The Billionaire’s Biggest Regret

Chapter 7

Hazel’s POV

"Layla! What's wrong?!"

Caught off guard, my lower back slammed into the sharp corner of the coffee table, and I gasped in pain, but I didn't care about that right now.

Seeing Layla's lips already turning purple, I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed 911.

The ambulance arrived quickly, and Layla was rushed to the hospital.

Bryce wasn't far behind. He made it to the hospital as fast as he could.

He burst into the emergency room hallway, his eyes landing on Madison, who was trembling and crying. His voice was filled with worry.

"What happened?! What's wrong with Layla?!"

But Madison could only shake her head, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

It felt like an eternity before the emergency room door finally opened.

The doctor stepped out, removing his mask, his face serious.

"The child had a severe allergic reaction that triggered acute asthma," he said in a grim tone. "Fortunately, she was brought in quickly. If it had been any later and she'd developed laryngeal edema, she could have suffocated to death."

Then he turned his stern gaze on Madison. "How exactly are you taking care of this child? Knowing she has such a severe allergy, how could you let her come into contact with allergens?"

I was leaning against the wall, my lower back still aching, and a surge of unease rose in my chest as I listened to his words.

Sure enough, the next moment, Madison, who had been silently crying, suddenly lifted her head.

Her red eyes locked onto mine as she screamed, "Hazel, how could you be so cruel?! Layla's allergic to mangoes, and you deliberately made her drink mango juice! Are you trying to kill her?!"

I kept my voice cold. "Wasn't it you who told me to give her the juice? How is it suddenly my fault?"

"I didn't!" Madison cried, her voice breaking as she denied it vehemently. "I was in the kitchen making medicine the whole time. I never touched any juice! Everyone knows Layla's severely allergic to mangoes. We've removed all mango products from the house."

She paused, tears streaming down her face as she looked at me accusingly. "But as soon as you came back, she had an allergic reaction. If it wasn't you, then who?"

Hearing this, Bryce's already furrowed brow deepened, his face revealing his anger and disbelief. His sharp gaze snapped toward me as he demanded, "Hazel, did you do this?!"

"I didn't." I struggled to keep my voice steady. "I just came back today to grab my seal. I was only here for a few minutes. What time would I have to do something like that?"

As I spoke, I pulled the personal seal from my bag, hoping it would prove that my visit was innocent.

But Madison seemed triggered. Without warning, she lunged at me like a woman possessed and knocked the seal from my hand, sending it clattering to the floor.

"You planned this from the start!" she shrieked. "Layla accidentally offended you before, and you've been holding a grudge ever since. You took advantage of me being gone to hurt her like this!"

The seal rolled across the floor with a sharp sound. I bent down, expressionless, and picked it up, calmly holding it in my palm.

When I looked up again, all warmth had vanished from my eyes.

I stared at Madison coldly and said, "As a mother, not only did you fail to care for your own child, but you also used her to target me with this twisted scheme. Are you really not afraid that something worse could have happened to her? I honestly wonder if Layla is even your biological daughter."

Madison's expression changed, panic flashing in her eyes for a brief moment. But just as quickly, she composed herself, her face revealing something else entirely.

Her knees suddenly buckled, and she dropped to the floor in front of me, grabbing onto my pants legs in a desperate, tearful plea.

"Ms. Westbrook, I was wrong! Layla and I will leave the villa immediately and never bother you again. Please, spare her. She's just a child! I've already lost my husband. I can't lose her too. She's my life!"

"Madison, get up." Bryce immediately stepped forward, pulling Madison up from the floor and standing protectively in front of her. When he turned to me, his gaze was filled with reproach. "Hazel, you've gone too far!" His voice was cold and harsh. “No matter how angry you are, you shouldn't have such twisted thoughts about a child! Have you thought about how your actions could have actually killed Layla?!"

By now, people passing through the hospital corridor had started to stop, pointing and whispering, as if I were some kind of villain.