All Too Late

“I-I’m sorry!” Charles instantly panicked. “I’ll only forgive you if you treat me to a good meal when we get back to Jade borough,” said a puffy-cheeked Clarissa. “Deal.” An apologetic smile curved on Charles’ face as he added, “I’ll treat you to any meal you want.” “You said it, not me! So you’d better not go back on your word!” Clarissa playfully huffed. “I won’t,” replied Charles, who helplessly chuckled. “All right, I need you to stay here while I go downstairs to get the others.” “Okay.” Clarissa nodded. Only then did Charles turn around to leave. A quiet sigh slipped out of Clarissa’s lips just then. Even the corner of her eyes glistened with tears as she knew some feelings needed to be buried deep in her heart. There was no way she could ever make her crush known. After all, Charles would only love Vivian in this lifetime. It did not matter if she were dead or alive; She would remain in his heart forever. That thought alone was enough to make Clarissa’s tears stream down her cheeks. She gently wiped them away while muttering to herself, “It’s okay, Clarissa. At least you can still stay by Charles’s side as his sister.

 

That’s more than enough.” It was not long before Charles brought the others over. By then, Clarissa had used up all her tears and was pretending nothing had happened. Instead, she focused on helping Charles take Vanessa away from the hospital. The group wasted no time rushing to the airport. Charles had arranged to take a private jet out of that place. Thus, they immediately took off after boarding. During the flight, Vanessa was under the doctor’s constant care, so she returned to Jade borough safely. Rory then came to pick the group up when they landed. Charles had phoned Kathleen before boarding earlier, so all the arrangements were were already made. Vanessa would get sent straight to Florinia Manor with Charles and Clarissa. As for the truth about Kathleen still being alive, Charles did not bother to hide it from Clarissa. The latter also knew not to tell anyone about this. Soon, Kathleen examined Vanessa’s wound before coldly stating, “She won’t die. While her wound runs deep, it has not affected any vital organs within her abdomen.” “So when will she awake?” Charles’ low voice asked. “It should be soon,” came Kathleen’s icy reply. Just then, Vanessa’s eyes fluttered open. Her hazy vision took a while to settle in while she asked weakly, “W-Where am I?” “Jade borough.” Kathleen crossed her arms before declaring, “You’re now a hostage in my hands.” Those words struck Vanessa like lightning. Fear gleamed past her already ghastly and pale face. “K-Kathleen!”

 

“That’s me.” A frosty-looking Kathleen then questioned, “So you still remember me, huh?” “How did this happen?” Vanessa was wholly startled by the sudden turn of events. How did I end up in Kathleen’s hands? I know for a fact that Lauren and Kathleen aren’t a team! “I saved you.” Clarissa walked over and added, “However, I’m acquaintances with Kathleen, so I brought you here.” A touch of bitterness appeared on Vanessa’s face, her tone becoming sharper by the second. “I can’t believe it. What a small world.” “Indeed,” Kathleen chimed in. It was then that Vanessa recalled something and yelled with shock, “Didn’t you die?” “There’s no way I’d die so easily.” Kathleen snorted. “Even if I had died, I would have taken you down with me!” Hearing that, Vanessa gritted her teeth. “Do you have Yareli too?” Kathleen nodded. A cold scoff came from Vanessa, who now seemed to have given up entirely. “Vanessa, the one who tried to blow me up isn’t Yareli. It’s Nicolette.” Kathleen’s menacing tone snarled, “Your death will never be enough to make up for your actions. Although, I can let Yareli go. But all depends on how you behave from this point on.” “How is she now?” Vanessa seemed concerned. “Nicolette has poisoned her, and she’s now unconscious. If you’re willing to work with me, I can save her.” “Can you really do that?” There was doubt in Vanessa’s tone. It made Kathleen sneer, “Don’t you forget, Vanessa. I studied and developed drugs under Theodore for five years. Such a poison isn’t difficult for me to deal with.” Vanessa stared at her intently, demanding, “I’ll only tell you everything after seeing Yareli awaken. Otherwise, you can forget about it!” Kathleen scoffed. “How bold of you to threaten me.

 

Don’t you know that you’re not the only one who knows the truth? Do you seriously think you’re a lifeline in this matter?” Her offensive remark made Vanessa’s face fall. Nonetheless, Vanessa knew she was powerless if Kathleen decided to kill her then and there. “I can reveal this, Kathleen. Your mother was indeed taken away by my father. And yes, she was given to Old Mrs. Hoover. However, if you want evidence, you’ll need to awaken Yareli. That’s my condition.” Something grave filled Kathleen’s chest, weighing even her breath down. “Fine. But remember, I want to every detail out of you when the time comes!” “Okay!” Vanessa nodded forcefully. The same impassive look stayed on Kathleen’s face as she whipped around to leave. Charles and Clarissa joined her outside. “Do you believe her words?” the former asked. “Yeah.” Kathleen nodded, adding, “Vanessa may be inhuman, but her motherly love for Yareli is unquestionable. She obviously wants her daughter to live.” “Can you neutralize the poison in Yareli’s body, though?” Clarissa asked with concern. “Yup.” Kathleen nodded. “I picked up many things when working under Theodore. Such a poison isn’t hard to neutralize, but it does quite some damage to the body. That won’t matter since all Vanessa asked was for me to wake Yareli.” “Oh, right. I heard some rumors that Theodore has returned to the country.” Charles’ deep voice then asked, “Do you think he’ll go to the Hoover family?” “I think so too.” With that, Kathleen elaborated, “Theodore would never be happy with how Trevor kicked him out of the Hoover family back then. Now that Lauren ended up empty-handed, Theodore will undoubtedly have other plans in store.”

 

“Looks like we should be more cautious,” Charles responded with a complicated look. “Theodore won’t necessarily come for us.” Kathleen crossed her arms before her chest and added, “Our enemy’s enemy is a friend to us, after all. Although Theodore and we have some history, he would never go against us right now. Who knows? Perhaps he might even contact us to form an alliance.” Charles’ eyes narrowed when he heard that. “Speaking of, Raymond has asked me to search for Wyatt since the latter is also in the country.” Kathleen arched a brow. “Do you have any news about him?” Charles shook his head. “Do you guys think Wyatt will work together with Theodore?” Clarissa guessed. “After all, Wyatt is my brother, and I’ve always known him to be a peevish oddball.” Kathleen’s voice lowered dangerously, “Perhaps. Either way, those two would never remain stagnant. They’ll eventually make a move as long as we keep holding on, especially now that we have Vanessa captive. Some people are surely bothered by this.” “Let’s see what the Hoover family’s next move is then,” said Charles. “Vanessa and Zion are both in my hands, so I believe the family will surely make a move within the coming two days.” Just as Kathleen spoke, Yadiel walked over with some updates.

 

He reported to Charles, “Mr. Johnson. Zachary is dead.” “How did he die?” Charles’ brows drew close. “I’m not sure. It seemed like Zachary suffered from acute heart failure and stopped breathing when he got to the hospital,” he replied. At that moment, Charles locked eyes with Kathleen. “Looks like the Hoover family has already made their move.” “There’s not telling if the Hoover family is behind this. After all, Nicolette could also be the one responsible.” Kathleen then stroked her chin before adding, “To be safe, I think it’s best if we head to the hospital and check up on the situation.”