Chapter 603
Frank called the shots within Atwater Group, but the moment he stepped outside the building, he had to play by the Murphy family’s rules.
Frank was a smart man; he naturally understood that this was Rowan’s implicit threat.
He had merely used his subordinate’s mouth to deliver it.
After just a few seconds of tense hesitation, Frank walked over to the safe, retrieved the antidote, and tossed it to Rowan. He couldn’t resist a bitter jab. “Does Elissa know her perfect, righteous hero ruthlessly targets the elderly and the sick?”
Rowan caught the vial with one hand, his expression ice-cold. “You’re hardly innocent yourself.”
Without another word, Rowan turned on his heel and strode out of the office, his men trailing behind him.
The priority now was getting the antidote back to the hospital.
Only then could Elissa truly breathe a sigh of relief.
Frank glared at Rowan’s retreating figure, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. His fingers gripped the vial of his grandmother’s ‘antidote’ so tightly his knuckles turned white.
His assistant hesitated before asking, “Mr. Atwater, should we proceed with the arrangements at the docks…”
“What’s the point?”
A self-deprecating smile touched Frank’s lips. “So I can run as far away as possible and pretend none of this happened?”
With the antidote gone, there was zero chance she would go with him.
He could never bring himself to actually harm her-especially not while she was pregnant.
But leaving her future in the hands of a ruthless man like Rowan didn’t sit right with him either.
He would just have to find another opportunity.
Wasting no more time, he grabbed the antidote and sped back to Atwater Manor.
Carmela had just finished inventorying the gifts. Seeing him return, her face lit up. “Have you finally come around? Are you ready to go propose at the Wilkinson estate with me?”
Frank ignored her entirely, his face pale with urgency. “Where is Grandma?”
“Your grandmother?”
Carmela was taken aback by his frantic state. “She should be in the backyard. The doctor said she needs more sunlight.”
“Sunlight?”
Frank repeated the word blankly. Without waiting for Carmela to say more, he sprinted toward the backyard.
The atmosphere in the manor was nothing like the chaotic panic he had imagined for a poisoning emergency.
It was completely peaceful.
The butler, Quentin, was carrying a tray of pastries toward the backyard. Seeing Frank, a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. “Young Master, you’re here.”
Frank’s sense of dread intensified. He stared at Quentin. “Where is Grandma?” “Waiting for you in the backyard.”
Quentin handed the tray of pastries to Frank. “Take these with you. The chef reduced the sugar, so Old Madam can enjoy them.”
Frank had a sinking feeling that he had made a terrible mistake.
A mistake he would regret for the rest of his life.
Every step he took toward the backyard felt unbearably heavy.
The weather was beautiful today. When he stepped into the garden, Old Mrs. Atwater was sitting in a rattan chair, her eyes closed as she basked in the sun.
Her face was serene and relaxed.
She looked nothing like someone who had just been fatally poisoned.
Whether she heard his footsteps or simply felt his gaze, Old Mrs. Atwater opened
her eyes and looked at her only grandson. “You’re back?”
Her tone was completely ordinary.
Frank knew then that he had been played.
His own grandmother had teamed up with an outsider to trick him.
And the only truly despicable person in this entire ordeal was him.
He was the only one who had clung to Jacqueline’s lifesaving antidote, refusing to
let go.
Frank suddenly felt the urge to laugh. He shook the vial in his hand. “What’s in this? M&MS?”
Having watched him grow up, Old Mrs. Atwater instantly understood his resentment. “Are you blaming me?”
Blame her?
Of course he did.
From childhood, he had studied
hard, maintained impeccable character, and exercised restraint. After taking over Atwater Group, he had been exceedingly careful, terrified of making a single misstep.
Just this once, he wanted to be selfish and prioritize himself…
He had even planned everything flawlessly.
It wouldn’t have affected Atwater Group, and it wouldn’t have implicated the family.
So why wasn’t he allowed to do it?
Old Mrs. Atwater sighed, not out of
disappointment, but out of
heartache. “Did you not listen to a
head of my warnings? If your
single
little stunt had actually reached Elissa, let alone you, our entire family would never have the face to see her again.”
“Frank,”
She beckoned him closer, speaking with endless patience. “Fate isn’t something you can force. Elissa spent three years with you that was the extent of your fate together if you just let go of this obsession, she might still remember you fondly the next time you cross paths.”
“Do you really have to push her until she hates you to the core before you’ll be satisfied?”
Frank lowered his eyes. “I’d rather she hated me.”
What he truly feared was that she felt absolutely nothing for him anymore.