stop. Ambrose turned his head to look out the window, his expression calm as he addressed the cameras.
"My last name is Kelly, and so is Lillian's. As for whether the Kelly Group and the Frane Group will unite through marriage, that depends on whether Mr. Frane can win Lillian's heart."
After Ambrose spoke, there was a brief silence. Before the reporters could latch onto this topic, Ambrose continued to address the previous questions.
"Yes, Ruby was the one who switched the children. She has now been formally charged with multiple counts of attempted murder."
"Was Ruby's motive love? Did she have anything to do with the death of the late Ophelia?"
A reporter quickly expanded on the question.
Ambrose looked over, a hint of appreciation in his eyes, and said.
"Aunt Ophelia always considered Ruby her best friend, even entrusting her own daughter to Ruby's care. She never imagined that her daughter had already been switched by Ruby. However, the police have not found any evidence linking Ruby to Aunt Ophelia's death, so I won't speculate or comment further."
Ambrose's face showed a pained expression, prompting another reporter to ask.
"Did Mr. Castillo know about Lillian being switched? Has Mr. Castillo been involved in Ruby's plans all these years?"
Ambrose had steered the conversation towards Ruby to highlight Kenneth.
Hearing the question, his expression subtly shifted, his face darkening, but he only said.
"No comment."
With that, Ambrose slowly rolled up the window.
The driver immediately started the car and slowly drove away.
But Ambrose's ambiguous "no comment" left room for endless speculation.
The reporters exchanged glances and began discussing.
"What does 'no comment' mean? It must mean Ambrose knows something."
"Kenneth and Ruby are married. They've been a loving couple for years. How could he not know about Ruby's actions?"
"Kenneth firmly sided with the Lawson family during the previous board meetings."
"Ophelia entrusted her daughter to her best friend, only to find out that her friend had sinister intentions and switched her daughter. Ophelia left a significant portion of the Kelly Group's shares to her husband, ensuring his future comfort, only to discover that he had been colluding with her so-called friend all along."
From Ophelia's perspective, it was enough to make anyone furious.
So, even though there was no evidence of Kenneth's involvement in Ruby's schemes, the reporters believed it was just a matter of not having found it yet. Kenneth couldn't possibly be uninvolved.
While they couldn't report baseless accusations or personal feelings, they could focus on the relationships between Ophelia, Ruby, and Kenneth, and highlight Ruby's actions and Kenneth's unwavering support for the Lawson family even after his biological daughter was found. They trusted that the public's judgment would be sharper than theirs.
Miracalia.
Lillian hadn't slept well for days, but now that Taylor was back with her, she slept deeply and contentedly.
When she woke up, she felt Taylor's soft, warm body in her arms and Jackson's familiar, comforting embrace behind her.
Her body felt relaxed and comfortable, and her heart was filled with a sense of satisfaction and peace.
She didn't want to move, just slowly opened her eyes.
The room was dimly lit, and she couldn't tell what time it was.
But the intense hunger pangs in her stomach made her guess she had slept for a long time.
"Sweetheart, you're awake?"
She had only blinked, but Jackson behind her somehow sensed she was awake.
Lillian gently loosened her hold on Taylor and slowly turned her head.
"Yeah, what time is it?" She asked softly.
In the darkness, Jackson's eyes glimmered as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
"It's almost dawn."
Lillian blinked, finding it hard to believe.
No wonder she felt so hungry. They had gone to bed around eleven in the morning, and she had slept for fifteen or sixteen hours?
Lillian quickly looked at Taylor in her arms, surprised.
"Did Taylor not wake up at all?"
Usually, kids don't sleep for long periods. Could it be that the residual effects of the medication in Taylor's system were more significant than the doctors had said?
Lillian felt a pang of worry, but Jackson reassured her.
"He woke up once, went to the bathroom, had some milk, and fell back asleep quickly."
Lillian felt a bit relieved but also a bit speechless.
"Did I sleep that deeply? I didn't even hear Taylor fuss."
Jackson raised an eyebrow. That was because Taylor hadn't fussed at all.
He had woken up in the middle of the night, worried that Taylor might cry and wake Lillian, so he had taken Taylor out of her arms, changed his diaper, fed him, and rocked him back to sleep before placing him back in Lillian's arms.
But Jackson didn't explain all this to Lillian. Instead, he lifted himself slightly, gazing at Lillian's refreshed and radiant face.
"You've been exhausted these past few days. It's normal not to hear him cry. Are you hungry?"
Lillian was already hungry, and Jackson's question only made her feel hungrier.
She hadn't slept well or eaten well in days.
Now that her body was fully rested, the hunger hit her hard, and she felt like she could eat a whole cow.
She opened her mouth to answer, but her stomach growled loudly.
In the quiet night, the sound was almost deafening.
Lillian felt a bit embarrassed, her ears turning red.
Jackson chuckled softly, his hand slipping under Lillian's shirt to rest on her flat, slightly concave stomach.
His hand gently caressed her, the calluses on his palm creating a ticklish sensation.
Lillian was about to speak when something even more embarrassing happened.
Taylor, seemingly disturbed by the sound of her stomach, suddenly pouted and started to cry.
Lillian quickly set aside her embarrassment and gently patted Taylor, soothing him.
"Taylor, don't be scared. Mommy's here."
Jackson's hand was still on Lillian's stomach. He had intended to get closer to her, but Taylor had once again interrupted.
Jackson's gaze at Taylor turned dark and displeased.
This little guy really didn't know when to give them some space.
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