Chapter 137
"Layla is over five years old and doesn't seem like a clumsy child," Caroline remarked casually. "Perhaps we should call the police. What if someone is secretly abusing her?"
"That's ridiculous!" Elsie regarded Caroline with suspicion, as if she were deliberately stirring up trouble. "Heidi is right—children get bumps and bruises all the time. This doesn't concern an outsider like you."
Heidi's face turned ashen with anger. Inwardly, she cursed Elsie for being useless.
She had intended to direct suspicion toward Dr. Q, but this fool had inadvertently deflected it.
Having no choice but to play along, she gently blew on Layla's bruise with feigned concern. "Elsie is right. A few bruises are perfectly normal for children, aren't they, Layla?"
At Heidi's words, Layla's small frame trembled slightly before she nodded obediently. "Y-yes... I bumped."
Caroline immediately noticed something off in Layla's frightened eyes.
"Ms. Windsor, as the children's aunt, you should pay more attention to their emotional well-being," she said pointedly.
Even if she couldn't care for her children directly, she wouldn't allow anyone to mistreat them.
"I don't need your advice!" Elsie looked Caroline up and down, suddenly seeming to remember something. Her expression turned contemptuous.
"Now I recognize you—you're that doctor who tried to seduce my brother at the hotel! What's wrong? Too ugly to show your face without a mask? You have some nerve coming here after him!"
"Let me make this clear: my brother already has a girlfriend. Don't get any ideas! He and Heidi are perfect for each other."
Caroline's hand struck Elsie's face before she could finish, leaving a vivid red handprint on her delicate cheek.
"What are you doing?" Arthur rushed in from the doorway, positioning himself in front of Elsie. His cold eyes blazed with fury. "Dr. Q, I believe you owe me an explanation."
"Mr. Windsor," Caroline replied calmly, "your sister's remarks were inappropriate. I'm merely looking out for the Windsor Group's interests."
"If someone overheard your own sister proclaiming that you and Ms. White are 'perfect for each other,' it could become tabloid fodder and affect your company's stock price."
"That's a lie! I never said that!" Elsie immediately protested.
Caroline held up her phone. "I happened to record our entire conversation. Ms. Windsor, would you like to hear yourself falsely accusing me of pursuing Mr. Windsor?"
Elsie's face paled, though she tried to maintain her composure. She didn't believe Dr. Q had actually been recording—surely this was just an intimidation tactic.
"Stop trying to scare me with this recording nonsense. I didn't say anything of the sort. Don't throw your mud at me!"
"Elsie, mind your words!" Arthur fixed her with an icy stare that silenced her, though her eyes still reflected clear resentment.
Caroline's lips curved into a slight smile. "Let's allow Ms. Windsor to hear for herself."
She played the recording, and Elsie's earlier words echoed clearly through the room. Everyone heard the "perfect for each other" comment quite distinctly.
As Arthur's expression grew increasingly dark, Elsie realized her mistake. Her voice trembled slightly. "Arthur, I was just speaking out of anger. I didn't think before I spoke—it wasn't intentional."
Arthur struggled to contain his anger as he explained, "Heidi is like a sister to me. I would give my life for her, but she can only ever be family."
His words plunged the room into stunned silence. Everyone looked incredulous, even his assistant.
Caroline gave a meaningful laugh. "A sister? I was under the impression Ms. White was the famed Mrs. Windsor."
Her comment was like a knife to Heidi's heart. Her face turned deathly pale. "It was my fault for hoping too much. I blame myself entirely."
Arthur's eyes filled with concern, but Caroline's presence seemed to prevent him from showing it openly.
"Dr. Q, come with me," he said tersely.
As the door closed behind them, an eerie silence fell over the room.
Heidi dug her nails into her palms, suppressing her resentment as she comforted Elsie. "Don't be upset. She's Mr. Barnes' student and a key member of the research team. Your brother can't afford to offend her."
But Elsie was beyond reason, her face clouded with malice. "She's just a doctor. I won't let her get away with this."
Meanwhile, Caroline followed Arthur into the hallway.
His phone kept ringing during their walk, but Caroline noticed he made no move to answer it and quickly averted her gaze.
Suddenly, Arthur stopped walking.
Caroline, not paying attention, collided with his back—like hitting a brick wall—and tears sprang to her eyes from the impact.
"Why did you stop so abruptly?"
Arthur's gaze shifted, his eyes studying her intently. "Have we met before?"
This strange sensation of familiarity was something he'd experienced many times.
Caroline's heart tightened.
She wore a mask and had deliberately altered her voice. Logically, Arthur shouldn't recognize her.
Yet his tone clearly indicated suspicion.
She smiled lightly, her voice playful. "Do you use such clichéd pickup lines with every woman you meet? It seems rather desperate."
Arthur didn't respond. His unwavering gaze fixed on her as he stepped closer. "Answer me. Who are you really?"
Just then, his phone rang again, breaking the tense silence between them.
Caroline exhaled with relief.
It was Alton calling Arthur again. As soon as he answered, Alton's accusatory voice came through.
"Arthur, this is your last chance to see Caroline. It's almost ten o'clock—are you really not going to say goodbye to her one last time?"
Arthur's thin lips pressed together, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Heidi isn't feeling well. I'll stay with her briefly, then head over immediately."
Alton's teeth audibly ground together in frustration. "Arthur! This is your final opportunity to say farewell to Caroline. How can you be so heartless?"
"Ten o'clock. I'll get there as quickly as possible."
After hanging up, Arthur turned to go back to Heidi's room.
Caroline could guess his thoughts—his "sister" comment had hurt Heidi, and he was rushing back to comfort her.
But she wasn't about to let Heidi have her way.
"I wonder what Alton wants with you," she remarked casually. "Perhaps I could come along?"
Arthur suddenly looked up at her. "You and your senior colleague seem rather distant."
Caroline smiled faintly. "Everyone has their own life. I've been abroad for many years, and since my return, Alton has been busy. We haven't had many chances to meet, so I don't know what he's been working on lately."
"Aren't you heading to the Grand Hall? Shall we go together?"
Arthur gave her a cold look. "Dr. Q, don't involve yourself in matters that don't concern you."