Chapter 315
Chapter 316
Mrs. Alfred slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself lying on a hospital bed. Her entire body felt weak, and even lifting her hand required more strength than she could manage. The steady beeping of the monitor beside her was the first thing she heard before a familiar voice suddenly called out to her.
“Grandmother! Grandmother, you’re awake p>
Julia immediately rushed to her bedside, tears filling her eyes as she grabbed her grandmother’s hand.” Grandmother, are you okay? Can you hear me? Does anything hurt? Please, say something!” She gently touched Mrs. Alfred’s forehead before checking her arms and shoulders, desperately trying to make sure she was all right.
“Someone call the doctor!” Steven shouted, turning toward the people standing nearby. “What are you all waiting for? Get the doctor here immediately p>
Within seconds, the room descended into chaos as everyone rushed closer to the bed. Mrs. Alfred tried to speak, but her throat felt painfully dry, and only a faint sound escaped her lips. Julia quickly leaned forward, holding her
hand with both of hers.
“Grandmother, don’t try to talk yet. Just rest, okay? The doctor will be here soon. Please, don’t scare me like this again.” Her voice trembled as she fought back her tears, unable to bear the thought of losing another person she loved.
A few moments later, the doctor arrived and examined Mrs. Alfred. After checking her blood pressure and the monitor beside her bed, he turned toward the worried family and reassured them that she was conscious and that her condition was stable, although she needed plenty of rest.
“She has suffered a severe emotional shock, and her body is still weak,” the doctor explained. “For now, she must avoid unnecessary stress. Please keep the room quiet, and don’t overwhelm her with questions. I’ll return to check on her shortly p>
Everyone nodded, and the doctor left the room after giving a few more instructions. Julia remained beside her grandmother, gently rubbing the back of her hand while Marcus stood quietly behind her, watching with concern.
Victoria was still there, standing near the doorway with her arms folded. Unlike the others, she appeared more concerned about the consequences of her actions than Mrs. Alfred’s condition. She had already been exposed as the person behind Mr. Alfred’s assassination, and now she was waiting to see what would happen next.
Suddenly, Mrs. Alfred’s eyes moved toward Victoria.
The moment she saw her granddaughter, tears began streaming down her cheeks. Her lips trembled, and she let out a painful sob before turning her face away. She tried to hold herself together, but the guilt she had been carrying became too much, and she began crying so hard that her entire body shook.
“Julia…” she whispered between sobs. “I caused all this. I caused everything that happened to our family p>
Julia immediately leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her grandmother as carefully as possible. “Don’t say that, Grandmother. Please, don’t cry. You need to rest, and everything will be okay p>
“No, my child,” Mrs. Alfred replied, shaking her head weakly. “You don’t understand. I was so blind. I allowed my pride, my favoritism, and my stubbornness to cloud my judgment. I fought you when I should have supported you, and I refused to see what was right in front of me p>
She paused, sniffing as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “Your grandfather tried to tell me. He told me that you were the most competent among all our children and grandchildren. He said you had the heart, the wisdom, and the courage to lead this family, but I refused to listen because I had already made up my mind about you p>
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Chapter 316
Julia’s eyes reddened as she listened, unable to find the words to comfort her.
Grandmother, please p>
“Let me finish, Julia,” Mrs. Alfred pleaded softly. “I need to say this before I lose the courage to admit how wrong I was. You have always been the most humane, the most compassionate, and the kindest person in this family. Even when people treated you unfairly, you never allowed their cruelty to turn you into someone like them p>
She squeezed Julia’s hand weakly.
“Your grandfather saw those qualities in you. He knew that you could make difficult decisions without forgetting the people who would suffer because of them. Instead of being proud of you, I kept fighting you. I thought you were a threat to this family simply because you refused to bend to everyone’s wishes p>
Mrs. Alfred let out another sob, closing her eyes briefly as she struggled to control her breathing.
“If only I had listened to your grandfather, perhaps things would never have reached this point. Perhaps he would still be alive, and our family would not be standing on the edge of destruction p>
Julia lowered her head, tears slipping down her face. She had spent so much time fighting to prove herself that hearing her grandmother finally acknowledge the truth brought a mixture of relief and sorrow. She wanted to tell her that everything was fine, but she knew neither of them could pretend that the damage had not been done.
Mrs. Alfred continued, her voice growing firmer despite her weakness. “And I finally understand something else. Your relationship with Marcus, your strictness, and your stubbornness were never what threatened this family. The real danger was our greed. It was our obsession with power, our jealousy, and our willingness to destroy one another just to get what we wanted p>
Her eyes moved toward Victoria, and the sorrow in them deepened.
“Victoria killed her own grandfather because she was afraid of losing her position. She believed that if you became the heir, everything she wanted would be taken away from her. But she failed to understand that leadership is not something you steal through murder or manipulation. It is something you earn through your character and your actions p>
Mrs. Alfred began crying again, her voice breaking as she looked back at Julia.
“I regret everything, my child. I regret fighting you. I regret doubting you. And I regret allowing Victoria to believe that she could do anything she wanted simply because I loved her. Perhaps if I had corrected her earlier, if I had stopped rewarding her selfishness, Mr. Alfred might still be alive today p>
Julia gently wiped the tears from her grandmother’s face.
“Grandmother, please don’t blame yourself for everything. What Victoria did was her own decision. You cannot carry the responsibility for every terrible thing someone else chooses to do p>
Mrs. Alfred shook her head. “But I should have known better. I should have recognized your worth long ago p>
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