Chapter 68
Joshua sobered up instantly and rushed back to the Thomas Manor with Samuel.
But they were still too late.
Crying could already be heard from inside the house.
After getting out of the car, Joshua and Samuel practically ran. When they reached Aiden's room, they saw quite a few people gathered inside.
Rhea and Scarlett were there too.
Several of Aiden's daughters and sons-in-law had come over.
Joshua pushed through the crowd and saw Aiden lying motionless on the bed. He roughly grabbed Samuel.
"Quick, check what's wrong with Grandpa."
With just one look and a light check of Aiden's heartbeat, Samuel gave his conclusion.
"Joshua, Mr. Thomas is dead."
He could hardly believe it himself. Just two days ago, there had been a significant improvement. How could this suddenly...
Around them, women's cries rose and fell.
Joshua couldn't accept this cruel reality. He knelt by the bed.
Aiden was dead.
Was it because he found out about Ella having a child out of wedlock and hiding it from everyone?
It had to be because of that.
Joshua knelt there, head bowed, a single tear rolling from his eyes.
Ava still couldn't accept that Aiden had just died like this. She looked at Samuel through her tears.
"Didn't you say two days ago that my dad was getting better, that he could hold on for another two or three years? How could he suddenly..."
Samuel also couldn't believe he had misdiagnosed.
He carefully examined Aiden again, then turned to everyone and said solemnly, "Mr. Thomas died of a broken heart. He wanted to die himself. No medicine could have helped."
Everyone seemed to understand.
Someone said through sobs, "It must be because of Ella. That bitch had a child with someone else and dared to marry Joshua while hiding it from everyone."
"Dad loved her so much. Of course he couldn't accept what she did. She made him so angry he died."
Someone chimed in, "Ella made Dad so angry he died."
"Joshua, you need to divorce her right away, take back the shares your grandfather gave her, and make her get as far away as possible. Don't ever let her step foot in the Thomas family again."
Joshua knelt there, fists clenched tight. Anger and hatred made the veins on his forehead bulge.
A moment ago at the club, he was still hoping Ella would come back.
Now, he wished she would die.
Why didn't she die instead of Aiden?
All these years, Aiden had loved her for nothing.
If she hadn't told Aiden about the child, how could Aiden have died so quickly?
Joshua also hated himself. Why did he bring Ella to the Thomas Manor?
Why did he let her make Aiden so angry he died?
He knelt before Aiden's bed, repentant, blaming himself, heartbroken.
In the crowd, no one noticed that while Scarlett appeared to be crying sadly on the surface, her eyes were actually filled with satisfaction and mockery.
Now everyone was blaming Ella for Aiden's death.
Little did they know, just moments before, she had come in and deliberately provoked Aiden.
Just as Aiden was overcome with anger, she pulled out his oxygen tube.
Causing Aiden to die of suffocation.
To Samuel, a doctor, this kind of death would look exactly like dying from excessive grief.
With Aiden dead, no one could stop her from marrying Joshua anymore.
Scarlett looked at Joshua kneeling by the bed, knowing that right now Joshua must also resent Ella.
Yet she crouched beside Joshua, deliberately speaking up for Ella.
"Joshua, don't blame Ella. She probably didn't want to see this tragedy happen either."
"Why don't you call Ella to come back? At least let her see your grandfather off one last time."
Before Joshua could respond, Joshua's elders all said angrily, "She'll never set foot in the Thomas family again."
"Scarlett, don't speak up for Ella. She doesn't deserve to mourn my dad."
"Scarlett, help Joshua up first."
Ava knew Joshua was also suffering. Now they needed to prepare Aiden's funeral, and having Joshua kneeling here was really in the way.
Scarlett nodded in agreement and reached out to help Joshua up.
Joshua didn't want to leave. He pushed Scarlett away and collapsed by the bed, gripping Aiden's hand tightly, crying and saying sorry over and over.
He knew Aiden's death was Ella's fault.
If he had divorced Ella earlier and let her go, maybe Aiden wouldn't have died.
He was a bastard, always wanting to keep Ella by his side, which led to Aiden dying so meaninglessly.
Joshua hated himself too. He knelt by Aiden's bed, filled with regret and self-blame.
The Thomas family had no choice but to let him be.
At the forest castle, it was already late at night.
Ella woke from her dream in a panic, drenched in sweat.
She felt anxious and restless, her heart feeling like something was pounding against it, the pain making her feel suffocated.
Thinking she was worried about Dorian, she got out of bed to find him.
She went to Michael's room.
Seeing Dorian sleeping with Michael, everything normal.
She turned and quietly left.
In the hallway, Ella leaned against the wall, trying to steady her heaving breath.
Telling herself over and over that everything was fine, everything was fine.
Aurora would be fine, and Aiden would be fine too.
Once she convinced Michael and he agreed to let her leave, she would immediately take Dorian back to the Thomas Manor to visit Aiden.
After all, when she left, Aiden had told her he wanted to see what Dorian looked like.
Ella tried hard to calm herself and went back to bed.
But that night, she couldn't sleep at all.
Early in the morning, before dawn, Ella went downstairs to the kitchen.
The butler nervously tried to persuade her, "Mrs. Johnson, please don't do these things. If Mr. Johnson finds out, he'll kill us."
Michael was like the grim reaper.
Anyone who dared to let his beloved do work would be pushing the servants straight to hell.
Ella said, "It's fine. I'll tell him I wanted to cook for him. He won't take it out on you."
With just her and Dorian's limited strength, they couldn't escape.
Thinking that if she acted sweet, that lunatic would be easier to deal with, she could only be more attentive.
The butler thought that since Ella had this intention, he wouldn't try to stop her anymore.
When Michael came downstairs carrying Dorian, he saw Ella in a white dress, standing in the dining room arranging the tableware.
His face instantly darkened. Just as he was about to get angry, the butler quickly came over to explain, "Mr. Michael Johnson, Mrs. Johnson loves you very much. She said you haven't eaten her cooking yet, so she came down early to personally cook for you and Mr. Dorian Johnson."
Michael was somewhat skeptical, his cold gaze on the butler.
"You're not being lazy and deliberately making her do it?"
The butler nodded timidly, his voice trembling.
"We wouldn't dare. Knowing that Mrs. Johnson is your treasure, we're too busy taking care of her. How could we dare..."
Just then, Ella called out from the dining room with a smile. "Michael, bring Dorian over to eat. I prepared it myself for you."
Hearing this, Michael's previously dark and cold face instantly softened.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips as he walked toward Ella carrying Dorian.
The three sat around the table, a warm scene that really looked like a family of three.
Ella attentively served Michael food, telling him, "I made everything myself. See if you like it. If you do, I'll make it for you from now on."
Michael wore a high-quality red shirt that made him look noble and elegant.
His handsome features looked even more defined under the bright lights, making him look like a prince from an ancient bloodline—deadly and alluring.
Yet he set aside his lofty attitude, reached across the table, and in front of the child, held Ella's hand, smiling both tenderly and cruelly.
"Ella, I know you love me and want to do things for me, but cooking is work for lower-class people. You're not allowed to do it anymore."
As he finished speaking, Michael's face instantly darkened as he ordered the butler, "Fire the chef and get a new batch. From now on, if anyone dares to let my Ella do work, I'll cripple their hands."
Hearing this, the butler and the servants standing nearby all gasped.
The chef was unhappy and wanted to speak up, but the butler immediately signaled the bodyguards to take them out.
Not allowing them to disturb Michael's meal.
Soon, the dining room was quiet again.
Michael smiled gently, picked up his knife and fork to serve Ella food, his words explicit.
"You'd be better off spending this time cooperating with me in bed."
Every time Michael wanted to make love, Ella always had various excuses to refuse.
After being refused too many times, he would lose patience.
Sooner or later, he would have to use force.
Ella's nerves were on edge.
Watching Michael's cruelty toward the servants, the words he said in front of the child.
She knew that being sweet was useless.
Was she really done for, trapped by his side for life?
"Daddy."
Dorian saw the awkwardness on Ella's face and smiled to break the tense atmosphere.
"Daddy, I heard you're taking me and Mom to Novaria?"
Michael looked at him, reached out to hold his little head, and raised an eyebrow in response. "Yes, that's our territory."
Not like here, where everything was restricted and he couldn't even use guns.
If they were in Novaria, Joshua would have been killed by him countless times already.
Dorian was overjoyed, clapping his hands. "Great! I want to go to Novaria. But if we leave, what about Aurora? What if Aurora comes back and can't find us?"
He suddenly frowned, pretending he was about to cry.
"Daddy, can we leave Mom here to wait for Aurora? I'll go with you, and when Aurora comes back, you can bring Mom and Aurora over, okay?"
Dorian knew Ella didn't want to leave.
And didn't want to be with this violent Michael.
To help Ella escape, he could only take this risk himself.
Once in Novaria, he'd find a way to get back to Ella.
Ella was somewhat surprised.
She didn't expect Dorian, at such a young age, to understand her intentions.
Afraid that if Dorian went to Novaria with Michael he wouldn't come back, she quickly added, "No, Michael, my grandfather wants to see Dorian. I have to take Dorian back to see my grandfather."
Michael's lips curved into a smile. He didn't take their words to heart at all.
He served Dorian food. "Eat. You and Mom are both coming."