Chapter 118
Chapter 118
He saw his own mother smiling at another kid.
That smile was so gentle, so beautiful—something he hadn't seen in a very long time.
Why?
Why should he be so scared he couldn't sleep, while this woman was here playing mom to someone else?
Jealousy tore through his last shred of reason.
Ollie hurled the milk carton in his hand onto the floor.
"She's MY mom!" he shrieked, pointing at Holden, who'd just come out of the bathroom. "You're just some bastard with no mother! Get lost!"
Holden had just washed his hands. Water droplets still clung to his cheeks.
Hearing those words, the little boy's face hardened instantly.
He didn't cry. He didn't hide behind Caspian.
Instead, he marched right up to the hospital bed, spread his arms wide, and planted himself directly in front of Camilla.
"You're the bad kid!" Holden lifted his chin, glaring at Ollie without backing down. "You're bullying Camilla! I won't let you get near her!"
Ollie lost it.
In his eyes, Camilla was his possession. Even if he didn't want her, no one else had the right to take her.
"Get out of my way!" Ollie charged forward like a little maniac, grabbed Holden by the collar, and shoved him hard to the side.
Holden was only three years old, a full head shorter than Ollie.
The shove was brutal.
Holden lost his footing and fell backward, hitting the tile floor hard.
"Holden!" Camilla's heart lurched.
Ollie wasn't done. Seeing Holden on the ground, he lifted his foot and aimed a kick straight at Holden's stomach.
"That's what you get for stealing my mom!"
If that kick landed, Holden would end up in the ER.
Something inside Camilla snapped.
She didn't care that there was still an IV needle in the back of her hand.
She yanked her arm up.
The tape tore. The needle ripped out of her vein.
Blood spurted out instantly, splattering onto the white sheets.
Camilla threw off the blanket and got out of bed. She didn't even put on shoes.
Just as Ollie's foot was about to connect with Holden's body—
She grabbed Ollie's arm and yanked him backward.
"Ollie! Stop it right now!" Camilla's voice was sharp and commanding.
That pull took every ounce of strength she had left.
Ollie lost his balance and fell onto his backside.
He froze.
His palms pressed against the cold tiles. The skin on one palm had scraped open slightly.
He stared up in disbelief at the woman who'd just physically thrown him aside—for some outsider.
This was his own mother.
And she'd pushed him?
Hurt and rage tangled together. Ollie opened his mouth wide, about to wail—
Rapid footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Then a furious voice exploded at the doorway.
"Camilla! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Theodric strode into the room, his dress shoes thudding heavily on the tiles.
He scooped Ollie off the floor and into his arms.
Ollie had been stunned at first, but the moment he was in Theodric's embrace, he let out a full-throated wail. "Daddy! She pushed me! She hit me because of that bastard!"
Theodric looked down.
Ollie's palm was scraped, a few thin streaks of blood visible.
That flash of red ignited Theodric's fury instantly.
He snapped his head up and glared at Camilla, who stood beside the hospital bed.
"Camilla! Have you lost your mind?" Theodric pointed at her, his voice rising. "You laid hands on your own son—for some outsider's bastard?"
Blood was still dripping from the back of Camilla's hand, trailing down her fingertips and splattering onto the white sheets, blooming into glaring red flowers.
But Theodric didn't see any of it.
His eyes were glued to the tiny scrape on Ollie's palm.
Camilla felt a thick, metallic taste rising in her throat.
She didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore. She just thought the man in front of her was absurd and laughable.
"He's not a bastard." Camilla looked at Theodric, her voice utterly flat. "His name is Holden."
She pointed at Holden, who was huddled beside Caspian's leg, then at Ollie, still crying in Theodric's arms. "And as for manners—your son clearly has none. I'm just doing you a favor by disciplining him. What's the problem?"
Theodric was speechless.
He looked at Camilla's deathly pale face, and suddenly the image of the blood-soaked emergency room floor from last night flashed through his mind.
The fire in his chest dimmed by half.
"You..." Theodric softened his tone, trying to give himself an out. "You're still recovering. I won't hold this against you. Ollie was just worried about you—that's why he came to see you. Not only do you not appreciate it, you actually hit him."
"Worried?" Camilla let out a cold laugh.
She pointed at the crumpled strawberry milk carton on the floor.
It was still stained with the dried blood she'd coughed up last night.
"Bringing Serena's favorite milk to disgust me—that's what you call concern from the Clifford family?"
Camilla pointed at the door. "Take your precious son and get out."
Ollie squirmed in Theodric's arms and shouted, "You're the disgusting one! Ms. Nelson was right—you're just a crazy woman nobody wants!"
Theodric's face went rigid.
He was the president of the Clifford Group. When had anyone ever told him to "get out" to his face?
"Camilla, don't push your luck." Theodric ground his molars. "You must be delirious from the fever."
Caspian, who'd been sitting quietly peeling an apple, stood up.
He set the fruit knife down on the plate with a sharp clink.
His tall frame blocked Camilla completely, and an overwhelming sense of pressure filled the room.
Caspian bent down and scooped Holden up with one arm.
He looked down at Theodric, his tone ice-cold. "Mr. Clifford sure has a lot of nerve."
Caspian cradled Holden's back with one hand. "When did my son become someone you get to judge?"
Seeing Caspian, all of Theodric's old and new grudges surged to the surface.
He let out a cold snort, his gaze sliding past Caspian to land on Camilla.
"No wonder you're so eager to kick us out." Theodric tugged at his tie, his face full of mockery. "You're in a hurry to cozy up to your new sugar daddy. Camilla, you disgust me."
Half a glass of cold water splashed directly into Theodric's face.
Droplets ran down his prominent nose and dripped onto his expensive custom suit.
Theodric was stunned.
He wiped the water off his face, staring at Caspian in disbelief.
Caspian held the now-empty glass and tossed it casually into the trash.
"Theodric." Caspian pulled out a tissue and wiped his fingers methodically. "Insult her one more time, and the Clifford Group's stock will hit the limit down tomorrow."
He dropped the used tissue at Theodric's feet. "Go ahead. Test me."
Theodric trembled with rage.
He wanted to lash out, but when he met Caspian's oppressive gaze, he swallowed the words back down.
The Clifford Group was currently vying for an important government contract. This was absolutely not the time to clash with the Mitchell Group.
Footsteps clattered in the hallway outside.