Chapter 117
Emerald City Hospital.
Nora nervously leaned over the hospital bed, her eyes red and swollen - clearly she'd been crying for a long time.
Michael pulled off the oxygen mask and glanced at Nora, smiling helplessly. "It's just acting. Are you really crying?"
"You made it look too real." Nora couldn't help choking up.
After the meeting ended, Nora handed Michael the 'peanut candy' she had switched out beforehand.
Even though it was just regular milk candy inside, Michael still started coughing violently, looking like he couldn't breathe.
It scared Nora to death.
Michael was amused by Nora's stuttering, timid appearance.
She really did look like a frightened little rabbit.
"Are you sad because you're worried I might die from the allergy, or are you afraid you'd feel guilty if something really happened to me?" Michael suddenly wanted to know if Nora was actually worried about him.
Nora wiped her tears. Was there any difference between those two scenarios? "I was terrified, thought I'd grabbed the wrong candy."
Michael's smile froze for a moment. In the end, he'd been overthinking it.
"In a bit, people from the company's PR department will definitely take you away. Don't be scared, I've got you." Michael comforted Nora.
Nora nodded nervously.
To make the act convincing, they needed this incident to blow up so everyone in the company knew about it - they wanted to make it messy.
Right now, Gia must be anxious, afraid that Nora would say she deliberately tried to harm Michael.
Gia had already prepared her story. After all, Nora was a criminal, a habitual liar - the company people couldn't possibly believe Nora.
"Ms. Adams, there was a serious error in your work. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation." The PR department people arrived and took Nora away.
David came back with allergy medication too. Seeing the PR people about to take Nora away, he instinctively wanted to stop them, but thinking about how big this incident had become, he let them take Nora anyway.
"Mr. Smith, you're awake?"
Only after the PR people left did Michael open his eyes.
"This time Nora really did make a mistake. She must have been set up, otherwise how could she coincidentally give you peanut candy?" David sighed. Michael had overestimated Nora - she'd been schemed against just days after joining the company.
She definitely couldn't stay.
Michael sat up, pulled out the IV needle, and got out of bed. "Let's go, back to the company to watch the show."
David was shocked. "Mr. Smith, how can you..."
Michael's lips curved up. This whole thing was planned by him and Nora - he hadn't told David.
Earlier when he faked the allergic reaction, David had been scared to tears.
Now it hit him, and he was stunned.
So he'd been fooled by both Nora and Michael?
Feeling a bit jealous, David followed behind Michael and started grumbling. "Mr. Smith, I haven't been transferred yet. Could you please tell me before you and Nora do things like this?"
"Your acting is terrible." Michael said coolly.
David rolled his eyes. "You scared me to death."
Michael said nothing and headed straight to the car. "Don't forget the bet we made. If Nora takes care of Gia, you'll be her assistant for three months, on call whenever she needs you."
David stood there, staring at Michael in shock, rubbing his eyes hard.
He wasn't seeing things, right? The cold, quiet Michael had just been teasing him?
And smiling?
Amazing, truly amazing.
Ever since this Nora appeared in Michael's world, Michael had been acting strange.
The Smith Group.
The PR department was conducting an investigation, asking harsh questions.
"Nora, did you deliberately try to harm Mr. Smith? You're new here, there's no way you didn't know Mr. Smith is allergic to peanut products. This is attempted murder."
"Ms. Nora Adams, if you don't cooperate with the investigation, we'll call the police."
The PR people pressed harder.
"I didn't." Nora kept her head down, only able to say she didn't do it.
Even though she trusted Michael would arrive in time to save her, Nora still couldn't explain a single word.
She was scared. Especially facing these people's interrogation, she had trouble breathing, her heart racing.
It was that low blood sugar kind of feeling, very painful.
This was a physical manifestation of depression.
Nora was afraid of being interrogated. Back when James and Aiden worked together to send her to prison, accusing her of extortion, she'd been questioned by police like this too.
"Mr. Smith." Nolan walked in, looking serious.
"Mr. Smith, this Nora definitely did it on purpose. Mr. Smith can't eat peanut products - I specifically warned her when she first joined the company. There's no way she didn't know. I say we just call the police." Gia followed behind Nolan, framing Nora.
"Nori, I heard you went to prison because the Smith family accused you of extortion. Are you holding a grudge about that, so you..." Aria also followed behind Nolan, looking shocked and disbelieving as she covered her mouth, her voice choking. "Nori, you're so confused. Michael wasn't involved in your extortion case back then."
Nora looked at Aria numbly, then lowered her head sarcastically.
She'd really found Nora's weak spot.
And given the PR people a motive.
"Mr. Smith, maybe we should call the police after all." The PR people also thought Nora was deliberately seeking revenge.
"Everyone out." Nolan sat across from Nora, wanting to talk to her alone.
Gia nervously clenched her hands and walked out.
No one would believe Nora.
"Now that everyone's gone, you can tell the truth. Are you trying to get revenge on the Smith family?" Nolan's voice was low. "Your relationship with Michael isn't enough for you?"
"Did HR tell me Michael was allergic to peanuts? They even deliberately told me he liked peanuts. Do you believe that?" Nora looked up at Nolan.
She was reminding Nolan whose person Gia was, who wanted to harm Michael.
In wealthy family competition, there was plenty of scheming and fighting.
Nolan couldn't possibly not know about Gia and Luna's relationship - he just turned a blind eye.
"You think I'd believe you?" Nolan snorted coldly.
"Mr. Smith, Michael is your son too. He's also human, has a heart, can feel pain." Nora felt it wasn't fair to Michael.
Nolan was too biased.
They say where there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather. It was really true.
Nolan frowned, his voice low. "Nora, in this matter, you have no chance of winning, because no one will believe you. If I call the police and get a lawyer to sue you, you'll be charged with intentional harm. You know better than anyone what prison is like."
Nora's fingers clenched one by one, her whole body trembling as she lowered her head.
What prison was like - she really did know better than anyone.
"If you're smart, you'll quietly end your marriage with Michael. I'll let this incident go, and you leave the company." Nolan was negotiating with Nora. "I'll give you hush money. You take your son and leave Emerald City forever."
"I'm very sorry, I can't do that." Nora looked at Nolan with burning eyes.
"Looks like you're planning to fight to the end." Nolan stood up, ready to have the PR department call the police.
"I want to talk to Gia alone." Nora stood up, looking at Gia who was guarding and eavesdropping outside the door.
Gia laughed sarcastically. There was no way she would admit to saying anything.