Chapter 289
From the moment Richard saw her, a wide grin spread across his face. Any difort he''d felt
seemed to evaporate instantly. "Seeing you, my dear girl, seems to chase away all my aches and pain.
My dear girl, you just performed a procedure on me yesterday, and here you are checking in on me
again. Your thoughtfulness and kindness are unmatched. I''m truly blessed to have you as my
granddaughter-inw."
The old man couldn''t help but sing Vivienne''s praises, making Ryan, who was standing off to the side,
visibly ufortable. Yet he kept his mouth shut.
Thanks to Vivienne, he was now stuck working as a security guard at the Ellington Group, a job he
found as enjoyable as a root canal.
"Isn''t that the truth?" Cecilia chuckled as she took Vivienne''s hand with a sense of pride that bordered
on boastful. "Percival truly hit the jackpot with you. I have no idea where his good luckes from."
Percival, who had been lingering in the crowd, cast his eyes toward Aaron, who was trailing behind
Vivienne like a lost puppy.
Ever since the reunion banquet, Aaron had been practically glued to Vivienne''s side. How could he let
a man follow his fiancée from the Brooks Mansion to the hospital?!
"Vivienne." Percival called out as he strode toward her. With a dramatic sigh, he pulled her into his
embrace. "I''m so tired."
With a sly smile, Vivienne replied, "I''ll feed you somethingter as a reward."
Percival''s fatigue seemed to instantly evaporate.
"Enough!" Baron interjected, casting a scowl at Percival. "This isn''t the ce for public disys of
affection. Vivienne hasn''t even officially be your wife yet!"
Despite having recently undergone surgery, Richard was still full of energy. He quickly jumped to their
defense. "Baron, what are you implying?! Are you trying to upset me?! Vivienne is already a part of our
family. That''s a fact that no one can change. If you insist on objecting, I''m ready to fight you on this!"
Richard looked as though he were about to leap out of bed, so Cecilia quickly reached out to calm him.
"Dad, you need to take it easy. You''re still recovering from your surgery."
Richard didn''t look like someone who had just been operated on. He was livelier than men half his age.
"Grandpa." Vivienne soothed him in an attempt to steer the conversation back on track. "We''ve
apprehended the person who attacked you. He ingested poison, but I''ve given him an antidote. He
should regain consciousness soon."
Percival lifted his gaze, adding, "Once he''s awake, we''ll know who ordered the attack."
While Percival didn''t explicitly say that he was actually the target, Richard had already pieced together
the clues.
"No! They weren''t trying to kill me! They were after you!" Richard''s eyes swept over the gathered
crowd. "I was just unfortunate enough to be in your car."
Richard turned his gaze to Vivienne. "The person who wanted to harm Percival... it was someone from
the Ellington family, wasn''t it?"
Although they had not yet determined who was responsible, all signs pointed to someone from the
Ellington family as the likely culprit.
Vivienne nodded. "Possibly."
The room fell silent. Fiona, standing in the crowd, looked away to hide her panic.
"Vivienne! What are you implying?" Cathy snapped and crossed her arms in agitation. "Are you
suggesting someone among us wanted to harm Richard?"
It was clear that Cathy''s anger was not solely directed at Vivienne but also at Percival, who had
supported her.
"No one wanted anything bad to happen to Percival. We might not have been waiting on him hand and
foot when he was in his wheelchair, but we all hoped he would recover soon. Don''t you dare stir up
trouble and pit us against each other!"
Scott frowned at Cathy''s harsh demeanor. "Vivienne was only stating that they''ve caught the person
responsible for Richard''s attack. She didn''t say that you were the mastermind. There''s no need for you
to get so worked up."
Cathy, realizing his implications, angrily turned away.
Vivienne observed the exchange, taking note of everyone''s reactions.
"Alright." Richard waved his hand dismissively andy back down. "Leave the interrogation to Vivienne
and Percival. The rest of you don''t need to stress over this. I trust Vivienne and Percival to bring me
satisfactory answers. I''m tired and want some rest now. You all should go home."
He paused, grabbing Vivienne''s hand before anyone could move. "Vivienne, stay with me. I could use
somepany."
Richard''s favoritism was clear as day, and it visibly irked the other members of the Ellington family. But
there was nothing they could do about it.
As everyone reluctantly left the room, Vivienne stepped out into the hallway to answer a phone call.
"How are things going?"
Matthew, on the other end of the call, shook his head in frustration. "Nothing. They''re fearless. Each
one of them ingests poison the moment they''re caught, leaving no leads behind."
"Keep looking." Vivienne ordered, her voice ice-cold. "Don''t overlook any detail."
"Yes, ma''am." Matthew responded.
"And the one in the basement?" Vivienne asked.
"His vital signs are stable." Matthew replied.
After ingesting Vivienne''s life-saving pill, the man''s condition improved, though he remained
unconscious.
"Good. Keep me updated." Vivienne ended the call, but her expression remained unreadable.
...
In the hospital''s pharmacology department, Calista was chatting with a doctor she knew. She had
originallye to the hospital on other business, but upon hearing about Richard''s situation, she
decided to pay him a visit with a fruit basket in hand.
"You wouldn''t believe the surgeon who operated on Richard. I''ve been in the medical field for over two
decades, and I''ve never seen someone sew up an incision so wlessly!"
"Her hands were incredibly steady. She made incisions right next to the heart! It was absolutely
breathtaking! There are few who could pull off such a surgery!"
Calista, overhearing their excited discussion about Richard''s surgery, couldn''t help but feel intrigued.
"Who is this surgeon you''re talking about? Do I know her?"
The crowd all shook their heads. "She isn''t on the staff at our hospital. It seems like she was specially
brought in from somewhere else."
"Her capabilities are extraordinary. She is definitely better than you, Calista. It''s a shame you missed
that surgery; it would have been a great opportunity to learn."
Calista could tolerate many things, but she couldn''t ept someone saying her surgical skills were
inadequate.
She was second to none in her medical proficiency. No one could surpass her, especially considering
her prestigious lineage.
Making an excuse, Calista stood up and took her fruit basket, heading towards Richard''s hospital room.
She bumped into Percival right at the doorway, and a smile quickly spread across her face. "Mr.
Ellington, so you''re here too."
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Afraid that he might not remember her, Calista added, "I''m Calista, the head of the TIC Research
Institute."