Chapter 78 Make Her Move Out
Grace let out a startled gasp.
This was the first time Alexander had ever held her like this. He was so tall that the sudden shift made her instinctively grab onto his tie.
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Trying to strangle me?"
Grace quickly let go.
Seeing her tense and rigid in his arms, he seemed puzzled. "Why are you so nervous?"
Grace said, "I... I've never been carried like this before."
The corner of Alexander's mouth curved slightly. "Is that so?"
His arm around her back tightened, pulling her closer.
Grace found herself pressed against his chest, his strong, steady heartbeat echoing in her ears like a drum, somehow giving her an overwhelming sense of security.
Alexander carried her out of the hospital room and took the elevator to the first floor.
The lobby was packed with people.
Grace caught a glimpse through her daze and spotted Joshua.
He was surrounded by the crowd, his face ashen.
"Joshua! You bastard!" In the center of the crowd, an elderly woman had grabbed his collar and was screaming hysterically. "I entrusted my daughter to you, and this is how you treat her? She's been married into the Thomas family all these years, managing your business affairs, and at her age, she still risked everything to give you a son. How could you do this to her? Now you want to divorce her and abandon Mason too? You bastard!"
Behind the elderly woman stood what were clearly Amelia's relatives, all of them furious.
"Joshua, you better explain yourself! Why did my sister jump off that building?"
"She's still in the ER fighting for her life! If anything happens to Amelia, we won't let the Thomas family get away with this!"
Joshua looked exasperated. "Do you people have any idea who she crossed? She crossed the Hayes family! Tell me, what am I supposed to do when she's made enemies of the Hayes family? I can't afford to mess with the Hayes family! I'm being forced into this divorce! What, you want me to drag the entire Thomas family down with her?"
The crowd suddenly fell silent.
The elderly woman said, "How could she possibly have crossed the Hayes family?"
Joshua snapped, "Ask her about the son she raised—ask her about Mason!"
The elderly woman gasped, "Mason is your son, too!"
Joshua retorted, "Not since yesterday! And she's not the only woman who can give me sons!"
This was like throwing gasoline on a fire.
To distance himself from the situation, Joshua was divorcing Amelia and disowning Mason completely.
Amelia had been taken to the same hospital as Grace.
From the looks of it, Amelia was still in the emergency room, not yet out of danger.
Falling from that height, even with safety cushions, the odds were grim. Thank God for those cushions, or she would have died on impact.
"You can't just abandon her like this! I heard the doctor say her arms and legs are completely mangled! Why did you have to push her to this point!"
Joshua said, "How am I supposed to help her? I can barely save myself right now! I... "
He was still talking when he suddenly spotted Alexander through the crowd.
"Mr. Hayes!" Joshua pushed through the crowd, trying to reach Alexander. "Mr. Hayes! Mr. Hayes, please wait!"
Alexander didn't slow his pace, continuing to carry Grace toward the exit.
Joshua ran after them frantically. "Mr. Hayes!"
He was desperate to plead for mercy, desperate for Alexander to spare the Thomas family.
Suddenly, two rows of bodyguards surged through the entrance, immediately surrounding Joshua and blocking his path.
Alexander didn't even glance at him, carrying Grace straight outside.
At the hospital entrance, a car was waiting.
The driver opened the rear door with respectful efficiency.
Alexander walked toward the back seat carrying Grace.
"Alexander."
Behind them came Emily's surprised voice.
Alexander turned around to see Emily in a crisp white lab coat, holding a stack of files—she looked like she'd just finished a conference.
She'd come to this hospital for a meeting and hadn't expected to run into him.
Emily's gaze fell on Grace in the man's arms, her expression shifting slightly, her face darkening as she felt a sharp pang in her chest.
Alexander settled Grace into the back seat and casually closed the door, then turned around. "Emily?"
Emily approached, looking toward the back seat.
The car's rear windows were completely tinted black, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
But thinking about how he'd just been carrying Grace made Emily's heart surge with jealousy.
Alexander had never carried her like that.
Why was he with Grace?
Emily suppressed the churning emotions in her chest, tucking her hair behind her ear and forcing a smile, though jealousy was obvious in her voice. "Why are you with her? What happened to her?"
Alexander said, "She lost her shoes."
Emily was stunned. "That's it?" Because she had no shoes, so he carried her, just to keep her feet from getting dirty?
She had to admit she was jealous.
Emily said, "She lost her shoes, so she can't walk anymore?"
Alexander didn't catch the dissatisfaction in her tone, but he could tell something was off about her expression. "What's wrong?"
"Alexander..." Emily stepped closer, gently grasping his sleeve.
For a moment, she felt an urgent sense that something precious was about to be violently torn away from her.
Emily said, "Are you and her getting remarried?"
Alexander was taken aback.
He raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "What have I done that would make you think that?"
Emily said, "Isn't she living with you? Are you two getting back together?"
Alexander said, "She's staying with me only because she can take care of Liam."
Emily replied, "I can take care of Liam too! I can take better care of him than she can! Alexander, please make her move out. What if people find out you're living together? What will they think of you?"
Alexander said, "Who would dare think anything about me?"
"What about me?" Emily said. "I care. I don't want her living with you. Make her move out—right now."
She rarely made demands of Alexander.
She thought this request was perfectly reasonable.
She was afraid that one day, she'd no longer be able to control Alexander's heart.
"Emily, don't be ridiculous." Alexander said, "She can't move out. Liam needs her."
"Alexander, I rarely ask you for anything. Is this request unreasonable?" Emily said, "I've waited for you for seven years. How many seven-year periods does a woman have? I don't care about titles or status, but do you know how terrified I am of losing you? Didn't you promise Brice you'd take care of me? Is this how you take care of me?"