Chapter 252 How About You Deceive Carol Once More?
"No," Pearl said.
Oscar's face hardened. "Soon to be an ex-wife!" he snapped.
The doctor, a bit surprised, quickly said, "The patient has a mild concussion and a fractured hand. She'll be fine with some rest. No need to worry too much."
Pearl sighed in relief. "Thank you, doctor."
"You're welcome."
They followed Magdalen into the ward.
Seeing Magdalen's dry lips, Pearl moistened a cotton swab with warm water and gently dabbed them.
Oscar stood nearby, keeping watch.
To let Magdalen rest, no one else was in the ward.
Pearl, still anxious, sat across from Magdalen, watching over her.
She eventually dozed off and woke up startled from a nightmare of darkness and confinement, which happened a lot, makeing her uncomfortable.
When she woke, she found herself covered with a jacket. It was warm and smelled like Oscar, who was nowhere to be seen.
Pearl held the jacket for a moment before setting it aside. She couldn't let her guard down just because of one kind gesture from Oscar.
It didn't mean much. What he did for her, he could do for anyone.
Magdalen was still asleep, so Pearl decided to buy some necessities.
As she stepped out, Adrian was still waiting.
Hathaway and Haley were gone.
"Adrian," Pearl called.
Adrian turned. "You're out."
"Have you been waiting long? You should go home," Pearl said.
Adrian stood up. "I wanted to say goodbye first."
"Sorry, I fell asleep. Have you been waiting long?"
"It's fine, I had nothing else to do."
"I'll walk you downstairs. I'll call you when Magdalen wakes up," Pearl said.
"Alright," Adrian replied softly, walking out with Pearl.
They went downstairs, and Pearl saw Adrian off.
Before leaving, Adrian said, "Call me if you need anything. I'll come see Magdalen tomorrow. Don't tire yourself out."
Pearl nodded. "I know. You should go home and rest."
Adrian waved and drove off.
Watching him leave, Pearl headed to a nearby mall to buy clothes and toiletries, along with some comfortable pajamas for Magdalen.
Magdalen had high standards for her quality of life, even in the hospital.
Pearl prepared everything meticulously.
Soon, she came out carrying a large pile of items.
At the mall entrance, she bumped into a man, scattering everything.
"Sorry," Pearl said, bending down to pick up the items.
Jeffery Gray glanced at her and crouched down too. "I bumped into you. Let me help."
They both reached for the same item, and Jeffery's hand overlapped with Pearl's.
His hand was cold, bone-chillingly cold. Pearl felt a creeping sense of dread and instinctively pulled away.
She noticed his hand—pale skin, long and slender fingers, neatly trimmed nails, and a cross bracelet on his wrist.
Pearl caught a whiff of disinfectant.
She looked up. The man wore a black coat, sweater, dress pants, and leather shoes.
He smiled, his blue eyes fixed on her. His face was even paler than his hands, with gold-rimmed glasses, clean and fair skin, and slightly curved lips that seemed naturally inclined to smile. A tear mole marked the corner of his left eye.
Despite his charm, Pearl felt a chill that penetrated to her core.
"Carol," Jeffery said, staring at Pearl.
To ease her fear, Pearl stood up. "Who are you calling?"
Seeing her confusion, he smiled. "It seems I've mistaken you for someone else."
"May I have my things back?" Pearl asked.
Jeffery silently handed her the shopping bag.
Pearl quickly took it, feeling that same bone-chilling coldness when she touched his hand. "Excuse me, I need to go."
Jeffery stepped aside, and Pearl hurried past him without looking back.
The man watched her retreating figure, muttering, "Carol."
His voice was long and drawn out, revealing no emotion.
Once Pearl was out of sight, he stroked the bracelet on his wrist and walked forward.
He walked for about ten minutes, taking several turns, until he arrived at a building. It was an office building, usually quiet and secluded.
He slowly ascended the stairs to the fourth floor.
There was only one room on this floor.
He opened the door, turned the handle once, paused, and then opened it fully.
"What took you so long? I've been waiting for you!" Haley said, sitting opposite the door.
Jeffery, unhurried, closed the door, took off his black coat, and put on a white lab coat, transforming back into a doctor. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "You're anxious because you want my help again. It's only been a few days, and you can't take it anymore?"
"Write it down, I can't hear you!" Haley said coldly.
Jeffery walked around the desk, sat in the office chair, leaned back, and looked at Haley with his brown eyes. "Can't you read lips? Don't you understand what I'm saying?"
Haley pursed her lips. "Jeffery, I can't take this any longer. Help me restore my hearing. I need to work. This is affecting my life!"
She had worked hard to enter the entertainment industry and couldn't afford to fall into despair.
To gain sympathy and keep Oscar, she had deliberately made herself deaf.
She had been injured for Oscar before, and her inability to hear could evoke Oscar's guilt.
This was her way of holding onto Oscar, but it also increased her fear.
She couldn't lose her career. She had worked hard to get to where she was today and couldn't afford to lose it.
Jeffery smirked. "You said it yourself, and the more convincing the act is, the more people will believe it. If your hearing is restored, how will you continue to play the victim?"
"The play is over."
"No, it is not," Jeffery said.
His long fingers twirled the beads, squinting his eyes, his hands resting on the desk. "How about deceiving Carol once more?"
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