Chapter 143 He Really Left
Cassidy looked at Anthony like a woman possessed, resentment blazing in her eyes. Even though his hand was wrapped around her throat—one squeeze away from snapping her neck—she couldn't control her hatred.
"What am I to you? What were our feelings to you? Anthony, you deserve this! You deserve to regret everything. You didn't treasure what you had, and eventually everyone will leave you. Including me..."
Anthony paid no attention to her hysteria.
He gripped Cassidy's throat like he was holding a baby duck—something he could kill with a casual flick of his wrist.
He just watched her struggle desperately like a cornered animal, crying and screaming, his expression utterly unmoved. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold enough to freeze bone.
"You're just a whore. A woman who spreads her legs for anyone. If I'd known what you really were, I never would've hurt her for you. I was blind to fall for your act. But if you think making my life miserable will get you anywhere—" He paused, his lips curving with cruel amusement. "Bentley's been throwing his weight around at school using your connections, hasn't he? Maybe we should start with him."
Cassidy's manic expression froze instantly, replaced by sheer terror. "No! You can't hurt Bentley! He's my only brother, the only boy in our family. If something happens to him, our family line ends!"
Anthony's face twisted into a meaningful smile. "Well... that makes it even more interesting."
He released her, throwing her aside, and turned toward the door.
Cassidy frantically grabbed at his pant leg. "Don't do this! Punish me instead! Don't touch my brother—he's our family's hope. My mom struggled so hard to have a boy. Nothing can happen to him!"
Anthony looked at her with contempt, then kicked her away. He locked the door behind him as he left.
Cassidy was consumed with worry and fear. She wanted to call her parents to warn them, but Anthony had confiscated her phone. She had no idea what to do.
Bentley was the Sanders family's precious son and heir... What the hell was Anthony planning?
She didn't dare think further.
Arabella knew nothing about what was happening at the Watson family. She was worried about Alexander.
Today was the sixth day since he'd left. When he departed, he'd said he'd be back in three days at the earliest.
They'd been in contact daily for the first three days. Three days ago she'd texted asking if everything was going smoothly. Alexander had replied that all was well and he'd be back that evening.
But after that—nothing. No matter how many times she tried reaching him, there was no response.
She worried he'd run into trouble over there, but being unable to contact him meant all she could do was stew in anxiety.
When Daisy returned with Becky and saw Arabella still staring blankly at her phone, she tried to comfort her. "Stop worrying. Everyone has unexpected situations come up. Trust me, if anyone's gonna be fine, it's him."
The guy was a genuine power player. The worst Daisy could imagine was an assassination attempt, but someone like that had bodyguards crawling everywhere. Who could possibly get to him?
So definitely, he was fine.
Arabella couldn't articulate what she was feeling. She just had this sense that something bad had happened. She shook her head, pushing away the messy thoughts, and asked Daisy, "You've taken six days off in a row. Is everything okay with the production?"
"It's totally fi—" Daisy started to say with a grand wave, but her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and answered with a flat expression. "Can't come back. Fuck off!"
Then she hung up.
Arabella looked puzzled. "What was that about?"
Daisy laughed it off nervously, not daring to tell the truth.
On the other end of the line, Ethan's face cycled from pale to livid. He threw his phone at his manager and ground out through clenched teeth, "That woman is unbelievable! I've never seen a more arrogant actress! Six days of unexcused absence and the entire production is waiting on her. How can someone be this selfish?"
And he'd called politely asking when she'd return, and she told him to fuck off?
This was intolerable.
His manager silently thought that when it came to selfishness, this young master was no lightweight either.
The entire Green family was waiting for him to return home, yet he'd abandoned them to film this stupid TV series. Just yesterday his grandmother had called over twenty times saying there was a family emergency and he needed to come back. He hadn't gone either.
So compared to Daisy, you two are pretty much neck and neck.
Ethan couldn't swallow this insult. Furious, he marched over to the director and asked for Daisy's address.
He had enough brains not to look righteously indignant. Instead, he said smoothly, "I'm not sure what trouble she's dealing with. I'd like to check on her today since I have time. Don't worry, I'll bring my manager—we won't be alone together or anything. We're all friends on the same production team. If I can help her solve whatever's wrong quickly, we can get back to filming sooner."
The director figured that made sense and gave him Daisy's address. After a pause, he added, "Oh, she mentioned her friend is hospitalized—I think at City First Hospital. If you can't find her at home, try the hospital."
Ethan flashed an okay sign and walked off.
Bitch, here I come!
Today I'm catching you in bed with your sugar daddy. Let's see how arrogant you are after that!
Ethan had already decided Daisy wasn't filming because she was keeping her benefactor company, so he made a detour to a mall to buy a camera and document everything.
He rubbed his hands together eagerly and went to Daisy's place first. When he didn't find her there, he headed to City First Hospital to try his luck. His manager went to ask about the friend's room number while Ethan found a corner to test out his new camera.
Photos, video—yep, all good.
He knew nothing about cameras. His definition of "good" was that it captured things clearly. Especially if it could get a nice clear shot of Daisy's sugar daddy—that would be perfect.
Ethan was very pleased with his new camera and was about to leave when he suddenly heard voices drifting down from the second floor.
Though the stairwell created some distance, he could still hear clearly. A cold male voice asked, "Has anyone been asking questions lately?"
Another man's voice sounded nervous. "No, not at all. May I ask who you—"
"I'm here about an incident from three years ago. You know which one."
"Ah..."
"If you don't want trouble, be smart. No matter who comes asking, whatever they ask about—you know nothing. Understand?"
"I really... really don't know anything anyway..."
"Good."
Footsteps followed, fading into the distance.
After a long silence, Ethan heard a deep sigh, and then that person left too.
He didn't think much of it. These kinds of transactions happened in hospitals every day. His upbringing had made him pretty numb to this stuff.
Probably just a doctor secretly accepting gifts or something.
He was putting away his camera when he noticed he'd accidentally hit the record button. He casually turned off the recording and left.
His manager had gotten Daisy's friend's room number but looked somewhat conflicted. "Mr. Green, maybe we shouldn't go. The patient in that room... it's not a simple situation..."
Ethan snorted coldly. "How complicated could it be? Just her sugar daddy, right? In Majestic City, aside from the Tucker family, there's no family I need to worry about. And that woman's benefactor definitely isn't Tucker family—they don't do this kind of thing."
Even if the sky fell, the Green family name would protect him.
Seeing his insistence, the manager could only nod and follow him upstairs.
As they climbed, he shared what he'd learned. "The patient is named Arabella, a longtime friend of Daisy's. Daisy's been staying at the hospital with her this whole time. That room is the hospital's highest-level VIP room—there's only one, and it seems reserved for special people. They don't normally assign it to regular patients."
Ethan was unimpressed. "Probably reserved for her sugar daddy. What's so surprising about that?"
What actually surprised him was that Daisy really had been staying at the hospital with a friend this whole time.
He'd assumed she was keeping her benefactor company.
Still, even if she was with a friend, she couldn't just abandon the shoot and leave everyone waiting. However you looked at it, what Daisy did was wrong.
Ethan felt completely justified as he headed upstairs.
Just as he reached the room, he heard a somewhat familiar voice from inside. "The wound is healing nicely. We can remove the bandages tomorrow. Your shoulder still needs care—avoid large movements. As for the leg fracture, keep resting it. A hundred days to heal bones and tendons isn't just a saying."
Ethan frowned. That voice—it sounded like the guy from the stairwell who'd been threatened.
Then he heard Daisy's voice. "Thank you, Dr. Langford."
"Of course."
Moments later, Victor opened the door and stepped out.
Ethan studied him. Even the hospital director gets threatened?
Victor didn't know why this young man was staring at him like that, but he politely nodded anyway.
Ethan smiled back, and Victor left.
The manager looked at him strangely. "What's up? Why so serious?"
Ethan said casually, "Nothing."
He was about to walk right in when his manager grabbed him. "Are you trying to die? Didn't you hear women inside? Knock first!"
Ethan rolled his eyes disdainfully but took the advice and knocked.
Footsteps approached. Seconds later, the door opened. Daisy stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Ethan's smile didn't reach his eyes as his mouth twisted. "Came to see how you're out partying on the production's dime."
Daisy frowned unhappily. "Are you sick? I have someone here. It's not convenient to curse you out properly. Please fuck off immediately."
She started to shut the door in his face.
Ethan wasn't about to let that happen. He shoved his hand against the door, glaring viciously at her. "I tracked you down all the way here—you think you can still blow me off? You've delayed the entire production schedule. Can you be any more selfish?"
Daisy didn't want to argue. She was afraid Arabella would hear. She'd been feeling guilty all week about taking up Daisy's time. She couldn't let Arabella hear this or she'd start overthinking everything again.
Daisy tried to close the door, but too late—Arabella had heard.
From the hospital bed, Arabella craned her neck to look over. "Daisy, who's here? Why don't you invite them in?"
Daisy shot Ethan a fierce glare, warning him, "Behave. Don't say anything you shouldn't!"
Only after the warning did she turn back to Arabella with a smile. "It's a male actor from our production. He came by to check on me." She glanced at Ethan. "You. Get in here."
Ethan walked past her with distaste, but what he saw in the luxurious hospital room was a woman lying in bed. She appeared seriously injured—shoulder and leg both wrapped in bandages, with scrapes and bruises covering the exposed skin.
At a small table nearby, a little girl with a ponytail was quietly bent over her homework.
No sugar daddy. No decadent luxury like he'd imagined. Daisy really was just here taking care of a friend?
For a moment he had no idea what to say. He'd prepared for a huge confrontation, but actually seeing someone this badly hurt, he couldn't bring himself to cause a scene in a hospital room.
Arabella said apologetically to Ethan, "I've been monopolizing Daisy these past few days. Did it mess up your shooting schedule? I'll send her back tomorrow. I'm so sorry for the trouble."
Though Daisy had tried to cover, the guy's voice had been loud enough—she'd heard everything he said at the door.
She looked at Daisy with mild disapproval. "And you—when work gets busy, just have a nurse stay with me. Why didn't you tell me anything? If this gentleman hadn't shown up today, were you planning to just not go back? You've worked so hard for so many years to get where you are. How can you waste an opportunity like this?"
Daisy was most terrified when Arabella got serious and lectured her. She was usually this soft, gentle woman, but when she started laying into someone with perfect logic and devastating reasoning, it was oddly scary.
Even though Daisy normally feared no one and acted like the boss, it was actually Arabella who was the backbone of their friendship.
"Well, the thing is, the production just happened to give us a few days off, and who knew the director would suddenly decide to start filming again? Since someone came to get me, of course I need to head back right away." Daisy forcefully pushed Ethan toward the exit, her face all friendly smiles. "Let's go."
She was terrified Ethan would stick around and say something even worse. Arabella's health was just improving—she couldn't let this jerk upset her again.
"Oh, Arabella, I already ordered your lunch—someone will deliver it soon. For dinner, have the nurse sort something out for you. And don't eat anything spicy or irritating, okay—"
Daisy's voice carried in from outside the door.
Arabella called back with a laugh. Becky waved. "Bye, Daisy!"
Daisy closed the hospital room door from outside and finally let out a breath of relief. Then she grabbed Ethan by the collar, dragged him to a distant corner, and looked ready to throw down.
The manager hesitated where he stood, feeling awkward about following. After thinking it over, he decided against it.
The young master was a grown-up now. He could handle his own problems.
In the corner, Daisy practically jammed her finger into Ethan's nose, voice sharp with anger. "Are you brain-dead? What's wrong with me taking a few days off? We stopped filming for a few days—so what? The director hasn't complained, the investors haven't complained, but somehow you're the one losing your mind? Why are you so desperately up in everyone's business? I'm telling you, if my friend gets upset because of you, you and I are going to have serious problems!"
Ethan had been feeling a little sympathetic after seeing Arabella and Becky's situation, but now that Daisy was yelling at him, that tiny bit of softness evaporated completely.
"You're the one with fucking problems! Doesn't she have a husband? Family? Does she really need you abandoning work to take care of her for days? She just got a little injured. She looked fine to me—where's the need for round-the-clock care?"
Daisy choked on her rage, took a deep breath, and stared at him expressionlessly. Then suddenly she hauled off and punched him!
The punch landed square on Ethan's chest with full force. They were both trained—she from action choreography, he from who knows what—so it actually hurt.
Ethan grunted, but before he could explode in anger, Daisy said slowly and deliberately, "A little injured? She got hit head-on by an out-of-control dump truck. One leg fractured, shoulder blade impaled by rebar. She's lucky she survived at all. That's 'a little injured' to you? Want to try it yourself?"
Ethan's heart inexplicably jumped. Outside of acting, he rarely saw Daisy genuinely angry. But right now, even though she looked outwardly calm, he just knew—she was truly pissed.
He hadn't known her friend was hurt that badly... She'd looked okay in the room just now. Good color, speaking normally...
He felt his confidence deflating somewhat, but he'd never admit Daisy had crushed him on sheer presence alone. He stubbornly pushed back. "Then have her family take care of her. Why are you getting involved as just a friend..."
Daisy looked at him coldly. "Which family members do you think should be caring for her?"
"Her parents?"
"Her mom died in a car accident three years ago. Her dad's paralyzed and needs care himself."
"What about her husband and in-laws?"
"Her husband left on business. We haven't been able to reach him for three days. Her in-laws... haven't accepted her yet."
Ethan's eyes went wide. "The kid's that old and they still haven't accepted her?"
"The kid's adopted. The couple can't have children right now."
Ethan was struck speechless.
Jesus Christ, what had he just done?
He'd grown up like a little emperor at home. Whether parents, grandparents, or other relatives—everyone treated him like treasure in their palms. The biggest hardship he'd ever faced in his life was the difficulty of acting.
But this friend of Daisy's—mother dead, father paralyzed, husband gone, in-laws rejecting her, can't even have her own children, barely survived being hit by a dump truck, with no one around to care for her... This was beyond tragic!
Actors had naturally strong empathy. Ethan felt like crying. He'd probably slap himself awake if he started tearing up in the middle of the night.
What the hell had he been doing?
He looked up at Daisy somewhat sheepishly.
Daisy sneered. "Get lost."
Ethan didn't know why he was so obedient, but the moment she said it, he actually left.