Chapter 301: Chapter 289: You’re Seriously Sick, You Know That?
Lucia panicked when she saw Cynthia Grant place three fingers on her wrist. But, well-versed in this sort of situation, she forced herself to calm down and carefully observed Cynthia Grant.
’She’s so young. So what if she knows Chinese medicine? Besides, I did lose the baby, but it was a few days ago. I refuse to believe some young doctor of Chinese medicine can tell how many days ago I lost it just by taking my pulse!’
Feeling reassured, Lucia stared at Cynthia Grant and said, "Cynthia, after all this time together, I had no idea a young girl like you knew Chinese medicine. It must be pretty hard to learn, isn’t it?"
Cynthia Grant shook her head. "Not at all."
"Is that so? People who haven’t truly mastered their craft often say things like that, don’t you think? Cynthia Grant, was it? Or should I say, Doctor?"
How could Cynthia Grant not detect the sarcasm dripping from her words? Normally, her professional ethics as a doctor would prevent her from unleashing her emotions and sharp tongue on a patient during a diagnosis.
But right now, the only thing on her mind were the words Flora Bloom had just told her.
"Play to your strengths!"
"And tear her to shreds!"
Cynthia Grant coughed lightly, her face a mask of sorrow as she looked at Lucia, as if gazing upon someone at death’s door.
"My condolences."
Lucia assumed Cynthia was saying this because she hadn’t found anything abnormal, so she let her guard down. "I knew it. I wasn’t sure how accurate your Chinese medicine is. If you misread my pulse and made a wrong diagnosis, that would be a huge embarrassment!"
"What I mean is, you won’t be able to have children in the future! That’s why I offered my condolences. Also..."
Upon hearing this, a nerve in Lucia’s face twitched from inner turmoil. "Impossible! I just lost a baby! How could I be unable to get pregnant in the future?"
"Didn’t you just say I don’t know how to read pulses? I was just spouting nonsense. You actually bought it?"
"You!" Lucia’s face turned ashen, filled with a rage she dared not voice.
"Also, did you know you have a serious disease?"
"I don’t believe you! You’re lying!"
"This time it’s for real. An STD."
"..."
Just then, the voices of Zane Locke and Sepherdine sounded from outside Seth Warren’s villa. The guards didn’t stop them, and the two walked straight into the most crowded room. Looking at Seth Warren, Zane said, "Heard Flora Bloom was visiting, so we came to pay our respects. Oh, right, I also heard you lost a child? My condolences!" As soon as Zane entered, he greeted Seth Warren first, then nonchalantly acknowledged the incredibly frail-looking Lucia on the bed.
At that moment, Lucia was ecstatic. ’As long as this blows up and humiliates Flora Bloom, I won’t lose out.’
"Captain Sepherdine, Captain Locke, you’ve come at the perfect time. You have to be the judge for me!" Lucia said, abruptly yanking her wrist back. The force she used was hardly that of a woman who had just had a miscarriage.
"Oh? What matter requires two outsiders like us to pass judgment?" Sepherdine said bluntly, pointing out that he and Zane Locke were outsiders and, as such, shouldn’t meddle in other people’s affairs.
But Zane Locke didn’t seem to appreciate the sentiment. The shrewd, calculating glint in his eyes was, in Flora Bloom’s opinion, extremely punchable.
"Captain Sepherdine, you’re not looking at this correctly. If she’s asking us to judge, it must be because it’s a domestic affair that’s hard to handle, and someone has been treated unfairly. As one of the most powerful factions in the base, it’s our duty to treat everyone with fairness and impartiality. Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Flora Bloom?"
Flora Bloom could tell Zane Locke intended to meddle, but she didn’t object. Instead, she smiled and asked, "It seems Captain Locke not only has a thing for other people’s used women, but also loves to stick his nose in other people’s business!"
Flora Bloom’s simple, brutal words echoed in Zane Locke’s mind, and his face instantly darkened. "What nonsense are you spouting! I don’t even know Lucia!"
Flora Bloom laughed victoriously. "Oh, you don’t know her? Then how did you know I was talking about you and Lucia having a secret affair?"
After Flora Bloom spoke, Cynthia Grant suddenly let out a long, drawn-out "Ooooh" of realization, followed by a series of tongue clicks. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... So Lucia’s lover is you? Captain Zane Locke, you’d even go for a pregnant woman? You’re really not picky, are you?"
"What are you two babbling about, playing off each other like this! I don’t know Lucia, so how could I be with her! Flora Bloom, I never realized you were so good at twisting the truth."
Flora Bloom pushed her mother, Jade, into her father, Caleb Bloom’s, arms and said, "Is everyone here now? Then I’ll cut to the chase. I just want to ask you, Captain Sepherdine, Captain Locke, regarding the matter of Lucia’s miscarriage, how do you think it should be resolved?"
Sepherdine threw up his hands and leaned back against the wall. "To be honest, this has nothing to do with me. However, I trust Captain Bloom’s character. She’s not the type to falsely accuse someone."
This was a very tactful statement from Sepherdine. On one hand, he was showing goodwill toward Flora Bloom. On the other, by saying that she wouldn’t frame someone, he was implying that Lucia and Zane Locke would.
’Looks like this Sepherdine knows quite a bit.’
"Tch, why would a pregnant woman joke about the baby in her own womb? I’m telling you all, Lucia has already lost her child. How can you have the heart to question her like this? What are your true intentions?"
"Well said, Captain Zane Locke!" Flora Bloom started to clap, applauding Zane Locke’s little speech.
Zane Locke looked at Flora Bloom in confusion. ’Well said? My words were aimed at her, weren’t they? Why is she clapping for me?’
Zane Locke frowned. "So, you agree with my point of view?"
Flora Bloom feigned confusion and asked, "Captain Zane Locke, what you said was sweeter than song. Why wouldn’t I agree?"
Zane Locke glanced surreptitiously at Lucia and saw that she was just as confused.
"In that case, Captain Bloom, your family must take full responsibility for Lucia’s matter!"
"And how exactly would Captain Zane Locke like us to be responsible?"
Zane Locke pondered for a moment. "At the very least, you should take her back and care for her. A woman who has just lost her child is under immense physical and mental stress. She needs someone by her side to look after her properly."
Flora Bloom suddenly burst out laughing, her eyes scanning the expressions of everyone inside and outside the room. Especially Lucia’s. Her smug face looked as if her scheme was just about to succeed. Flora Bloom turned to look at Joel Bloom and Jade.
"Since everyone here seems so interested in how this will be handled, I’ll air out a little of my family’s dirty laundry today. Let’s have everyone judge this from an objective and impartial standpoint. First, Lucia, you claim my mother pushed you, causing your miscarriage, correct?"
With tears welling in her eyes, Lucia nodded.
"Cynthia. You’re the heir to a family legacy of Chinese medicine. Reading a pulse is a trivial matter for you. Tell us, when did she lose this baby?"
Cynthia Grant raised an eyebrow. "Two or three days ago."
Lucia stared at Cynthia Grant in utter shock. "You, you... That’s impossible!" Realizing what she had just blurted out, she quickly corrected herself, "Impossible! I just had the miscarriage today! Cynthia Grant, you’re a complete quack! You don’t know the first thing about Chinese medicine! Pulse reading? You can’t do it at all! You’re just helping Flora Bloom lie to everyone and target me!"
Lucia suddenly burst into heartbreaking sobs. Her racking cries, combined with her sickly, pale appearance, stirred a protective instinct in some of the more clueless men present.
"Yes, I admit I wronged Joel! But I was forced into it back then! I only made that choice to protect our child! But you can’t just deny our past because of that, deny the child we shared!
"He was so little, so well-behaved... Why? Why, Auntie Jade, did you have to do this to me!"
As soon as Lucia finished speaking, the red light on a silver recording pen in Flora Bloom’s hand suddenly began to flash.
