C13 'how Could He Possibly like Her?'

Thud—

Lydia hit the ground with a heavy thump, leaving everyone around her momentarily speechless.

"Hey, Lydia, cut the act," Mildred chided, her voice dripping with disdain. "It's just a bump on the head. Are you really going to faint over that? Get up, now!"

When Lydia remained motionless, Mildred bent down to check on her.

Lydia's face was ghostly pale, her eyes shut tight. Could she have actually passed out?

Was she seriously hurt?

But then again, what did it matter to Mildred?

If Lydia were to die, Reece might even celebrate.

The fear that had initially gripped Mildred transformed into deeper loathing. She lashed out with her foot, aiming a kick at Lydia. "You wretch, next time I see you, it won't just be a fainting spell. I'll make sure... Uh, Reece?"

Abruptly, Mildred's foot was caught by strong hands, frozen mid-swing.

She turned her head to meet Reece's icy stare.

Before she could even process what was happening, Reece shoved her aside.

"Lydia? Lydia!" he called out, his voice tinged with urgency.

When there was no response, Reece touched her cheek, only to recoil from the burning heat.

She was burning up!

Could her fever have persisted all this time?

Reece's brow furrowed with concern as he bent down to lift her into his arms.

The scene sent a jolt through Mildred, her husband, and Viola.

Viola, in particular, was a mix of surprise and seething jealousy.

Hadn't Reece despised Lydia with every fiber of his being because of the past?

Why was he helping her now?

What was happening?

Viola's eyes darkened with malice as she watched Lydia cradled in Reece's arms. This couldn't continue; she couldn't let things spiral further out of her grasp. She was determined to make Lydia despised by the Tillman family and rejected by the Ellis family!

She had to clear the path to her inheritance of any and all stumbling blocks!

"Gideon, prepare the car!" Reece commanded, his voice cold and authoritative as he held Lydia.

Gideon wasted no time and hurried toward the vehicle.

Just then, Loran arrived in his car. Noticing Reece's urgency, he called out, "Sixth Brother, over here, take my car!"

"Alright... to the hospital."

With that, Reece shut the door, and the car sped off towards help.

Watching the car speed away, Gideon blinked and spread his hands. Wasn't it said that she'd bear the consequences of her own trouble? That there was no need to worry about Lydia? Cough, cough... The speed at which someone had burst through the door earlier was astonishing... Mr. Tillman, truly irresistible.

Meanwhile, inside the car.

Reece held the feverish Lydia close, his brow furrowed with concern.

He glanced at Loran, "Didn't you eat breakfast?"

"I did," Loran responded, missing the point.

"Then floor it!" Reece's voice dripped with impatience.

Loran was stunned.

It finally dawned on him that his brother was criticizing his slow driving.

But he was already pushing 100 mph.

This was Goulcrest's most congested stretch, not some open country road. Pressing the gas further would leave him with one option—driving over other cars!

Hold on, was his brother actually worried about Lydia?

No, that couldn't be right!

His brother harbored nothing but disdain for Lydia.

Loran figured Reece was just concerned about having to report to Old Mr. Tillman if anything happened to her.

Catching Lydia's reflection in the rearview mirror, Loran scoffed, "Is she pulling that suicidal stunt to manipulate you again?"

"No." Reece spared a glance at the woman in his arms, noting her recent change in behavior.

It seemed her fever had cleared her mind; she hadn't tried such antics again.

"Well, that's a first! She's been to the hospital countless times, but this is the first time it's not due to her own recklessness!" Perhaps because it was so unusual, Loran grew curious, "Sixth brother, what's wrong with her?"

"Enough with the questions, just drive!" Reece shot a displeased look at the person in front of him.

Seeing Reece's stern expression, Loran wisely chose not to pry further. He pressed the accelerator and sped towards the hospital.

After a thorough check-up, Lydia's fainting was attributed to her continuous fever and overall weakness.

The doctor treated her head wound and then started an IV drip.

In the hospital ward, Lydia's eyes fluttered open slowly.

As her awareness crept back, a wave of pain followed, prompting a low groan from her, "Uh..."

"Awake?" Reece turned to look at her, his voice cool and detached.

"Yes."

Rubbing her throbbing forehead, Lydia sat up on the hospital bed and took in the room's decor and the IV needle in her wrist. Where was she exactly?

A hospital, perhaps?

She quickly sifted through the morning's events. She vaguely remembered hitting her head against the wall, then everything going dark as she passed out...

After that, nothing.

She raised her eyes to Reece. "Was it you who brought me here?"

He nodded affirmatively. "Yes."

Lydia offered Reece a weak smile. "Thank you. Let me know the cost, and I'll repay you."

Her intentions were clear. With divorce on the horizon, she was determined not to owe this man anything.

It would only complicate matters later.

Reece, understanding her stance, simply responded, "Yes." He seemed to concur with her wish to avoid further entanglements. "I've asked Ora to come and look after you."

"Okay, thank you." Lydia's smile was polite, yet fleeting.

Their conversation dwindled to silence, and the air between them grew awkward. Reece rose to his feet. "I should head back to the office now."

"Mmm, drive safely," Lydia said, her smile a practiced veneer that quickly faded back to indifference.

Reece eyed her insincere smile, feeling an inexplicable discomfort, but unable to pinpoint the cause. With a restless turn, he headed for the door.

Just then, the door swung open and Loran burst in, his voice tinged with excitement. "Sixth Brother, I've reviewed the surveillance footage again. I found someone at the party deliberately knocked Lydia's phone off the table and briefly handled it. The timing matches closely with when Maria's message was sent to her phone."

Lydia's eyes sparked with renewed interest at his words.

"So you're saying... there's evidence to prove that I wasn't the one who sent that message to Maria?"