Chapter 168 Thelma Hospitalized!
<Chapter>Chapter 168 Thelma Hospitalized! </Chapter>
Kyle responded with pride. "How could I possibly fail at investing? There’s no way!"
Ryder's expression was serious. "I don't care how sure-fire your investment is, you've still got a promise to keep with us. Even if it's just a loan, you should write an IOU."
"Pfft! Just because you got a little extra cash, you're strutting around like some big shot," Kyle retorted with a dismissive snort. "You want security? Fine! If my investment flops, I'll pay you back double. Happy now?"
A look of 'concern' crossed Ryder's face. "But do you even have enough money to repay me?"
"Well..." Kyle hesitated, caught off guard. He spent a lot, but if you asked whether he had the money?
He didn’t have a penny to his name!
Karen jumped into the conversation. "You just want him to pay you back? Don't worry, if Kyle can't pay up, I'll sell the house and my jewelry. I'll make sure his debts are cleared! Hmph! Don't think I can't see that you’re jealous of my son!"
"Alright, alright!" Ryder clapped his hands together and cheered. "Talk is cheap. Let's put it in writing!"
Neither Karen nor Kyle had any objections. They grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, sealing the deal with their signatures right there and then. As far as they were concerned, the investment was a guaranteed success, with no chance of loss!
The agreement stated that the repayment period would be half a month. Ryder suggested they could take longer, even up to a year, but Kyle confidently assured him that he'd make a fortune within two weeks. There would be no need to wait any longer.
After the agreement was signed, Ryder and Sarah transferred the money to Kyle's account. When Kyle received the five million, he was too excited to spend another second at home. He dashed out the door, off to discuss business ventures with his buddies.
As Sarah watched Kyle leave, she sighed, a vague feeling of unease clouding her thoughts. Furrowing her brow, she said to Ryder, "Come inside with me. We need to talk."
"Oh!"
Now, only Ernest and his wife were left in the living room. Ernest was busy cleaning up the dishes, while Karen sat on the couch, scrolling through her social media feed, humming a tune, obviously delighted.
Suddenly, her expression froze in disbelief. "What… How is this possible? Ernest! You need to see this!"
"What's up?" Ernest wiped his hands on his apron and hurried over.
Karen showed him her phone. "Look, Matthew's wife Macy just posted that they're going to the Platan Villas auction the day after tomorrow, saying they'll be moving into a Platan Villa soon! Is that true?"
Ernest replied in his gruff voice, "I did hear something about that from the Johnsons earlier today. I guess Mom decided to buy a villa in Platan since they made a pretty penny recently!”
Karen curled her lip in disdain at the mention of the auction. "Pssh, so they’re going to bid on a Platan Villa, big deal. I can’t believe they’re showing off on social media. How shameless!"
Despite her words, Karen felt a twinge of jealousy.
Suddenly irritable, she punched Ernest in the arm and complained, "Why did I end up with such a loser like you? I don’t care if you can’t make any money, but you can't even win over your mother, the overbearing hag. If she’s buying a villa, why shouldn't we have the right to live there too?"
Ernest shrank back, holding his tongue.
"Complete and utter worthless trash!" Karen glared at him fiercely, then a thought struck her. "Hold on! Where did Ryder get the 4 million? That little punk seems like he came into some money recently!"
Ernest ventured, "Maybe he hit the jackpot on a lottery like I said, and just didn't tell us..."
A greedy glimmer flashed in Karen's eyes as she pursed her lips. "That won't do! He’s part of our family now. Why should he get to hide his money? I need to find a way to make him cough up every cent for our son..."
In Sarah's bedroom…
Perplexed, Sarah asked from her bed, "Why did you just volunteer to give Kyle 4 million? You know what he's capable of..."
With apparent indifference, Ryder said, "Since I've handed him the 4 million, he and his mother should leave you alone for a while. That’ll save you some trouble!"
"That makes sense, but..." Sarah murmured, then curiously inquired, "I still don't get where you got the 4 million from. And I went to the jewelry store to ask about the Eternity Love necklace. The manager said it was purchased, not rented. Tell me, what's really going on?"
Ryder paused, caught off guard. He hadn’t expected Sarah to go to the jewelry store to inquire about the necklace.
This was going to be tough to explain.
Ring! Ring!
Just then, Sarah's phone rang suddenly.
It was a call from Emily!
She answered, "Momo! What's up? It’s late. Is there trouble at work?"
Emily's voice was anxious and tearful, "It's not about work. It's Thelma!"
"What happened to Thelma?"
"Thelma got beaten up and she’s been hospitalized! It's bad! They're trying to save her!"
"I'll be right there!" said Sarah, her face turning pale, "How did this happen to her?"
Ryder spoke up, having overheard the call. "Let's hurry to the hospital. We'll find out what happened when we get there."
"Okay."
Without a minute of delay, they rushed downstairs and hailed a cab to the hospital...
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a major hospital in Houston.
Ryder and Sarah arrived breathlessly at the emergency room entrance.
Emily was already there, sobbing uncontrollably with blood on her clothes. She looked pale, her hands trembling slightly.
"Sarah, oh thank God you're here! I'm so scared!" she cried, hugging Sarah tightly.
Sarah, unfazed by the blood on Emily's clothes, inquired urgently, "What in the world happened to Thelma? Who did this to her? Who put her in the hospital?"
Through tears, Emily explained, "Well, Thelma messaged me earlier today. She said she cooked a big lunch and had leftovers, so she invited me over for dinner after work. Her place is close to the office, so I said I'd drop by.
“But I never expected... As soon as I got to her place, I saw the door wide open. Thelma was lying in a pool of blood, unconscious. She was... she had been attacked with a kitchen knife! And there were marks on her face like she'd been punched or kicked.
“The doctors say she lost too much blood. Her condition is critical, they're not sure... not sure if she's going to make it..."