Chapter 28: Doesn't Care About Your Reconciliation at All
Heartfelt Hospital ICU Ward, Serenitia City
Lucas was covered in tubes, barely breathing. The slightest movement caused him excruciating pain!
His once decent-looking face was so swollen that his original features were completely unrecognizable.
The three members of the Smith family stood before him, completely shocked!
Looking at Lucas in this state, Clara wanted to reach out and hold his hand, but couldn't find any space among all the tubes!
That face was unbearable to look at!
Clara let out a sharp cry!
"Lucas, what happened to you?"
Celeste was also stunned.
Lucas had been refined and handsome since childhood, so when he was still a baby, she had arranged this engagement with Lucas's mother Molly Reed, worried that such a good-looking man from such a good family would be snatched away later, so she secured him early.
Now seeing Lucas's face, Celeste could hardly recognize him!
"Lucas, what happened to you?"
Molly kept wiping away tears beside them. "Who knows? Lucas was supposed to go to the company for a business meeting, but halfway there, some people came out of nowhere and beat him up! It's absolutely outrageous!"
Clara's heart jumped: "Did you call the police? This is too much, you must report it! We need to get justice for Lucas!"
Molly hesitated.
If she reported it to the police, wouldn't everyone in their circle find out that Lucas had been partying at a bar and ordered over a dozen hostesses?
Molly didn't dare call the police, partly because she was worried that Lucas might have gotten into trouble with some woman.
If the Smith family found out, their engagement with the Smith family would be ruined!
Lucas reached out his hand, his voice hoarse, making broken sounds: "Catherine!"
The three Smith family members were very confused.
Celeste frowned slightly: "Does Lucas mean that his beating has something to do with Catherine? But Catherine..."
Wasn't Catherine already kidnapped?
These past few days they hadn't been able to contact the kidnappers and didn't know if the job was successful - probably just bad signal in a remote area!
That Catherine might have already been sold off by now.
Lucas gritted his teeth: "Catherine! It's all Catherine!"
Clara saw how much effort it took him to speak and felt terrible. "Lucas, do you mean your beating is related to Catherine?"
Lucas nodded with difficulty.
Oliver didn't know about the dirty deeds Celeste and Clara had done, and quickly explained: "Catherine has already been sent back to her hometown. Could it be that she didn't want to leave Serenitia City, so she found a place to work as a waitress?"
Molly had been a notorious shrew in the neighborhood when she was young, and immediately glared!
"So Lucas ended up like this because of your family? The Smith family must give me an explanation. Lucas is my only son, and the doctor has already issued three critical condition notices!"
Celeste quickly spoke up: "No, Catherine has nothing to do with our family. Clara is our daughter. I'll immediately publish a notice in the newspaper cutting all ties with Catherine."
That damn Catherine, how did she escape from the kidnappers?
Molly raised her eyebrows. "So you're admitting it's related to Catherine? You must give me an explanation for this."
The Smith family members were at a loss. Unfortunately, when Molly threw a tantrum, the entire ICU could hear it. The Smith family couldn't afford to lose face like that, so they had to agree.
Kicked out of the ICU, the three Smith family members stood at the door looking at each other.
"Mom, did Catherine escape because that rich guy who called out to her at Evergreen Mall last time helped her?"
"It must be. Who would have thought Catherine would have such good luck."
Clara wouldn't let it go. "Mom, she must be pestering Lucas again. How can she be so awful! Is she trying to steal Lucas away from me?"
This was the engagement she had worked so hard to get!
There was no way she would let Catherine have such a good man as Lucas!
"Don't worry Clara, as long as we find Catherine and warn her properly, and this time personally watch her return to that remote mountain area, we definitely won't let her affect your engagement."
Thinking about having to find Catherine gave Celeste a headache.
What if Catherine was squatting in some restaurant washing dishes to earn money right now?
People of their high society status couldn't possibly go to that kind of place to find her, could they?
Oliver spoke up: "Just send some people to look for her. Catherine doesn't have the ability to get anyone powerful to stand up for her. Maybe Lucas was beaten by a business partner? The Johnson family's business has had some problems lately. We need to keep an eye on Clara's engagement."
"Dad, do you mean you want to change my engagement? I don't want that! I only like Lucas!"
More importantly, since childhood, all the boys who came to visit the Smith family only wanted to circle around Catherine. Only Lucas had always been different with her.
She believed that she and Lucas were truly in love!
Oliver was a businessman who looked at everything in terms of profit.
"Let's see. If the Johnson family can't recover this time, we can't let Clara get dragged down with them."
Celeste nodded.
Just as they reached the hospital entrance, the family ran right into several uniformed police officers who blocked their way.
"Ms. Brown, Ms. Smith, you're suspected of involvement in a kidnapping case. You're now under arrest according to law. Please cooperate with the police investigation!"
"Sir, isn't there some mistake? How could my wife and daughter be involved in a kidnapping case?"
The police showed their credentials and documents: "Ms. Brown and Ms. Smith are suspected of ordering a gang to kidnap Catherine. Please come with us!"
Clara completely panicked, tears streaming down her face.
"Mom, Catherine is fine now, isn't she? She can even go seduce Lucas, so why are they arresting us!"
"Right, right, Sir, Catherine also had someone beat up my fiancé. Shouldn't you arrest her too?"
Seeing them still making a fuss, the police had no good feelings toward this family.
"Come with us first!"
Celeste and Clara were taken away crying into the police car, leaving Oliver standing alone.
What on earth was going on?!
Oliver first contacted a lawyer, then instructed his secretary: "Find that phone number from before - the one who called saying they were Catherine's family. Contact them and see if Catherine is with them. Tell her to come see me right away!"
As for Catherine's phone number, he had never saved it.
There had never been any need to contact Catherine before. He didn't even know Catherine's cell phone number.
Now to find Catherine, he could only contact that country bumpkin who had called him last time.
"Mr. Smith, I didn't save that number either last time."
"Look it up. Anyway, it was a call from Tranquil County. We must find Catherine and get her to sign a settlement agreement. Catherine must be looking for a chance to come back. Just give her some benefits!"
The Smith family would absolutely not let Catherine come back.
The fact that Catherine could even have Celeste and Clara arrested by the police showed how scheming and calculating she was!
The Windsor Manor
The family sat together for dinner. Fresh flowers that were changed daily adorned the huge dining table, and the light falling on the food created an especially warm atmosphere.
Juniper's phone rang while she was peeling shrimp for Catherine.
She wiped her hands and pressed the answer button: "Hello, how can I help you?"
Oliver's secretary spoke arrogantly: "I'm Oliver's secretary. I'm notifying you now to have Catherine go to the police station immediately to offer a settlement agreement to Clara and Celeste, and forgive them."
Juniper frowned slightly: "What did they do that needs forgiving?"
"Although Clara and Celeste had someone kidnap Catherine, they just wanted to help her recognize her current position and help her return to her mountain hometown. It was just a kidnapping, they did nothing wrong! Hurry up and have Catherine go to the police station!"
"Oliver said if Catherine doesn't go to the police station, he'll immediately publish a notice in the newspaper cutting ties with the Smith family. Think carefully about this!"