Chapter 73 Rena's Stomachache
In the evening, the Sinclair family gathered together for dinner. Not all family members were present some hadn't made it back from outside. If they wanted everyone to be together, they would have to wait until Christmas Eve.
Lillian sat at a table with the female relatives. She didn't know anyone besides her family members. Next to her, a girl who looked roughly her age had a proud expression that resembled Alexander's. No one spoke to her, and she didn't initiate conversations with others either. She ate her meal silently with her head down.
Suddenly, a painful cry caused her to raise her head. She saw Rena clutching her stomach, shouting, "My stomach hurts."
Blake heard a sound and quickly walked over, nervously asking, "Honey, what's wrong?"
"I have a stomachache!" Rena said, tears falling down her face.
"Don't be afraid. I'll take you to the hospital right away!" Blake furrowed his brows and instructed the butler to prepare the car.
Ethan worried that something was wrong with the baby in Rena's belly, so he followed along with Alexander. Samantha also couldn't calm down and went to see what had happened with Lillian and Leah.
Inside Sinclair Villa, there was a small hospital with complete equipment and professional doctors.
Rena was taken to the hospital and lay on the bed, crying in pain. It didn't seem like she was faking it. The doctor didn't hesitate and carefully conducted a full examination, finding that there was no major problem.
"Why did the pain suddenly occur? Could it be a miscarriage?" Beatrice asked anxiously.
Samantha hypocritically said, "Beatrice, don't talk nonsense. Rena didn't bleed, so it couldn't possibly be a miscarriage."
The doctor took off his mask and said, "She's fine. The fetus is healthy. The reason for the stomachache could be related to her diet. Eating something can also cause stomachaches."
"Diet reasons?" Blake said, "We have always been following a nutritious diet, and everything has been fine. Why is her stomach hurting today?"
Beatrice coughed uncomfortably and said, "Blake, in the afternoon, Rena ate an orange."
"What? Didn't I tell her not to eat it? The nutritionist specifically advised against eating oranges because they can make her stomach uncomfortable. Why didn't she listen?" Blake crossed his arms angrily and shouted at Beatrice.
"Don't be angry. Luckily, Rena is fine," Beatrice said. "Lillian also meant well and gave her one when she wanted to eat it. Who would have known that after eating one, her stomach would feel uncomfortable?"
Samantha looked at Beatrice gloomily and thought, 'She deliberately mentioned that Lillian gave Rena the orange.'
Lillian was also scared. If the child couldn't be saved, her guilt would be immense.
"Blake, I, I didn't know..." Lillian's eyes were filled with tears as she stammered.
Alexander reached out and embraced Lillian's shoulders. His gentle touch seemed to have a magical power that calmed her down. At the same time, she looked up at him in confusion, not knowing what he was going to do.
Alexander said to Blake, "Lillian also meant well. She didn't think too much. Fortunately, Rena is fine. I apologize on Lillian's behalf."
Lillian was taken aback by his defense of her and felt a sense of gratitude. But then she thought, ‘No, Alexander's always so mean to me. There's no way he would defend me now that I made a mistake. He must be pretending for others to see.’ This thought made Lillian's feeling of gratitude disappear.
Despite his discontent, Blake didn't dare to be too arrogant in front of Alexander. Plus, Alexander had already apologized. If Blake continued to be unhappy and made everyone uncomfortable, it wouldn't be good.
"Alexander, Never mind. We’re brothers. You don't need to apologize. It isn't Lillian's fault. Rena was just being greedy. Let's teach her a lesson so she won't do it again." Beatrice didn't wait for Blake to speak and immediately tried to ease the tension.
Lillian finally got a taste of Beatrice's persuasive abilities.
"Don't blame Lillian for this when you go back later. Don't hold it against her." Beatrice seemed worried and addressed Samantha.
The doctor interrupted their conversation. "Mr. Blake, Rena will be observed in the observation room for an hour. If she's fine, she can go back."
"Will her stomach still hurt?" Blake asked, concerned.
"When she was brought in earlier, her stomach wasn't hurting as much. As long as she pays attention to her diet, she'll be fine," the doctor reassured.
Blake and Beatrice both breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the doctor, and Blake went in to accompany Rena.
"Nothing serious. Everyone can go back now. We'll stay here and take care of Rena," Beatrice said to Samantha. "Samantha, thank you for being concerned and following us here. Let Ethan know later that the child is fine so he doesn't worry."
Alexander told Beatrice, "Beatrice, everyone in our family knows Rena has a sweet tooth. Lillian just married into the family, and she doesn't know anything yet. She'll need you to remind her in the future. And for my father, please explain things to him as well."
Beatrice's mouth twitched. She chuckled twice and said, "Your father knows our family very well. Lillian doesn't know about this, and no one will blame her. You don't need to tell your father anything else just let him know the child is fine. I'm afraid if he knows Rena sneaked oranges because of her longing for them, he'll get angry with us again."
Alexander smiled lightly, nodded slightly, and said, "Then we'll go back."
The four of them left the hospital, and Leah immediately said, "Rena did it on purpose to make Dad think we harmed her!"
"Shut up!" Alexander got in the car and sat in the back row with Lillian.
The driver was present, but no one spoke. However, all four of them were pondering over Rena's matter. Lillian lowered her head, furrowing her brows. Now, looking back, from Rena asking her to go to her room to the servant delivering fruits and eating oranges, it seemed as if everything was premeditated.
Lillian thought to herself, 'Could it be true, as Leah said, that Rena intended to make Ethan misunderstand and thus make him dislike Alexander? The dark conspiracy I had previously thought of seems to be real.'
Lillian felt a shudder.
Back at the dining area, Ethan asked anxiously, "Is the baby alright?"
"The baby is fine, Dad, don't worry," Alexander replied after sitting down.
Ethan asked, "What could be the reason for the stomachache?"
"It's hard to say. Maybe it's from eating something chilled or something that shouldn't have been eaten, or it could be due to not adjusting well to the environment here," Alexander said.
Ethan pondered and said, "Perhaps it's due to not adjusting well to the environment here."
Thomas sat there, displeased, and said, "Ethan, I've said it before. Rena's child cannot inherit our family. The heir must be a child born to Lillian."
As Thomas spoke, he looked at Alexander and asked, "When do you plan to have children? I'm already old. I could pass away anytime."
