Chapter 254

Chapter 254

Those features, that profile—it was as if her youngest son who had died young was standing right there before her!

"Francis's flesh and blood... Dear God!" Victoria gripped Sophia with one hand and Robert with the other, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

After more than twenty years of separation and loss, the family had finally reunited in this hospital room.

David stood to the side, watching this scene, and couldn't help but turn away to secretly wipe the corner of his eyes.

Once Victoria's emotions had settled slightly, Augustus dried his tears and personally brought her warm water to drink.

"Mom, you just woke up. Don't get too excited—your health comes first," Augustus soothed gently.

Victoria drank half the cup, her breathing gradually steadying.

However, when her gaze inadvertently swept across the doorframe of the hospital room, her mind suddenly flashed back to that terrifying moment before her fall.

Victoria's body went rigid, and extreme fear and fury instantly flooded her eyes.

She gripped Augustus's sleeve with white knuckles, her grip so tight it left marks.

"Augustus!" Victoria's voice suddenly became shrill, filled with bone-deep hatred. "Where is that thief! That bespectacled thief in our house?!"

Augustus's heart sank as he immediately realized what she meant: "Mom, are you talking about Gerald?"

"Yes! That's him! He's a fraud! An imposter!" Victoria trembled with rage, grinding her teeth as she accused him. "He told me himself that he knew where Delilah's daughter and Francis's grandson were! He threatened me, saying if I dared tell you about this, he would kill Sophia and Robert and make them join me in death!"

The air in the hospital room instantly froze to sub-zero temperatures.

Murderous intent surged in Sophia's cool eyes, while Robert clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked audibly.

Victoria gasped for breath, tears streaming down her face again, her voice full of terror and despair: "I tried to run out to find you, but he dragged me back. Later, when I finally broke free and ran to the stairway, it was him... he pushed me hard from behind! Augustus, he wanted to kill me to silence me!"

This statement was like a bomb, completely shattering Augustus's remaining rationality.

Pushed down the stairs!

It really was that beast Gerald who did it!

The veins on Augustus's forehead bulged as his eyes instantly turned blood red.

He recalled that day when Gerald knelt outside the emergency room, tearfully slapping himself and claiming it was because he failed to catch Victoria that caused her to slip and fall down the stairs.

What a ruthless beast! What a masterful actor!

The "grandson" he had raised for over twenty years was not only a fraud who had stolen another's identity, but had actually dared to harm his own mother!

"Beast! I'll kill him!"

Augustus shot to his feet, his entire being erupting with bone-chilling murderous intent.

He wanted nothing more than to rush back to the Rivera Estate right now and tear Gerald apart, dismember him completely!

"Uncle, please stay calm!"

Sophia quickly stepped in front of Augustus, her cool eyes meeting his blood-red gaze directly. "If you go kill him now, it would be too easy for him."

Augustus's chest heaved violently, the veins on his hand gripping the cane standing out starkly, his murderous aura nearly burning away all reason: "He dared to try to kill your grandmother! How can I let that bastard live another day!"

"Killing him outright would only give the Rivera family a scandal of internal strife and fratricide. The outside world might even think you couldn't tolerate him." Sophia's gaze was sharp as a blade, coldly analyzing the pros and cons. "To destroy him, we need to push him to the highest point, let him think he's already controlling everything and about to grasp the Rivera family's vast wealth, then publicly throw him into the mud!"

A bone-chilling coldness flashed in Sophia's eyes: "I want him to lose everything, be utterly disgraced, and taste what it truly means to live a fate worse than death."

Hearing Sophia's decisive words, Augustus's rapid breathing gradually calmed. Looking at Sophia's unruffled face, the fury in his heart slowly settled into unfathomable calculation.

Yes, just letting him die like this—how would that honor the suffering Delilah and Francis endured?

"Fine, Uncle will listen to you." Augustus gritted his teeth, cold calculation flickering in his eyes. "Let that beast climb a little higher. I want to see just how hard his bones are when he falls!"

Over the next few days, Sophia and Robert stayed by Victoria's side at the nursing facility without leaving.

When Victoria learned that Gerald was not only an imposter but had repeatedly sent assassins after Robert and even set death traps in the hospital, she nearly fainted from rage again.

"That beast! That ungrateful wolf!" Victoria angrily pounded the bed, her cloudy eyes full of fury as she struggled to throw off the covers and get up. "I'm going back to the estate right now! I'm going to tear off his hypocritical mask to his face. I'll cooperate with your acting—let's see how long he can keep pretending!"

"Grandma, your job now is to recover your health." Sophia helplessly grasped Victoria's hand, gently pressing her back under the covers, coaxing her softly for a long time. "He's like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows right now. If you go back and he senses something's wrong, he might do something desperate, putting you in danger again. Just rest here peacefully and watch us deal with him."

After much persuasion, with Robert also helping to calm her down, they finally managed to soothe Victoria's anger.

In the afternoon, the hospital room door was gently pushed open. Benjamin entered carrying several boxes of premium supplements.

The man wore a perfectly tailored black suit, his posture upright and his presence commanding, but as he approached the bed, that intimidating coldness instantly softened, his manner becoming extremely humble.

"Grandma, I'm Sophia's fiancé, Benjamin." Benjamin bowed slightly, his deep voice gentle and respectful.

Victoria leaned against her pillows, looking up and down at this devastatingly handsome, steady man before her.

She had naturally heard of the Williams family patriarch's reputation, expecting someone aloof and unapproachable, but she was surprised to see his eyes become tender as water when looking at Sophia.

The more Victoria looked, the more satisfied she became. Smiling, she took Benjamin's hand and Sophia's hand, placing them together: "Good, good boy. Our Sophia has suffered a lot these years. With you protecting her, this grandmother's heart can finally be at peace."

Benjamin clasped Sophia's cool fingertips tightly, his deep eyes meeting Victoria's directly as he made a solemn promise: "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I will never let anyone hurt her again."