Chapter 540
Chapter 540 Exposed
While Avery was wondering if Cayden was the one who had kidnapped Nicole, a woman''s bossy voice
interrupted her reverie. “I don''t care how you manage it, you''re going to find me a match! The doctor
said Sammy''s life will be in danger if we don''t conduct the bone marrow transnt soon. He is my
everything and your only son. I won''t let anything happen to him!”
A man wasforting her. “Don''t panic. I''ll find a suitable match.”
His voice was familiar. Puzzled, Avery gazed toward its source.
She saw Xavier tugging the arm of a beautiful but domineering woman at the end of the corridor.
The woman looked to be in her early thirties, and it was apparent that she took good care of herself—
her figure was lithe, and there was a priceless-looking pendant hung around her neck. Though it was
in from a nce that she hade from a good background, her overbearing attitude seemed to
have impaired her elegance.
Xavier, too, had caught sight of Avery and the others.
When his gaze fell onto Cecelia, his eyes shone once in particr.
Xavier smiled abashedly as he walked forward to greet them. “What a coincidence running into you
here, Ms. Rumpley! Allow me to introduce my ex-wife, Griselda Whitman.”
He turned to indicate Avery, then turned to the woman called Griselda. “Grizzie, this is my boss''
fiancée, Avery Rumpley. The other two are my coworkers, Cecelia Zuckerberg and Nina Richter.”
Griselda peered down her nose at Avery. “Who cares about who they are. I''m giving you thirty days,
Xavier. You''re going to find Sammy a match, or get ready to bury your son!”
Without even greeting them, she stomped out of the outpatient building, her heels leaving a trail of
cking in her wake.
Avery was surprised at the nasty temper Xavier''s ex-wife possessed, but as it was unlikely for her to
meet thetter again, Avery did not take it to heart.
Nina, being her usual carefree self, cared even less about Griselda''s attitude.
Cecelia, on the other hand, felt differently. Her heart, which had swelled with excitement when she saw
Xavier, quickly plummeted.
Mr. Dartsley''s ex-wife is so arrogant that he doesn''t look like he has a say in anything in front of her.
Could this be the reason for their divorce?
Helpless, Xavier gazed at Griselda''s departing silhouette, awkwardly fiddling with his gold-rimmed
sses as he did so. “My apologies. She''s always been like this.”
“It''s all right,” Avery said courteously before adding, unable to contain her curiosity, “I heard your ex-
wife mention something about your son needing a bone marrow transnt, Mr. Dartsley. Is he ill?”
Cecelia''s eyelid twitched. “You are good at hiding things, Mr. Dartsley. I''ve never heard about you
having a son despite all these years of working together.”
For some reason, Cecelia felt a difort in her heart she could not quite identify at the news of
Xavier having a son.
It was possibly due to the gratitude she felt for his intervention when she had run into her ex-boyfriend
at the children''s apparel store. It was also then that she began to develop those unexinable feelings
for him.
From that day on, Cecelia no longer gave him the cold shoulder at the office. Instead, she treated him
warmly.
As she spent more time with Xavier, Cecelia realized that he was mature and interesting. His charisma,
in particr, seemed to know no bounds.
Xavier, on his end, seemed to have taken on a protective role. Aside from looking after her at work,
they often met outside the office; he would ask her out to dinner or a walk through the malls after work
—activities that were generally done by people in rtionships.
Though they never ventured into the territory of intimacy, they seemed to understand the unspoken
arrangement.
Cecelia could sense that he liked her.
However, the news of Xavier having a son struck her like a thunderbolt. The tender shoot of hope and
trust that newly sprouted in her heart, wilted almost immediately.
However, Cecelia did not show it. Her smile persisted, though it did not reach her eyes.
Xavier knew her well. He could tell that was an act Cecelia put on when she was unhappy.
Gazing at her exquisite features, he opened his mouth but hesitated.
He knew that was not the time to tell her everything. With a sigh, he refrained from delving into an
exnation.
Clueless as always, Nina did not notice the subtle exchange between them. “All the girls at the office
thought you were a bachelor, Mr. Dartsley,” she teased. “It''s a shock to find out that you have a son!
Well done! How old is he?”
Xavier gave a bitter chuckle. “I did not know Griselda was pregnant when we divorced five years ago.
As she held a grudge against me because I was the one who suggested we split up, she kept this from
me until very recently. Sammy is four this year. He contracted leukemia when he was younger,
necessitating a bone marrow transnt. If not for his illness, Griselda might never have told me that I
have a son.”
The three women fell silent, at a loss on what to say.
Though medical technology had evolved by leaps and bounds, leukemia remained one of those
incurable diseases.
Furthermore, it was difficult to find a match. Even if one was found, there were countless instances of
patients sumbing to the disease due to variousplications despite the initial sess of the
transnt.
Avery cleared her throat. “Could we see your son, Mr. Dartsley?” she asked tentatively.
Xavier shook his head. “Sammy''s at a hospital in Baykeep, not here. Griselda heard that Dr. Lampert of
People''s Hospital in Ackleton is an expert in treating leukemia in children, so she wants to switch him
over. We''d just met with him and had arranged for the transfer. I''ll bring him over from Baykeep this
afternoon.”
Avery hummed in response before continuing, “Don''t worry, Mr. Dartsley. If there''s a will, there''s a way.
You will surely find Sammy a suitable donor.”
Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.
“Yes, I''m sure of it,” Xavier affirmed confidently.
He was still in shock, unable to grasp that he had a four-year-old son.
After the initial shock wore off, abination of dazedness and helplessness, followed by excitement,
joy, and finally despair, overwhelmed him. Xavier gazed at Cecelia with aplicated mix of emotions
in his eyes. He felt guilty about having to let Cecelia down.
Cecelia bit her lip. Her eyshes concealed her disappointment. Instinctively, she caressed her babies
that would be due in two months.
It''s not that big of a deal. Soon, I''ll have two babies who will love me.
...
Having taken an interest in embroidering ofte, Silvia came to Needlemania, a reputable old store, for
an intricate piece she intended toplete as a gift to her husband to celebrate his promotion.
After spending much time deliberating over the selection, Silvia decided on a piece and paid for it.
As soon as she emerged from the store, she caught sight of Allie in a remote corner, who appeared to
be engaged in a heated debate with a woman whose face she could not quite see.
Due to the distance, Silvia could not hear the contents of their argument. The only things she caught
were fragments of Allie''s furious voice. “Why did youe back?”
“The child is still alive!”
“If this gets exposed, you''re going to pay for it,” and simr words of threat.
Silvia''s brows furrowed.
She never saw much of Allie because of ire. In fact, she had almost never witnessed Allie losing
control like that.
“If this gets exposed.” What does that mean? Knowing how shrewd Allie is, she would not lose her
temper in public if she had not been truly angered.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Silvia shuffled a little closer instinctively, intent on finding out the subject
of their quarrel.