Turning the Tables

"Why can he go in to visit Arthur, but we get locked out?" Vivian muttered, glaring at the closed ward doors.

Gloria’s sharp eyes shifted, landing on the unfamiliar woman standing close to their nephew. She sneered, her gaze sweeping over Hazel with blatant condescension. "Oh, picked up yet another random girlfriend, Tristan? What does this one's family do for a living?"

"Don't worry about such trivialities, Aunt Gloria," Tristan replied, his tone chilling and indifferent. He offered a freezing nod, wrapped his hand around Hazel’s wrist, and attempted to lead her away down the corridor.

They barely made it a few steps before Hazel heard the two women behind them raising their voices. They wanted to make sure every venomous word echoed down the sterile hospital hall.

"He changes women faster than he changes clothes. What a manipulative scumbag," Vivian scoffed.

Gloria let out a harsh laugh. "I bet he just picked up some random, low-class woman for a fake marriage license. He’s putting on a show for Arthur simply to secure his massive inheritance."

The classless bullying of her new husband grated on Hazel’s nerves. She hated watching seniors punch down at the younger generation. Making a split-second decision, she stopped walking in the middle of the hallway. She linked her arm tightly with Tristan’s and pivoted on her heel to face the gossiping women.

She flashed the stunned aunts a confident smirk. "Mrs. Langdon, how could you speak ill of your juniors behind their backs while claiming the status of a senior?"

Before they could stutter out a response, Hazel delivered her final blow. "Besides, Mr. Arthur Langdon really liked me. In fact, he explicitly said he wants to get better soon so we can play Go together. He even commanded Tristan to take excellent care of me."

Vivian and Gloria’s faces froze. The undeniable, terrifying implication hung heavy in the air—this strange woman had already secured the favor of the family patriarch.

Tristan shot Hazel a lingering, impressed look. A hidden, proud smirk touched his lips as he slipped his strong arm around her slender shoulder.

"Our aunts don't like to hear that kind of talk," he murmured, smoothing over the awkward silence. "Let's hurry and leave." He pulled her along, leaving the two older women fuming in the hallway.

Gloria stood dumbfounded for a long moment before her scattered composure snapped back into place. She lunged forward, clutching Vivian’s arm with a frantic grip.

"Vivian," she hissed, her eyes wide with realization. "Did you notice that the woman brought back by Tristan looked familiar?"

Vivian blinked, the gears turning in her head until shock washed over her features. She stuttered, "Wait, isn't she the one—"

"Yes! It's her!" Gloria interrupted, her grip tightening on her sister-in-law's coat. "It all makes perfect sense to us now. No wonder Arthur favored this particular woman upon first sight."

Down in the underground parking garage, Tristan unlocked his car. Once they settled into the leather seats, he started the engine. "Which hospital for your daughter's birth certificate?"

"St. Alden Hospital," Hazel said, fastening her seatbelt over her chest. She had never been able to secure the crucial document since she didn't have a marriage license when her daughter was born.

Tristan steered the vehicle out into the bustling city traffic. While driving, he kept stealing curious glances at her profile. His mind buzzed with burning questions about the old man's intense reaction.

"Did you..." He hesitated, desperate to probe into the mystery. "Had you met my grandfather before today?"

Before the words could fully leave his mouth, a frantic ringtone erupted from Hazel's cell phone. The harsh sound shattered the quiet atmosphere in the car.

Hazel dug the phone out of her bag and answered.

"Hazel!" her anxious neighbor screamed through the line. "Your daughter Daisy climbed onto the high windowsill! She's in extreme danger! Her grandmother Brenda is ignoring all my phone calls. Please, you have to come back right now!"

Hazel’s heart jumped straight into her throat. Empowering defiance rapidly crashed into sheer, terrifying parental panic. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

"Mr. Cade, please," she begged, her voice trembling in sheer panic. "Take me home right now. My daughter is in fatal danger!"

His own heart tightening in genuine alarm, Tristan floored the gas pedal. The powerful car surged forward, speeding recklessly through the city streets toward her neighborhood.

The moment the tires screeched to a halt outside her rundown apartment building, Hazel unbuckled her seatbelt, threw open the heavy car door, and jumped out onto the pavement before the car could even come to a complete stop.