To Love a Shadow To Be the Sun novel Chapter 366

Victor only sent his assistant with a message. "Chairman Lawrence is aware of this afternoon's events. He has already reprimanded Mr. Ryan. Ma'am, please come home after your IV is finished."

"And?" Fiona pressed.

The assistant looked confused. "What about Elara?" Fiona prompted.

A flicker of discomfort crossed the assistant's face. "Chairman Lawrence said that if you didn't ask about Miss Jules, to let it be. But if you did, I was to tell you that both Miss Jules and Miss Grove are guests of the Lawrence family, and he asks that you please consider the family's reputation and not cause a public spectacle."

Fiona was speechless. So Elara was getting off scot-free? A wave of fury washed over her, and she stormed off to her son's hospital room to complain.

Jason, already tired of being cooped up in the hospital, grew increasingly agitated as he listened to her story. When she mentioned the whip, his brow furrowed. "Are you trying to scare her away with our family's archaic rules?"

Fiona's tirade came to an abrupt halt. "Jason, I'm your mother! I'm the only one in this world who truly has your best interests at heart!"

"I know that, but I care about Elara. Why can't you try to accept her? Father's reaction is a clear sign that you need to back off. If you keep this up, you're only going to push him further away."

Fiona felt as though she had been struck. Her husband thought she was a troublemaker, and her son thought she was impulsive. But who was the root of all this? If it weren't for that sharp-tongued Elara, none of this would have happened. She would not let this go.

…

The next evening, Elara visited Jason at the hospital. He tactfully avoided any mention of the previous day's events. After she peeled an apple for him, she prepared to leave, but he suddenly grabbed her hand.

His gaze was intense. "I gave you some space these past two days. Are you feeling any better?"

Elara's brow twitched. After a long pause, she said, "I'm not lying to you, either."

She left his room and was heading for the main entrance when she was stopped by the Lawrence family's butler. His tone was polite but firm as he insisted she accompany him to a nearby teahouse.

"How did you know I was here?" Elara asked.

The butler's eyes flickered toward the hospital wing before he lowered his head, avoiding the question. It had to have been Jason. Elara's expression hardened, and she silently followed him out of the hospital.

In an elegant private room at the teahouse, Fiona was sipping her tea. Beside her sat a man in his fifties with thinning hair and a large potbelly. When Elara entered, his dull eyes lit up, and he ogled her in a way that made her skin crawl.

Fiona set down her teacup, a cruel smile on her lips. "Mr. Fielding," she said to the man, "this is the jilted woman I was telling you about, fresh from being kicked out of a wealthy family. Not bad, is she?"