Chapter 49 Wholeheartedly Loving Joshua
Ursa fell silent for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and stood up abruptly. "Isn't it because Ava keeps hanging around the Thomas Villa, trying to seduce Joshua? I used to think she was a kind-hearted girl, but you never really know someone. Who would've thought she was so scheming? I'll never let her get close to Joshua again."
Mia smiled smugly, her plan working perfectly. Feeling triumphant inside, she immediately stood up and affectionately took Ursa's arm, saying softly, "Mrs. Thomas, don't be angry. Ava isn't worth it."
"Mia, you're so much better—loving Joshua wholeheartedly, not wanting anything in return. Girls like you are rare these days."
Mia pressed her lips together, showing a gentle smile on her face. Her eyes couldn't help but glance upstairs—that seemingly casual gesture revealed her feelings all too clearly.
Ursa smiled. "Go ahead if you want to."
Mia immediately looked away, her eyes flickering as she blushed. "Then Mrs. Thomas, I'll go check on Joshua. I'll come chat with you later."
Ursa nodded. "Go on."
Meanwhile, in the study.
Hayden told Joshua everything in detail—what he saw that day when Ava treated Victor, and his own thoughts about it.
He'd wanted to say something for a while but couldn't find the right moment.
Joshua sat in his chair, still holding the mechanical dog Buddy. The warm lamplight silently outlined his perfect, handsome features as he frowned deeply.
"You're saying Mia lied, and Ava was the one who actually saved Grandpa?" His deep voice slowly emerged, carrying layers of coldness.
"Yes, Ava was the one who saved Grandpa all along. Mia's a fake. She's been taking credit for Ava's work and deceiving us." Hayden's usually carefree face was now completely serious.
Joshua's fingers tapped on the desk intermittently. He said nothing, unclear how much he believed, but the coldness between his brows deepened.
At the doorway, Mia's hands clenched tightly upon hearing this.
Ava... saved Victor...
How could Hayden know?
And he sounded so certain!
How was this possible? Mia clutched her chest, the tightness making it hard to breathe. An unprecedented sense of fear enveloped her entire body.
"Mia, what's wrong?" Ursa had been heading back to her room, but passing by the study door, she saw Mia leaning against the wall. Coming closer, she saw it was worse than she thought—Mia's face looked terrible, completely drained of color, her whole body trembling.
"Mia, are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Ursa asked anxiously.
Mia panicked. Joshua and Hayden had already heard the commotion outside and came out.
Seeing Mia like this, Joshua frowned slightly.
Hayden pressed his lips together, his furrowed brow showing some disdain as he sneered, "What? Your scheme's been exposed, so now you're faking illness?"
"What scheme exposed?" Ursa blinked, not understanding what they were talking about or why Mia had suddenly become like this.
"Ask her yourself!"
Hayden couldn't be bothered to explain.
Ursa looked at Joshua, then at Hayden, then turned her gaze to Mia with questioning eyes.
Mia staggered, her legs went weak, and she fell backward.
She fainted!
Ursa's eyes widened suddenly. "Mia?"
"Quick, get her to the hospital."
"Impressive." Hayden put his hands on his hips, so angry he paced around in place, once again utterly amazed by Mia's acting skills.
Mia was rushed to the hospital that night and didn't wake up until the next morning.
Ava went about her day as usual. She had surgery in the morning, so she went over the procedure early with several doctors. After the anesthesiologist anesthetized the patient, Ava began the operation.
After finishing the morning's surgery, Ava walked out of the operating room and breathed a sigh of relief. The family members waiting at the door immediately rushed over. "Dr. Davis, how did it go?"
Ava removed her mask and smiled slightly. "Don't worry, the surgery was very successful. However, the patient is very weak right now and will be sent to the ICU for observation for a few days."
The patient's family member excitedly grabbed Ava's hands, thanking her profusely, almost kneeling down.
Ava looked flustered and quickly helped the woman up. "Please don't do that."
"Thank you, thank you, Dr. Davis. We went to several hospitals for this surgery, and the doctors all said our father's heart condition was too special and they didn't dare operate. Only you did. Thank you, thank you. You're our family's lifesaver." The woman's hands trembled as she held Ava's.
Ava smiled gently. "You're too kind. Treating patients is our responsibility as doctors. I'll have the nurse send you the post-operative care instructions for your father later."
"Yes, yes, thank you, thank you."
Finally escaping from the family's enthusiastic gratitude, she saw Thora rushing over.
"What happened?"