Chapter 36 Return Home
The call didn't go through for a long time.
Joanna persisted, trying several more times, finally hearing Henry's hoarse voice. "What do you want?"
Joanna demanded angrily, "Did you take Sandra away? Don't you know she's still being treated! If she leaves the hospital, she'll die!"
Henry said impatiently, "She's not that fragile! Do you know how much money her treatment has cost all these years? You can afford to treat her, but I can't!"
"Henry!" Joanna couldn't hold back and shouted his name. "She's your wife and my mother. What are you trying to do by taking her away?"
There was a tremor in Joanna's voice. She was really afraid that Henry wanted to force her mother to die, because he had done that before just to threaten her.
"What am I doing?" Henry sneered. "Haven't you always known what I want? Joanna, do you think just because you're capable now, you can forget your own last name! Let me tell you, whether your mom lives or dies depends on whether you obey me!"
Tears instantly streamed down Joanna's face. Mother was indeed in his hands.
She choked up and asked, "Don't hurt Mother, I'll do whatever you say."
"Go back to the Coopers, apologize to Chris, make him forgive you, and get him to invest in us. From now on, you're not allowed to talk about divorce with him anymore. You must take good care of Chris and make him happy!"
Henry's voice carried a sense of triumph. He had finally found a way to control this disobedient daughter. As long as Chris was kept happy, Jones Corp's crisis would pass, and no one would look down on him anymore.
Joanna really wanted to say "I won't," but with her mother's safety uncertain, she didn't dare disobey Henry.
But that didn't mean she was willing to bow down to Chris.
She hadn't done anything wrong—she just wanted to pursue freedom. What right did Henry have to think she could only prove her worth by apologizing and admitting fault?
Joanna said unwillingly, "But Chris has already signed the divorce papers. Even if I go back, he won't be willing to help you. Why don't you let Mother go, and I'll think of another way, borrow money from someone else to help you through this crisis?"
She couldn't confront him head-on right now. She could only try to appease Henry first.
But Henry completely rejected this idea and said directly, "I don't care what method you use, just say the signature doesn't count, say you know you were wrong! Do I have to teach you how to sweet-talk your own husband? You're so useless!"
Joanna felt a lump in her chest and couldn't speak.
She listened to the scolding on the phone, and after the final warning that she must apologize to Chris tonight, Henry hung up.
Joanna stood there, stunned for a long time, struggling inside.
She resisted going to apologize to Chris because she knew what kind of humiliation and mockery she would face!
But she was also worried about her mother.
Her mom probably wouldn't get the care she needed if Henry had her.
Just as Joanna was at a loss, the caregiver quietly reminded her, "Miss Jones, your phone is ringing."
Joanna quickly looked down and saw the caller ID.
After answering, she said, "Angelo?"
Her hoarse voice quickly made Angelo realize something was wrong. "Did something happen? I heard from Dr. Lawson that you had an emergency and needed to take leave. Joanna, if you're in trouble, you can come to me."
Joanna's nose stung. It had been a long time since she'd felt someone's care.
Just moments ago, she thought she had no one to rely on. But Angelo's voice told her she still had someone she could trust.
Joanna pulled herself together and said, "My dad took my mom. He's not giving her the care she needs. The hospital cameras aren't working and I have no idea where he's hiding her. He won't tell me anything. Can you help me find my mom and bring her back?"
From her jumbled words, Angelo understood the urgency of the situation.
Where Joanna couldn't see, his eyes turned cold, and thinking of Joanna's father, he even felt a violent impulse.
But right now, the most important thing was to solve the problem.
Angelo took a deep breath and comforted Joanna in a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid. I'll send someone to look for her. You keep your dad calm and don't let him hurt your mom. Joanna, trust me. With today's technology, he can't hide someone for long."
Under his reassurance, Joanna gradually regained her composure.
She pressed her lips together and said, "Angelo, if you find my mom, don't send her back to the hospital. Can you help me find a better care team? My mom's condition hasn't improved. She needs better treatment."
"That's not a problem at all." Angelo readily agreed. "Okay, don't worry. I'll have people start looking right away. Joanna, stay strong."
"Okay!"
Joanna regained some rationality. Looking at Henry's urging and threats on her phone, she took a deep breath, explained the situation to the caregiver and the hospital, then took a taxi back to pack her clothes and temporarily moved back to Hillside Villa.
Just now, she deliberately didn't mention Henry's demands. She was afraid that if Angelo knew, he would oppose her temporary compromise with Henry and Chris, and would strongly urge her to call the cops.
But Joanna had already thought it through. Her parents were still legally married. Even if she called the police, they probably wouldn't believe her dad would hurt her mom. Stuff like this is hard for the cops to get involved in.
So she'd better pretend to compromise first and keep Henry's attention occupied, to buy Angelo time to find her mother.
Joanna didn't know how long Angelo would need, but she would try to endure until then.
During this time, no matter how harsh Chris's words were, she wouldn't lose her temper and leave!
Hillside Villa had been empty for a long time. After Joanna cleaned inside and out, she contacted the previous servants.
Soon, the villa came to life again, and the aroma of cooking filled the air.
Joanna took a few photos and sent them to Henry, but he was very dissatisfied: [Where's Chris? Why isn't he in the photos? You didn't actually go back, did you! Joanna, don't play games with me. If you don't do as I say, I'll arrange your mom's funeral right away and make sure you never see her again!]
[No!]
After replying with this word, Joanna immediately found Chris's number and called. "Where are you? Come home tonight."
Chris had been discharged from the hospital this morning and returned to the company to resume work.
He didn't understand what Joanna's call meant, but hearing "home," he instinctively thought of Hillside Villa.
That place had traces of two people's lives together—that's what made it a home.
"What do you mean? You went back to Hillside Villa?"
"Yes." Joanna didn't know what to say and just wanted to end the call quickly. "Come back tonight."
With that, she hung up.
Chris was initially puzzled, so he called the servants at home.
To his surprise, the response he got was that Joanna had really come home!