Chapter 226 Blocking Keira and Isabelle
Chapter 226 Blocking Keira and Isabelle
Sloane's POV
"Sir? Which sir? This is St. Grace Hospital, Brandon family territory!" Keira took off her sunglasses and stamped her feet in fury, her voice shrill and piercing.
"It's Professor Brandon's orders."
A cold, deep voice echoed through the corridor.
Jared held my hand as he walked out from the lounge area, taking his time.
He was wearing a dark black shirt today, the collar slightly open. Though his face still showed some pallor from his injuries, the oppressive aura of someone long in power was not diminished in the slightest. He looked down at the mother-daughter pair, his eyes full of mockery and icy coldness.
Seeing Jared, Isabelle and Keira's expressions changed instantly, their arrogance deflating by half.
"Jared..." Keira bit her lip, trying to squeeze out a pitiful expression. "We just came to check on Aunt Jones out of kindness. Why are you blocking us?"
"Kindness?" Jared let out a cold laugh, as if he'd heard the world's biggest joke.
He pulled me to his side protectively, his gaze cutting across their faces like a knife. "Yesterday when Jones was hemorrhaging badly and the blood bank was running low, where was your kindness? I remember someone saying that drawing blood would leave scars and affect her attendance at the debutante ball. What happened? Did the ball get cancelled today, so now you have time to play the dutiful daughter and granddaughter?"
These sarcastic words ruthlessly tore off their hypocritical masks.
Keira's face instantly turned the color of liver, so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole.
Isabelle was an old fox after all. She forced down her panic and turned her attack directly on me.
"Sloane!" Isabelle glared at me viciously, her eyes showing undisguised disgust and malice. "Did you say something to Jared? I raised you all these years, fed you, clothed you, and this is how you repay me? Inciting outsiders to go against your mother and sister—you're an ungrateful traitor!"
Hearing her call herself "mother" over and over made me feel sick.
If it were before, I might have felt hurt by this moral blackmail.
But now, I knew the truth. She wasn't my mother at all—she was a demon who stole my life and drove my mother insane!
I looked at her coldly, about to speak, but Jared had already pulled me behind him.
"Mother?" Jared chewed on the word, his eyes growing colder bit by bit, radiating a suffocating danger. "Isabelle, I've always been curious—both are daughters, yet you pamper Keira while beating and scolding Sloane, even using Sloane as a blood bag and bargaining chip for Keira's benefit. In this world, would a biological mother really be biased to such an insane degree?"
Jared's words were like a sharp scalpel, precisely cutting into Isabelle's most hidden wound.
Isabelle's pupils contracted sharply, a flash of extreme guilt and panic crossing her eyes.
She instinctively stepped back half a pace, her fingers gripping her platinum bag tightly, raising her voice defensively. "This is my family business! How I raise my daughter is none of your business as an outsider! You and Sloane are already divorced—what right do you have to interfere in our family affairs!"
"Outsider?" Jared scoffed lightly, his deep black eyes rolling with undeniable dominance and possessiveness.
He suddenly reached out, tightly clasping my fingers and raising our joined hands in front of Isabelle.
"Listen carefully—I'll be remarrying Sloane soon. Her business is my business." Jared's voice wasn't loud, but it carried decisive weight and overwhelming pressure. "From now on, whoever dares to touch a hair on my wife's head, I guarantee I'll make them wish they were dead!"
Isabelle was shocked by the murderous intent in his eyes, her body stiffening and face turning pale, unable to utter a single word.
Jared didn't even bother giving them another glance. He turned his head coldly and issued his final order to the bodyguards. "Throw these two eyesores out. From now on, if they dare step foot in this hospital, throw them out immediately."
"Yes!" The bodyguards immediately stepped forward, unceremoniously grabbing the still-dazed Isabelle and Keira.
"What are you doing! Let go of me!" Isabelle screamed and struggled, but to no avail.
Keira was even more frightened, stumbling in her high heels as she was dragged away from the corridor.
The corridor returned to quiet. I turned my head, looking at the man beside me who protected me so thoroughly, the ice in my heart having long melted into a pool of spring water.
"You drew so much blood and stayed up all night—you need to eat something." Jared turned around, his deep gaze falling on my face, his brows tightly furrowed.
His large hand touched my cheek, his fingertips rubbing the dark circles under my eyes, his tone full of unquestionable authority and heartache.
I wanted to refuse, but my stomach was indeed painfully empty, and my body felt somewhat weak from blood loss. I nodded, letting him lead me out.
Before leaving, Jared called the lead bodyguard over, his voice cold and severe. "Add more people. Lock down this entire floor. Except for Professor Brandon and Christian, no one can get near Ms. Jones's room—not even a fly."
"Yes, sir!" The bodyguards responded in unison.
Jared took me to a highly private Michelin restaurant near the hospital.
He ordered a table full of top-quality medicinal dishes for blood and energy replenishment, personally ladling a bowl of steaming medicinal soup and stirring it cool before handing it to me.
"Drink more. Your face is as white as paper right now." He sat beside me, his gaze fixed on me without blinking, as if afraid I'd faint the next second.
I held the warm soup bowl, sipping it in small mouthfuls. The warmth spread from my esophagus throughout my body, dispelling the cold I'd absorbed at the hospital.
Looking at this man beside me who would risk his life for me, the gloom in my heart gradually dispersed, replaced by an unprecedented sense of security.
I'd just finished half the bowl when Jared's phone on the table suddenly vibrated urgently.
He glanced at the screen and answered, his expression instantly darkening.
"Sir, someone's brought a large group trying to force their way into the room!" The bodyguard's voice carried barely suppressed tension, and the background noise even included the crisp sound of bullets being chambered. "They're not small players—heavy firepower. They're saying they must see Jones today!"
"Hold them off. I'm on my way." Jared's eyes turned ice cold as he stood up abruptly.
My heart tightened. I immediately put down the soup bowl and grabbed my coat to follow.
"You stay here and rest. I'll handle it." Jared pressed down on my shoulder.