When fate plays its hand

Chapter 0996

Sebastian stayed at the Hill residence that evening, as the guest room was already prepared.

While Madison packed some clean clothes, he made two phone calls in the living room. She wasn’t paying much attention but caught snippets of the conversation. “Okay… I’ll leave it to you. Help me make the arrangements… Thank you, Mr. Cameron. Please pass along my regards to Grandpa Tyson.” noveldrama

The following morning, they headed to the hospital, only to find her relatives had arrived even earlier. As soon as they reached the ward, loud voices erupted from inside.

“Mason, what are you trying to prove by acting tough in this state?”

“Madison said it was just a cold? Does this look like a cold? You’ve had a stroke! How could she be so heartless as to lie about her own father’s condition?”

The doting father, Mason, couldn’t tolerate anyone speaking ill of his daughter. He struggled to sit up and defend her, but after several attempts, his face flushed with frustration, his eyes widened in helpless fury, and his body refused to cooperate.

Audrey was nearly frantic as she had to deal with this group of relatives while keeping an eye on Mason’s condition. She feared his rising emotions might worsen his condition.

“That’s enough! Do you think we, as her parents, don’t know if our daughter has a conscience? You don’t get to decide that!”

Turning to her husband, she gently reassured him, “Dear, don’t move or get upset. Just lie down and rest. Let me handle this. Trust me.”

Once Mason was settled, Audrey took a deep breath and faced the group. “Noah, what’s the meaning of bringing Samson and Francis here today?”

The elder brother, Noah Hill, didn’t even spare her a glance. Instead, his sharp gaze fixed directly on Mason, who lay on the hospital bed.

“This is a conversation between men. You have no place in it. Stand aside,” he snapped.

Audrey sneered. “A man–to–man conversation? It sounds more like it’s just you talking. What’s wrong? Bullying my husband because he’s having trouble speaking?

Chapter 0996.

As his wife, I have every right to speak on his behalf.”

“So, you’re saying you can make decisions for him now?”

She shot back, “Isn’t it strange how you phrase that? What decisions are you expecting us to make today? Or, to be blunt what are you trying to take from us with you guys barging in like this?”

Her words made the second brother, Samson Hill, smile slyly. “You don’t have to be so defensive. We’re only thinking about the family. Look, you and Mason don’t have a son, which means no one to carry on the family name.

“Now, with him in this condition, who knows when he’ll recover? And you’re just a woman already stretched thin taking care of him. How are you going to handle the rental properties?”

He smirked and continued, “When tenants have requests, who’s going to deal with them? If an appliance breaks, who’s going to fix it? Or when the roof leaks or the walls start peeling, someone has to handle it, right?

“We just want to take some of that burden off your shoulders so he can focus on recovering, and you can focus on taking care of him.”

Audrey laughed coldly. “And you think we should thank you for this ‘kindness‘?”

“Of course!”

She clenched her jaw and swallowed the word “shameless” that she was going to

blurt out.

Instead, she said, “There’s no need to worry about us. Mason may be hospitalized, but his condition isn’t life–threatening. With proper care, he’ll recover fully. In the meantime, Madison and I can handle the tenants just fine.”

She added, “And if it really comes to that, there’s always Ken. He’s been with us for years, and we’ve trained him well. He can handle these things.”

The third brother, Francis Hill, scoffed. “Ken? Come on, Audrey, be serious. He’s an outsider. And don’t forget, he’s an ex–con. Who knows if he’s trustworthy? What if he sees Mason like this and takes advantage of the situation?”