Chapter 300: Chapter 288: Lucia’s Miscarriage
Flora Bloom and Cynthia Grant hadn’t even reached the quarantine gate when Ethan Monroe ran over, panting. "Flora," he gasped, "that... that Lucia... she..."
Upon hearing Lucia’s name, Cynthia Grant’s expression turned sour with impatience. "Lucia again? What about that woman now?"
"She... had a miscarriage."
Cynthia Grant froze. "What? The baby’s gone?" When Ethan Monroe nodded, Cynthia suddenly burst out laughing. "That’s fantastic! A cause for celebration!"
Flora Bloom shot Cynthia Grant a speechless glare before turning to Ethan Monroe. "Where is she? Where is she now?"
"Lucia can’t enter the quarantine zone. Joel and your parents went to Seth Warren’s house."
Flora Bloom scoffed. "Go get Shauna Wallace for me. Tell her to meet me at Seth Warren’s place."
Ethan Monroe was confused, not understanding why Flora Bloom wanted Shauna Wallace. He just nodded, turned, and went back through the quarantine gate.
Flora Bloom glanced at Cynthia Grant, her aqua eyes shimmering. "Don’t hold back later. Say whatever you want, however you want! Don’t spare their feelings on our account. Got it?"
Cynthia Grant nodded, looking completely baffled.
The recording pen that Yue Mao had given Flora was currently charging via a power bank inside Flora’s space, and it was almost full.
Cynthia Grant, being her usual frank self, knew Yue Mao worked for Flora. However, since Yue Mao hadn’t explained anything when handing over the pen, Cynthia didn’t know what Flora was planning. So, she simply followed Flora as she turned and headed for Seth Warren’s villa.
Seth Warren’s villa had a similar layout to Morgan Sterling’s, but its furnishings were more exquisite. Lucia had been staying in Seth Warren’s villa ever since Flora Bloom had kicked her out of the quarantine zone.
At that moment, Lucia was lying on the bed, fast asleep. Her face was pale, and her dry lips were completely colorless. She looked serene.
Caleb Bloom stood at the doorway, his increasingly youthful face filled with worry and confusion. Joel Bloom stood by the head of the bed, his expression grim.
When Flora and Cynthia arrived, they saw Jade looking guilty, her eyes welling up with anxious tears. One look at her brother Joel’s and father Caleb’s expressions, and Flora knew today’s incident wasn’t so simple.
Flora Bloom walked into the room and looked at Lucia on the bed. Her face was ashen, her lips colorless, and there was even a faint smell of blood on the bed where she lay.
"What happened here?" Flora Bloom asked calmly as she walked in. "Mom, why are you crying?"
Flora pulled her mother, Jade, closer, studying her face before bringing her to her side.
When everyone saw Flora arrive, it was as if a piece of driftwood had finally found its anchor. Jade, in particular, suddenly became agitated.
"Flora, you’re here! Mom... I really didn’t mean to! I didn’t even touch her. I don’t know what happened just now, she just suddenly fell. I was going to help her up, but then she passed out. And then... and then... there was so much blood."
Listening to Jade’s incoherent account of how Lucia had fainted, Flora Bloom smiled wryly. "And then she just passed out?"
"Yes, Flora, I really didn’t touch her. I don’t know why she started bleeding so much! Sigh... It’s all my fault. That poor baby is definitely gone now."
Jade started to cry, blaming herself. Flora gently hugged her. "Mom, it’s not your fault. You didn’t touch her, so what does it have to do with you?"
Flora’s words made Lucia, who was still feigning unconsciousness, falter in her breathing. ’I have to endure this,’ she thought. ’Once this is over, Flora’s mother will feel so guilty she’ll give in to my every demand as compensation. As long as I can get into Flora’s villa complex, I’ll be set for life.’
But the more Lucia listened to Flora, the more something felt wrong. ’What does she mean, "didn’t touch her"?’ she fumed internally. ’I put on such a long act mainly to mislead everyone into thinking Jade was responsible for the death of my unborn child. And this child was supposed to be a Bloom—Joel Bloom’s child.’
’Once I achieved that goal, Flora would have to tolerate me moving into the villa complex to protect her mother’s reputation. And once I’m in, how could she ignore my needs? Taking a step back, even if Flora was heartless enough to ignore me, Jade’s guilt would surely make her treat me well.’
’My original target was Joel Bloom, but unfortunately, he’s been utterly useless. Ever since he found out Shelly was missing, he’s been searching for her all over the base. He even ignores me when I send people to summon him!’
Lucia’s eyes slowly fluttered open. Seeing she was awake, Jade quickly asked, "How are you? Are you feeling any better?"
Lucia saw that everyone she expected was there. When she noticed Flora Bloom was also among them, completely unscathed, her eyes suddenly stung, and she began to sob.
She looked at Joel Bloom. "Joel, our baby!"
Hearing Lucia’s sobs, Joel Bloom stood to the side, frowning and silent. Jade’s expression, meanwhile, grew even more pained, unsure how to console the weeping woman before her.
Hearing Lucia’s cries, Jade began to doubt herself. ’Did I really not touch her just now?’ she thought. ’But if I didn’t, why would she fall on her own? Or did I scare her, causing her to fall? So it’s very likely I accidentally caused the death of my own unborn grandchild.’ At this thought, tears began to well up in her eyes again.
Joel Bloom frowned and looked at Lucia with extreme reluctance. "Lucia, I’ll just ask you one thing: What did you do with Shelly?"
Seeing that Joel Bloom was completely unmoved by her plight, Lucia’s tears welled up in desperation. "Joel, I don’t know what you’re talking about! Our child is gone, lost forever, and you’re asking about another woman at a time like this? Do you have a heart?!"
Joel Bloom clenched his fists and stared at Lucia, saying no more. But the extremely pained expression in his eyes was perfectly clear to Flora Bloom.
Just then, Kirk Warren and Azure Leroy came over with water for everyone. As Kirk handed a cup to Flora Bloom, she shot her a vicious glare, which Flora completely ignored. This made her even more furious, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Flora Bloom was just patting her mother’s back comfortingly while, at the same time, the fully charged recording pen was playing back inside her space. She diverted some of her focus to listen to the recording. The more she listened, the uglier her expression became, yet the curve of her lips curled higher and higher.
’This Lucia,’ Flora thought, ’is on another level. Utterly disgusting.’
"Lucia, let’s not even talk about how my mom isn’t the one who caused you to lose this baby. Even if she was, so what? It’s gone, so it’s gone. It’s not like it was my brother’s baby anyway!"
Lucia’s face grew even paler. "Flora, what nonsense are you spouting! I know you don’t like me, but I’ve never held it against you! Your parents have always been biased against me, but... but I truly love Joel! The baby in my belly was his! Now the baby is gone, and to shirk responsibility, you’re all saying these things about me and my child... You...!"
The smirk playing on Flora Bloom’s lips showed her confidence, making Lucia’s heart pound in her chest.
"Let’s put aside whether this baby was one of the Blooms for a moment. As for whether my mother was the one who caused your miscarriage... I’ll know the second I take your pulse."
With that, Flora Bloom grabbed Lucia’s wrist and handed it to Cynthia Grant. Cynthia’s knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine was a family art. Though she was young, her skill in reading pulses and observing a person’s vital energy was truly formidable.
