Chapter 185

The emergency room at Dorbarrow Hospital ruled out any fracture in Hannah's ankle. The doctor handed her an ice pack, reassuring her she only needed to rest and let time do the healing.

Hannah casually tossed the ice pack over her ankle and grabbed her phone, finally charged after what felt like hours of waiting.

Sure enough,missed calls piled up from her parents-each notification like a tiny stab of guilt.

She called them back, not even bothering to sugarcoat the truth about her injury. The moment they heard "sprain," her parents insisted on coming to the hospital. She tried to protest, but there was no getting around their worry.

With a sigh, she ended the call and then suddenly flinched as she felt warm hands on her ankle. Startled,she yanked her foot away and shot Vincent a glare. "Why are you still here?"

Vincent perched himself on the edge of the bed, gently pulling her ankle back toward him with gentle fingers. "The doctor said you need to ice it, but you're supposed to massage it,too."

"I'm perfectly capable of handling it myself. My hands work just fine, you know." Hannah tugged her foot away and nestled the ice pack back over her ankle. "Just leave already."

He shot her a dry look, then got to his feet and strode out of the room.

Without sparing him another thought, Hannah grabbed her phone. A breaking alert flashed across the screen: Polaris Tech stock nosedives to record low-bankruptcy fears intensify.

Her brows knit in concern as she scanned the headline.

Roughly ten minutes later, Margaret and Raymond burst into the emergency room, out of breath and visibly shaken.

Margaret immediately bent to inspect her daughter's ankle, her expression tight with worry. "How did you manage this? Your ankle's completely swollen, Hannah."

Hannah tried to play it down. "It's not broken. Just a bad sprain."

Raymond's frown deepened, confusion flickering across his face. "What happened to the company's electricity? Why did everything suddenly go dark?"

Hannah shook her head, puzzled herself. "I'll call property management tomorrow and find out."

She glanced out the window at the glowing skyline-every other building in Cerulean Bay sparkled with light.Only Building 9 sat in darkness, as if it alone had been singled out.

Before Hannah could announce she was ready to leave, the door swung open again.

Vincent came back, pushing a wheelchair forward.

Irritation flickered across Hannah's face. "Why haven't you left?"

Margaret's voice sharpened, bristling with accusation. "Mr. Jones, it's time for you to go. Don't hand your mother another excuse to make trouble for my daughter."

Raymond stepped forward, his expression turning stormy as he placed himself squarely between Hannah and Vincent.

Vincent wanted to greet Hannah's parents politely, but with their evident dislike for him, the words caught in his throat. Instead, he parked the wheelchair quietly by the bedside. "I just brought this for you."

Hannah's gaze drifted to the wheelchair. It wasn't a standard hospital wheelchair-she had no idea where he'd gotten it, but with his connections, getting his hands on one wouldn't have taken much effort. She looked away, her tone cool. "You don't need to go to all that trouble. The hospital already has plenty."

Margaret's voice was sharpo and dismissive. "Take it and leave. We don't want anything from you."

Raymond's voice went colder than ever. "You're already divorced from our daughter. Don't make things messier than they already are."

Vincent's fingers tightened around the wheelchair's handles, knuckles paling. "I didn't mean anything by it. This chair is just more comfortable than the hospital's. I thought it might help her."

Margaret, patience fraying, nudged Vincent toward the doorway. "Enough. Leave. Don't show up in front of us again."

Before Vincent could get a word in, the door swung open and Danica swept in like a thundercloud, planting herself squarely between him and Margaret.

Danica shoved Margaret aside. "Don't touch my son!"

Ever since the fiasco with Brinley, the Jones family estate had witnessed uniformed police officers come and leave to collect evidence. The whole ordeal had bothered Danica deeply, haunted by the idea of being mocked for this scandal by the upper society. Due to the mounting distress, her migraines had been relentless, prompting this hospital visit.

Now, running straight into Hannah's family, Danica didn't hesitate to lay blame where it suited her. In her mind, Hannah was the reason the Jones family had unraveled into chaos.

As soon as Danica stormed in, Hannah instinctively pulled Margaret back, her gaze hardening as she fretted that Danica might once again attack her mother.

Vincent quickly tried to urge Danica out. "Mom,please leave now."

Danica, face flushed with rage, refused to budge. "I saw everything, Vincent! That shrew is nothing but trouble!"

Danica's shout cut through the room. The sting of Margaret's past insults burned fresh in her mind-there was no way she'd let it slide.

Margaret, already in a foul mood, bristled with indignation at Danica's words. Her jaw tightened, words poised to fly-but Hannah reached over, gently pulling her mother back before she could unleash her temper.

Hannah's voice sliced through the tension, cold and piercing. "Oh, so my mom's a shrew? What does that make you, then-a bitter woman who lashes out at everyone around her just to make herself feel better?Didn't you learn your lesson last time? Or are you hoping to follow in Brinley's footsteps and see what jail time really feels like?"

Danica's breath came in ragged bursts, fury boiling over inside her. The last few days had been nothing short of hell, and now Hannah's taunts tipped her over the edge. Her gaze flicked wildly across the room and then landed on a pitcher of water within arm's reach.

Before anyone could react, Danica snatched it up and hurled its contents straight at Hannah's face. "I'll wipe that smug grin right off you!"

But the water never reached Hannah. Vincent moved faster than anyone thought possible, stepping in front of Hannah at the last second and taking the icy splash square in the chest.

"Vincent!" Danica gasped.

Water dripped from Vincent's clothes as he fixed Danica with an icy glare. "What's wrong with you? Have you completely lost your mind?"