Chapter 394
Darwin had clearly made up his mind to get to the bottom of this, which meant Oscar could no longer play peacekeeper. He finally adopted the ruthless, authoritative stance expected of him, causing Sarah’s eyes to dart around nervously. Her uninjured fingers subtly curled into Tessa’s sleeve.
Seeing Sarah’s pitiful state, Tessa’s heart ached all over again. “Don’t be afraid, Sarah. I’m right here. I won’t let anyone frame you for this p>
Sarah sniffled softly. “Mom, my hand is hurting so much. I p>
“It’s hurt, not amputated. You sit right there and wait. Don’t even think about making an excuse to leave,” Lance cut in, his voice laced with cold finality.
Whenever Sarah felt backed into a corner, she would suddenly develop an ache or a pain to escape the situation. This time, Lance had his eyes locked on her. He wasn’t giving her an inch.
Sarah lowered her head, looking utterly victimized, while Tessa shot Lance a vicious glare.
Meanwhile, Calvin’s eyes were darting back and forth, his mind racing to find an angle.
The situation was muddy, but no matter how this played out, it looked terrible for the Carters. He had to seize any opportunity to pull his family out of the fire.
It was glaringly obvious that Darwin despised the Charles family’s adopted daughter. If Calvin could just push the majority of the blame onto her, the Carters might actually survive this intact.
Following Oscar’s orders, the caretakers and medical staff assigned to Sarah’s floor were quickly rounded up, forming a neat line in the hospital corridor.
The hospital’s Chief Administrator had also rushed over. He stood nervously at the front of the line, sweating under the tension. “Mr. Charles, how can we assist you p>
“You are well aware that Sarah is the daughter of the Charles family,” Oscar said, his tone dangerously even. “We trusted this hospital, which is why we allowed her to be treated here.
“Yet somehow, she was kidnapped right under your noses and ended up in a severe car wreck. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation for this p>
The nurses and staff exchanged deeply uncomfortable glances upon hearing the accusation. The head nurse finally stepped forward, looking entirely bewildered. “We would never let that happen, Mr. Charles! We all know who Sarah is, and Madam Charles gave us strict instructions. We wouldn’t dare neglect her for a second.
“I did see Sarah get into the elevator with a man today, but… she went with him completely willingly p>
“Yes, exactly!” Sarah’s personal caretaker chimed in hastily. “I saw it too. A man came looking for her, and she just left with him. I even tried to stop her, but she told me she was just stepping out for some fresh air with a friend and told me to mind my own business p>
They had all heard about the horrific car crash. Initially, they had kept their mouths shut to save Sarah’s pride, but now that Oscar himself was demanding answers, none of them dared to lie to protect her.
“Well, Sarah? What do you have to say for yourself now?” Darwin demanded, his gaze icy.
Sarah had already composed herself. “Grandpa, I already explained this. I only went with Barnard because of Camilla. He used Camilla to threaten me, and I was terrified he would hurt her.
“If I had known none of you would believe me, why would I have ever taken such a risk p>
The staff’s testimony only proved she walked out the door with Barnard. Sarah knew that as long as they didn’t hear the actual conversation, they couldn’t nail her to the wall.
“Dad, you heard her,” Tessa argued instantly. “Even if the staff saw her leave, she only did it out of the goodness of her heart. If you want to be angry at someone, it shouldn’t be Sarah p>
Oscar turned his pressure back to the administration. “Your staff is remarkably oblivious. Sarah was clearly being threatened right in front of them, and not a single one of your people noticed? You just let her walk out?
“We are lucky Sarah didn’t lose her life today. If she had suffered irreversible damage, do you think your hospital could afford the consequences p>
Cold sweat broke out across the Administrator’s forehead. “Please, Mr. Charles, let’s not jump to conclusions. Perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding?
“Every member of our staff is highly trained. If Sarah had shown any signs of distress or fear, they would have intervened immediately. How about we pull the security footage and see exactly what happened p>
Oscar remained silent, giving tacit approval.
The footage was swiftly brought up. It lacked audio, but the visual was damning. It perfectly contradicted Sarah’s story. She wasn’t coerced; she followed Barnard voluntarily.
Their expressions were entirely casual, like two old acquaintances taking a stroll.
“As you can see, Mr. Charles,” the Administrator pointed out, desperate to clear his hospital’s name. “When Sarah left, her body language was completely relaxed. She was not under duress p>
Oscar’s gaze slid toward Sarah, a dark, complicated glint in his eyes.
Just then, an older woman in a cleaner’s uniform hesitantly stepped out from the end of the hall. “That’s not true. She was threatened. I heard it with my own ears p>