Chapter 85
Meanwhile at the hospital.
In another part of the hospital, Penelope Lancaster reclined in her bed, looking remarkably healthy despite her supposed illness. Charles sat beside her, clearly displeased.
"Since you're fine, I should be going now," Charles said.
He'd been summoned to the hospital early that morning, only to discover that Penelope wasn't ill at all. She'd merely fabricated an excuse to keep him at the hospital all day.
Whenever he mentioned leaving, she would suddenly develop new symptoms.
"I'm lying in a hospital bed, and you're in such a hurry to leave?" Penelope said irritably. "Rach tells me you left work early yesterday and couldn't be reached. Where did you go?"
Charles shot an annoyed glance at Rachel.
So that was it. His mother's sudden "illness" was likely prompted by Rachel's reports about him.
"Charlie, I was just worried about you when I couldn't reach you..." Rachel said with an innocent expression.
Penelope backed her up immediately. "I placed Rach by your side specifically to keep an eye on you for me. If you have a problem with that, take it up with me."
Their coordinated performance gave Charles a headache.
"Because of you, Willow is still upset with me. Shouldn't I try to make amends with her?" he asked, struggling to maintain his patience.
At the mention of Willow, Penelope's expression soured. "Why bother? With her background, marrying you was already a blessing from God! If she's not grateful for that, let her go!"
Charles frowned. "What has Willow done to upset you so much that you dislike her this much?"
Penelope gave him a look that suggested he knew perfectly well.
She had always favored Rachel as a daughter-in-law. When Charles married Willow instead—someone she considered beneath their social standing—her disapproval was inevitable.
"Mrs. Lancaster, Charlie, look at this!" Rachel suddenly interrupted, approaching them with her phone, effectively breaking the standoff between mother and son.
Charles remained cold and disinterested.
Penelope, however, played along, watching the entire video Rachel showed her.
By the end, her expression had darkened considerably.
"Willow is working at Lancaster Group?" she demanded.
This caught Charles's attention. He glanced at the screen.
The video showed Willow representing Lancaster Group at the afternoon's product launch.
As the camera panned across the audience, it lingered briefly on Sterling in the corner. He was watching Willow on stage with intense focus.
Willow looked beautiful and radiant during her presentation. With Lancaster Group's powerful backing, the video had already gained millions of views in just a few hours.
Willow herself had received overwhelmingly positive comments, generating as much buzz as some established influencers.
Some viewers were even speculating about the relationship between Willow and Sterling.
The video was undoubtedly beneficial for both Lancaster Group and Willow personally.
But to Charles, it only fueled his suspicions.
He had specifically arranged leave for Willow, yet she had gone to work despite her injury.
Why?
Was it because of Sterling? Because he would be attending the product launch?
What was their relationship, really?
Could he trust Willow's repeated denials?
Question after question flooded Charles's mind.
He wanted nothing more than to confront Willow with this video and demand answers.
Beside him, Penelope clearly read the changes in his expression.
"Divorce her immediately!" she declared firmly. "I told you she was only interested in the Lancaster family's status! Sterling was her real target all along! If you had listened to me earlier—"
"Enough!" Charles shouted. "Our marriage is my business! I'll confirm her relationship with Sterling myself!"
With that, Charles stood to leave.
"So you're not planning to divorce her?" Penelope called after him.
Charles felt the familiar pressure building. He turned back to face her.
"Fine," Penelope continued. "If you won't divorce her, then after you reconcile, you can come collect my body. I only have one son, and if you won't listen to me, there's no point in my living."
Tears streamed down her face as she spoke, her voice trembling with emotion.
An outsider might have thought Charles had mistreated her terribly.
"Mrs. Lancaster, please calm down. Charlie has always been a dutiful son," Rachel chimed in supportively.
Charles knew they were putting on an act, but he felt powerless against his mother's tactics.
After a long silence, Penelope escalated her threat. "If you don't agree, I'll throw myself from this building today!"
Defeated, Charles finally conceded. "Fine. When I get back, I'll discuss divorce with her. Are you satisfied now?"
Still not appeased, Penelope pressed, "When will you give me results?"
Charles clenched his jaw. "One week."
Only then did Penelope abandon her suicidal posturing, magnanimously allowing him to leave.
Once outside the room, Charles's expression darkened immediately.
Heading downstairs, he called his private investigator while starting his car. "What have you found? Any photographs?"
The investigator hesitated. "Nothing significant, but... Ms. Spencer is currently with Mr. Sterling Lancaster. He's driving her home now."
"They're together?" Charles accelerated, his eyes stormy.
Mindful of Sterling's position, the investigator tried to soften the information. "Ms. Spencer's foot is injured. He is probably just—"
"There is no 'probably'!" Charles snapped. "Keep watching them. I'm on my way!"
The investigator agreed.
---
Willow remained oblivious to the online attention.
Since the mention of Gloria's pregnancy, the atmosphere in the car had grown increasingly tense.
Willow sat anxiously, barely breathing, afraid that any movement might prompt Sterling to ask if she had been the woman with him that night.
Suddenly, Sterling shifted in his seat.
Startled, Willow hastily changed the subject. "About what Mr. Bailey suggested earlier—about sharing rides after work—would that be acceptable, Uncle Sterling?"
Sterling uncrossed and recrossed his legs, giving her a sideways glance. "What do you think?"
Too nervous to think clearly, Willow nodded quickly. "If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it. I could also help with your massage during the ride home, to improve your sleep."
She was genuinely concerned about Sterling's insomnia.
The medication might help temporarily, but relying on drugs wasn't a long-term solution.
Sterling had helped her so much; she wanted to repay his kindness however she could.
As Sterling was about to respond, Willow remembered something else. She touched her nose nervously.
"One more thing—could we be discreet when leaving work? I'd prefer my colleagues didn't see us together. They might get the wrong idea."
Whether it was her imagination or not, the temperature in the car seemed to drop several degrees after her comment.