Acute pneumonia?
Hospitalized?
Damian Fairchild closed his laptop. Phone in hand, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, his sharp eyes gazing down at Mount Aurelian, encircled by Obsidian Lake.
"Damian, are you coming?" When Audrey Winslow didn't get a response, she spoke again. "I caught a glimpse of Miss Quinn from a distance just now. She doesn't look well at all."
This time, Damian Fairchild's reply was swift. "Audrey, you're crossing a line."
Audrey Winslow frowned slightly, letting out what sounded like a helpless sigh. "Sorry."
When Damian Fairchild spoke again, it was to ask about Audrey's condition. "What did your test results say?"
Audrey Winslow had liver failure.
Her attending physician had previously recommended she undergo liver repair surgery as soon as possible for an effective cure.
And the best liver transplant surgery in the country was performed by the oncology department at Aurelium Hospital, which was why she had come to Aurelium.
The preliminary test results were back. All her stats were well-controlled with medication. Now, all she had to do was wait for a suitable liver donor.
"The results are pretty good," Audrey Winslow said in her gentle voice. "Are you... really not coming to see Miss Quinn?"
"Audrey."
The man's voice was filled with warning.
He clearly detested people interfering in his private life.
Seeing this, Audrey Winslow dropped the subject.
After ending the call with Damian Fairchild, Audrey was about to leave the hospital when Quincy Sterling approached her.
"Mrs. Fairchild, please wait."
Although Quincy Sterling said "please," her attitude was aggressive, and she directly blocked Audrey's path.
When Audrey's two bodyguards saw this and were about to intervene, she shook her head at them, and they stepped back.
Audrey's expression remained gentle, a faint smile on her face. "May I help you?"
Quincy Sterling gave Audrey a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I just wanted to ask, are you and Mr. Fairchild going to leave us any way to survive? Mr. Fairchild has backed my Seraphina into a corner, and now he won't even spare my husband..."
Audrey's brow furrowed. "He... what did he do to you?"
Originally, Harold Sharp had agreed to grant her husband, George Thorne, a two-hundred-million bank loan.
However, due to Damian Fairchild's intervention, the promised two hundred million was now gone down the drain.
Because that two-hundred-million loan fell through, her husband, George Thorne, was now unable to pay for his goods as stipulated in the contract.
The payment deadline was only three days away.
If they couldn't make the payment in three days, the breach of contract penalty alone would be enough to cripple the Thorne Family.
That was why Quincy Sterling had targeted Seraphina Quinn, and by following the trail, had found Audrey.
"To vent his personal frustrations, Mr. Fairchild cut off Cathay Bank's two-hundred-million loan to our Thorne Family, which has put our entire business in a very difficult position. You're Mrs. Fairchild, shouldn't you give us an explanation?"
"What did our Seraphina ever do to wrong him? Five years ago, I heard they had an amicable breakup. Later, when Mr. Fairchild's plane crashed, Seraphina sold the heirloom her Quinn Family ancestors gave her just to afford a professional salvage team..."
Just as she was speaking, Seraphina Quinn, with an IV drip in her hand and supported by a nurse, appeared. "Aunt!"
Her voice was full of warning.
But Quincy Sterling paid her no mind at all.
"You silly girl, are you a fool? It's one thing for you to be foolish on your own, but don't drag your uncle and me down with you. Can't you and Mr. Fairchild settle your grudge privately? Your uncle and I have worked so hard to get where we are today. Are you going to let the Thorne Family be buried alive in your hands?"
Seraphina Quinn was very weak. As she walked over, her face and lips were both pale, and her voice was punctuated by muffled coughs.
"I won't drag my uncle down, and I certainly won't drag down the Thorne Family. I'll handle it." She paused. "Can you go home first? I'd like to talk to... Mrs. Fairchild alone for a bit."
Quincy Sterling actually knew nothing about Seraphina Quinn and Damian Fairchild's past. However, she was well aware that Seraphina had sold the heirloom left to her by the Quinn ancestors to hire a professional salvage team to recover Damian Fairchild's body.
Because of that incident, Quinn had flown into a thunderous rage, and she herself had been caught in the crossfire and given a harsh scolding.
Her goal was to solve the bank loan problem, not to annoy this cash cow, Seraphina, or to offend Mrs. Fairchild.
With this in mind, Quincy Sterling took a step back to advance her cause. "You'd better be able to solve it. Otherwise, you and I aren't finished."
After Quincy Sterling left, Seraphina Quinn finally said to Audrey, "I'm sorry you had to... see that embarrassing scene."
Audrey looked at Seraphina with concern. "Miss Quinn, why don't I walk you back to your room so we can talk for a bit?"
Seraphina Quinn nodded.
Back in her hospital room, Seraphina Quinn got straight to the point with Audrey. "My uncle's construction site has safety hazards. It was a normal business practice for Mr. Fairchild to block Cathay Bank's loan to him. So..."
Audrey actually didn't care about this matter at all. What she was curious about was the past between Damian Fairchild and Seraphina Quinn.
But Damian had already warned her, so she couldn't very well pry.
Thinking of this, Audrey could only say:
"It doesn't look like your aunt is going to let this go. For Damian, resolving this is just a matter of saying the word. I could actually pass a message to him for you..."
Seraphina Quinn had already shamelessly taken Damian Fairchild's one-million-dollar breakup fee last night. Now she felt so low in front of him she could barely lift her head.
There was no way she could go begging to Damian Fairchild again.
"There's no need."
"Mrs. Fairchild, I... although I had a brief marriage with Mr. Fairchild, that was many years ago. So, please don't mind it."
Just as Audrey was hesitating, wondering if she should explain the real situation between her and Damian Fairchild to Seraphina, Seth Thorne arrived.
"Ma'am, Mr. Fairchild sent me to take you home."
Seth Thorne was Damian Fairchild's right-hand man. His very presence was a symbol of power and a warning.
So, Audrey swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
She stood up then and said to Seraphina in a cryptic tone:
"Miss Quinn, I thought what's most important in a marriage isn't the piece of paper, but being loved. The one who isn't loved is the third party, don't you think?"
She was actually trying to convey to Seraphina that her marriage to Damian Fairchild was an arranged union for their families, a loveless marriage, and that Seraphina should fight for her own happiness.
But to Seraphina's ears, these words sounded like a warning.
Seraphina's already pale face grew even more ashen.
She licked her lips. "You're right. You and Mr. Fairchild are a match made in heaven. You even have a daughter together. I wish you both the best."
Audrey sighed and said no more.
As Audrey followed Seth Thorne out and got into the car, a call came in from Damian Fairchild.
Audrey hesitated for a few seconds before answering his call, pre-emptively saying:
"I heard from Miss Quinn's aunt, Ms. Sterling, that when the news of your plane crash came out, Miss Quinn sold an heirloom from her ancestors to hire a professional salvage team for you... So, could there be some misunderstanding between you two?"
'She... hired a professional salvage team for me?'
'Does she really care if I live or die?'
The veins on the back of the hand Damian Fairchild was holding the phone with bulged menacingly, and his breathing grew heavier and more intense.