Chapter 3

"What kind of broke trash thinks they’re qualified to eat at Mooncrest Pavilion? Do you even know who you’ve offended? Miss Rhodes is Mr. Hale’s precious favorite. You made her unhappy. Just wait and see how Mr. Hale deals with you!"

Mr. Hale already had trouble with his legs. After his knee slammed heavily into the ground, he couldn’t get back up. Beads of sweat instantly broke out across his forehead.

I rushed forward and shouted sharply, "I’m Lyra Hale. Orion Hale’s wife. These two are Orion Hale’s parents. Open your eyes and look carefully! Get Mr. Hale to the hospital immediately! If anything happens to him, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!"

The manager, Calvin Brooks, snorted coldly. Grabbing my chin, he swung his hand and slapped me hard.

"I’ve seen this kind of pathetic dine-and-dash trick countless times. Every day, someone claims to be Mr. Hale’s girlfriend to get out of paying. So why haven’t I ever seen Mr. Hale bring you here to eat?

"Up to now, the only person Mr. Hale has personally brought here is Miss Rhodes. We only listen to Miss Rhodes."

At that, Vera burst into laughter, grinning wildly. "Looks like these people can’t afford to pay. Just take them to the kitchen and make them work it off. Washing the dishes should cover the bill."

Calvin and the others ignored everything we said. They confiscated our phones and dragged the three of us into the kitchen at the back, forcing us to scrub dishes and sweep floors under watch. If we stopped working, we were beaten.

It wasn’t until Mr. Hale was locked inside the garbage room and was unable to breathe and collapsed unconscious that Calvin finally realized someone might die. Panicking, he threw us out through the back door.

As I climbed into the ambulance, I happened to lock eyes with Vera, who was just leaving after finishing her meal.

She stood at the entrance, her expression vicious. "Lyra, this time was just to teach you a lesson. This is what happens when you go against me."

Mrs. Hale came to her senses not long after that, still worried about her husband. With tear-filled eyes, she clasped my hands tightly.

"Lyra, don’t worry about us. Please go and bring Orion back. I don’t want Edmund to leave this world without even hearing his son’s voice."

She threw back the covers and got out of bed, trembling as she insisted on waiting outside the operating room.

I had been full of resentment. I thought that since Orion treated me like that, I would no longer involve myself in matters between his family. However, when I saw the pain on Mrs. Hale's face, I simply couldn’t bring myself to be that cruel.

By the time I reached Vera’s place, they had just finished.

Using a fire extinguisher to smash open her front door, I stormed inside and threw clothes onto Orion’s bare upper body.

"Get dressed. Come with me to the hospital and see Dad one last time."

Vera hooked Orion’s shirt with her foot and disdainfully kicked it out the window. "Lyra, can’t you see Orion’s busy? You’re so utterly unromantic. No wonder he doesn’t want to come home."

I ignored her. I flung the critical condition consent form straight into Orion’s face and stared at him as I repeated myself, "Mom is holding herself together with her own frail health, waiting outside the operating room for the results.

"She begged me to bring you to the hospital to see Dad one last time. I’ll give you five minutes. Get dressed and leave."

With one arm wrapped around Vera, Orion casually picked up the notice with his free hand and glanced at it. He scoffed, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it out the window.

"You think forging a critical condition consent form like this will make me believe you? Lyra, you’re still the same as you were five years ago. Stupid and blindly confident. Disgusting."

I let out a deep sigh. A sense of helplessness surged up from my chest.

I had deliberately taken the critical condition consent form just to prove to Orion that the man lying in the operating room really was his father.

I never imagined he wouldn’t believe it at all.