Sad Tears 83

chapter83 

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And beneath the table was Elliott’s hand… 

Romina’s heart instantly leapt into her throat. 

Standing beside her, Elliana instinctively grabbed Romina’s hand, unwilling to watch any longer, bury- ing her face against Romina’s chest. 

Miguel, too, turned away instinctively, no longer able to look at the scene. 

Only Romina’s gaze remained fixed on the frosted door, not even blinking. 

Joaquin, sitting beside her, let his gaze fall on Romina, and the determination in her eyes suddenly caught his attention. 

The man’s lips suddenly curled into a faint, ambiguous smile. 

Just as the sharp object was about to fall on his hand, Elliott blurted out without hesitation, “It’s Valery!” 

At the same time, the sharp object in Erick’s hand stopped just above the back of Elliott’s hand. 

“Clang-” 

The moment the weapon hit the floor, the sound echoed throughout the treatment room. 

Even those outside, like Romina and the others, heard it clearly. 

“Valery?” Elliana looked at Romina in disbelief. “Romi, isn’t Valery one of Nadine’s people?” 

Romina’s eyes instantly darkened. 

She nodded thoughtfully. “Yes.” 

She truly hadn’t expected that the person sent would be from Valery. 

After seeing Romina and Elliana’s reactions, Joaquin’s hand, which had been tapping the table, suddenly paused. 

He looked at Romina, his gaze less cold than before. “So, it’s someone you know?” 

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Romina lowered her eyes to look at Joaquin beside her, then nodded. “It’s the woman who was with Na- dine the last time I visited the wellness clinic.” 

The man searched his memory quickly, then nodded slightly. “I remember her a little.” 

“Click-” 

The door was opened from inside by Erick. Romina quickly walked forward and glanced inside. 

Elliott was covered in injuries, though most were internal; only blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. 

Romina had long heard of Joaquin’s ruthlessness, but she hadn’t expected his subordinates to be just as merciless… 

“Now that we’ve gotten the answer, send him to the hospital! Don’t dirty Ms. Sandoval’s place any fur- ther.” 

Joaquin’s voice was deep, his face as calm as still water. 

“Yes, Mr. Bowman.” 

“Let’s go out the back door! There are too many people in front.” 

Miguel quickly stepped forward and left with Erick. 

Elliana said to Romina, “I’ll go help out.” 

Romina nodded lightly without a word, watching as they left through the main entrance. 

Joaquin’s gaze once again fell on Romina’s face. “Now that we’ve found the real culprit, how do you plan to handle it?” 

Hearing the familiar voice, Romina instinctively turned her head to look at the man beside her. 

After their eyes met, her expression darkened for a moment. 

In truth, there wasn’t much enmity between her and Valery; the real conflict was with Nadine. 

Although Valery was the one who acted this time, Romina knew very well that Nadine was undoubted- ly involved behind the scenes. 

To be precise, Valery must have been instructed by Nadine to come after her. 

On the very first day of opening, she was given such a big ‘gift,‘ only to discover it on the third day. 

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Truly, such malicious intent! 

A snap of fingers suddenly sounded by her ear. 

Romina’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted. 

Coming back to herself, she turned her head and immediately met the man’s gaze. 

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After steadying her emotions, she spoke calmly. “This matter probably still has something to do with Jericho.” 

“How is Jericho involved?” Joaquin’s brows furrowed slightly. “Valery is also close to Jericho?” 

“No.” Romina shook her head, her voice full of indifference. “The one truly close to her is Nadine.” 

“So you mean Valery was acting on Nadine’s orders, and that’s why she came after you?” 

“That’s just my guess. I can’t be completely sure yet. We’ll need further investigation or questioning to know for certain…” 

“Do you need my help?” 

The man’s deep voice fell into Romina’s ears, and she almost instinctively refused. “No, this is between her and me. I don’t want to involve anyone else.” 

But Joaquin suddenly stood up and moved closer to Romina. “Anyone else? Aren’t we family?” 

Romina’s back suddenly stiffened. 

He clearly knew she was about to divorce Jericho, so how could they still be considered family? 

The distance between them suddenly became very close. 

Romina could even feel the man’s steady breathing, his curled lashes casting faint shadows on his lower eyelids under the fluorescent light. 

Suppressing the nervousness rising in her heart, she responded with a faint, ambiguous smile. “Jericho and I are about to get divorced. I don’t think we count as family anymore, do we?” 

Joaquin’s brows suddenly furrowed. “Who said anything about him?” 

Romina was taken aback, looking at Joaquin with a hint of confusion. 

Joaquin curled his thin lips, his tone very calm. “You adopted Lina, so she’s your foster daughter, and I’m the child’s godfather. Doesn’t that make us, in a sense, a family?” 

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