The MILFs Club: Special Delivery for my Aunt

Chapter 248: Chapter 248: Sifting Through Secrets

Alexander walked quickly out of the recovery ward, slipping into a quiet, empty stairwell. He pulled out his phone and dialed Marcus’s private number. The line connected after two rings.

"Hey, man, a quick question for you," said Alexander, his voice low and cautious. "Do you know if your mother has any kind of strange business dealings or secret debts out there?"

"No. Why do you ask?" asked Marcus, his tone instantly shifting into one of sharp alertness.

"I know you keep tabs on them, but something happened," said Alexander, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "She officially withdrew a massive chunk of the medical deposit for your sister’s hospital stay and vanished. I’m getting worried here."

"My mother?!" asked Marcus, a heavy, disbelieving laugh escaping his throat. "I would believe you if you told me Ashley stole the money and ran away, but my mother?! That makes zero sense."

"Yeah, according to the receptionist, she had been coming in up until two days ago," said Alexander, keeping his eyes on the stairwell door. "But here’s the catch: I just spoke to your sister, and Ashley told me she hasn’t seen a single soul since she was admitted. I didn’t want to make her suspicious, so I didn’t push it, but something is extremely wrong here."

"Let me look into this and see if something happened on my end," said Marcus, his voice turning deadly cold.

"Sure, let me know the second you find anything," said Alexander.

He hung up the phone and walked back down to the central reception desk. He leaned over the counter, catching the eye of the clerk who had helped him earlier.

"Excuse me, did she happen to make any kind of comment or leave any details when she took the cash?" asked Alexander.

"No, not really," said the receptionist, shaking her head thoughtfully. "She just looked stressed and mentioned she desperately needed to pay for some urgent things. She muttered something about someone close to her having a massive problem, but she didn’t specify who or what it was."

"I understand. Thank you very much," said Alexander.

Ten minutes later, the medical staff officially transferred Ashley back into the luxurious comfort of the private VIP suite. Alexander walked into the spacious room, finding her resting comfortably on the plush bedding. Since he had a lot of time to kill before Marcus called back, he pulled up a chair, intending to run a subtle investigation about her family dynamics without making her realize what he was doing. To her, Alexander was just a wealthy, handsome benefactor who had conveniently saved them, she had no clue that he was an elite colleague of her brother, or that Marcus had sent him to get close to them.

"This room is so much better," said Ashley, looking around the bright suite with a faint blush on her pale cheeks. "You really didn’t have to do all this for me."

"Don’t worry about it. You deserve to recover in a quiet, safe place," said Alexander, crossing his legs as he adopted a relaxed, friendly demeanor. "So, tell me a bit about yourself, Ashley. Since I’m going to be looking out for you for a while, I’d love to know what your life is usually like. What do you do when you’re not stuck in a hospital bed?"

"There’s not much to tell, honestly," said Ashley, her eyes brightening slightly at his apparent interest. "I mostly just focus on my studies and spend time at home. My life is pretty quiet."

"And what about your family?" asked Alexander, keeping his tone light and casual as he tilted his head. "Is it just you and your mother living in that apartment? Do you have any other relatives around, or maybe an older sibling looking out for you guys from afar?"

"I actually do have an older brother," said Ashley, her fingers lightly tracing the pattern on her hospital blanket as her gaze drifted toward the window. "His name is Marcus. But... I haven’t seen him in such a long time. I don’t even know where he is right now, and I miss him so much. He left us that phone number I gave you before, but that’s really all I have of him."

She kept her voice carefully measured hiding the taboo, incestuous nature of her obsession with him. Alexander noticed the subtle shift in her posture, but he deliberately kept the conversation focused on her and Jessica.

"I see," said Alexander, nodding smoothly as he leaned a bit closer. "It must be tough. But tell me, Ashley... what happened that morning at the bar? It was a dangerous situation for you to be in. What were you even doing there?"

The moment the question left his lips, Ashley’s body went rigid beneath the sheets. Her eyes widened slightly, and a defensive, tense barrier locked into place across her pale features. She pulled the blanket slightly higher up her chest, her breathing turning shallow as the traumatic memory of being drugged, beaten, and nearly assaulted before he dragged her out unconscious threatened to resurface.

"I... I don’t really want to talk about that," said Ashley, her voice turning sharp and guarded as she glared at the edge of the bed. "It was just a stupid mistake. I shouldn’t have been there, okay? My mom doesn’t even know the full details, and I’d really prefer to keep it that way."

"I understand, we don’t have to talk about it," said Alexander, quickly softening his tone to defuse her defenses, his expression shifting into one of easy, casual warmth. "I didn’t mean to pry. I’m just glad I happened to be around that morning to help."

"Yeah... me too," said Ashley, her shoulders relaxing just a fraction as she looked away, relieved that he wasn’t going to push for details.

"It’s just that when the receptionist mentioned the paperwork, I got a bit worried that your mom might be running herself ragged trying to juggle your recovery and her daily routine all on her own," said Alexander, casually leaning back in his chair and folding his hands. "Does she usually take on extra shifts or get called away for work at odd hours? I’d hate for her to get sick from the stress."

"No, she usually has a pretty set schedule," said Ashley, blinking thoughtfully as she fell right into his conversational trap. "She’s always home right after her shift. That’s why it’s a little weird that she hasn’t called the hospital room phone, but I guess she’s just working overtime to cover the bills."

"That makes sense, mothers always find a way to carry the world on their backs," said Alexander, offering a small, understanding smile that masked his sharp, calculating thoughts. "Well, if she happens to drop by later tonight or tomorrow morning, just let her know the VIP suite is fully taken care of. I don’t want her stressing over the financial side of things right now."

"I will," said Ashley, a genuine look of gratitude softening her tense features. "Thank you, seriously. You’ve been so nice to us."

"Don’t mention it," said Alexander, standing up smoothly and checking his watch with a perfectly practiced, casual gesture. "You should get some sleep now. I’m going to step out to stretch my legs and check on the administrative transfer details downstairs, but I’ll be around."