Chapter 115Â
Darrell shook his head and said honestly, “Ever since I boarded the cruise ship, every unexpected event has caught me completely off guard.”Â
Owen voiced out the doubts in his heart. “Even though the cruise ship’s hijacking hasn’t been made public, word’s already spreading in our circles that this whole incident involves secrets from the White family. People are saying Caelus managed to get on board because you secretly helped him…”Â
He continued, “I know you’d never do something like that, but others might not think the same. Especially Lucius—”Â
Darrell shot Owen a warning look to stop him from talking. “Even if Lucius wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t pick this moment to do it. The one behind all this is clever. They’re spreading rumors that I colluded with Caelus, while sending someone to the hospital to silence me at the same time.”Â
Darrell shook his head. “Anyone with half a brain can see this is just a ploy to sow discord.”Â
Valerie looked at Darrell with open admiration. “As expected of the eldest son of the Foster family. You’re sharp-minded and able to see the whole picture.”Â
She waved casually at Lucinda and the still-stunned Owen. “You two can carry on. I’ll head out first.”Â
Owen offered to see her off, but Valerie politely declined.Â
By the time she left the hospital, it was already 10:00 pm.Â
She hadn’t slept at all the previous night, and her eyelids were starting to droop from exhaustion. The experimental data hadn’t been fully processed yet, and she hesitated, wondering if she should spend another night in the lab.Â
As soon as she pushed through the hospital’s revolving doors, a wave of heat hit her face, even though it was already late at night.Â
A sleek luxury car was parked across the street. When the driver saw Valerie step out, he honked once and slowly rolled down the window.Â
Yawning, Valerie met Lucius’ gaze through the window.Â
She waved casually. “What a coincidence. What are you doing at the hospital at this hour? Got a sudden illness or something?”Â
Lucius said, “I came to pick you up.”Â
Silas got out of the driver’s seat and opened the back door respectfully, saying, “Ms. Collins, please get in.”Â
Valerie’s faint smile faded a little as she shook the keys in her hand. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got my own car.”Â
Lucius couldn’t even remember how many times she had refused to ride with him. “Do you have some kind of grudge against my car?”Â
He thought she would brush it aside with some excuse, but Valerie admitted frankly, “There used to be someone I really hated who drove that same model.Â
“I know it’s a bit childish to associate that with you, but think about it. If your father’s killer had the same face as me, would you smile and greet me just because I wasn’t the one who killed him?”Â
Lucius felt a little exasperated. “You really go to great lengths just to avoid sitting in my car.”Â
Leaning on his cane, he stepped out and said to Silas, “Drive back first.”Â
Silas was stubborn when it came to protecting Lucius. “I’ll go wherever you go, Mr. White.”Â
Lucius replied, “I’m going to spend some time with my wife. Having you around would be inconvenient.”Â
Silas’ face flushed slightly as he got into the car and drove off in embarrassment.Â
With Silas gone, the hospital entrance suddenly felt quieter.Â
Lucius looked at Valerie. “Why is your phone always out of service whenever I call?”Â
Valerie laughed awkwardly. “Maybe I was somewhere with no signal.”Â
Lucius exposed her little trick outright. “You actually blocked me, didn’t you?”Â
Valerie thought it was best not to admit it.Â
She had indeed blocked a bunch of people, and Lucius was among them.Â
After all, they were just living together. There was no need for any extra contact.Â
Lucius knew it wasn’t the time to argue about that, so he deliberately adopted a look of weakness. “My leg’s still injured. You’re not going to leave me stranded here, are you?”Â