Chapter 76 Chapter 76:No One Knew How to Fix Him
Chapter 76 Chapter 76:No One Knew How to Fix Him
A nurse quietly entered to check his medication while Richmond suggested the older man rest for a while, and one by one everyone slowly began stepping out of the room. Nicholus left first with unusual quietness for once, shoving his hands into his pockets while muttering something about needing coffee strong enough to “revive dead emotional stability.” I followed behind him automatically, though my attention drifted back toward Elara near the hospital bed. She still looked composed on the outside, but the disappointment lingering behind her expression had become impossible to fully hide now.
The private suite doors closed softly behind us as we entered the quieter hallway outside. Warm golden lights reflected against the dark marble floors while security guards remained stationed near the elevators at a respectful distance. Richmond stopped a few steps away from the door and rubbed one tired hand across his jaw before exhaling slowly. For the first time all evening, he actually looked frustrated. “I’m sorry about that,” he said finally, turning toward Elara. His calm voice carried genuine apology now. “Auren’s behavior was disrespectful.” Elara immediately shook her head before he could continue. “Mr. Richmond, please don’t apologize,” she answered softly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Richmond frowned slightly. “Still,” he replied quietly, “he shouldn’t have walked out like that. Not after everything your grandfather said.” His gaze shifted briefly toward the closed suite doors before returning to her again. “I know my son. When he feels cornered, he shuts down instead of speaking properly.” A pause. “But that doesn’t excuse the way he handle..” Beside us, Nicholus leaned lazily against the hallway wall listening with open curiosity while pretending not to. Even he looked uncomfortable now after witnessing the entire scene unfold.
Elara lowered her eyes briefly, her fingers tightening lightly around the strap of her handbag. For a second, I thought she might finally admit how much Auren leaving had hurt her. But when she looked back up again, the cold composure everyone feared had mostly returned to her face. “He’s overwhelmed,” she said quietly instead. “There’s pressure from both families, Grandfather’s condition, London, the business…” Her voice softened slightly. “I understand why he reacted like that.” Richmond watched her carefully then, and something almost guilty flickered briefly across his expression like her defending Auren somehow made the situation worse instead of better.
“I’ll speak to him privately,” Richmond said after a moment. “Whatever’s happening in his head right now, I’ll deal with it before this situation gets uglier.” But the second he said that, Elara shook her head again. “No,” she answered immediately. Richmond’s brows lifted slightly in surprise. Elara took a slow breath before continuing more carefully this time. “If you don’t mind…” Her voice lowered almost imperceptibly. “I would rather speak to him myself.”
The hallway fell quiet for a second after that.
Nicholus glanced toward her with mild surprise now while Richmond studied her expression carefully, clearly trying to decide whether this was a good idea or not. But Elara remained calm beneath his gaze, even if the faint tension in her shoulders betrayed how much courage this request was actually taking from her. “I don’t want him feeling cornered by everyone,” she explained softly. “Not by Grandfather. Not by the families. And not by you.” Her eyes drifted briefly toward the rain-covered windows at the end of the hallway before returning to Richmond again. “If there’s something wrong… I want to hear it from him directly.”
Richmond stayed silent for several long seconds before finally giving a slow nod. “Alright,” he agreed quietly at last. “But don’t let him avoid the conversation completely, Elara.” His expression hardened slightly then with quiet warning. “Auren has a bad habit of carrying things alone until they become impossible to fix.” Elara’s face softened faintly at those words, though sadness lingered beneath it now. “I know,” she whispered.
And somehow the way she said it made it painfully obvious she had known for years.
The hospital lobby felt strangely quieter by the time everyone stepped downstairs to see Richmond off. Outside the massive glass entrance, the evening sky had darkened into cold gray-blue while rain continued falling lightly across the city streets. Security guards moved around the black SUVs waiting near the curb, umbrellas opening quickly the second Richmond approached the entrance doors. Beside me, Elara stood perfectly composed again in her long dark coat, though the earlier conversation upstairs still lingered heavily around her no matter how calm she looked. Nicholus remained unusually quiet too, hands shoved into his pockets while lazily spinning his car keys around one finger. But the absence beside us felt louder than anyone standing there. Auren still hadn’t returned after leaving Senior Varya’s suite.
Richmond adjusted the cuff of his coat before glancing toward Elara carefully. “Don’t think too much about his behavior,” he said in a calmer voice now. “Get some rest tonight,” he told her more gently. “All of you look exhausted.” Then his eyes flicked toward Nicholus. “Especially you. You look like you lost a fight with your own reflection.” Nicholus looked offended instantly. “This face is internationally admired, actually.”
One of the drivers opened the SUV door for Richmond while rain tapped softly against the pavement outside. For a brief second, the atmosphere became lighter again beneath Nicholus’s constant jokes and Richmond’s dry replies. But underneath it, the tension from upstairs still remained untouched. Everyone knew it. Nobody said it aloud. Richmond finally stepped closer toward Elara first, resting one hand briefly against her shoulder in a rare affectionate gesture. “I’ll call tomorrow,” he said quietly. Elara nodded immediately. “Drive safely.” Then Richmond looked toward Nicholus. “Try not to create any scandals before morning.” Nicholus placed a hand dramatically over his chest. “You wound me.” A pause. “At least wait until tomorrow afternoon before assuming criminal behavior.”
Richmond laughed softly under his breath before finally stepping into the waiting SUV. The door shut smoothly behind him while security vehicles prepared to move around the hospital entrance. Elara stood beside the curb watching quietly as the convoy slowly pulled away beneath the rain-covered city lights. For a few seconds after the cars disappeared into traffic, nobody moved. The cold evening air wrapped around us heavily while distant ambulance sirens echoed faintly somewhere across the city. Beside me, Elara’s expression slowly became unreadable again, every trace of earlier vulnerability disappearing behind perfect control piece by piece.
“Well,” Nicholus muttered at last, breaking the silence while rubbing both hands together dramatically. “That was emotionally exhausting.” He glanced between Elara and me before sighing heavily. “Our family dinners are going to become absolute psychological warfare after this wedding conversation, aren’t they?” Elara finally looked at him. “You say that like they weren’t already.” Nicholus considered that seriously for a moment before nodding. “Fair point.” Then he gestured toward the black SUV waiting nearby for us. “Come on before Grandfather accuses us of abandoning him too.” One of the guards quickly opened the rear passenger door while rain continued falling softly around the hospital entrance.
Elara entered the SUV first without another word. I followed quietly after her while Nicholus slid into the seat across from us moments later, loosening his tie again the second the door shut behind him. Warm air filled the vehicle immediately, fogging the windows slightly against the cold weather outside. The driver pulled away from the hospital curb smoothly while city lights blurred across the rain-streaked glass beside us. For a while, nobody spoke. Elara remained staring silently out the window beside me, lost somewhere deep in thought. Nicholus leaned back against the leather seat with one arm thrown lazily across his eyes like the day had finally caught up to him. And somehow, despite sitting inside a warm luxury SUV surrounded by people, the silence between all of us still felt colder than the rain outside.