Chapter 136
Caroline smiled. "Has anyone ever told you that your way of speaking is quite rude?"
"Mind your own business! You're trying to break up someone's family—what right do you have to lecture me?" Blake shot back angrily.
Looking at his defiant expression, Caroline suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. The image of her stubborn younger brother flashed through her mind, and she instinctively reached out to grab his ear.
"Is this how your family taught you to speak? Regardless of whether I have any relationship with Arthur or not, what gives you the right to judge me so quickly?"
Blake winced in pain. "Let go! Let go of me now!"
This strange yet familiar feeling of being disciplined made him feel deeply uncomfortable. Ear-pulling was his sister's signature move—he wouldn't allow anyone to steal that from her.
Caroline didn't release him. "I'm going to teach you proper manners on behalf of your parents. You should respect your elders, or you'll easily offend people. Understand?"
Blake's eyes reddened. "I don't have parents. Just my grandmother and a sister, but she's dead now."
As for his biological mother, from the day she abandoned him, he no longer considered her his mother.
Hearing this, Caroline pressed her lips together and released his ear. "I'm sorry."
Beside them, Alton, who had remained silent, studied Caroline with new interest and disbelief.
Just as he was about to question her further, Sophia emerged from the hotel and whispered something in Caroline's ear. Both women's expressions immediately grew serious.
"We need to go. We'll talk another time," Caroline said.
Once in the car, Sophia handed her some documents.
Caroline glanced at them briefly before setting them aside with a small smile. "So Arthur wants to remove me from the research facility? He's dreaming."
This cancer drug was the result of her and her teacher's combined efforts. If not for this project, she would never have needed to appear before Arthur again.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this," she said confidently.
This time, no one would take what belonged to her.
---
The next day, 9:30 AM.
Caroline entered the hospital carrying flowers and a fruit basket.
In the hospital room, Layla and Logan sat by the bed wiping away tears while Heidi looked displeased.
Caroline paused briefly before continuing forward. As she approached, she could hear what Heidi was saying.
"Logan, didn't you used to like me best? If you want, I could take you out to play every day, buy you toys... wouldn't that be nice?"
Her voice was gentle, and Logan seemed tempted, almost ready to agree.
But Layla suddenly stepped in front of her brother. "No! Ms. White, we like you, but I don't want you to be with Daddy."
"What did you say?" Heidi's face contorted momentarily, her eyes instantly reddening. "Layla, why not? Don't you like me anymore?"
"It doesn't matter. Your daddy has already proposed to me. I'll be your new mommy soon, and I'll make sure to raise you properly."
Her voice remained gentle, but the fingers caressing Layla's cheek were secretly applying pressure.
Caroline suddenly knocked on the door, hiding a flash of pain behind a look of surprise before quickly regaining her composure.
"Ms. White, are you... busy?"
Heidi's expression froze as she hastily wiped away Layla's tears.
"The children miss their mother. She was crying, and I was comforting her."
She sighed, adopting the appearance of a long-suffering maternal figure.
"Dr. Q, you wouldn't understand. I worry about being too strict but also about not raising them properly. It's heartbreaking. My sister was so carefree—abandoning her children without even a phone call. I truly feel for these kids."
Caroline's smile didn't reach her eyes. "You're certainly working hard, taking on someone else's children at such a young age."
"I love Arthur," Heidi replied, "so naturally I love his children and will take responsibility for them."
This statement seemed to ignite something in Layla, who immediately erupted in anger.
"We don't need you to take responsibility! I won't let you be with Daddy!"
In her mind, Daddy belonged only with Mommy. No one else.
A flash of hurt crossed Heidi's eyes. "It's okay, Layla. I just want to spend time with you both."
As she spoke, she deliberately pinched Layla's waist hard where no one could see, her eyes threatening.
Layla, afraid of pain, bit her lip and said nothing more.
Caroline hadn't witnessed this interaction, but she could sense the children's dislike for Heidi. Clearly, Heidi's relationship with them was strained.
Strange. Wasn't this what they had always wanted? Why, now that Heidi could actually become their mother, were they rejecting the idea?
Acting as if she'd noticed nothing unusual, Caroline began making small talk with Heidi.
Sitting on the bed, Heidi responded half-heartedly, her cold sidelong glance fixed on Layla.
That damn girl. Despite all her previous kindness toward the girl, Layla now dared to oppose her relationship with Arthur, causing him to become somewhat distant from her.
Shifting her gaze to Caroline, Heidi suddenly had an idea. She enthusiastically pulled Layla closer.
"Layla, this is your father's business partner. Her name is..."
"Ms. Hamilton will do," Caroline said with a smile.
Heidi's internal alarm immediately sounded, her smile cooling. "Hamilton? I see."
Caroline blinked in confusion. "Is there a problem? It's quite common, isn't it?"
"Yes, very common," Heidi agreed with a smile. But not decent, she added in her mind.
"Layla, get Ms. Hamilton some hot water," she instructed.
Layla didn't dare disobey and went to pour water for Caroline.
But she was too young to carry the cup steadily, especially with hot water inside. Her fingers instantly turned red from the heat as she shakily walked toward Caroline.
"Ms. Hamilton, here's your water."
As she spoke, the cup slipped from her hands. Just as the hot water was about to splash onto her legs, Caroline instinctively pulled her into a protective embrace, shielding her from the water.
"Are you alright?" she asked with concern.
Before Layla could answer, someone rushed in from outside and yanked her away from Caroline.
"Who are you? What are you doing to my niece?"
The concern in Caroline's eyes instantly vanished.
She had been wondering where Arthur was. Now she realized—Elsie had returned.
"Your niece almost fell," Caroline said calmly. "I was checking if she was hurt."
She concealed the burn on the back of her hand as if nothing had happened.
Elsie pulled Layla over for a cursory examination and immediately noticed the bruising on her waist. Her expression changed instantly.
"Layla, what happened to your waist? Why is it bruised?"
Heidi pulled Layla into her arms with an appearance of concern, though her words carried clear implications.
"Children get bumps and bruises all the time. Layla is quite active—she must have bumped into something somewhere. It certainly couldn't have happened just now with Dr. Q."