Chapter 396 New King Candidate
Chloe had her wound rebandaged.
Larry sat alone on a cold chair, his hands resting on his knees, his face buried in his palms. A wave of intense guilt washed over him—he felt he had deeply let Abigail down.
He walked to a relatively quiet corner, took out his phone, and after a moment of hesitation, sent Abigail a text: "You home?"
At that moment, Abigail hadn't left yet. She was sitting in her car in the hospital parking lot, lost in thought.
Her phone chimed with a message. Seeing it was from Larry, a complex expression crossed her beautiful face—part resignation, part deep sorrow.
She had always known that Chloe held a place in Larry's heart, that their past was something that couldn't be easily severed. Yet, she had still thrown herself into this relationship without hesitation.
Now, she was left heartbroken, and she knew it was her own doing.
She gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and replied, trying to sound composed: "Yeah, I'm home. Driving now."
After sending the message, Abigail took a deep breath, trying to encourage herself: "Abigail, you have to be strong! It's not a big deal, you can get through this!"
But her strength only lasted a few seconds.
The next moment, she collapsed onto the steering wheel, sobbing uncontrollably, as if trying to cry out all her grievances and unwillingness.
She cried for a long time, until she felt like she had no more tears left. Then she remembered that Larry's medical book was still at her place. Knowing that Larry would likely stay at the hospital to take care of Chloe, she decided to bring the book over.
Chloe's wound was quickly rebandaged.
After being sent back to her room, the Lewis family members began to prepare to leave.
"Mom, you all should go home," Chloe said weakly from her hospital bed to Maria and the others.
"Chloe, I'll stay and take care of you," Maria said worriedly.
"No need, there are nurses here, and..." Chloe glanced at Larry, who was sitting silently beside her, a sweet smile appearing on her face, "Larry is here with me. That's enough."
Scott gently tugged on Maria's sleeve. "Let's go. Let them have some time to talk."
Maria finally nodded in agreement.
Helen also said goodbye to Larry. "Larry, I'm heading out. If you need anything, just let us know."
Larry snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Okay, drive safe."
After the Lewis family left, only Larry and Chloe remained in the room.
"Honey, I really know I was wrong. Please don't be mad at me, okay?" Chloe looked at Larry with a pitiful and cautious expression.
Larry shook his head gently, his tone flat. "I'm not mad at you. This is something I owe you. I should make it up to you."
"Honey, can we not talk about this?" Chloe sobbed softly. "You don't owe me anything. This is my fate. I was destined for this."
Larry stood up and said, "Let's not talk about it. You should rest. It's stuffy in here; I'm going out for some air."
Chloe wanted to call him back, but the words stuck in her throat, and she could only let out a helpless sigh.
Larry walked out to the hallway, sat on a chair, and lit a cigarette.
A few passing nurses saw someone smoking in the hospital and wanted to stop him, but recognizing Larry, they hesitated and kept their distance.
Larry sat there alone, lost in deep thought.
He didn't know how much time had passed when a book suddenly appeared in his line of sight.
The book was held by a pair of slender, fair hands.
Larry looked up to see Abigail standing in front of him.
He quickly stood up and took the medical book. He said, "Thanks for bringing this over so late."
Abigail smiled faintly and said, "I knew you'd need it, so I brought it."
"I'm sorry..." Larry said, full of guilt.
Abigail waved her hand lightly, her face showing a seemingly relaxed smile. "It's okay, really. I told you before, no matter what decision you make, I'll support you."
She paused, her tone softening. "Chloe's been through a lot. Disfigured, shunned by everyone, even her own family. She finally got a fresh start, only to be poisoned. Who knows what'll happen when the poison kicks in."
Abigail's empathy made Larry feel even more guilty. She always had this way of seeing things from others' perspectives, even when she was hurting.
"Honestly, I don't want to keep this thing with Chloe," Larry said heavily as he sat back down. "Alistair's gonna keep coming after me. Being with Chloe will just put her in more danger. I didn't expect her to pull this stunt."
"What are you planning to do next?" Abigail asked as she sat beside him.
She didn't know Larry's exact plans but knew they involved Alistair, political struggles, and the upcoming election.
Larry shook his head slightly. "I don't have a detailed plan yet. I'll have to take it one step at a time."
"If you need any help, just let me know," Abigail said sincerely.
"I will, thank you."
"Then I'll leave you to it. Get some rest," Abigail said, waving as she turned to leave.
Larry didn't get up to see her off. He sat back down, staring blankly at the medical book in his hands.
"I heard about the Dragon Mountain incident. Are you okay?"
A deep voice suddenly broke the silence.
Larry looked up sharply to see a middle-aged man in a black robe and cap standing before him.
He was startled. The man's skills were impressive, approaching without Larry noticing.
"Thanks to some brothers from Free, I made it out alive," Larry replied honestly.
The man's gaze lingered on the medical book in Larry's hands for a moment, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he didn't ask about it. Instead, he got straight to the point.
"The situation in Aurora Citadel is very complicated right now. Each candidate for the new king has the backing of powerful financial groups. Although these groups haven't openly declared their support, they won't back the king's preferred candidate."
Larry listened quietly, knowing the man's appearance meant an important task.
The man continued, "To gain support, you need substantial financial backing. But no financial group is willing to support the king now. Driven by profit, they're all secretly approaching the new king candidates."
"What do you need me to do?" Larry asked directly.
"Alistair appears loyal but has done many shady things in secret. He even set up several secret research facilities in the country, guarded by the Legion of Flame Surge. His true intentions are still unclear," the man said seriously. "While dealing with Alistair, you need to accumulate wealth to prepare for the new king's rise."
Larry shook his head with a bitter smile. "The king overestimates me. I'm broke. How can I accumulate wealth?"
The man smiled faintly. "The king has given you the planning rights for the cities ceded by the enemy. That's a huge fortune. Although you've been dismissed, I believe the people of Southwild will only follow your lead."
"A year is too short," Larry frowned and said.
"The situation in Sunset City is also chaotic," the man continued. "Many financial groups from Aurora Citadel are investing in Sunset City, planning to build a new city. Sunset City also has the Business Growth Collective, Harmony Alliance Circle, and Prosperity Business Alliance. These groups have plenty of money. How you handle it is up to you."
With that, the man turned and disappeared into the night.
Larry fell silent, pondering the man's words.
He also wondered who the king's preferred candidate for the new king was.
Names of people close to the king flashed through his mind, but none seemed likely.
After a long time, a bold idea struck him.
He touched his nose, a daring guess forming in his mind:
"Could the king's preferred candidate... be me?"
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