Chapter 74 He Wants to See What She Really Wants to Do
Ruth rushed to Sunrise Valley Hospital as soon as she heard Cordelia was there for a check-up.
She had come from The Hughes Manor, and her face was grim as she read the diagnosis: [threatened miscarriage.]
The news that Janet had bumped into Cordelia only reached Ruth this morning. She had planned to visit Cordelia at The Stone Manor, but Cordelia ended up at the hospital first.
With Ruth present, Hannah stood silently by, not daring to breathe too loudly.
After reviewing all the reports, Ruth remained serious.
"Cordelia, go home and rest. I'll make sure Alaric apologizes to you personally."
Cordelia sighed inwardly, trying to calm Ruth down. "Mrs. Hughes, I'm fine. I twisted my ankle because I wasn't paying attention. It had nothing to do with him."
In truth, the incident had nothing to do with Alaric, and she didn't need an apology from him.
"Don't get upset over this and harm your health. I wouldn't make it up to you," Cordelia said lightly, trying to ease the tension.
Ruth squeezed her hand. "I can't stand seeing you suffer like this. Take care of yourself and wait for your baby to be born safely."
Cordelia smiled softly. The group left the hospital, and Ruth watched as Cordelia got into the Stone family's car. She then turned to Clifford. "Tell Janet to come see me."
Clifford nodded.
When Janet arrived at The Hughes Manor, she had to walk a private path after getting out of the cab. She fixed her appearance at the door before ringing the bell. The security guard, recognizing her, coldly invited her inside.
Ruth sat in a wooden chair, sipping coffee. She didn't even look up when Janet entered. The servants around the room stared at Janet without expression, making her feel uneasy.
"Mrs. Hughes, you wanted to see me?" Janet asked, trying to control her nervousness.
Ruth took a sip of coffee before looking up, her gaze sharp and authoritative. Janet was anxious but had already messaged Alaric.
Standing cautiously before Ruth, Janet heard her scoff. "Ms. Martin, do you know why I called you here?"
Janet shook her head.
Ruth glanced at Clifford, who handed Janet a legal document. "Ms. Martin, since you didn't keep your promise, the five million dollars Mrs. Hughes gave you three years ago must be returned."
"You mentioned you would repay it, but we haven't seen any effort from you. So, we need to know when you plan to repay this money."
Janet's face turned pale. "I've been trying to gather the money. Please give me more time."
Ruth scoffed. "Really? You just started working, making about ten grand a month. Even with bonuses, that's less than three hundred grand a year. Even if you don't spend a dime, it would take you fourteen years to pay me back."
Janet lowered her head, silent.
Ruth's expression was cold. "If you can't repay the money, you shouldn't have come back, let alone taken a job at the Stone Group and hurt Cordelia!"
Janet bit her lip. "Mrs. Hughes, where I work is my choice. I'll find a way to repay you. Please don't use this to humiliate me."
Ruth laughed coldly. "You think you can reclaim your dignity in front of me?"
Janet knew Ruth never liked her. When the Hughes family faced difficulties three years ago, Ruth had demanded an exorbitant sum to break her and Alaric up.
Janet took the money, went abroad to study and invest, but her investments failed, losing most of the money.
Returning a few months ago, she learned Alaric had revived the Hughes family. She believed there was still a place for her in his heart.
Janet steadied her emotions and looked at Ruth. "Mrs. Hughes, I don't need to reclaim anything from you. You've never respected me since I started dating Alaric. No matter what I do, you look down on me. I've come to terms with it. As long as Alaric cares about me, that's enough. I won't hold a grudge against you."
Ruth's face darkened, and she threw her coffee at Janet. "So, you reckon you're already part of the Hughes family?"
The coffee was hot, and Janet's hand turned red from blocking it.
Alaric entered just in time to see Janet get splashed. His eyes darkened as he approached. "What's going on?"
Before he could finish, Ruth threw her teacup at him. Alaric caught it, preventing it from hitting his head. "What could have upset you so much?" he asked, setting the cup down and taking a seat.
Janet, seeing Alaric, bit her lip and spoke softly. "I must have upset Mrs. Hughes by working at the Stone Group. If you don't want me around, I'll resign. Please don't harm your health over this."
Ruth sneered. "Where you work doesn't affect me. If you hadn't hurt Cordelia, I wouldn't have bothered with you. Do you think Evelyn doesn't know why you're at the Stone Group? She keeps you close to watch you make a fool of yourself. And you did, spreading rumors about her and Alaric's secret marriage."
Janet stiffened. "I didn't."
She glanced at Alaric, who was used to rumors about his secret marriage. Alaric, sitting and looking at his phone, saw a message from Robert.
[Ms. Stone bought the news about your secret marriage. Should we suppress it?]
Alaric glanced at Janet, her eyes innocent. His gaze turned colder, and he replied.
[No.]
He wanted to see what she was planning.