Chapter 206: The doubts
These words were the last blow. Malcolm’s pain worsened, the pressure in his chest unbearable as he struggled to breathe. His hand clenched over his heart.
With the last bit of strength he had left, he rasped, "Call Theodore." The words barely escaped his lips before his body gave out, collapsing to the floor with a heavy thud.
Claudia’s eyes gleamed with quiet satisfaction as she watched him writhing in agony on the floor. She made no move to help, simply watching the scene unfold with a twisted sense of control.
A slow, calculated smile crept across her face as she murmured, "I truly want you dead, but I can’t let you die just yet. You’re the key to keeping Theodore in line."
She called the hospital.
"Hello, I am calling from the Reid mansion. My father-in-law has had a heart attack. We need an ambulance immediately."
The ambulance arrived swiftly. Paramedics rushed in and whisked Malcolm away to the hospital.
As the mansion fell into a tense silence, Gina stood trembling beside Claudia, her face pale with fear. This was far from what she had anticipated. If she had known earlier that Malcolm would have a heart attack, she wouldn’t have let him see those photos. She regretted her actions.
"Aunt!" Gina tugged at Claudia’s arm, drawing her attention. "Will he be okay?"
Claudia, however, remained calm and unbothered. "Yes, sweetheart, he will be fine. Don’t worry yourself over it."
But Claudia’s cool reassurance did little to calm Gina’s rising panic. "What if something goes wrong?" she pressed, her fear bubbling to the surface again. "Theodore will be devastated if Grandpa dies. He won’t want to marry me—he’ll run back to Bella for comfort."
"You foolish girl," Claudia chided her softly. "Why would Theodore go to Bella? She is the reason the hod hag has a heart attack. Theodore will hate her for this."