Chapter 461 Grace's Scheme
Ariel led Patricia back to her room and poured her a glass of water to ease her nerves.
"Why are you here, Patricia? Weren't you at the hospital? Where's Mr. Langley? Why isn't he with you, and how did you get into an argument with Grace?"
Had she not arrived in time, the two might have come to blows.
Patricia took a sip of water, feeling the warm liquid slide down her throat, instantly comforting her. "How can you be so kind to me when they say I killed Grandpa?"
Ariel invited her to sit on the couch and settled across from her with a gentle smile. "Because there's no reason not to be."
Patricia was baffled.
"Why don't you tell me then," Ariel challenged gently, "why would you want to harm Grandpa?"
Patricia had no answer; in fact, she was still unclear if she was responsible at all.
Seeing no response from her, Ariel had a hunch and shrugged. "Well, there you have it. If you had no reason, then why do it? Grandpa adored you, held you in high regard, and always had a big, beaming smile whenever he talked about you. Why would you hurt someone who was so good to you? And, as they say, if you're going to commit a crime, do it in secret. Why his birthday? In front of everyone, as if you wanted to make absolutely sure people knew?"
She didn't reveal that there was another reason. It was an intuition. She had this unwavering intuition that Patricia wasn't the one. This sense of trust had no rationale; it was an inexplicable belief in her.
Ariel's trust filled Patricia's heart with warmth and moved her deeply. She hadn't expected, after such a grave incident, they would still have faith in her. She thought they would be filled with hatred and disgust—ready to blame her for Grandpa's fate.
"Thank you! But I might end up disappointing you," Patricia said quietly.
Her gaze fell to the water in the glass, lost in a fleeting trance. Bits and pieces of memories flitted through her mind, making her doubt herself.
Could it really have been her doing? Was it something so unbearable that she chose to forget?
Noticing Patricia's distressed state, Ariel discreetly took out her phone and texted Riley. "Hey, do you have Mr. Langley's contact info? Patricia's here with me at Silver Birch Sanctuary. I think she might have come on her own, and Mr. Langley might not know. Can you let him know so he won't worry? She seems off, and I'm concerned."
Riley seemed to be awake, responding almost instantly. "Got it! I'll reach out to Martin."
Assured by Riley's message, Ariel finally relaxed and placed her phone back on the nightstand.
Patricia tilted her head back, draining the glass of water before speaking up again, "I... I can't remember what happened. That's why I wanted to go back to the scene, hoping to jog my memory. But I ended up recalling nothing."
Patricia was curled up on the couch, a cane resting upon her knee. Her hand, half-clenched into a fist, gently tapped her temple. "I'm so useless, forgetting something this important... just useless..."
Ariel, worried she might harm herself, quickly reached over to grasp her hand. "Don't worry! Grandpa is fine right now. Maybe you can't remember because you didn't sleep well. Why don't you rest in my bed for a bit? After a good sleep, things might come back to you."
Patricia nodded, her expression blank. "Yeah, you might be right. A good rest could jog my memory."
Ariel could see Patricia wasn't in the best state of mind, so she quickly helped her get comfortable in the bed, thoughtfully turning off the bright overhead light and leaving only a dim bedside lamp on.
She didn't dare leave or fall asleep herself, fearing that if she did, Patricia might wander off again.
There she sat, lost in thought on the couch not too far from the bed, pondering every little detail from the birthday party, hoping to catch any clue.
It wasn't long before Martin arrived. Seeing Patricia asleep in Ariel's bed made him breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ariel, thank you so much," he said, utter sincerity in his voice.
If Ariel hadn't notified Riley, who in turn notified him, he'd still be frantically searching for Patricia, aimless and worried.
Ariel kindly said, "I think Patricia seems a bit off, so keep an eye on her. My brother knows a great psychiatrist. If you need one, just tell me, and I'll get in touch with him for you."
She knew Patricia was close to them—to all her siblings, except for Sebastian; their relationship was just average.
No mystery there. Sebastian was always busy, up at dawn and home late, barely crossing paths with Patricia.
Martin gratefully responded, "That would be great; thank you."
Ariel nodded. "Let Patricia rest up. I'll be in the next room if you need anything."
Martin didn't want to impose, but given Patricia's condition, it wasn't wise to move her. He accepted Ariel's kindness and thanked her once more.
After Ariel left, Martin kept a vigilant watch at the bedside, holding her hands tightly in his own.
The next day, Shane was still in critical condition, confined to the ICU.
Despite a night's rest, there was little improvement in Patricia's mental state.
When it rains, it pours. The Koch family was in crisis, and despite Sebastian's stern warnings to the guests at the birthday banquet not to speak of the incident, word got out. Like wildfire, the news spread virally, causing an uproar across the nation.
"The rising star designer, Patricia, brutally turned on Shane, the president of Koch Enterprises who's always supported her. Shane's now in a coma under intensive care."
"Wasn't it Shane's birthday celebration yesterday? His birthday turned into a day of mourning?"
"She's a real Judas! Shane was so good to her, and yet she could do such a thing."
"Is it true she's still at large, evading the law?"
"What are the police doing? How can they not catch such a person? Are they waiting for her to harm others?"
Every entrance to Silver Birch Sanctuary Hospital was besieged by the press. The Kochs were not only the wealthiest in the nation but also ranked at the top of the global rich list. The attempted assassination of the world's richest man was a story that drew reporters from every corner, racing to catch the scoop.
After catching wind of the debacle, Riley rushed back to the headquarters of Koch Enterprises, rarely seen so furious. "How did this get out? What is the PR department even for if they can't contain a simple leak?"
The head of PR hung his head in shame, murmuring, "We responded immediately, but we couldn't stem the tide. We suspect someone's fanning the flames from behind the scenes, causing the chaos to spiral out of control."
Riley's face was a stormy mask, his chest heaving with barely controlled rage.
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