Chapter 183: Clara in hospital.
Charlotte’s brows furrowed.
She waited for Maria to speak ...
But the longer Maria hesitated, the heavier the weight on her chest grew, making it difficult for her.
"Madam Scott, Ms. Scott—she ..."
"Maria," Charlotte snapped, unable to tolerate the delay any longer, "where is Clara? Why aren’t you speaking properly?"
"She ..."
"Is she fine?" Charlotte asked urgently. Something inside her twisted —an unsettling feeling, as if one of her children wasn’t in the right state ... not safe.
And it was Clara ... she was most scared about.
"Is she with you? Speak, Maria!"
Her voice wasn’t particularly harsh, but the sharp pitch in it made Maria flinch on the other end of the call.
"She ..." she stuttered again. However, this time, she forced herself to finish. "She ... is with me."
Charlotte relaxed slightly.
But just as she did—
She heard Maria add,
"But she—"
"But she what?"
"She ... she is in the hospital, Madam Scott," Maria said, her voice trembling.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Charlotte froze.
Her gaze went blank for a second before panic surged through her, carrying a deep, gnawing dread.
"Hospital?" she repeated. "Wh-Why is Clara at the hospital? Did she ... did she go to visit a friend?"
Matilda heard her and immediately rushed to her side, ready to offer her the comfort.
Her hand gently rubbed along Charlotte’s arm, trying to soothe her.
But Charlotte only glanced at her and shook her head —clearly too worried to be calmed.
"Madam, don’t panic. Young Miss will be fine."
Charlotte didn’t relax. She simply asked into the phone, "Maria, your silence is only scaring me. Tell me—is Clara alright?"
"Madam Scott," Maria began, "the doctor is still checking on her. I tried reaching CEO Scott, but his phone is unreachable. I am unable to contact him. So, I called to ask if you could come to the hospital. They need a family member."
Charlotte immediately said, "Which hospital? I’ll come there right away."
With that, she didn’t wait. After getting the details from Maria, she hung up and shot to her feet, ready to leave.
"Matilda," she said urgently, "come with me. We need to go to the hospital. Clara is there alone."
Matilda understood at once, and without asking anything, she quickly called the driver to prepare the car.
However—
Just as they stepped out and were about to get in, another grey Maserati sedan rolled in, stopping right behind Charlotte’s car.
"Madam," Matilda said, "Second Young Master is here."
As she spoke, Liam stepped out of his car. A visible frown creased his brow at the sight of his mother rushing.
He quickly walked up to her. "Mom, you’re going somewhere?" His gaze flicked briefly toward Matilda before returning to Charlotte.
"You finally remember how to come home?" Charlotte snapped, not bothering to explain. "Why did you even come back? I thought you had also decided to leave this home for good."
Liam blinked, confused. His frown deepened as he reached out and held her arm. "Mom, what are you saying? This is my home —how could I not return? I was just caught up with work, that’s why I couldn’t come back last night."
This wasn’t the first time he had stayed out. He couldn’t understand what had pushed his mother to such an edge.
"Did something happen?" he asked, his concern was evident in his voice.
Charlotte closed her eyes, and tears began streaming down her cheeks.
"Mom ..." Liam panicked at the sight. "You— why are you crying like that?"
"Liam, we need to go," Charlotte cut him off, opening her eyes.
Just as he was about to ask —go where? —
She added, "Clara is in the hospital. We need to go see her."
Liam froze. "Hospital?"
Charlotte nodded, sniffling. "Maria was trying to reach you, but she couldn’t. So she called me. I was just about to leave when you arrived."
Liam didn’t waste another second. He moved quickly, opening the car door for her. "Did she tell you anything?"
Charlotte slipped into the car, shaking her head at him.
"No, she didn’t. She just said the doctors are checking on her. They needed a family member, so she asked me to come."
Liam’s expression tightened and tension settled in his jaw. Still, he tried to reassure her. "Mom ... don’t worry. We’ll go and check on her. She’ll be fine."
Charlotte nodded, but the tears didn’t stop.
"Liam, Clara is frail. She ... she hasn’t stayed with us since childhood. We need to take better care of her."
Liam nodded firmly. "Yes, Mom. We will. For now, let’s just go see her first ..."
With that, he closed the door for her and gestured to Matilda to accompany his mother before heading back to his own car.
Soon, the two cars left the residence, speeding toward the hospital.
Liam thought of calling Maria. However, his phone was broken. He couldn’t reach her. So he only sped the car in hopes to reach soon.
—————
Meanwhile—
Back on Adelyn’s side—
After finishing her breakfast, Adelyn got ready to head out.
Earlier, when she had told Eira she would be busy later, she hadn’t lied.
With her training starting, she truly wouldn’t have much time.
Though she didn’t really need much practice, considering how nervous Freya and Amelia were, she decided not to add to their anxiety.
Practicing would not only put them at ease but also give her the space to train properly.
After all, it had been a long time since she had last trained.
Just as she was packing her bag, her phone buzzed. She glanced at it and saw Freya calling.
"Sister Freya," she answered.
Freya hummed from the other end. "We have training today. You remember, don’t you?"
"Yes, I remember," Adelyn replied, adding, "I was just on my way."
"Good," Freya said. "Be on time."
And with that, the call ended.
Adelyn picked up her bag and headed out.
However—
Just as she pulled the door open—
She halted.
Her gaze landed on the man standing outside, his hand raised mid-air, ready to knock.
"Adelyn ... you’re here."
