Chapter 383

Chapter 383

The holding cell fell silent, filled only with heavy breathing.

Henry restrained Sterling and turned to look at Gloria sprawled on the ground.

Just as he was about to say something, Gloria's venomous voice rang out first.

"Ha! Looking at you all like this, that bitch Willow must be dying, right? If you've got the guts, kill me! Once I get to hell, I'll keep tormenting her!"

"The more you care about her, the more I'll make sure she suffers. That bitch stole so much from me..."

Before she could finish, Gloria was once again lifted by the throat.

This time it was Henry.

"He's right. We should have killed you long ago! A menace like you—staying alive is just wasting air!"

Henry tightened his grip. "If anything happens to my sister, even your death won't be enough to atone!"

An even stronger sense of suffocation made Gloria belatedly feel fear.

She kicked her legs violently, struggling frantically, then gradually lost strength.

"Mr. Brown," Blake's head was pounding. He'd just pulled Sterling off—now he had to pull Henry away.

But this time, Sterling sat by and did nothing. Blake alone couldn't pry apart the enraged Henry.

Only after Gloria passed out from suffocation did Henry slowly release his grip, watching her collapse.

The police outside heard the commotion and came in.

Seeing the scene, the officer froze.

"She's fine—just temporarily passed out," Blake said, cleaning up after them.

The police checked. Seeing Gloria was indeed still breathing, they relaxed, though they didn't dare confront these two men.

After a long pause, the officer could only carefully remind them. "Gentlemen, this is the police station. We hope you'll show our chief some respect."

Silence.

Blake forced a smile. "Understood. Don't worry—I'm taking them now."

With that, he steeled himself and ushered the two men out.

After leaving the station, Henry spoke first.

"You were right. The Brown family really didn't handle this properly." He looked at Sterling.

From the start, Sterling had expressed concerns, worried the Brown family hadn't dealt with things cleanly, allowing Gloria and Wallace to hurt Willow again.

He'd been careless, thinking that stripping Gloria of resources would make her quietly leave Majestic City. He never expected...

Sterling gave him a cold glance.

Henry said, "Since she developed murderous intent, I won't let her off this time. I've already arranged for someone in her cell. She won't have a chance to come out alive."

Gloria was just an ant to them now. Her fate was merely a matter of their word.

Even in prison, Henry wouldn't let her have it easy.

The two parted ways.

Sterling didn't speak the entire journey, only occasionally checking his phone for messages from Nolan.

Even after returning to his apartment, there was still no news of Willow waking up.

Harold called. Sterling hung up immediately.

Right after, Elaine's call came through.

Sterling waited several seconds before answering.

The moment he picked up, Elaine's tense voice sounded. "How's Willow?"

Sterling's voice was hoarse. "Don't know."

At that, anger crept into Elaine's tone. "What do you mean you don't know? You're not at the hospital?"

Sterling said quietly, "Mrs. Spencer is there. She told the Brown family and me to leave."

Elaine was furious. "She told you to leave, so you left? If something happens to Willow..."

"Someone's watching. He'll contact me if anything happens." Sterling said. "What else could I do? She's being resuscitated inside—should I send Mrs. Spencer in to join her? You know how important Mrs. Spencer is to her."

Elaine's reproach died on her lips. She glanced at Matthew on the hospital bed.

Sterling's voice came through again. "Tell Matthew this was my mistake. Once Willow is safe, I'll accept whatever consequences he decides."

With that, he hung up.

In the hospital room, Elaine frowned, looking at Matthew. "You heard?"

Matthew's expression was grim. "Consequences? If something really happens to Willow, what's the point of me dealing with him?"

Elaine said, "He knows he was wrong. I know him—he's suffering more than anyone right now."

"What good does knowing he was wrong do?" Matthew was displeased.

Elaine's anger flared. "Even if he'd gone, what could he have done? Didn't you watch the livestream? Willow chose to shield Mrs. Brown herself. What could Ster have done?"

"If he'd gone with Willow, this wouldn't have happened!" Matthew's voice rose.

Elaine paused, then said coldly, "So you just think Willow matters most. Whatever I say, you won't listen! This had nothing to do with my brother!"

Matthew met her gaze and frowned.

When he spoke again, his tone had softened. "Willow is like a real sister to me. Of course, I'm worried. Aren't you defending your brother?"

They both fell silent.

Elaine was worried about Willow, too. That's why her emotions had gotten away from her.

Minutes later, they'd both calmed down.

Elaine spoke first. "Ster does bear responsibility, but we can't blame him entirely. With the Lancaster family and the Brown family there, Willow will be fine. You're a patient too—calm down and take care of yourself."

Matthew's expression remained grim. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Willow being stabbed. His chest felt crushed under a boulder.

The resuscitation lasted a full seven hours.

Late at night, the emergency room light finally went dark.

A doctor emerged.

Seeing Nolan and Maria in the hallway, the doctor froze. "You are?"

He distinctly remembered Sterling and the Brown family waiting outside.

Nolan reacted first, standing to explain. "Mr. Lancaster and the others went home. This is the patient's grandmother, and I'm her friend. Doctor, how is she?"

Maria also staggered to her feet, her eyes bloodshot.

The doctor didn't press. "She's out of immediate danger for now, but needs intensive care observation for two days. If nothing goes wrong, she can transfer to a regular ward after that. However..."

"However, what?" Maria's voice trembled.

The doctor said, "She may be in a coma for a while. We don't know when she'll wake up."

Maria steadied herself against the wall but still swayed, nearly collapsing.

Nolan quickly caught her.

"What about... the babies?" Maria recovered and asked the doctor.

The doctor's expression relaxed slightly. "They're safe for now. The specific situation will need another examination once the patient wakes up."

"Good, good." Maria breathed a sigh of relief.

After the doctor left, Nolan took Maria to the ICU.

Through the glass, they could see Willow lying in bed, covered in tubes and monitors, her face deathly pale.

Maria took one look, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.