Chapter 241
I was fading in and out of consciousness the whole time. I felt like my entire life was flashing before my eyes. My
parents were the first people who came to my mind, followed by Leon and Quinn. Then came the first highlight of
my life—Christopher, followed by my pathetic marriage to Nicholas. Then came Shawn, the most recent person
who came into my life. I felt like I had never been in love my whole life, but Shawn was the one person who helped
me understand how it felt like to be treasured by another person.
Shawn was the one who provided me with firm and unconditional love when I was at the lowest point in my life. He
gave me faith. In fact, he became my faith. I loved him as much as I loved my faith. What did it mean to have faith?
Faith was the one thing that people sought without ever blaspheming it.
However, Shawn's attack and his words utterly shattered my faith. His mother ended up being the one person who
changed him entirely. He had promised that he would let me handle this, yet he went against his word. I felt myself
getting drowsier as my eyelids grew heavier. I could hear someone talking. "Mom, the doctor said that Renee is the
one who refuses to wake up, but the Xenos Family is asking for their head of the family right now."
A gentle voice was the one who made the decision. "We can hand her back to them since she's the head of their
family. The castle is not going to be peaceful if she stays, which will make it hard for her to recuperate." After that
conversation, I could feel people moving me around, yet I didn't want to open my eyes to see what was going on.
At that moment, two children about seven or eight months old started crawling toward me in my head. The children
looked like that guy, and I tried to let out a scream of fear. Yet, I couldn't seem to make any sound. The children's
faces grew increasingly clearer, and I was trying my best to chase them away when they suddenly stood tall and
transformed into Shawn!
"Mr. Kalt, her condition is rather unstable," a voice said.
Another familiar voice responded to that statement. "Is she having a nightmare? Hurry up and call the doctors."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtI could hear my heartbeat thumping in my ears. When I forced my eyes open, I found Anthony and Joseph standing
before me. "Where am I?" I asked hesitantly.
"We're on the way back to Eldham, Miss," Anthony replied patiently. I shut my eyes once more. "How long have I
been out?"
"23 days," Anthony replied. 23 days… That means that thanksgiving is over. It also means that I've missed out on
Shawn's 28th birthday. Well, who am I to celebrate his birthday with him? "When's Christmas Eve?" I asked again.
"It's five days until Christmas, Miss," Anthony replied. That means it's four days until my 25th birthday, I thought.
Throughout the years, I had never once received birthday wishes from my loved ones. "Is it snowing in Eldham?" I
asked quietly. Anthony shot Joseph a look, and moments later, Joseph found the answer.
"There was a snowstorm in Eldham yesterday, Miss. It's going to be pouring rain today," Joseph stated. I preferred it
when Eldham was cold, chilly, and bleak with its harsh storms. "Let's head back to Eldham then," I ordered in a soft
tone.
"Do you want to go back to Felix's Villa or the apartment?" Anthony asked.
"I want to head back to the villa, but a different one. Buy a new one for me," I instructed. The most exclusive villas
in Eldham were located at the top of the mountains on the outskirts of town, and that area was highly secluded and
quiet. Furthermore, since it was at the top of the mountains, the residents there would be the first to experience
any snow or rainfall when it came.
I had previously visited that residential area—Nicholas had brought me over to stay for a night. As Joseph drove
past the residential area, I saw a little kitten curled up in front of one of the villas. The kitten's ginger-colored fur
was dripping wet, and it looked like a sorry sight. The lights were turned on in the house, and it seemed like people
were living inside. Is it possible that Nicholas still stays here?
"I want you to check the details of this house," I told Anthony. Anthony made a call and reported the address and
house number to the other person on the phone. Soon enough, he got back to me. "That house belongs to
Nicholas, but Old Master Yates and Madam Yates are the ones staying there now," he said.
I froze for a moment. "Do you mean Benedict Yates is staying there?"
Anthony explained patiently, "Yes. As per your orders, I got Alice to… Well, she lost her mind, and the Yates Family
decided to join forces with the Forgers since they weren't stable on their own. In other words, Nicholas is the one in
charge of Yates Corporation now. He allowed Old Master Yates and Madam Yates to move into this villa, and some
of their other family members are staying there as well. The younger generations are staying in Ashere, and Alice
has been admitted into a mental hospital."
A while ago, I bumped into Alice at Merlin's engagement. Back then, Alice still hadn't learned her lesson, and she
was still trying to pick fights with me. I ended up calling Anthony and ordering him to deal with Alice. I hadn't asked
about Alice after this incident, so I had no idea that she had been admitted to a mental hospital. Well, I guess this is
what she gets for being so cocky!
I let out a sigh and didn't probe any further regarding this matter. Instead, I reached my hand over to feel the spot
where I had been stabbed in the stomach. There was a protruding scar, but it no longer felt as bloody and raw as
before. The scar had formed exactly on the lisianthus flower!
Soon enough, we arrived at the villa that Anthony had prepared for me. It was just a little bit further down the villa
that belonged to Nicholas. From where I stayed, I could see everything that happened in Nicholas' garden.
Fortunately, it was just Benedict who was staying there—that didn't bother me too much. After all, I was just staying
there until I felt better, so I figured that I wouldn't be there for long.
After I got out of the car, Joseph held up an umbrella for me while Anthony casually reminded me of my injuries.
"Miss, the doctor mentioned that your uterus suffered some injury because you were kicked directly in the stomach.
You might experience some occasional pain, and you'll have to take painkillers whenever that happens. Also, you
suffered a slight concussion, so the doctor said that you would have to take some time to heal. You'll have to take
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your medication daily and refrain from consuming spicy foods."
I nodded before walking into the villa. "All your old bodyguards were killed after the incident in Finland, so Joseph is
the only one who's still working under you. We've chosen 23 new bodyguards for you. The security measures taken
to protect you have also been reinforced, so the Xenos Family will be able to track your location anywhere and
anytime."
I couldn't believe it—Joseph was one of my 24 bodyguards who survived the trip to Finland. If Joseph hadn't tried to
distract the enemy back then, he might have died along with the rest of the bodyguards. Those 24 bodyguards had
worked with me for nearly a year by then, and I knew every single one of them. I couldn't believe that they were all
gone! My heart ached for each one of them. That was the moment I knew that I could never forgive the man for
what happened.
My insides bubbled with hatred as I gave Anthony my orders. "I want you to make sure that all of the lost
bodyguards' families are taken care of. The Xenos Family will be responsible for their parents' aging and retirement
as well as their children's education. Also, with what happened in Finland… I want you to run a thorough
investigation to find out about the organization that was responsible for this. They have to be destroyed!"
Anthony froze for a moment before responding. "Got it, Miss. When do you want to get this done?" If the Xenos
Family wanted to destroy an entire organization, they certainly had the power to do it! "You can just run an
investigation for now. I'll head over to their base camp personally after the new year celebrations!" I wanted to
make sure that Shawn regretted everything he did. I wanted those who shamed and embarrassed me to pay for
what they had done!
"Alright. I'll hand you the details by tomorrow," Anthony said. I let out a sigh before calling for Anthony again. "Yes,
Miss," he replied.
"I want you to go over to my apartment in Eldham and bring the global map of influence to me. I also want you to
adjust the two rings to fit the size of my fingers," I uttered in an icy tone.
"Miss, what are you trying to do?" Anthony was shocked.
"What Shawn would do," I replied.