Chapter 51 On the Sickbed
Sophie let out a soft breath and quietly slipped out of the room.
The moment the door closed, her previously calm and smiling face changed completely.
It became fearful and cold.
What she was thinking was: if Arthur even needs to consider such an offer instead of rejecting it outright, it means Grant Corp is really about to go under!
She couldn't help thinking back to three years ago, and that decision she made back then—to leave this place and never let him drag her down!
-
Arthur picked up the business card from the desk.
The card had no aesthetic design whatsoever, its style as outdated as a flyer handed out on the street.
Xavier Mitchell, Director of Global Investments Group.
A name Arthur had never heard of, but he'd looked into it beforehand. The company was registered overseas and had only expanded into this market this year. It looked promising, with annual revenue never less than a billion.
But Arthur never trusted "looks."
Plus, there were many things about that man that struck Arthur as odd.
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"I need you to look into someone."
"Global Investments Group, the person in charge is Xavier Mitchell, around forty years old. I want everything on him, plus the real cash flow of his company and his personal assets."
The voice on the other end said, "Got it."
After hanging up, Arthur leaned back on the sofa, his gaze drifting toward the window.
He didn't have to wait long. Around eight in the evening, he received an email from the private investigator.
The attachment contained all the information he wanted.
The contents didn't disappoint him. His instincts were right.
Global Investments Group was registered in the Cayman Islands, established only last year, with no actual investment projects to date.
The company's account transactions looked impressive, but they were all fake entries from transfers back and forth.
As for Xavier Mitchell, he had virtually no assets under his name, only a worthless apartment.
A guy like this probably couldn't even come up with five thousand dollars, let alone five hundred million.
So what was he doing here talking about cooperation?
Arthur stared at the computer screen as something gradually became clear in his mind.
He suddenly realized—this wasn't about cooperation at all. It was a test.
Someone had deliberately hired this guy to test Grant Corp's current situation!
Who was testing him? And what was their purpose?
As Arthur thought about this, he was about to call his assistant to investigate, but the moment he dialed the number, a figure flashed through his mind.
Sophie.
No. Arthur shook his head.
He must be crazy. How could he suspect Sophie? She had her reasons for leaving three years ago, and this time... this time she had sworn to face everything with him.
She'd even been willing to sell that crown that was so important to her!
It absolutely wasn't her!
Though Arthur kept telling himself this over and over, his finger still hovered over the call button, unable to press down.
At the hospital, Aria was eating dinner.
Charles had already left—of course he couldn't stay here the whole time.
Dinner was curry chicken rice. The spices were too strong, and after a few bites she started feeling nauseous.
A nurse came by to take her temperature and made a mark on the chart at her bedside. "Half a bottle left. Once this one's done, you can be discharged tomorrow."
"Thank you."
The nurse had just left when Arthur walked in holding a bouquet of flowers, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Aria was quite surprised to see him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Can I come in?"
They both spoke at the same time, then both fell silent.
Aria didn't tell him to come in, but she didn't tell him to leave either. Arthur naturally took this as Aria's consent.
Arthur walked in, placed the flowers on the bedside table, and pulled over a chair to sit down.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Arthur broke the silence. He pressed his lips together, his voice strained: "About today, I'm sorry."
Aria didn't look at him, staring at the IV tube instead: "No need to apologize."
"I need to apologize." Arthur's voice was low. "What I said was really too much."
Aria gave a slight smile. "You were just stating facts."
"I know you were genuinely thinking of me. Actually, at the restaurant, I went to find you to apologize, but then I saw Charles."
At this point, Arthur took a deep breath, his eyes lowering slightly. "I'm not that kind of unreasonable man, I just..."
"You don't need to say it." Aria said coldly. "I understand. You're just jealous of him. You think that with his advantages, he only needs to treat me a little better and I'll fall in love with him and completely abandon you."
"So you got angry. You had to drive him away from me."
"And me—you've already labeled me as your personal property. You only think about how to control me according to your wishes, without caring at all about what I want."
"Arthur, you've never truly respected me!"
After saying all this in one breath, Aria was slightly out of breath.
Arthur's lips moved, wanting to argue back, but he couldn't get out a single word.
He saw the IV tape on the back of her hand, her wrist so thin it looked like it might snap.
He remembered three years ago, when her father was hospitalized, she had kept vigil by his bedside just like this, losing a whole size.
Why hadn't he cared more about her back then?
"...I'm sorry." That was all he could say.
Of course Aria didn't expect him to change, but saying these things out loud made her feel much better.
Arthur thought for a moment, then said, "About this company project... I've approached many investment firms, but none have responded. Today, finally someone showed interest, and he turned out to be a fraud."
He sighed softly, "I apologize for my arrogance. If... if I still have a chance, that Mr. White... I still hope to get his support."
Aria laughed coldly. "Do you really think Charles is my lover?"
"I absolutely don't mean that!" Arthur quickly explained. "I just... I mean, I made you angry over this, so if I could make it up to you through this matter..."
Aria cut him off. "Since you know he's not my lover, you should understand I can't just say a few words and have him hand over such a large sum of money."
"The most I can tell you is that he has investment plans in the near future."
At this point, her IV bag was almost empty. She was about to press the call button, but Arthur, seeing this, pressed it for her.
The medicine had just a little bit left, dripping down drop by drop.
His gaze followed the IV tube downward, landing on the back of Aria's hand.
Then, unconsciously, it moved to her lower abdomen.
The hospital gown was loose, but when she was lying down, her abdomen still protruded slightly.
Arthur stared at that spot, his brow furrowing slightly.
How strange—she'd lost so much weight recently, yet her lower abdomen still had some bulge? He'd never noticed that before.
Aria noticed his gaze, and thinking of his attitude toward this child, instinctively tensed up and pulled the blanket over herself.
Just then, the nurse pushed the door open, glanced at the bedside chart, made a mark on it, then removed the needle.
Arthur couldn't help asking, "Excuse me, what's wrong with my wife? Is it serious?"