Chapter 231: Upbringing
"Aiden Avery, are you declaring war on me?" Tristan Grayson demanded, his eyes red.
Aiden Avery gave a bitter smile. "You’re mistaken. This isn’t a declaration of war. It’s a notice."
...
Early the next morning, Mika Summers was transferred from Anhurst Hospital to Excelsior Private Hospital.
Archie Summers had bought the hospital at great expense so Mika could recuperate in peace. He had also flown in a medical team from abroad overnight.
「The top floor of the hospital.」
Archie Summers sat across from a man in his fifties, drinking tea.
The man blew on his tea, took a couple of sips, and set the cup down on the table. After a long moment, he spoke in a steady voice, "Archie, how long are you going to keep throwing this tantrum? Eleanor is about to give birth. Are you really going to let my grandson be cast adrift and take another family’s name?"
Archie Summers was unimpressed, sneering, "My surname is Summers. When my child is born, of course they’ll be a Summers! What’s this about taking another family’s name?"
"Archie, whether you acknowledge me or not, I will always be your father. Blood is thicker than water."
"Heh, blood is thicker than water? All I know are the parents who raised me for over twenty years. They’re at home waiting for me right now—not this strange, cold-blooded, so-called biological father in front of me." Archie’s lips curled into a sneer as he set down his cup and looked up at the man.
The man had lived most of his life without ever being defied like this. He slammed his palm on the table in anger. "No wonder your brother said you have no manners. It seems growing up in that kind of family makes it impossible to have any sort of proper upbringing or class."
"You’re right, I have no manners and no class. So, Mr. Lockwood, I’ll ask you to leave!" Archie stood up, kicked the stool behind him, and shouted.
"Archie, whether you accept it or not, my grandson will not be cast adrift."
Archie Summers stopped in his tracks. He turned and said coldly, "Mr. Lockwood, that is *my* child, Archie Summers’s child. They will never belong to the Lockwood Family." Without waiting for the man to reply, Archie left in a fury.
As he came down the stairs, his face was grim. He angrily reprimanded Howard Rhodes, "How many times have I told you? If anyone from the Lockwood Family comes, no matter who it is, I won’t see them."
"Yes. This was our mistake."
"Get more men to guard the villa. And tell Eleanor Bishop to behave herself and stop trying to run off."
"Yes."
After coming downstairs, Archie turned a corner. Before he even got close to the hospital room, he heard crying and shouting. His expression instantly turned frigid as he quickened his pace toward the room.
Inside the room, Mika Summers had already pulled out her IV needle and was crying out as she forcefully slammed her head against the wall. Archie’s heart clenched. "Mika, are you crazy? Stop it!"
"Brother... I’m in so much pain... It hurts so much..."
"Mika, you made it through yesterday, so you can definitely make it through today. Just get through today, and it won’t be this bad tomorrow. Mika, you have to hold on." Archie gripped Mika’s arm tightly to stop her from banging her head again.
Mika’s whole body was trembling. She bit her lip hard. ’My brother’s right. I made it through yesterday, so I can definitely do it today, too!’
Seeing Mika calm down, Archie released her arm, his eyes filled with a complicated mix of emotions as he watched her...
By the time Tristan Grayson got the news, Mika Summers had already left the hospital. He leaned against the wall, his brow furrowed in anguish as he stared at the empty room.
’Is it really over between us? No, I can’t let that happen...’