At Richard's penthouse, Richard barged into the house and rushed upstairs with Claudia in his arms.
"Call the family doctor," he ordered his assistant.
"Yes, sir," Pedro replied as he hurried out.
Richard gently laid Claudia on the bed and sat beside her, holding her hand.
Twenty minutes later, the doctor walked into the room. Richard immediately stood up to give him space. A few minutes after that, the examination was done.
"Doctor, how is she?" Richard asked, fear evident in his voice.
"Her ribs are fractured. How could you let this happen, Richard? She is pregnant, for Christ's sake," the doctor said.
Richard's fists turned white as he clenched them tightly.
"I will make them pay," he muttered under his breath.
"The baby is stable, but the mother is not in good shape. She needs complete rest for now. She should feel better in a few days after taking these drugs," the doctor said, handing Richard a bag of medication.
"Thank you, Doctor," Richard said as the doctor left.
He sat beside Claudia's bed, sobbing quietly as he held her hand.
"I'm sorry for not protecting you and our child. I promise I will make them pay with their lives," he whispered.
As he was about to leave, Claudia stirred. Half-awake, she grabbed his hand and muttered, "Don't leave me please."
Richard sat back down and held her hand until she fell asleep again.
I watched her peaceful face for a moment, then stood up gently and left the room.
"Pedro, make sure those lunatics spend the rest of their lives in prison," Richard said coldly to his assistant.
"Yes, sir, but what about your mom?" Pedro replied.
"My mom?" Richard asked, confused.
"You need to watch this," Pedro said, handing him a tablet.
"So she brought that little witch called Lia back," Richard said after watching the video, handing the tablet back to him.
"I guess it's time I set things straight with her."
He stormed out, heading straight to his mother.
At the Coopers' house, Richard stormed into the living room and found his mom pacing back and forth. The moment she saw him, she rushed over and slapped him hard across the face.
"How dare you send your sister to prison!" she shouted.
Richard clenched his fists and handed her his phone. She collapsed onto the couch, her mouth wide open in shock as she watched the video.
"Now you see why she's there. If killing wasn't illegal, I would have buried her already," Richard said angrily.
"How could she do this? I only told her to send Claudia away, not to kill her or kidnap her," Mrs. Cooper whispered.
"How did she get to this point, Mom? You spoiled that girl with your own hands. Now look at what she has turned her life into," Richard said, annoyed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know she would do this," she replied.
"Mom, Claudia almost lost our child, and you're just saying sorry? I sent Lia away, but you went behind my back and brought her back!" Richard thundered.
"I'm sorry please," she said, her head bowed.
"You know who really needs the apology, it's not me," Richard said as he walked out.
What have I done?
How did Lia get to this?
Mrs. Cooper thought, staring into space. I raised her myself, even though she wasn't my biological child. I made sure she lacked nothing. She was always so calm and caring. I should have known when she said she had a plan.
Claudia…
Will she ever forgive me?
I wonder how she is doing.
A week later, I stretched on the bed and stood up, heading to the bathroom to wash up.
This past week has been too much. Geez, Richard wouldn't even let me pee in peace without checking if I was okay. A smile crept onto my lips. I loved the attention so much, but it was starting to suffocate me.
Today we were going back to the orphanage to find out how the investigation was going. I still couldn't believe the woman I had called Mom my whole life would ever think of hurting me. It was always about my feelings, I never imagined she would try to kill me.
I hope they all rot in jail. I wonder how Mrs. Cooper is coping with her precious daughter behind bars.
Wait… Mrs. Cooper.
I heard she had been coming here for the past four days. Maybe she came to beg Richard to release Lia.
"How is the investigation going?" Richard asked his assistant.
"Sir, we found an identical necklace, the same one as Ma'am Claudia's," Pedro said, handing him a photo. "It was spotted on a young girl about the same age as Miss Claudia. After further investigation, we discovered she is the daughter of Mr. Harrison, the chairman of the Harrison Group."
"Harrison Group? Isn't that our biggest investor?" Richard asked.
"Yes, sir. It's them," Pedro replied.
"Get the car ready. We're heading to the orphanage."
Pedro left. Richard walked upstairs, pushed open the bedroom door, and there she was in all her glory. He couldn't take his eyes off her beauty. She was breathtaking.
He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She froze and turned to look at him.
"What are you doing, Richard?" I asked, shifting back slightly.
He pulled me closer and planted soft kisses on my forehead, my nose, and finally my lips. My lips felt so sweet and soft. He deepened the kiss, devouring me.
A knock on the door snapped him back to reality. I immediately hid my face in his chest. He clenched his fist, annoyed at whoever had dared to interrupt.
"Come in," Richard said coldly.
His mom walked in, holding a tray of food and fruits.
"Mom?" Richard called out in surprise. She had been stopping by with food to see Claudia, but he hadn't allowed her in before now.
I looked stunned to see his mom.
"Mom, what are you doing here? And what are you holding?" Richard asked.
"Shift out of the way. I'm here to see my daughter-in-law and my grandchild," she said, pushing past him.
This is getting more interesting.
I was shocked to see Richard's mom with a platter of food and fruits. Her next words stunned me even more.
"Daughter-in-law? Grandchild?" I repeated aloud as she sat on the bed and gently pulled me down beside her, taking my hands in hers.
"Claudia, dear, I'm sorry. Sorry for the way I treated you and for the things I said," she paused, then continued, "I brought Lia back, not knowing she would harm you. I'm so sorry." She tried to kneel.
"No, Mom, please don't do that," I said quickly, helping her stand. "I understand. I know you did it for your son. I'm not mad at you."
"You are such a sweet soul. I was so blind not to see what a gem you are," she said warmly.
"Mom, that's enough. We were about to head out," Richard chipped in.
"It's fine. Mom can stay," I said to Richard, then turned to Mrs. Cooper. "Mom, we're heading out now. Please make yourself comfortable. We'll be back soon."
"Claudia, dear, I know you're heading to the orphanage," she paused. "I wish you the best." She gave a small smile and walked out.