Chapter 88
After Shane finished the hospital admission procedures, he returned to the ward and informed Anderson about Isabel’s visit to the hospital.
“Ms. Fisher was here. She’s blaming herself for what happened to Ms. Sadler.”
Anderson sat on the hospital bed as a nurse slowly inserted a needle. These days, due to Mayra’s incident and the immense work pressure, he hadn’t rested properly. It was rare for him to be hospitalized.
His messy hair fell over his forehead, partially covering his eyes. His sharp and cold gaze looked much softer now.
When Mayra was 12, Anderson had gone to investigate a case from years ago, leaving her alone at home for a few days longer than planned.
Only when he was back did he learn that she had gone missing. Mayra had had no sense of direction since she was a child. She would forget the way home as soon as she stepped out the door.
When he found her, she was fighting a stray dog for food, scavenging through trash bins to survive. Her shoes were missing, her feet were injured, and she was covered in blood and filth.
Since then, Anderson had never dared to leave her alone at home. As she grew older, she began to slowly record every route whenever she went to a new place, ensuring she never got lost again.
But this time, Anderson still lost her.
Once the nurse left the ward, Anderson closed his eyes and asked in a deep voice, “Have they found her?”
Standing by the bed, Shane pursed his lips into a straight line, hesitating to speak. “Not yet, but… it won’t be long. Someone saw Ms. Sadler passing. through Oakware Bay. The police are following that route.
“We should have news about Ms. Sadler within three days. Mr. Barlow, you
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should take care of your body. Ms. Sadler will be worried to see you like this when she gets back.”
Worry? If she would be worried about him, she wouldn’t have avoided seeking him out when she ran into trouble. Instead of returning home, she opted to wander outside.
“By the way, Madam Sonia will eventually find out about Ms. Sadler. How do you plan to handle it, Mr. Barlow?”
“They can only accept her,” Anderson replied.
At Barlow Estate, Sonia was watering the flowers in the backyard with a hose. The flowers were blooming beautifully. They were all meticulously cultivated new varieties worth millions of dollars.
Fred reported beside her, “She has been found, but she escaped again. The police are searching the mountains. I think she’ll be found in two or three days.”
Hearing that, Sonia scoffed. “Is she afraid, or is she playing hard to get? Did she cause such trouble to make Andy think that Isabel couldn’t tolerate her and forced her to leave? If so, she’s really something.
“When the police find her, Andy will surely bring her back. We’ll let her stay here. With so many eyes watching her, I doubt she’ll dare to do anything.”
She continued, “If she’s truly an innocent girl, of course, we can
acknowledge her. We can simply claim that she’s an adopted orphan. But if she has ulterior motives, I won’t let her get anything.
“I’m not dead yet. Even if Andy is the heir of the Barlow family, his words won’t hold much weight. I don’t believe he would go against the entire Barlow family for an outsider.”
The Barlow family was small, consisting mostly of women. Anderson was the only male. Even though that woman had married into the Barlow family, her child could never appear in public.
Fred said, “The others in the family may have already considered the same
thing. But Mr. Anderson has only been back for a few years. His relationship with you has only just begun to improve, Perhaps having that girl stay at Barlow Estate wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
Smiling, Sonia handed the hose to a maid and walked to the gazebo to sit down. A maid immediately poured her a cup of tea.
“I’ve always said that he shouldn’t have any weaknesses if he’s in this position. I’m not afraid of her having any malicious intentions toward Andy, What I fear is… that Andy might have…”
Fred intercepted, “Um… Mr. Anderson shouldn’t have any feelings toward such a young girl. After all, you chose Ms. Fisher as his future wife after careful consideration. Let’s not talk about her looks. Her talent and demeanor are unmatched in Belchester.
“Mr. A
will surely like her too. He was just away for too long after
his accident. Once he spends more time with Ms. Fisher, their relationship will naturally improve.”
“Let’s hope so.”
