Chapter 57
I Apologize For Her Lying in the hospital bed, Lauren was diagnosed with a mild concussion and needed to rest for some time.
Mitchel stood by her bedside, seemingly indifferent to the doctor's diagnosis.
Lauren stole a glance at him.
She was captivated by the way his handsome face looked under the soft glow of the incandescent lamp.
There was no denying that he was handsome.
His features were cool, almost icy, but magnetizing.
He had that kind of allure that made it hard for Lauren to look away.
The yearning in her eyes was as clear as day.
She had no intention of ever letting go of this man who seemed like a gift from the gods.
At the thought of this, Lauren's eyes welled up with tears again.
"Mitchel...
Why does it still hurt? I’m not feeling well.” Mitchel frowned.
"You still don't feel well? I'll have Luis come and examine you." "No, there’s no need," Lauren disagreed at once.
"I'm actually feeling better.
Plus, Luis is so busy.
I don't want to bother him." Lauren was flustered. Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
She did not want to see Luis since he was too sharp and perceptive and could easily see through her lies.
“Fine,” Mitchel said, unfazed.
"By the way, why did Raegan hit you earlier?" At the mention of this, tears quickly filled Lauren's eyes, and she lamented, "Raegan accused me of setting her up at the banquet earlier.
She blamed me for everything.
Mitchel, why would I do something like that to her? You can look into it yourself." She was not afraid at all.
After all, she had made sure she was clean from all angles.
"It's Raegan's fault,” Mitchel said nonchalantly.
Lauren abruptly stopped dabbing her eyes.
Why was Mitchel so indifferent? Raegan had slapped her hard enough to leave red marks on her face, and her face was still swollen and tingling from the hit.
Mitchel should be furious and demand an apology from Raegan on her knees, right? Aggrieved, Lauren's chest heaved violently, and tears slid down her cheeks.
Just then, Jocelyn burst into the room.
Upon seeing Lauren's face, she was in utter shock.
"My lady, who did this to you? If my lord knew about this, he'd be devastated! Oh, my God! Nobody has ever dared to treat you like this." Jocelyn turned to Mitchel and appealed, "Mr.
Dixon, we're alone here in Ardlens, so we're depending on you to set things right!” Jocelyn had overheard their conversation and knew Mitchel was taking Raegan's side.
However, she was savvier than Lauren and knew how to leverage Lauren’s family influence to pressure Mitchel.
Mitchel, visibly irritated by Jocelyn's theatrics, impatiently looked down at Lauren and asked, "What do you want to do then?” A glint of malice crossed Lauren's eyes.
If she had her way, she would want nothing less than to skin Raegan live, draw her bones, and dismember her.
But of course, she could not say that and let Mitchel see her vicious side.
Lauren balled her hands into fists and, although reluctant, pretended to take the high road.
"It's just a misunderstanding.
I'll let it go if Raegan apologizes to me.” Lauren swore to herself to humiliate Raegan in public when Raegan did that.
However, Jocelyn was not on the same page.
"My lady, you're letting her off too lightly.
You've been the apple of your family's eye since you were a child.
You've never been disrespected like this!" Jocelyn looked at Mitchel pitifully and implored, "Mr.
Dixon, I hope you don’t mind me being too nosy.
But my lady is alone in Ardlens, so I must speak for her on behalf of the Murray family." “What do you want?" Mitchel asked in a frigid tone.
Jocelyn knew how to play her cards right, so she offered a reasonable request.
"In my opinion, it’s only fair that my lady should slap Raegan back.
An eye for an eye.” Lauren felt much better when she heard Jocelyn's words.
She vowed to herself she would make Raegan have a taste of her own medicine.
But then, to her disbelief, Mitchel merely threw a cold glance in Jocelyn's way and flatly said, "Not going to happen." Seeing the coldness in Mitchel's eyes, Jocelyn’'s heart skipped a beat.
She could not understand why Mitchel disagreed.
It was not an unreasonable request, was it? Did Mitchel not care about Lauren? Even if Raegan was his wife, he should be defending Lauren instead.
The atmosphere in the ward suddenly shifted.
Furious, Lauren clenched her hands that her nails almost dug into her palm.
Still, she kept her poker face.
"It's okay, Jocelyn.
Let's not make things awkward for Mitchel.
Besides, I doubt Raegan would agree to that.
An apology should suffice." Lauren's words were carefully chosen and painted her in the role of the magnanimous socialite while making Raegan seem petty in comparison.
Even better, acting graciously might win her some sympathy with Mitchel.
As for Raegan, well, Lauren was just biding her time.
Sooner or later, she would make sure the score was settled.
Sure enough, Mitchel's icy demeanor softened because of her words.
After being silent for a long time, his lips finally parted, and he said, "Lauren, I apologize to you on Raegan's behalf.” What the hell! Lauren's face drained of color.
For a second, she thought she was dreaming.
Why was Mitchel apologizing? What the hell was wrong with him? Unable to contain her frustration any longer, Lauren blurted out, "Mitchel, she slapped me and shoved me against the railing! Don't you think I deserve an apology from her?” "Mr.
Dixon, you're being unfair!” Jocelyn chimed in.
"If my lord hears about how my lady's been treated, he'll be furious and wouldn't let Raegan off the hook easily!” "If the Murray family has issues with this, I'll offer them my apologies in person," Mitchel snapped back.
"Mitchel, you know I didn't mean that way.
I never want to make a fuss.
I'm just hurt.
You said you'd treat me like a sister.
Is this how you treat family?” Lauren bitterly asked.
"Tunderstand you're upset.
I promise I'll make it up to you.
But for now, you should rest.
It's late.” As soonas he finished speaking, Mitchel left the room, his mind preoccupied with other matters.
Once he was out of sight, Lauren went berserk and smashed everything she could in the ward.
After trashing the room, she took a deep breath to steady herself and said with a gloomy expression, "Jocelyn, we need to get rid of that woman's unborn child.” Now, even Mitchel's attitude had changed.
Therefore, they must eliminate Raegan’s baby for good.
"My lady, I've heard Tessa is causing a ruckus at home because she doesn't want to move overseas.
Maybe you could talk to her and..." Jocelyn offered, her eyes twinkling with malice.
Lauren felt some of the tension leave her shoulders after hearing Jocelyn’s suggestion.
Ah, Tessa.
That clueless woman could definitely be manipulated once more.
This was what Lauren had in mind.
Meanwhile, by the window of the ward.
With a crack, the lighter gave out a blue light.
The gloom in Mitchel's eyes was outlined which was cold and solemn.
A knock sounded at the door.
Then, Matteo walked into the room.
"Mr.
Dixon, there's no sign of Mrs.
Dixon." Mitchel took a drag from his cigarette but still could not suppress the unease in his heart.
His mind replayed the look on Raegan’s face when she had asked him to stay.
"Get the car ready," he coldly said.
Matteo's eyebrows furrowed.
Mitchel's wound had cracked earlier and the bandage was wet with blood.
"Mr.
Dixon, your injuries..." Matteo protested, but Mitchel cut him off.
"Do it.
Now." In the back seat of the Bentley, Mitchel massaged his forehead.
"Did you review the security footage?" Matteo hesitated for a few seconds and then replied, "Yes.
The footage shows Mrs.
Dixon was picked up by a man.” Matteo knew that it was Henley who had carried Raegan away.
However, he held his tongue, afraid to fan the flames of Mitchel's already volatile mood.
Mitchel stretched out his hand, and Matteo nervously handed over the tablet.
In an instant, the car's atmosphere plummeted to icy depths.
Smash! In a flash of anger, Mitchel hurled the tablet against the car's interior, shattering it into fragments.