Chapter 111
Chapter 111
William maintained his half-reclined position, not daring to move an inch, afraid that even the slightest movement would wake her up.
After awhile, his phone on the nightstand suddenly vibrated. William's whole body tensed up. He instinctively held his breath and quickly reached out to silence it, worried the sound would disturb Ophelia.
Seeing it was Chase's number, he carefully withdrew his hand from Ophelia's grasp, then walked to the hospital room door before answering in a low voice.
"Mr. Brown, we have a problem." Chase's voice carried a barely concealed panic, speaking rapidly. "Your aunt, Octavia Brown, has brought over a dozen relatives from the Brown family's branch families. They're all blocking the entrance to the inpatient building right now, extremely agitated, demanding that you bring Ms. Blake down to give them an explanation. The security guards can barely hold them back!"
William's expression instantly darkened. The warmth in his eyes completely faded, leaving only bone-chilling coldness. His knuckles turned white from gripping so hard. "What does she want?"
"Octavia is saying that Finnian's arrest is all Ms. Blake's fault, cursing her as the troublemaker who disrupted the Brown family, claiming she pushed Finnian into a corner until he had no choice but to break the law." Chase's voice raised a little higher, clearly anxious. "She's also saying you're taking an outsider's side, ignoring blood ties. If you and Ms. Blake don't come down, they'll force their way up to the room, and they're threatening to go to Xavier's room to cause trouble, saying they want Xavier to judge who's right!"
William took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. His voice was cold as ice. "Tell them to make all the noise they want. If they dare break into the room, if they dare disturb Xavier, I'll make sure they regret it. Also, contact property management immediately to send more security guards to guard the inpatient building entrance. Don't let anyone come up."
"Yes, Mr. Brown." Chase said in acknowledgement .
After hanging up, William stood at the door. His fingertips still held Ophelia's warmth. He looked back at Ophelia sleeping on the hospital bed and frowned.
Given Ophelia's current condition, she absolutely shouldn't go out to face the Brown family, so he should handle this matter himself.
Just then, Ophelia woke up. She slowly opened her eyes, drowsy and confused from just waking up. "What's wrong?"
William immediately softened the coldness in his eyes. He bent down to hold her hand, his tone gentle. "Nothing, just took a work call. Did I wake you?"
Ophelia shook her head in negative. As she sat up, she pulled at the wound on her wrist and gasped. She frowned, looking at William's tense jawline, instantly understanding something. "What happened?"
Seeing Ophelia's serious expression, William hesitated for a moment. Ophelia could tell it was serious and sighed. "Don't hide it from me. You know you can't anyway."
William paused, surprised by her perceptiveness. He could only nod and tell her honestly. "Octavia brought some relatives, and they're blocking the entrance downstairs, they want an explanation. Don't worry about it. I'm going down to handle it. You just stay here and do what's best for us, love REST."
"I'll go with you." After Finnian's arrest, Ophelia had expected something like this would happen. She threw off the covers, about to get out of bed. "They'll definitely make things difficult for you right now."
"No!" William immediately held her back, his tone urgent. "Those people have no filter; they're mean and nasty. You're injured. What if you go down there and get hurt by their words?"
"If I don't go, they'll only get worse." Ophelia looked at him, her eyes clear. "They're blocking the hospital because they want to make a scene, to make everyone watch the drama. If they really make it to Grandpa's room and upset him into having another episode, it won't be worth it. I'm your legal wife. I can't avoid this, and there's no reason to. "
She paused, touching her bandaged wrist, her tone especially serious. "Finnian's mistakes shouldn't be my burden to bear, and I won't let you face this alone."
William looked at the stubbornness in her eyes, knowing he couldn't change her mind. Both frustrated and heartbroken, he could only reach out to help her with her coat, carefully putting it on her, then wrapped a thick scarf around her neck, covering her up properly. "Fine, we'll go together. But here's the deal—no matter what they say, don't say a word. I'll handle everything. If you feel uneasy one bit, we leave immediately. Got it?"
Ophelia nodded, reaching out to hold his hand. The warmth from her fingertips gave her a full sense of security. "I trust you."
William bent down, carefully avoiding her wound, and picked her up horizontally, striding toward the door.
When they reached the elevator, they could hear Octavia's shrill shouting from downstairs, clear even through the floors. Ophelia frowned but said nothing, just nestled closer into William's arms and gripped his hand tighter.
The elevator doors slowly opened, and the noisy sounds from the first-floor lobby instantly flooded in.
Octavia stood in the center with her hands on her hips, surrounded by seven or eight Brown family members, all looking hostile, pointing and gesturing at the security guards blocking their way, cursing and swearing, attracting frequent glances from passing patients and their families.
"William, you finally came out!" Octavia spotted them immediately and rushed over. Her gaze fell on Ophelia in William's arms, her eyes full of undisguised contempt. "And you're still treating her so preciously? She just got a little injury. What's with the act? I think you've been bewitched by this woman−you won't even help your own brother!"
William ignored her, carrying Ophelia to an open area in the lobby. He gently set her down on a nearby bench, then stepped forward, blocking her from view, looking coldly at Octavia. "Had enough? The hospital is a place for treating patients, not for you people to throw tantrums. If you want an explanation, fine, but don't make a racket here and disturb others."
"Throw tantrums?" Octavia laughed coldly, looking back at the people behind her, raising her voice. "We came here today to get an explanation! Finnian is your brother−blood is thicker than water. Even if he made mistakes, you should try to protect him. How could you just watch as the police arrested him?"
She pointed at Ophelia, every word filled with accusation. "This is all her fault! If this outsider hadn't interfered, would Finnian have felt so wronged? Would he have been pushed into a corner? Ophelia, today you must come with us to the Brown Mansion, kowtow to everyone in the Brown family, admit your fault, and have William pull strings to get Finnian a lighter sentence. Then we'll let this go!"
"Otherwise, we're not leaving. We'll make a scene right here and let everyone see what kind of person William's wife is, and how William ignores blood ties!"
A gray-haired elder from a Brown family branch also spoke up, his tone heavy. "William, Octavia is right. We're all family. No matter how wrong Finnian is, he's still part of the Brown family. You can't just watch him go to prison. Ms. Blake is an outsider—she doesn't understand the Brown family's rules. You need to teach her properly and not let her disrupt the Brown family anymore."