Chapter 266: Chapter 266: So Dirty
Sophia Shaw felt a heavy tightness in her chest as she went upstairs.
It was as if a pair of hands were squeezing it tight.
She couldn’t bring herself to imagine that a girl as pure and kind as Lillian Forrest could have suffered something like that.
When Sophia Shaw reached the VIP floor where Lillian Forrest was staying, the metal gate was shut tight.
Jenson Forrest had sealed off the entire floor. No one was allowed entry except for authorized personnel.
But she could still hear Lillian Forrest’s hysterical screams. "Go away! Get out!"
"So filthy... so filthy... It’s disgusting!"
From inside the room came the violent sounds of things being smashed.
Jenson Forrest rushed out of the hospital room, phone in hand. He faltered for a moment when he saw Sophia Shaw outside the gate.
He continued speaking to the person on the other end of the line, "Could I trouble you to come and keep Lil company? She’s in a very bad state. You might be the only one who can calm her down."
"Okay, I’ll be waiting for you."
After hanging up, he walked out, a disheveled look in his eyes as he faced Sophia Shaw. "What brings you here?"
Sophia Shaw opened her mouth, but her throat felt terribly hoarse.
In the end, she just looked toward Lillian Forrest’s room.
Jenson Forrest seemed to guess she already knew and said softly, "She’s extremely agitated. She doesn’t want to see anyone."
He slammed a fist against the wall, which let out a dull THUD.
It was the first time Sophia Shaw had seen him so worked up.
"I should have been with her. I shouldn’t have let her... go out alone!"
Jenson Forrest’s eyes were bloodshot, and his face was etched with self-reproach.
Sophia Shaw had only heard the gist of it from Rhea Dunn.
For the past few days, Lillian Forrest had been going out with Rhea Dunn and a few other classmates to busk on the street.
Rhea Dunn had also been walking Lillian Forrest home every day.
That day, after Rhea Dunn walked Lillian Forrest to her door, she somehow went back out on her own and was dragged into a deserted alley she was passing.
Those men took Lillian Forrest to a dilapidated hut and brutally violated her.
Although a medical exam confirmed that the assault hadn’t gone to the final stage, Lillian Forrest was still deeply traumatized.
Her personality, which had just started to brighten up, had become sharp and unapproachable. She spent every waking moment screaming herself hoarse.
Her emotional state was extremely unstable.
"Those men... have they been caught?" Sophia Shaw asked tentatively.
Jenson Forrest shook his head. "It was Joanna Sherman who saved Lil. She was alone, so she didn’t dare give chase. She could only protect Lil and get her out of there first."
"They will be caught!" Jenson Forrest’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.
Sophia Shaw finally understood why Jenson Forrest had suddenly been willing to invest money in Joanna Sherman’s project.
It was likely to repay this life-saving debt.
"Sorry, I lost my composure."
Jenson Forrest quickly reined in his emotions, returning to his usual gentle demeanor.
As someone with experience, Sophia Shaw could understand the feeling of having a loved one get hurt, so she shook her head.
"I won’t go in for now. Please tell Lillian that I’m always here, and she can call on me anytime she needs me."
"Okay."
Jenson Forrest gave Sophia Shaw a deep look.
"Thank you."
Not knowing what to say, Sophia Shaw went back downstairs.
As she was going down in the elevator, she happened to see Joanna Sherman being pushed in a wheelchair into another elevator.
The person pushing Joanna Sherman was Jenson Forrest’s assistant.
’So Jenson Forrest was on the phone asking Joanna Sherman to come and comfort Lillian Forrest?’
Sophia Shaw wasn’t jealous of Lillian Forrest’s reliance on Joanna Sherman; she just found the whole situation bizarre.
Joanna Sherman’s project just happened to be short on investors, and then something like this occurred.
She didn’t want to make wild accusations about others.
But Joanna Sherman was an exception.
Sophia Shaw walked out, her mind heavy with thoughts. It was only on her way back to the room that she remembered she should get some food for Levin Sawyer and Ms. Archer.
She went downstairs, planning to get some takeout from The God of Cookery.
When she reached a parking spot around the corner, she saw Ma Lane.
Ma Lane was standing with a young man. Across from them was a middle-aged man dressed in very fine clothes.
The man’s features bore some resemblance to Jenson Forrest’s, but he looked far more calculating and materialistic.
Standing beside the man was a woman of about the same age, who was sighing repeatedly.
"How could something like this have happened? It’s utterly humiliating!"
"That Lillian! Can’t she just stay put, being blind and all? Must she run around everywhere? We never expected her to bring any benefit to the Forrest Family, but no, she had to go and cause such a disgraceful mess!"
"Who knows what people will say about this! It’s already spreading through our social circle. She’s blind and now this happens... it’ll be hard for her to marry a good man in the future."
Sophia Shaw then realized that the couple was Jenson Forrest’s parents.
’Something so terrible happened to Lillian Forrest, yet instead of offering comfort and sympathy, they’re blaming her for running around?’
Lillian Forrest had mentioned her parents on occasion, and her words had revealed their disdain for her.
But hearing and seeing it for herself was still unbearable.
Ma Lane quickly spoke up, "Sir, Madam, this is my son, Liam Reed. He’s always been fond of Lillian, and he wouldn’t mind that she was... violated."
Liam Reed immediately chimed in, "Please, don’t you two worry. I will be good to Lil for the rest of my life."
He even took out his business card. "I run my own company."
Mrs. Forrest merely glanced at it.
Mr. Forrest didn’t even bother to look.
A servant’s son—what kind of decent company could he possibly run?
However, the couple didn’t refuse Liam Reed. Instead, they exchanged a look.
Ma Lane and Liam Reed remained standing respectfully, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
"Ma Lane, you can go look after Lil for now," Mrs. Forrest said with a wave of her hand.
Ma Lane and Liam Reed left one after the other.
Only then did Mrs. Forrest say, "I think this Liam Reed isn’t half bad. Even though he’s just a servant’s child, at least he managed to start his own company. Lil wasn’t a good match for any respectable family to begin with, and after what happened, someone like him is the only option."
Mr. Forrest said nothing.
His silence was a tacit agreement.
Sophia Shaw had to fight the urge to rush out and curse them. She stood downstairs alone for a long time, thinking.
She was furious at the attitude of Lillian Forrest’s parents, but she also felt that Ma Lane and Liam Reed were both acting strangely.
She didn’t know much about Ma Lane, but from what Lillian Forrest used to say, she could tell that the woman was conservative and extremely strict with Lillian.
In her view, a girl having her clothes taken off was a form of impurity, nearly equivalent to being raped.
Lillian Forrest had been humiliated; everything short of the final act had happened to her.
’How could such a conservative woman suddenly be willing to let her son marry Lillian?’
Sophia Shaw’s thoughts were a tangled mess, yet she had a faint feeling that there was a thread she could pull to unravel it all.
After getting the food, Sophia Shaw ran into Joanna Sherman again on her way back.
Joanna Sherman was being pushed along by Jenson Forrest’s assistant while she instructed him, "If Lillian’s emotions become unstable, call me immediately. No matter how busy I am, I’ll come over to be with her."
"Understood." Jenson Forrest’s assistant was extremely deferential to her. "It’s a good thing you’re here. Otherwise, President Forrest really wouldn’t know what to do."
Joanna Sherman happened to see Sophia Shaw as well. She deliberately lifted her chin and raised her voice. "It’s a good thing Lil is willing to be close to me. Tell President Forrest not to worry. I’ll always be by her side."
Though her words were directed at Jenson Forrest’s assistant, her challenging gaze was fixed on Sophia Shaw.
Jenson Forrest’s assistant helped her into a car and then left.
Sophia Shaw quickly stepped forward and grabbed the car window. "Joanna Sherman, the place where Lil was attacked was so remote. How did you happen to show up there so coincidentally?"
Joanna Sherman said coldly, "What are you implying? Are you blaming me for showing up? For saving Lil?"
