Chapter 56
Clayton felt like he had been struck by lightning, frozen in his chair.
Valerie was right. When Valerie had thrown mud at Jade, he hadn’t stopped her, instead, he had echoed her words.
He thought to himself, Tim a lawyer. What I say needs to be backed by evidence. Even if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I shouldn’t easily be swayed by others‘ words. I should have my own judgment.
“Why did I become like this? If I had exposed the truth back then, Valerie would have been utterly humiliated. She’s had a tough past and severe emotional trauma. If she were publicly shamed, she might do something drastic, Eke taking her own life.
“She’s still young. She has her daughter Luna. Her father is the Patel family’s savior. I’m protecting Valerie’s reputation out of gratitude, not because I’ve lost my sense of right and wrong or my professional integrity. Yes, that’s it
Ater comforting himself, Clayton exhaled deeply. “Vally, with me taking care of you and Luna, you don’t have to be afraid of being bullied. So-”
“So you need to be down–to–earth and focus on yourself. Stop with the nonsense, like falsifying your resume and shitting blame,” he thought. But Clayton couldn’t bring himself to scold Valerie.
However, Valerie had already understood everything from his reaction Clayton was growing impatient with her. So, she had to act quickly to secure her position as his legitimate wife and make Audrey regretit.
“Audrey thinks that by making a some, the can control Clayton
poor town with no family support? Does she really think she deserves
rupper hand in the Patel family: Who does she think she is, an orphan from a
Valerie thought: “Once I marry Clayton, Audrey will have plenty to regret. (7) make sure to humulate her property
“Clayton, Valerie slowly leaned on Clayton’s shoulder, speakin Gibson wouldn’t believe me if I said I accidentally scraped his c
“We could have been more straightforward in front of Mr. Coson and
| between Stride Commerce and Blackthorn Legal, I knew Mr.
id of letting Mr. Gibson suspect me, I’d just let Jade take the blame.”
Otherwise, I could have salvaged the relationship between the two forms,” she continued
at me to be Mr. Gibson
Clayton didn’t want to talk about it anymore. The incident constantly reminded him of the cardinal sin for a lawyer–colluting with a client to give false
Testimony.
His phone rang, Clayton took it out of his pocket, it was Lilian calung “Hello, Mom”
“Clayton, Mrs. Patel is in the hospital. Get over here.” Alexa’s voice came through the lin
“I’m on my way
Clayton said. He had been busy since last night and was
and was really exhausted.
Shahad just miscarried and hadn’t been discharged yet
When Audrey was in Ashwood Mental Hospital for that month, Clayton had been busy with work. He missed her cooking, but nothing else was amiss
Ever since Audrey got out, his work had been going poorly, family members were constantly in and out of the hospital, his father faced obstacles at work, and his niece was caught stealing money. What had once been a well–ordered home was now in complete disarray.
Clayton stretched his stiff neck, stood up, and Valerie insisted on going with him.
Clayton initially thought his mom was hospitalized due to stress from his dad’s investigation, but she was actually in the gastroenterology ward
Alexa sat in a wheelchair by the bedside and sneered at Valerie Valerie quickly hid behind Clayton, meekly saying, “Alka, I just came to
Lilian lay in bed, her face slow and and in her hand.
(Mrs. Patel”
13
- Clayton asked
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Chapter 56
“No one knows what she ate, but she’s been vomiting and having diarrhea. The doctor said if she had come in any later, she would have been “dehydrated.” Alexa glared at Valerie like she wanted to tear her apart
Sena, go back and rest. I’ll take care of Mon,” Clayton said.
Alexa shot Valerie a hateful look, then wheeled herself away.
Valerie nervously clutched Clayton’s sleeve. “Clayton, Alexa still blames me, if I had known she was pregnant, I’d rather die than fight back”
Valerie insisted that when Alexa pushed her, she instinctively grabbed onto Mess, causing both of them to roll down the stairs.
Clayton had explained this to Alexa, but Alexa as adamant that Valerio had staged the whole thing. Because of this incident, there was some estrangement between the two brothers.
Lillian was in a deep sleep, and Clayton lowered his voice. “You take care of Mom first. I’ll go talk to the doctor.“”
Carson, holding a certificate from the police department to appeal the penalty, had just finished dealing with the hospital administration when he heard that Lillian had been hospitalized. He arrived at the medical office just as Clayton did
“You came just in time. Let’s listen together,” Carson said, introducing Clayton as the patient’s youngest son.
The attending physician presented the test results. “From what we can see so far, it looks like food poisoning.”
“Food poisoning“” Clayton was surprised. He had eaten at his parents‘ house the night before, and the whole family had consumed the same food. If it were food poisoning, the entire family should have been affected.
“None of you are sick, so Mrs. Patel might have eaten something toxic on her own.” Carson finished what the doctor was implying, and the attending physician nodded in agreement
Lillian had pre–existing conditions, such as hypertension and coronary heart disease. She had previously argued with Audrey, then became a about losing money, was saddened by Alexa’s miscarriage, and last night, her husband was taken in for questioning.
With so many stressors, combined with the bad food, Lillian had finally collapsed.
anxious
Aher talking with the doctor for a while, Clayton came out and encountered a servant who had come to deliver food. “What else did my mom eat besides
dinner?”
The servant thought for a moment and replied, “Mrs. Patel has been taking protein powder recently.”
Clayton’s eyes darkened. “Bring it here later, but don’t make a fuss.” He then turned to Carson, “Can you help me look into it?”
“No problem.” Carson nodded.
The servant entered the ward. Carson pulled Clayton aside, “I’ve been thinking I should thank Audrey in person. If you don’t feel comfortable asking her
can give her a call. Is that okay?”
Clayton’s face turned a bit cold. “I saw her today. She said she helped you because of me, so don’t take it to heart.”
Carson felt uneasy, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. Clayton didn’t say anything more and went into the ward to stay
by with Lillian.
After lunch, the servant brought over the protein powder that Lillian had been taking, Clayton wanted to say there was no need to test it
It was a gift that Valerie had bought for Lillian during her last hospitalization. But Carson had already spoken to a colleague in the lab, so he sent it over.
Soon, the test results came back the protein powder was counterfeit. It not only lacked the necessary nutritional components but also contained a large amount of mold.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the brand was just one character different from a popular brand on the market, a clear case of a substandard product with no production date, no quality certification, and no manufacturer.
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Chapter 56
Clayton, worried i
ned that his mother might blame Valerie, called her outside. “Where did you buy the protein powder?”
As a lawyer, he was determined in hold the counterfeit brand accountable,
Valere kept her head down, picking at her nails. Aber being pressed by Clayton li
for a while, she finally mumbled, “I bought it on instagram.
When Valerie was living in Audrey’s new house, she had met a few older women during morning exercises
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One of them mentioned that her daughter in law sold protein powder, which was of good quality and cheap. The old lady claimed that after taking it, her back no longer ached, her legs no longer hurt, and she felt great,
When Valerie heard that Lillian was hospital, she didn’t want to come empty handed, but she couldn’t afford an expensive git. So, she bought two cans of protein powder from the old lady’s daughter in law.
The protein powder in the specialty store cost over 120 dollars per can, and she got two cans for just over 30 dollars
“it’s not that i was trying to save a few bucks. It’s mainly because I’m poor Valene started crying again. “That madam clearly said it was really good. Maybe Mrs. Patel’s physical condition isn’t good enough to absorb it?”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
