Chapter 586 Isn't This a Benevolent Lie?
Alaric followed Stellan into the examination room, looking more nervous than last time.
Because this was Stellan's own hospital, the doctors were especially attentive when examining their director. Even so, Alaric still felt very nervous.
"How's everything?" Alaric finally blurted out, feeling like the check-up was taking forever.
"Don't worry, Mr. Knight. The baby is perfectly healthy," the doctor reassured him.
Alaric let out a sigh of relief and shared a smile with Stellan. They had cleared the last hurdle.
"Now we can really relax and wait for our baby to arrive," Stellan said as they left the examination room. "I have a secret to tell you. Rowena is having a boy, and I'm having a girl."
"You asked the doctor?" Alaric asked, feeling surprised.
"I'm a doctor myself, remember? Even though I'm a surgeon, I can still tell from the ultrasound. When I went with Rowena for her check-up, I could see it right away. But I didn't tell her because I was sure if the baby would make it."
Cormac and Rowena were having a boy, and they were having a girl?
"That means we'll have two sons and two daughters. Harry will be thrilled," Alaric said.
"Absolutely," Stellan agreed, then quickly asked, "Have you called Caspian? How's he doing? If he can't come back, can we visit him?"
"He just left, so we can't visit him yet. Don't worry, Caspian will be fine. You just focus on taking care of yourself and the baby."
Stellan replied, "Okay."
As they finished talking, they saw Cormac helping Rowena out of the fetal heart monitoring room. The couple was chatting and laughing as they looked at the results.
"All done?" Stellan asked.
"Yes, everything's good. How about you, Stellan?"
"I'm good too."
"How's Ms. Emberlyn doing?" Rowena asked.
"Better every day," Stellan replied.
"That's great," Rowena said. "I've scheduled a session with a top-notch parenting coach. Stellan, would you like to join me?"
"Stellan, you should go. You've been cooped up in the hospital for too long," Alaric encouraged her.
"Alright," Stellan agreed. Even though she was already a mother to Caspian, Harry, and Elisa, she was eager to learn from the parenting coach.
Alaric and Cormac dropped them off for the session. Afterward, Alaric turned to Cormac and said, "Let's go to our usual spot for a drink."
"Don't you need to stay at the hospital with Gillian?" Cormac asked.
The person who had tried to kill Gillian had done so to keep Tommy from being exposed. Now that Tommy had turned himself in, there was no longer a need to target Gillian. The mastermind wouldn't risk getting caught by making another attempt on her life.
They headed to Lingyun Winery and settled into their usual seats.
As soon as they sat down, Cormac checked the time and said, "It's 11:10 AM. I can only give you half an hour."
"What?" Alaric was surprised. "You're in a hurry?"
"My wife is over seven months pregnant, and yours is nine months along. She could go into labor any day now. I can't be away from her for too long," Cormac emphasized. "Let me remind you, Alaric, you're not more important than my wife."
Alaric snorted and said, "Then you can leave right now."
"No need," Cormac replied seriously. "I can spare half an hour. So, what's eating at you? Is it Tommy again?"
Tommy was Alaric's nemesis. Lately, all his troubles had revolved around Tommy, and Cormac didn't need to guess.
"Yeah," Alaric admitted. "Neil called me. They've interrogated Tommy several times, but he hasn't budged. He's also requested a speedy trial."
Cormac frowned. "He's determined to die. That doesn't seem like the behavior of a truly evil person."
"I think I get it," Alaric said. "The person behind him is very important to him, and so is Gillian. He feels guilty for hurting Gillian and believes he deserves to die. He also knows that he and Gillian have no future together. By dying, he hopes to sever Gillian's feelings for him and protect the person behind him."
"That's pretty tragic," Cormac remarked. "It shows that Tommy isn't all bad."
Alaric's analysis was spot on. Tommy was determined to die and wouldn't reveal the identity of the person behind him.
"It's strange. Given how important that person is to him, you'd think Tommy would be a key figure in the organization. But we've investigated his relationships over the years and found nothing suspicious. Since he started dating Gillian, he's led a very routine life, interacting only with colleagues and Gillian. If he had another phone, Gillian would have noticed frequent calls. But she hasn't suspected anything. This situation doesn't bode well for him. He's confessed to everything, and if we can't find another suspect, he's doomed."
"If he dies and the mastermind never surfaces, we'll never catch them," Cormac said.
"Exactly. With his confession, the case will close quickly, so we don't have much time."
Alaric was frustrated and agitated.
"The person on the rooftop that night—I know them, but I can't place them. It feels like the truth is right in front of me, but I can't find the missing link. What am I overlooking?"
Just then, Alaric's phone buzzed. He was too frustrated to think clearly, so he pulled out Tommy's phone.
"Did you get a new phone?" Cormac asked, noticing the device.
"It's Tommy's," Alaric replied.
Gillian had been calling and texting Tommy every day, and Alaric didn't know how to respond.
[Tommy, it's been days. You haven't answered my calls or texts. I'm so worried. Please reply if you see this.]
Alaric was at a loss and showed the message to Cormac. "What should I do?"
Cormac took the phone and replied to Gillian, [Sorry, Gillian. I've been really busy and had my phone on silent. I can't talk right now, but I'll text you. Take care of yourself at the hospital. Love you.]
Seeing the reply, Alaric snatched the phone back and asked angrily, "Who told you to reply?"
"You asked what to do, so I handled it," Cormac said. "Given her condition, you can't tell her the truth. So, you keep her calm with a little white lie. It's for her own good."
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