Chapter 134 The Uninvited Guest
Lauren gazed into Quentin's deep eyes, noticing the bloodshot veins that revealed his exhaustion. Her heart ached, but she forced a casual smile. "No need to thank me. Taking care of Grandma is something I should do," Lauren said.
"Lauren," Quentin called her name earnestly.
"What is it?" Lauren puzzled.
"Can I hold you?" Quentin asked seriously as if he were discussing something of great importance.
Lauren was stunned, not understanding what he meant. But seeing Quentin's serious expression, she nodded without thinking.
Seeing Lauren agree, Quentin immediately pulled Lauren into his arms, lowering his head to inhale the sweet scent of her hair and body, which gave him a sense of peace.
Lauren blushed, embracing Quentin in return. Quentin had always been persistent, but he must be tired, too. He had his moments of vulnerability. If possible, she wanted to be his safe harbor.
They stayed like that in silence for a long while until Quentin eventually let her go.
"Thank you," Quentin said.
Lauren tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "It's okay. Rest a bit more. I'll step out."
Quentin pulled Lauren back, making her sit on the bed. He looked down at her and said, "You're tired too. I'll take care of Grandma. You need to rest, and so does the baby."
Quentin rarely mentioned the child. Lauren stared at the gentle Quentin, feeling an indescribable sweetness in her heart.
"Alright, I'll listen to you," Lauren said with a smile.
Quentin looked at Lauren's smile, feeling a bit dizzy. It had been a long time since he had seen such a pure smile from her. Quentin was afraid that Lauren wouldn't be able to handle the public opinion outside. He needed to resolve this matter quickly.
At that moment, Quentin's phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Noah. After the call, Quentin quickly put on his clothes and was ready to leave.
Lauren felt a pang of disappointment. Their tender moment had been so short. She suddenly realized she was too greedy, unwilling to let this sweetness end so soon.
'How wonderful it would be if we could always be this sweet,' she thought.
Lauren smiled bitterly. This was not the time for romance. They both had important things to do.
Lauren returned to the hospital room to chat with Jessica. Since her injury, Jessica had been in low spirits and had not talked much. Lauren knew that the sudden loss of mobility had been a devastating blow to her. Lauren needed to spend more time with her to help her recover her spirits.
"Grandma, are you hungry? Quentin brings some food earlier. Would you like to eat now? It smells delicious. There's Lemon Cod, your favorite," Lauren said with a cheerful smile as she walked over.
Jessica frowned. "Lauren, what has Quentin been busy with lately? Why haven't I seen him around?"
Lauren had already prepared an excuse for this, "The Robinson Conglomerate is expanding into new business areas. The partners specifically requested his presence. He couldn't refuse. But don't worry, Grandma, I'll take good care of you. Once he's done, we'll give him a good talking to, alright?"
Jessica was half-convinced by Lauren's explanation. In her eyes, Quentin cared a lot about her. It was unlike him to be so distant when she was seriously injured unless the incident at the banquet hadn't been resolved.
"Lauren, be honest with me. Is Quentin dealing with those reporters?" Jessica asked Lauren seriously.
Lauren knew that Jessica was very smart and that she couldn't hide the truth from her. However, to keep her from worrying, she decided to take one more gamble.
"Grandma, Quentin is doing all this for me, so please don't be angry with him. If you need to blame someone, blame me," Lauren said, lowering her head and looking pitiful.
Jessica finally believed Lauren after hearing her explanation.
"Dear, why would I blame him or you? Those reporters are so annoying, spouting nonsense. I can't understand what they're thinking. It's clear you're being wronged, yet they won't let it go. It makes me so angry!" Jessica said.
"Grandma, don't be angry. I believe Quentin will handle this well. You focus on recovering, and we'll support him together," Lauren said.
Jessica's mood finally improved a bit. Fortunately, only Lauren was in the room. Otherwise, she feared that Jessica would find out the real situation of the Robinson Conglomerate from someone else and get angry, which would be disastrous.
After Lauren finished eating with Jessica, an unexpected guest arrived in the hospital room.
Ulysses had been very angry these past two days. He couldn't believe Lauren had now become the scheming woman everyone was talking about, which made him lose his face. And then the Robinson family had not responded at all. So Ulysses came to the hospital, wanting to ask in person how they planned to resolve this matter.
Hearing the knock on the door, Lauren thought it was Quentin and happily ran to open it. But when she saw Ulysses' angry face, her smile froze.
"Dad, it's so late. Why are you here?" Lauren asked.
Ulysses strode into the hospital room. "Can't I come? Jessica is injured. I should visit her," Ulysses said coldly.
Seeing Ulysses, Jessica quickly said, "Ulysses, come in."
Ulysses was like a loaded gun and shouted to Jessica, "I shouldn't disturb you while you're injured, but the rumors are out of control. It's seriously affecting my company's operations. But the Robinson family doesn't seem to have any intention of solving the problem. Tell me, how do you plan to handle this?"
Jessica was bewildered. "What are you saying?"
Lauren rushed over. "Dad, Grandma is recovering. If you have something to say, talk to me outside."
"Get out of the way. You've become a pariah, and everyone wants to get rid of you. If the Robinson family isn't helping you, can't you fight for yourself? You're such a disgrace to me. I don't have a daughter like you!" Ulysses angrily scolded Lauren.
At that moment, he seemed to forget that he had become a member of the upper class in City A because Lauren married into the Robinson family.
Ulysses' last words were too hurtful for Lauren to accept. In her past two years of suffering, Ulysses had never cared about her. The Walker family had never given her any help. Once things went wrong now, he was all about getting out of her way.
