Semua Bab Her Fiancé's Father's Obsession: Bab 131 - Bab 140

JaneI was in the middle of work when my phone rang. Theo's school number flashed on the screen, and my stomach dropped before I even answered.Schools only called during the day when something was wrong."Mrs. Armstrong?" The voice on the other end was tight with panic. "This is Principal Matthews at Theo's school. There's been an incident. Theo is having an allergic reaction and we've called an ambulance. They're taking him to Mount Sinai."The words didn't make sense at first. Theo had a peanut allergy, but the school knew that. It was in his file and they had protocols."What happened?" My voice came out strangled."We're still trying to figure that out. The paramedics said you should meet them at the hospital. I'm so sorry, Mrs. Armstrong."I was already grabbing my bag and running for the door. Claire looked up from her desk as I passed."Jane? What's wrong?""It's Theo. He is in the hospital. I have to go.""I'm coming with you." She was on her feet immediately, grabbing her o

JaneClaire came back to the hospital a few hours later, returning from the office with a bag of food and a change of clothes she had grabbed from my house."I rescheduled everything for the next week," She said, setting the bag down. "And I picked up some comfortable clothes for you. I figured you'd want to stay.""Thank you," I said, genuinely grateful. "You didn't have to do all that.""Of course I did," Claire said, pulling a chair next to mine. She looked at Theo, who was dozing peacefully now, the swelling almost completely gone. "How's he doing?""Better. They think we can take him home tonight."Claire reached over and squeezed my hand. "This is unacceptable, Jane. Someone just walked into his school and did this. Where was security? How does this happen?""They don't know who she was," Julius said from where he stood reviewing something on his tablet. "No record of her at all."Claire's face went pale. "What do you mean they don't know?""Someone pretending to be a substitute

JaneI received an email two weeks after Theo's incident at school. I was finally feeling somewhat better, though the headaches still came and went. I was sitting at my desk in the study, Theo playing with blocks on the floor nearby, when I opened the message from Preston Digital.Subject: Contract Termination. Effective ImmediatelyMy stomach dropped before I even read the body of the email.Preston Digital was one of my biggest clients. They accounted for nearly thirty percent of JNE Marketing's annual revenue. We had just signed a three year renewal six months ago.I read the email twice, then a third time, trying to understand what I was seeing."Dear Ms. Jane Armstrong,After careful consideration and review of recent information that has come to our attention, Preston Digital has decided to terminate our contract with JNE Marketing effective immediately. While we appreciated our initial collaboration, we can no longer continue this partnership given concerns about your business

JaneI had an appointment at Mount Sinai for eleven that morning. Dr. Parrish wanted to do a follow up on Theo's allergic reaction, and I had asked if she could check me out as well while we were there.The headaches were still coming and going, and I wanted to make sure it wasn't something more serious than stress.Julius offered to cancel his morning meetings and drive us, but I insisted I was fine. We had security. Two SUVs, one in front and one behind my car. I could manage a twenty minute drive to the hospital.Theo chattered happily in his car seat behind me as we pulled out of the garage, talking about the drawing he had made that morning. He seemed completely recovered from the incident at school, which was a relief.The security detail followed protocol. The lead SUV pulled out first, then me, then the second SUV behind. We made it three blocks before I noticed something was wrong.The brake pedal felt soft when I pressed it at a red light. It was too soft, like there was no

JaneI was making lunch for Theo when the dizziness I had been experiencing hit harder than it ever had before.One moment I was standing at the counter, spreading peanut butter on bread, and the next moment the room tilted violently sideways. The knife clattered to the floor."Mommy?" Theo looked up from his coloring at the kitchen table.I tried to answer but my tongue felt thick in my mouth. My vision blurred and the edges of the room went dark."Mommy!"I heard Theo screaming as my legs gave out. I hit the floor hard, my head cracking against the tile. Then everything went black.I woke up to bright lights and the smell of antiseptic with voices swarming around me."She's coming around.""Jane? Can you hear me?"I blinked, trying to focus. Julius's face appeared above me and he looked pale and terrified."Julius?" My voice came out as a croak."Thank God," He gripped my hand so tightly it hurt. "You collapsed. You've been unconscious for almost two hours.""Theo," I tried to sit u