Chapter 6: Grandma's Emergency Hospitalization
1288 Words
As the birthday gift exchange began, Lise, looking triumphant, walked toward Zara with a sway in her hips.
She stopped in front of Zara and pretended to be curious. "Zara, quick, open your gift and let's see what it is!"
Everyone gathered around, their faces full of anticipation, staring at the gift in Zara's hands.
The grandmother and Evander also smiled, looking at Zara.
Lise continued, "Zara, let's guess what your gift is. I bet it's something valuable and expensive, right?"
Zara calmly opened the gift box.
Everyone was shocked. It was a tapestry with a landscape of mountains and forests.
The grandmother's face turned from sunny to stormy. She stumbled, and her maid quickly supported her.
Evander's face was as black as a pan, and he glared at Zara with fire in his eyes.
Lise feigned shock. "Zara, Grandma likes you so much, yet you publicly upset her and made her sad! What are your intentions? Who exactly are you?"
"That's right, it's outrageous!"
"How inappropriate!"
"..."
Sounds of discontent rose from the crowd.
Suddenly, Evander rushed to Zara, grabbed her hand, and began to pull her outside.
Zara pulled her hand away, asking in confusion, "Is there something wrong with the gift I gave? Is there some secret behind it? Why are your reactions so hard to understand?"
"Shut up!"
"You can't pin a baseless crime on me. I know nothing about the story behind this!" Zara turned and walked up to Lise. "Please, tell me, okay?"
Lise swung her hand and slapped Zara across the face. "Do you have no heart? You still came to provoke Grandma! I'm going to teach you a lesson for her today!" With that, Lise prepared to slap her again.
Zara blocked the blow. The other woman had picked a fight with her multiple times, and she was furious!
Zara fiercely slapped Lise back.
Lise screamed, lunged forward, and grabbed Zara's hair.
Zara fought back with all her might. The two of them wrestled together, and wherever they went, cups, bowls, and cutlery fell to the ground, and food scattered. Some people who enjoyed watching drama seized the opportunity to shout, and the scene became chaotic.
"Stop!" the grandmother growled. She swayed and fell backward.
Everyone was shocked. "Margaret!"
"Quick, to the hospital!" Evander picked up his grandmother and ran out.
Zara stood frozen in place.
In the hospital room.
The grandmother slowly opened her eyes.
"Grandma, how are you feeling?" Evander held his grandmother's hand, his eyes red.
"It's all Zara's fault!" Lise pouted and said angrily.
"Look at the situation now, is the matter not big enough for you?" Ferlock glared at Lise.
"It's true. Without her, why would Grandma have fainted?" Lise was unwilling to back down.
"Shut up!" Evander glared fiercely at Lise.
Lise was startled and fell silent.
"Don't... don't blame Zara! It wasn't intentional!" The grandmother gave a weak smile. "I can see that Zara is a good girl, Evander, don't blame her!"
Evander nodded sadly.
"Alright, I'm tired. I want to sleep for a bit! Just let me be!" The grandmother slowly closed her eyes, and a line of hot tears rolled down her cheeks.
Seeing this, Evander felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
Zara, worried about the grandmother, had secretly followed them.
When she learned that the grandmother was out of danger, she was about to quietly leave from outside the hospital room when the door was yanked open. Zara turned around and saw Evander, and her heart sank.
Zara cautiously said, "How is Grandma? I want to go in and visit her!"
As Zara spoke, she tried to enter the room.
Evander flashed in front of her, blocking her way. He said in a deep, powerful voice, "If you're smart, you'll get out of here right now!"
Zara was stunned and stammered, "I'm sorry, I never expected something like this to happen. Just let me see Grandma, so I can apologize to her in person!"
Evander grabbed her wrist and forcibly dragged her to the hospital entrance. His eyes were bloodshot, and his veins were bulging. He roared, "Don't make me say it a second time! Get out! Get out now!"
"Evander, have you forgotten the clause in our contract that says, 'When something sad happens, we should talk about it and solve it together'? That's what you told me when I was homeless! So, at least let me know what happened! Don't let me be labeled with a baseless crime!"
Evander stared at her fiercely and said solemnly, "It seems my initial feeling was wrong. You're completely different from what I imagined. You're just a selfish woman—at a time like this, you're only thinking about whether you're being accused of a baseless crime! You think too highly of yourself!"
"You're not in a good state right now. Your emotions are completely controlling your mind. I won't argue with you. When you've cleared your head, we can talk again!" Zara took a step back, turned, and quickly left.
Evander squatted on the ground, holding his head in agony.
At that moment, a dark figure on a high floor of the hospital looked through the window at the hospital entrance, a smirk on their face that was both triumphant and sinister.
In Sofia's apartment.
Zara was curled up on the sofa, burying her head deep between her knees.
Sofia opened the refrigerator door. "Coffee or cola?"
"Coffee, with lots of sugar, as much as possible!"
"My dear, sometimes too much sugar doesn't make people happy! It just puts a strain on your stomach! Listen to me, Evander's grandmother is in the hospital, but this isn't your fault at all. You're a victim too! Because you had no idea beforehand! In fact, you're the one who needs comfort more than anyone else who was there!"
"Then to protect my stomach, just a little bit of sugar will be fine!" Zara smiled, then looked up with a face full of gratitude. "Sofia, thank you!"
Sofia stepped forward and hugged her, patting her back thoughtfully. "Did you ever think that someone might have deliberately set you up? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that the gift you gave just happened to shock the grandmother so much?"
Zara looked up, deep in thought, and then shook her head. "No, that's impossible! Lise is so spoiled and rude. A person like that has their thoughts written all over their face. How could she secretly harm someone?" Suddenly, Zara remembered how she had found out what kind of gift the grandmother liked and told Sofia every detail.
"Then someone deliberately leaked that information to you!"
"Who could it be?" Zara fell into contemplation, then frustratingly pulled at her hair.
Seeing this, Sofia quickly comforted her. "My dear, don't worry. A bad person will always reveal their true colors eventually! What you need to do is watch and wait, and don't alert the enemy! Oh, by the way, let's talk about your next steps! Are you still planning to continue with the contract girlfriend agreement?"
"Do I have a choice? You know my mom is sick and needs a lot of money! And, I long to be like you! To become a senior programmer, and then move up to become a..."
"That's what I admire most about you. No matter what happens, you keep a clear head and always know what you truly want! My dear, I support you!"
Zara gave a helpless smile. "It's just that after such a big event, Evander no longer trusts me!"
"I really want to help you, but sometimes a friend's help just makes things worse!"
Zara smiled gratefully. "Trust me, I can handle this myself!"
- Writer
