Chapter 134: They’ve Come Knocking
Vivian Lowell and Julian Faulkner discussed the situation for a while.
"I’ll try to stay here with Grandma Faulkner as much as possible for now," Vivian said. "And Ms. Shaw—she knows Grandma best, so let’s have her stay here too. Anyway..."
There was a small suite attached to the ward. It wasn’t large, only furnished with a small four-foot bed and a tiny table, but it would barely be enough for Ms. Shaw to stay in.
As for their home, Vivian figured she and Julian would spend most of their time at the hospital with Grandma Faulkner. They would only return home to sleep. Even if Ms. Shaw wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be a big problem.
"Okay." Julian cast a grateful look at Vivian. "For the time being, I’ll try to hand over as much of the company’s affairs to Vance Wyatt as possible.
"It’s just that there are a few meetings..." He paused, looking a bit troubled.
"It’s fine." Vivian smiled, her eyes crinkling affectionately as she spoke in a gentle tone. "You have me. Just go ahead and attend your meetings. Don’t worry, I’ll call you immediately if anything happens."
"Okay," Julian agreed.
Just then, Ms. Shaw walked over to the balcony door. KNOCK KNOCK. She tapped on the glass gently.
"Ms. Shaw is back," Vivian noted, sliding the balcony door open.
Ms. Shaw was holding the hospitalization paperwork. She handed the documents and the bank card back to Julian. "There’s someone at the door," she reported. "He’s wearing a suit and claims to be a lawyer. He’s here... about Ms. Adler."
"A lawyer?" Vivian gasped. Annie had certainly come fully prepared! The more she thought about it, the more Vivian felt that this entire situation was an absolute conspiracy.
"I understand," Julian said. He clearly felt the same way. He turned to Ms. Shaw. "Stay here and take care of Grandma for now. Vance will arrange for someone to come and assist you shortly.
"During this time, other than Vivian and me, and the doctors when necessary examinations are required, do not let Grandma come into contact with anyone else. Understood?"
Ms. Shaw looked a little surprised, but as she listened to Julian, the reality of the situation dawned on her. Julian’s words heavily implicated the eldest daughter of the family. Indeed, Ms. Adler’s behavior today had been rather strange. Ms. Shaw couldn’t figure out why things had turned out this way, but regardless, she just needed to follow Julian’s orders.
"Understood," Ms. Shaw agreed.
Vivian and Julian stepped out of the room. Outside the ward, a man in a sharp suit was waiting by the door. Seeing them emerge, he sized them up and offered a practiced, professional smile.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner?"
Vivian was left speechless. It was the first time she had been addressed as such, and she wasn’t quite used to it. However, one look at the lawyer in front of her told her that his smile was completely fake.
Good lawyers were a rarity in this world. Most were entirely driven by money and would gladly abandon their conscience for their clients. Things were slightly better within Veridia, but in places abroad or in HK, as long as they were paid, they would happily help their clients get away with crimes even if they knew full well about their illegal activities.
"Yes," Julian replied flatly. He didn’t seem to have any intention of exchanging pleasantries with the man. "Are you the lawyer appointed by Annie?"
"I am." The lawyer nodded and pulled a business card from his breast pocket. It had his phone number, WhatsApp QR code, and other contact details. He was certainly thoroughly prepared. "My last name is Donovan. You may call me Lawyer Donovan, Mr. Faulkner. Right, this is what my client—"
"Lawyer Donovan." Julian cut him off before he could finish. "I have nothing to say to you regarding whatever it is you wish to ask or discuss right now.
"I’ve already contacted the Faulkner Group’s legal team. They will be here shortly, and you can liaise directly with them.
"If there are any issues, my legal team will inform me directly. There’s no need for you to contact me, nor is there any need for you to seek me out. It’s completely unnecessary.
"Even if you come looking for me ten thousand times, I will have absolutely nothing to say to you."
Vivian stared at Julian in sheer astonishment.
Julian was simply... too domineering! If this were ancient times, he would absolutely be the picture of an arrogant, spoiled heir!
Still, she loved it!
Julian’s approach was completely flawless. Even if Lawyer Donovan felt frustrated, there was nothing he could do about it. And as for the legal team Julian had mentioned... Everyone knew that the Faulkner Group was one of the top three conglomerates in Veridia. Their legal team had resolved countless high-stakes commercial disputes. Could this Lawyer Donovan even hold a candle to their level of expertise? Vivian highly doubted it.
It seemed that Annie’s little maneuver was destined to be crushed by Julian.
"Also," Julian added, maintaining a stern, icy expression as he watched the lawyer falter. "If you have no further business here, I suggest you stay far away from this ward.
"My grandmother is in poor health, and she cannot be agitated. If you cause her any distress whatsoever, I will sue you for intentional assault without hesitation. Do you understand?"
Lawyer Donovan bit his lip and nodded silently. Clutching his business card tightly in his hand, he tucked his briefcase under his arm and reluctantly took several steps back.
Damn it! He thought. He had been too careless!
He had only thought about arriving first to state his demands, hoping it might secure a favorable position for Ms. Adler. But looking at the situation now... that was clearly impossible.
Vivian and Julian quickly returned to the ward.
Vivian didn’t spare the lawyer another glance. Instead, she pondered whether she had any friends who were hackers and could restore the surveillance footage. Thinking about it, she realized there actually was someone in her social circle who fit the bill.
However, she didn’t really want to ask him for help.
It was Henry Sterling.
As that long-absent name surfaced in her mind, Vivian couldn’t help but sigh.
Everyone knew that Henry was the youngest professor at Aethelburg University. He was exceptionally brilliant, had published countless academic papers, and was a formidable presence in the field of computer science. In the past, he had even helped build the firewall for Vivian’s computer. It was incredibly robust. Even when the incident involving the man in the raincoat’s son was exposed and hordes of people were attacking Vivian and Eleanor Rhodes online, Vivian’s computer remained completely untouched. All the abusive messages had been perfectly intercepted.
What should she do now?
After a moment of hesitation, Vivian decided to send a message to Vance Wyatt first. It was better to ask Vance. If she could solve this problem on her own, she genuinely didn’t want to bother Henry.
"Vance. Are you confident that you can find someone to restore the surveillance footage on your end? Or, at the very least, can you find out how the footage from that specific timeframe suddenly disappeared?"