novelraw Chapter 386 - 387: The Neglected Mother’s Love
Chapter 386 - 387: The Neglected Mother’s Love
Chapter 386: Chapter 387: The Neglected Mother’s Love
"Madam..."
"..."
"Madam, please wake up... Don’t scare me, Madam..."
Judith was scared witless. Meanwhile, the flashes from the reporters’ cameras went off incessantly. They also asked her who she was and what her relationship was with Pauline Briggs.
"...Hello, do you know Madam Johnson? What’s your relationship with the Johnson Family? Do you know any inside information? Did Sabrina Johnson really kill her adoptive father?"
"I don’t know, I don’t know, please don’t ask me..."
"..."
"Stop taking pictures! Go away!"
With a life on the line, some onlookers couldn’t stand by any longer. They called Emergency Medical Services, and an ambulance then took Pauline Briggs to the hospital.
Some reporters followed the ambulance to the hospital, while others continued to stake out the Stewart Family residence, attempting to interview the person at the center of the controversy, Sabrina Johnson.
After Pauline Briggs had hit her head against the wall, even those who had doubted the news started to believe its authenticity. Her own adoptive mother had been driven to attempt suicide out of anger by hitting a wall—how could the story possibly be false?
「Eastminster Group.」
Adrian Desmond had little else to do lately, so his main focus became preparing three meals a day for Sienna Johnson. He would watch her eat, seemingly determined not to rest until she had gained some weight.
"Adrian, my cooking skills are getting better and better. This fish with pickled greens is especially delicious."
"Well, humor me and eat more." Adrian placed another piece of tender fish with pickled greens into her bowl.
"I’ve already eaten so much; I’m even gaining weight around my waist."
"Of course, pregnant women should gain weight. If you lose weight, it means your nutrition isn’t adequate... Didn’t you say you like fish with pickled greens? Come on, eat more."
"Who said that? When I was pregnant with Curly, I wasn’t this heavy either."
"Back then, all your thoughts were on how to escape, so of course, you couldn’t gain weight."
"Adrian, you’re dredging up old scores again! Aren’t you ever going to stop?!" Sienna’s temper had worsened since becoming pregnant. Upon hearing Adrian’s words, she slammed her chopsticks on the table and began to argue with him.
"Why did I run in the first place?
Adrian, you were about to marry Melanie Carpenter! If I hadn’t run, was I supposed to be your concubine? ...Have you no shame?"
"..."
"I’m not eating!" Sienna twisted away, turning her back on Adrian, her chest heaving with anger. Adrian frowned at her. "I only made one comment, and you have so much to say back to me."
"I knew you were full of schemes!
Adrian, if you regret this, then go back to Abyanabad. You can marry as many wives as you want there."
"You don’t mean that. If I really married another woman, I can only imagine the scene you’d make." She was even more beautiful when angry. Adrian gazed at her greedily, gently tapped her nose, and chuckled, "You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen; I have no interest in other women."
Sienna wasn’t buying it. "Sixth Master, what do you mean by that? Are you telling me that when I’m old and ugly one day, you’ll take another wife then?"
"Never! Absolutely not!"
"Really?" She eyed him sideways.
"Really!"
"Alright, I’ll believe you this time."
Sienna’s moods changed quickly; one moment she was angry, and the next she was smiling at Adrian Desmond. Were all pregnant women this emotional? Adrian wondered.
"You haven’t finished your meal yet. Eat a little more."
"I’m full."
"Just one more bite."
Knowing she liked fish, he meticulously picked the bones from the fish with pickled greens and fed it to her. Adrian was delighted to see her eat a few more bites. Seeing her small face fill out a little gave him a profound sense of pride.
"...Frederick Stewart actually ran away? I never would have thought." Sienna leaned against the sofa, bringing up Frederick’s situation.
"He won’t get far."
Vivian Abbey knocked and entered, looking nervous. She said to Sienna Johnson, "President Johnson, it’s terrible! Your mother attempted suicide by hitting her head against a wall!"
"What?"
「Sienna rushed over immediately after receiving the news.」
Adrian, worried about her, put down his work and accompanied her personally. The hospital entrance was also swarmed with reporters.
The moment Sienna Johnson stepped out of the car, reporters swarmed her as if drawn by blood in the water. Brett Jacobs and Aiden Howard, along with other bodyguards, formed a protective cordon around Sienna, shielding her.
"President Johnson, is the news about your sister killing your father true?"
"..."
"...President Johnson, we’re from the Metropolis Daily. Would you be available for an exclusive interview? We’d like to discuss the matter of your sister allegedly killing your father..."
Sienna, wearing large sunglasses, remained silent no matter what the reporters asked. Aiden and Brett stood like two mountains, shielding her from the intrusive reporters and allowing Sienna to enter the hospital smoothly.
「In the hospital room, Pauline lay quietly, a bandage wrapped around her head.」
She stared blankly at the white ceiling, motionless. The silence in the room was eerie.
"Adrian, wait for me outside."
"Alright." Adrian released her hand. "I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything."
Sienna nodded and went in.
"Are you... alright?" Sienna Johnson took off her sunglasses, looking at Pauline Briggs lying on the hospital bed, but she didn’t approach the bedside.
Their relationship was like that short distance between them in the room—seemingly not far, yet they could never quite reach each other.
"Samara saw you hit your head on the wall on TV and was terrified. You still have Samara. She’s so young, and she’s already lost her father. Do you want her to lose her mother too?"
"You knew all along that Sabrina Johnson killed your father, didn’t you?"
Pauline looked at Sienna, her eyes dark and cold. Sienna had never seen Pauline like this; she had always seemed warm.
"Yes."
"Why didn’t you tell me sooner?" Pauline Briggs suddenly sat up. With a movement of her hand, the IV needle inserted in the back of her hand was dislodged.
"Tell you? So you could do what? Make a scene like today, go after Sabrina Johnson, and when you couldn’t find her, resort to hitting your head against a wall?" Sienna’s tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Yes, I know I’m useless! I know I’m just a failure in your eyes! I’m a poor judge of character. I raised a venomous snake, and that snake killed Dexter! I’ve failed you, I’ve failed Dexter Johnson! All I can do is die..."
Pauline yelled at her daughter, then broke down into sobs.
Sienna Johnson didn’t know how to interact with Pauline Briggs. Seeing her weeping endlessly, she sighed. "Please stop crying. No one could have predicted Sabrina Johnson would be so venomous. Dad treated her so well when he was alive, and yet she..."
"Sienna, why would she do this? Even though your father doted on you the most, he never mistreated her. How could she bring herself to be so ruthless...?"
Pauline got out of bed, walked towards Sienna, and hugged her tightly. Sienna’s body went completely rigid.