"Anna."
Roseline’s lips trembled as the na slipped out.
Anna walked toward them slowly and stopped right in front of her. Her expression revealed nothing, but the sharpness in her eyes made Roseline’s chest tighten.
For a mont, none of them spoke.
Anna looked straight at her mother.
"You are saying that Dad was weak enough to hurt himself," Anna said calmly.
The words were quiet, yet they carried a weight that made Katherine glance at her in surprise.
Anna continued without breaking eye contact.
"We both know him," she said. "And he is not that weak. At least not weak enough to take such a drastic step."
Roseline’s throat tightened.
Anna had always been the quieter one between the sisters, soone who rarely confronted anyone. But the way she was looking at her now felt unsettling.
"So tell ," Anna asked, her voice steady. "What is the truth, Mom?"
The question lingered heavily in the air.
Roseline’s face slowly lost its color. Her heart began to pound violently against her ribs as countless thoughts rushed through her mind.
For a brief second she struggled to form words.
"I already told Katherine what happened," Roseline replied stiffly. "Your father was under imnse pressure. Anyone could break under circumstances like that."
Anna did not react.
Her gaze remained fixed on Roseline as if she was studying every twitch on her face.
"Pressure from whom?" Anna asked.
Roseline hesitated.
"The Claffords," she said firmly. "Who else would push him to such a point?"
Katherine frowned imdiately.
"That still does not make sense," she muttered. "Dad was not even dealing with them directly anymore."
Roseline shot her an irritated look.
"You think I am lying about your father’s condition?" she snapped.
"No," Katherine replied sharply. "But I think you are twisting the story."
Roseline opened her mouth to respond, but before another word could co out, the ergency room door suddenly opened.
All three won turned toward it.
A doctor stepped out, removing his gloves while scanning the waiting family mbers.
Katherine imdiately walked forward.
"How is he, doctor?" she asked anxiously.
But the mont she noticed the doctor’s troubled expression, her stomach dropped.
The man sighed heavily before speaking.
"I am sorry to inform you," he said carefully. "Mr. Bennett has slipped into a coma."
The words struck the hallway like a sudden shock.
Katherine froze.
For a mont she simply stared at the doctor, as if refusing to understand what he had just said.
"A coma?" she whispered. "What do you an a coma?"
"The poison caused severe damage to his nervous system," the doctor explained. "His body was already extrely weak when he was brought in. We managed to stabilize him, but he has not regained consciousness."
Katherine’s legs felt unsteady.
"So when will he wake up?" she asked desperately.
The doctor hesitated.
"We cannot say for certain," he admitted. "It depends on how his body responds over the next few days."
Anna stood silent beside them, her expression unreadable once again.
But her eyes slowly shifted toward Roseline.
Roseline, who had been standing slightly behind them the entire ti.
On the surface, her face showed perfect shock and grief.
But deep inside, sothing else stirred.
A quiet, satisfied smile curled within her thoughts.
Everything was unfolding exactly the way she had planned.
Once the doctor left, Roseline suddenly broke down into loud sobs.
"See what they have done to Hugo," she cried, clutching the edge of the wall as if she could barely stand. "He is in a coma now."
Her voice echoed through the corridor, drawing the attention of a few nurses passing by.
Katherine’s expression tightened. The accusation in Roseline’s words imdiately ignited anger within her, and she opened her mouth to respond.
But before she could say anything, Anna lightly caught her arm.
Katherine turned toward her.
Anna subtly shook her head.
Not now.
The silent ssage in her eyes made Katherine pause. Reluctantly, she swallowed the words that were about to co out.
Roseline continued crying dramatically, wiping her tears as if the entire world had just collapsed around her.
But Anna remained still, watching her quietly.
Deep down, a single thought had already settled in her mind.
Whatever had happened to Hugo Bennett was not the result of pressure.
And it certainly was not a desperate act of weakness.
Sothing else had happened.
Sothing far more deliberate.
***
[Clafford Mansion]
"What has the Chairwoman decided?"
Daniel asked the mont Henry stepped into the study. He was seated behind his desk, his posture composed but his eyes reflecting clear concern.
The news had already affected their market value.
The drop was not drastic yet, but the uncertainty it created was far more dangerous. In the corporate world, speculation alone could trigger a chain reaction.
And right now, speculation was spreading faster than facts.
Roseline’s public accusation had complicated everything.
Now the entire world knew that the Claffords and the Bennetts were connected through marriage. With soone from the Bennett family openly blaming them for Hugo’s condition, people were already drawing their own conclusions.
Daniel leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping against the armrest.
"They are turning this into a public narrative," he said quietly.
Henry nodded.
"She has not made a final decision yet, Boss," Henry replied. "The board mbers are pressuring her to respond to the dia as soon as possible."
Henry had been present during the eting and had witnessed the tension firsthand.
"The board is worried about investor confidence," he continued. "They believe the public outrage will only calm down if the Chairwoman addresses the accusation directly."
Daniel exhaled slowly.
From what he knew about Norma, apologizing publicly was never going to be an option.
Norma Clafford had built her reputation on strength and authority. A public apology in this situation would only make it look as if she had accepted bla.
And Norma was not soone who admitted defeat, especially when she believed she was right.
"That would an surrendering the narrative," Daniel murmured.
Henry gave a slight nod.
"That is exactly what so of them want her to do," he said. "They think it will protect the company’s image."
Daniel remained silent for a mont.
His thoughts were already moving in a different direction.
"Roseline would not have done this without calculating the consequences," he finally said.
Henry looked at him carefully.
Daniel’s eyes darkened slightly as he continued.
"What bothers is not the accusation itself," he said. "It is the way she made it."
Henry frowned slightly.
"You an the press conference?"
Daniel nodded.
"She deliberately made it public," he said. "Family matters are rarely exposed like that unless soone wants to create pressure."
Henry understood imdiately.
Once the dia got involved, the situation would grow beyond simple damage control. Public emotions were unpredictable, and corporate rivals often took advantage of such chaos.
Daniel stood up from his chair and walked toward the window.
Outside, the city looked calm as usual, completely unaware of the storm building behind closed doors.
"Roseline knows exactly what she is doing," Daniel said quietly.
Henry hesitated before asking the question that had been on his mind.
"Do you believe her accusation, Boss?"
Daniel turned slightly, his expression calm but firm.
"No."
His answer ca without hesitation.
"Hugo Bennett may be greedy and manipulative," Daniel continued, "but he is not the kind of man who would try to kill himself because of pressure."
Henry nodded slowly.
That had been his thought as well.
"Then what do you think happened?" he asked.
Daniel’s gaze hardened.
"That is exactly what we need to find out," he replied.
For a mont he remained silent, considering everything that had happened since the news broke.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
What troubled him even more was Roseline’s recklessness.
Exposing the entire family dispute to the public was not just risky.
It was destructive.
And Roseline Bennett was not soone who destroyed things without a purpose.
Reviews
All reviews (0)