Chapter 7 Scheming
Kenneth hung his head, absent–mindedly stroking his fingers.
He hadn’t intended to let Harriet know about these things, but Harriet was so perceptive that she’d spotted something amiss just from seeing Eleanor and Victoria stand up for Lucas the first time.
“I feel much better. Please take me out of the hospital,” Kenneth said to Harriet, avoiding the real issue and not wanting Eleanor and Victoria to catch on.
Harriet let out a soft sigh, understanding what he meant.
“Okay, you wait here. I’ll go call the nurse. We can only leave if you’re really okay, all right?”
Kenneth nodded. No matter how Eleanor and Victoria treated him, Harriet had always been on his side, treating him like her own child. So, Harriet was the only one he was reluctant to part with.
As Harriet left, she cast a worried look at Kenneth. He gave her a reassuring smile and then sat quietly, completely ignoring Eleanor, Victoria, and Lucas.
Lucas bit his lip, unwilling to let Kenneth go so easily.
I thought that if I took Eleanor and Victoria away, Kenneth would
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surely die, and then everything he had would be mine.
But I didn’t expect him to be so tough. Even at this point, he’s still
alive.
“Kenneth, I’m so terribly sorry. It’s all on me. I apologize from the bottom of my heart. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been on the verge of danger. But at that time, I was really stuck between a
rock and a hard place.
“My dad was rushed to the hospital, and his condition was touch–and–go. That’s why I asked Eleanor and the others to take me there,” Lucas pleaded, putting on a pitiful act as if he were the one who’d suffered injustice, even though he was the one who’d nearly cost Kenneth his life.
Victoria couldn’t bear to see Lucas looking so dejected.
She promptly stepped in front of him, eyeing Kenneth warily, as if she was worried that this weak patient, hooked up to an IV drip, might suddenly lunge at Lucas.
“Hey, this is just a big misunderstanding, okay? And look, you’re doing fine now, aren’t you? There’s no need to keep harping on it,” Victoria snapped.
Then, she lowered her voice to a whisper, but it was still loud
enough for Kenneth to hear. “For all we know, you might be faking
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this whole Illness thing.”
Those words hit Kenneth like a bullet to the heart.
“Right, sure. I just randomly passed out on the ground for no good reason, dragged myself to the ER, and now I’m here, hooked up to this IV, just to get some pity,” Kenneth retorted sarcastically, leaving Victoria speechless.
The usually hot–tempered Victoria was at a complete loss for words this time.
Eleanor picked up on the sarcasm in Kenneth’s words and
frowned, still skeptical of him.
“Lucas‘ dad was in a life–threatening situation. We had to focus
on that. We couldn’t let Lucas live with regret for the rest of his life
just because you were putting on an act.”
Kenneth found this so preposterous that he burst out laughing.
“Really? So, did he get to see his dad for the last time? Is he free of
any regrets?“,
Lucas‘ eyes instantly welled up with tears. He opened his mouth,
but then, seemingly out of fear of Kenneth, he decided to keep
quiet.
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Victoria couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“Kenneth! I never thought you could be so heartless! It’s a
blessing that nothing serious happened to Lucas‘ dad this time. If something had gone horribly wrong, would you be able to sleep at night saying these things?!”
Before Kenneth could even finish his thought, Victoria had already branded him as heartless.
Maybe it was the effect of the medication, but Kenneth felt his head was spinning.
He didn’t want to argue with them anymore. Whether he tried to defend himself or Harriet tried to explain on his behalf, they
wouldn’t believe him.
So, instead of wasting his breath, he chose to stay silent.
However, Victoria wasn’t about to let the matter rest so easily. When she saw Kenneth fall silent, she assumed he was
speechless out of guilt. Instantly, her usual hot–blooded temper flared up.
“What? Did I just hit the bullseye? We used to turn a blind eye to your envy and underhanded tricks, but this time, you’ve crossed
the line! You’re so spiteful, cursing people like that. You need to
apologize to Lucas right this second!”
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Victoria was shouting so loudly that it drew the attention of many people nearby. Yet, Kenneth just sat there, unmoved.
Apologize to Lucas? Fat chance!
Kenneth’s attitude infuriated Victoria. She couldn’t help but step
forward, ready to take a swing at him.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Just then, Harriet came back.
Her face was as gloomy as a storm cloud, and she fixed a steely glare on Victoria.
Victoria was just a young girl. She’d never been treated like this by her best friend’s mom before, and she immediately panicked.
“Is it not enough that you’ve been slandering Kenneth right here? And now you want to lay a hand on him? He’s a sick man!
Is this what your upbringing has taught you about treating your
friends?!”
Confronted with Harriet’s intimidating demeanor, Victoria’s
bravado melted away, and she hastily attempted to offer an
explanation.
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← –) 15 min left
“No, it’s not what it looks like! I just wanted him to say sorry to
Lucas. His words were so mean. He actually wished Lucas‘ dad dead. That’s why I lost my cool a bit…”
Harriet let out a scornful laugh and lifted Kenneth’s hand, the one
with the needle still in it, making it look puffy and bloodless.
“Lucas‘ dad isn’t ill at all. He didn’t even set foot in the hospital.
But when our Kenneth was on death’s doorstep, where were you
two? You went off to see his perfectly fine father! Kenneth almost
didn’t make it out alive!
“He’s only said one thing. He’s being mighty kind, if you ask me. If
it were me, I’d make sure that curse came true!”
Harriet didn’t hold back, completely shaming Victoria and Lucas in the process.
Kenneth closed his eyes, his eyelashes.fluttering gently.
Ever since he’d met Lucas, it had been ages since someone had
believed in him and stood up for him like this. All the grievances he’d been bottling up finally seemed to have an outlet.
Eleanor furrowed her brow. Even though it was her mother speaking, she still sided with Lucas.
It wasn’t that she thought her mother would lie; she just believed
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her mom had been misled by Kenneth.
15 min left
“Mom, don’t be so hard on Victoria. She’s not in the wrong here.
It’s just that Kenneth’s words were really out of line. No matter
what, he shouldn’t have cursed someone. Even though Lucas isn’t from a rich family, he’s not the kind of guy you think he is!”
Seeing Eleanor taking their side, Harriet was utterly frustrated by
her daughter’s naivete.
Lucas clearly had ulterior motives, yet her foolish daughter still
chose to trust him blindly.
She cast another glance at Kenneth. Initially, Harriet had thought
about persuading him to stay in the country. But now, after all that
had happened, she just didn’t have the nerve to bring it up.
“If you’re hell–bent on getting deceived, I’m not gonna stop you. You’ll only come around and realize I’m right when you get your heart broken,” Harriet huffed.
There was no point in saying more. Even after everything she’d laid out, Eleanor still firmly believed in Lucas.
People didn’t feel the pain until they were the ones getting
stabbed. Eleanor just couldn’t see through Lucas, and Harriet was
too tired to keep explaining.
