Chapter 86
"To see you, of course." David set the food container on the table and opened it. The rich aroma of chicken soup immediately filled the air. "I had the kitchen make this especially for you. Won't you try some?"
Ashley didn't even glance at it. "I'm not drinking it."
"Come on now," David plopped down beside her, half-coaxing, half-cajoling. "What is this, a hunger strike? Who are you protesting against? Punishing your own body—that just plays into other people's hands, doesn't it?"
His pointed words made Ashley's eyelids twitch.
"I just can't stand it! My own grandson doesn't even recognize his family!" The more she talked about it, the angrier she got, her chest feeling tight. "It's all that bitch Juliana's fault!"
"Yes, yes, it's all her fault." David went along with her words while ladling out a bowl of soup and passing it over. "That's exactly why you need to keep your strength up—so you'll have the energy to get your grandson back, right? If you collapse from illness, that's exactly what she wants."
Those words finally reached Ashley's heart.
She struggled to sit up straighter, staring at the bowl of soup. After a long moment, she took it, but only managed two sips before setting it down again.
"No appetite."
David looked at her haggard appearance, feeling uneasy himself. This wasn't simple anger anymore—it looked more like her distress had attacked her vital energy and damaged her foundation.
He dropped the joking demeanor, pulled out his phone, and stepped aside to call Lucas.
"Lucas, you'd better come home. Your mother's condition isn't right."
……
Lucas was reviewing a quarterly report from an overseas subsidiary when he got the call.
"What's the situation?"
David sighed on the other end. "She won't eat. Her health is very poor."
Lucas's brow furrowed.
His mother had been strong-willed her entire life, her health always robust. She was rarely this fragile.
"I understand."
Hanging up, he stared at the documents on his desk but couldn't focus on a single word.
Unbidden, another face appeared in his mind—cool and distant.
Juliana.
She was a top-tier doctor.
Once that thought emerged, he couldn't suppress it.
Having Juliana examine his mother wasn't just about trusting her medical skills—perhaps it could also be an opportunity to ease the tension between them.
He barely hesitated before finding Juliana's number and calling.
The phone rang several times before being answered.
"Hello?" Juliana's voice sounded somewhat tired.
"It's me, Lucas."
There was a pause on Juliana's end. "What is it?"
"My mother isn't feeling well. I'd like to ask you to come take a look at her."
Juliana gripped the phone, her fingertips tightening slightly.
Lucas's mother, Ashley. The woman who'd called her a bitch and tried to forcibly take her child away.
More importantly, her son was at the Sharp Estate right now.
This was an opportunity.
"Send me the address."
"Alright." He acknowledged and hung up, immediately sending the address.
After completing this, he called home.
"I'll be there in half an hour, and I'm bringing Juliana. She'll examine you."
On the other end, Ashley reacted to the name "Juliana" like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her voice instantly shrill.
"Who asked her to come? I don't want her looking at me! Tell her to get lost!"
Lucas's patience wore thin. "Mom, don't be unreasonable."
"I'm being unreasonable?" Ashley laughed with anger. "Lucas, are you lecturing me now for the sake of an outsider? Have you forgotten how she's treated our Sharp family? Look what she's done to Dami! And you're bringing her to our home—do you think this family isn't chaotic enough?"
"She's only coming to treat your illness."
"I'm not sick!" Ashley roared. "I'm telling you, I don't want to see her! It's either her or me!"
After saying this, as if remembering something, her tone suddenly shifted, taking on an uncompromising finality.
"Tomorrow I'm moving to the mountain mansion. It's quieter there. You tell her not to bother me again, and don't even think about seeing Dami!"
This was her real purpose.
She was afraid.
Afraid of Juliana seeing the child again, afraid a few words would bewitch him. The "Dami" she'd brought back had been quiet these past couple days, not crying or making a fuss, but he refused to warm up to her. The way he looked at her always carried wariness.
She had to keep the child firmly under her control, cutting off all contact between him and Juliana.
The call ended with a sharp click.
Lucas stood holding his phone before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the atmospheric pressure around him frighteningly low.
For the first time, he felt his mother was utterly unreasonable.
He took a deep breath and redialed Juliana's number.
Juliana had already been preparing to leave when she received the unexpected call.
"What's wrong?"
Lucas was silent for several seconds. "...Today isn't convenient after all."
Juliana could almost guess what had happened.
"It's fine." Her voice was very calm, even carrying a hint of reassurance. "It's normal for elderly people to be emotionally unstable. They need time to adjust. Spend more time with her."
The more generous she was, the more irritated Lucas felt.
He'd rather she question him, even get angry, than be like this. It made him feel like someone incompetent at managing household affairs.
"Mm." He responded in a low voice.
In her apartment, Juliana set down her phone, her composure instantly vanishing.
Of course she minded.
Ashley's condescending contempt and hostility made her heart ache faintly.
What troubled her more was Matty.
Ashley's extreme reaction, even wanting to move, could only mean she wanted to completely isolate the child from her.
How was her son really doing in that house?
……
Lucas stood in place for a long time, the nameless fire in his chest burning hotter and hotter. He grabbed his coat and car keys and walked straight out of his office.
Half an hour later, a black Bentley stopped downstairs from Juliana's apartment.
He called her. "Come down. I'm downstairs."
Juliana didn't ask questions and soon appeared at his car. She opened the door and got in.
"About my mother, I apologize."
Juliana turned to look at his tense jawline. "I told you, it's fine."
"But it matters to me." Lucas finally turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "You've met my family, though it wasn't exactly pleasant. By rights, I should meet yours too."
It was an almost clumsy form of compensation, an instinctive probe to close the distance between them.
Juliana's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Family...
Warmth and pain sealed away by the years suddenly surged up.
Her hands resting on her knees, fingertips curling slightly.
Lucas keenly caught the change in her emotions. He saw her eyes, in the car's dim light, gradually reddening.
His chest tightened, feeling he'd said something wrong.
"I..." He tried to explain.
"Alright." Juliana softly interrupted him, her voice carrying barely suppressed hoarseness. "I'll take you to meet them."
Juliana gave him an address—not some upscale residential area or villa district.
It was the cemetery in the western suburbs.