Chapter 12 Throw Ava Out
She paused mid-sentence, looking completely grief-stricken and helpless.
Joshua's pupils suddenly contracted, the icy coldness in his eyes replaced by deep pain.
"Didn't you say the condition was under control? How did it suddenly get this serious?" Xavier asked urgently in a low voice.
Mia, having been yelled at, bit her lip and shook her head pitifully.
Victor's heart condition was already very serious. She could only increase the medication to temporarily control Victor's episodes. People who didn't understand medicine would look at Victor's improved appearance and get the false impression that he was getting better.
This way, by saving Victor, she would have done the Thomas family a favor. With this debt of gratitude, her chances of successfully proposing marriage to Joshua would be much higher.
Besides, she didn't want Victor to wake up. Victor had been against her marrying Joshua all these years. His death would actually benefit her.
She had originally planned to increase the dosage to ensure Victor wouldn't die from an episode before her wedding to Joshua. After the wedding, she could let him die however, and she could just say Victor was old and had a sudden episode, that she had done her best, and no one could blame her.
But she never expected Victor to be so useless—she hadn't even had time to marry Joshua yet, and he was already dying.
Ava was so anxious she was about to cry. Her eyes were completely red, her whole body trembling. She grabbed Joshua's hand, "Please!"
"Joshua, I'm begging you, let me see Grandpa. I have a way, I have a way to save Grandpa!"
Victor couldn't wait any longer. They couldn't delay anymore. Really.
Joshua narrowed his eyes, and Ava had already rushed over without caring about anything else.
"Pull her away. Ava, are you trying to harm Grandpa again?"
Some servants were about to pull her away.
"No one touch her." Joshua coldly rebuked them. He didn't know why, but seeing Ava's anxious expression just now, his heart softened after all, and he instinctively wanted to believe her.
"Joshua, you...?" Ursa looked at Joshua with some surprise. He used to detest Ava, so why was he protecting her at every turn now?
Ava sat beside Victor. With Joshua's word, the others didn't dare touch her. She calmed herself down and examined Victor.
The Thomas family had arranged everything well. Victor's room was fully equipped with medical tools. Ava frowned with worry. Victor's condition clearly showed symptoms of heart failure, and these symptoms had been going on for a long time. Victor's body was now extremely weak—if they removed the respirator, he would probably die.
Ava took out silver needles from her bag. Holding them between two fingers, she suddenly paused. Using acupuncture on the old man now was the best way to save his life, but also the riskiest approach.
For Victor's severe heart condition, the best treatment would be a heart transplant, but Ava didn't know why Victor, surrounded by famous doctors, had missed the optimal treatment window. So now she could only take this desperate risk.
"Grandpa, don't worry. I will definitely save you."
"Ms. Davis, what are you planning to do to Mr. Thomas?" Just as Ava was about to insert the needles, Mia suddenly shouted from the side.
Mia's cry immediately drew everyone else's attention. Ursa strode forward and grabbed Ava's hand holding the silver needles.
Everyone crowded toward the bed.
"Ava, Grandpa treated you well back then. He's already like this now, and you still want to harm him. What are your intentions?" Ursa had never thought much of Ava to begin with, and now her hostility toward Ava was even greater. Full of anger, she rebuked her.
"I didn't. I'm trying to save Grandpa." Ava frowned tightly.
She knew very well that wasting even a minute or a second was delaying Victor's treatment.
Hearing this, Mia's eyes flickered, and the corners of her mouth curved into a mocking, cold smile directed at Ava. "Ms. Davis was expelled from school back then and didn't even finish her sophomore year. You're probably not even a doctor now. How can you save Grandpa? Grandpa's body is already very weak and can't withstand your tormenting."
Mia's voice was gentle, making others hear it as full of advice and helplessness, thinking only of Victor's well-being.
Only Ava knew that Mia's words were full of mockery toward her.
Ava turned her head slightly, looking at Mia. Apart from anxiety, there was no other expression on her face. "Let go."
"Ms. Davis, you'd better not make Grandpa's condition worse..."
Ava lost patience with Mia's endless talk and directly shook off her hand.
Mia staggered and fell toward Joshua. Joshua reached out to steady Mia, his expression cold.
"Joshua..."
Mia called out softly. Her beautiful face was full of fragility and helplessness, as if she had suffered great injustice, with tears swirling in her eyes.
That beautiful, delicate appearance really made people feel sorry for her. Her well-intentioned advice made Ava seem unreasonable and impossible to reason with.
And Joshua's gaze fell on her with reproach.
Ava pulled at her lips, her heart aching.
Ursa spoke up to scold her, "Ava, how dare you act so wildly in my Thomas family. Someone throw her out."
Ava's heart tightened. Instinctively, she still looked toward Joshua. Joshua's eyes were completely gloomy, and his tall figure blocked the bodyguards from Ava.
His deep eyes looked at Ava.
In that moment, an intense hope surged from the bottom of Ava's heart.
Would he believe her?
Joshua...
"I'll have someone take you back."
Joshua's icy voice shook Ava's entire body and mind. All her wild hopes were knocked back to rock bottom, shattered to pieces.
This feeling was the same as five years ago, when she had told him full of hope that she was pregnant, and then he threw her a check and told her to abort the child.
Joshua was always this cruel to her.
Tears trembled in her eyes, and in the end, she couldn't help but laugh mockingly.
"Ms. Davis, please." Samuel stepped forward. His attitude toward Ava was much more polite than the Thomas family bodyguards.
"I'm not leaving." Ava knew well that if she left, Grandpa would really have no hope. Whether as Ava or as a doctor, she couldn't leave.
"Samuel." Joshua rebuked.
Samuel's heart was complicated and conflicted. On one hand, he couldn't disobey Joshua's orders. On the other hand, toward Ava, he really couldn't bring himself to be as harsh as he would be with other ordinary women.
In his helplessness, he could only look to Hayden for help.
Hayden was also in a difficult position. After hesitating, he still spoke to Ava, "Ava, maybe... Grandpa..."
Hayden's words got stuck halfway. His gaze passed over Ava and saw Victor on the bed tremblingly raising his hand.