Once Bitten, Twice Shy

When Samantha thought of that, her hand shook uncontrollably while she held the phone. Her fingers were trembling so severely that it was a struggle for her to even tap her finger on the phone and answer the call.

Rochelle looked at Samantha's pale face and reached out to tap her finger on the answer icon. She then tapped the speaker icon and put it on speaker mode.

Aunt Julia was heard crying, "Sam, the old lady's surgery is over."

Just by listening to Aunt Julia's tone, Samantha felt as if her heart was being squeezed by a big hand and she felt a little breathless.

After gulping twice, she tried hard to put her question in words, "How… How did it go?"

Such scenes seemed far too common for her.

She had a strong hatred of such situations.

"Although she was saved in the nick of time, she's still in very bad condition. She's still in the risky period, and the next twenty-four hours are very critical. If the situation improves, there's a possibility she could wake up. If...not, then…we have to be prepared for what comes after."

Aunt Julia could barely utter those last few words because she was sobbing.

Samantha's eyes turned red too.

She already had a bad feeling when she suspected it to be poison, but it felt even more unbearable when she heard the results.

Both Old Master Barker and Old Madam Barker loved her very much, and the old man's death made her so sad that she cried for quite some time.

Then it just had to happen to Old Madam Barker...

Although Rochelle was not that close with Old Madam Barker, she thought well of the old lady due to the sincere care that the latter showed to Samantha.

She felt very distressed too, more so when the old lady ended up in a bad state because of Harmony's viciousness!

Aunt Julia cried for a moment and remembered something all of a sudden. She mustered up the energy and asked in a pleading tone, "Sam, can you come over to keep the old lady company tonight? The doctor said that she had been mentioning your name when they were trying to save her. Her sense of survival is strong, and she might be able to wake up if you come and talk to her!"

'Old Madam Barker...had been mentioning my name...'

Samantha bit her lower lip involuntarily.

Old Madam Barker's condition had been getting worse during the past few years in part because she was constantly uneasy at the thought of having played a role in Samantha's death.

Aunt Julia continued pleading when she heard no response from Samantha. "Samantha, I know it might be difficult for you to come to the hospital, but the old lady really needs you right now. Please... Please save her… Remember all the things you did for her and save her… Save her!"

Samantha clenched her phone tightly, so much so that the blue veins on the back of her hand had popped up one by one.

She was bound to miss her flight if she did not go to the airport.

When she had a video call with Matthew the day before, he was overjoyed and expressed his desire to pick her up at the airport with Alan.

Alan was happy too. He told her that he would treat her to a feast when she comes back.

She did not want Matthew and Alan to be stood up, but she could not bring herself to refuse them.

Old Madam Barker was one of the people in the country whom she could not bear to part with.

Samantha closed her eyes heavily and finally answered. "Okay. I'll go."

Aunt Julia thanked her profusely as soon as she heard Samantha's answer.

After ending the call, she leaned softly on the back of the chair as if all her strength had been taken away.

Rochelle reached out to hold Samantha's hand. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Sammy, are you sure you want to stay?"

"It's… It's still not too late if you change your mind right now."

It was extremely selfish what Samantha said earlier.

Staying behind carried the risk that any unforeseen accidents might happen.

Samantha looked at her and forced a smile. "I'll...leave as soon as I accompany Grandma through this period of danger. I'd be staying for a few more days at most."

Rochelle stared at her intently and spoke straightforwardly, "It's possible that you might not be able to leave this place anymore if you miss this flight."

Samantha kept quiet.

She knew that Rochelle was only looking out for her and it was very much unsafe for her to stay there. If Timothy or Harmony knew that she was still alive, neither would let her go.

Her peaceful life with Matthew would come to an end and there would be danger lurking in all directions.

She understood what was at stake, but she could not bring herself to ignore Old Madam Barker.

Samantha did not worry much in the past because she thought that Timothy would protect Old Madam Barker at all costs, but she did not place any more hope on him after how everything turned out!

"Forget it, I'm not going to lecture you anymore." Rochelle leaned back in the chair. "This character of yours makes it impossible for you to stand by and watch. Even if you took that flight, you'll be constantly thinking about this."

Samantha smiled. "You know me so well, Chelle."

"Sweet talking me isn't going to do you any good. You should start thinking about how you're going to explain to your precious son and Dr. Sherwood!" Rochelle made no secret of her schadenfreude.

Samantha immediately felt a headache coming on.

Headache or not, she still had to make the call.

When they were back at the apartment, Samantha poured herself a glass of warm water. After drinking it all in one go, she took two deep breaths before picking up her phone and making a WeTalk call.

The other side picked up fairly quickly and Matthew's tender voice called out, "Mommy, Mommy! Are you on the plane? Will I see you soon?"

Samantha pursed her lips lightly and said in a soft, slightly apologetic, and entreating voice. "I'm sorry, Matt. Something happened, and I might have to go back a little later."

Matthew was stunned and it took him some time before he said angrily, "But you already promised me that I could see you tomorrow! Why did you break your promise?"

"I'm sorry."

"How much later will you come home, Mommy?" Matthew asked again.

His insistent questioning made Samantha even more speechless.

Since she had failed to keep her promise that time, she no longer dared to promise him so easily when she was not sure of her return date.

"You lied, Mommy. You're not coming back, aren't you? You don't want me anymore!"

"No, Matt. That's not it..." Samantha anxiously tried to explain, but the other side had hung up before she could finish speaking.

Samantha rubbed her tired eyebrows.

Matthew could not be blamed for his insecurity. After all, he never had a father since he was born and was never separated for long in all his years staying with Samantha.

She wished she could just take the flight back to hold him tight, but Old Madam Barker needed her more at that moment.

All she could do was force herself to calm down and call him again to coax him once she had regained her composure.

As for Alan, she really had not figured out how to tell him yet.

Her phone happened to ring when she was structuring her sentences. Thinking it was Alan who called her, it turned out to be Aunt Julia.

As soon as she answered, she heard Aunt Julia say, "Sam, Mr. Barker is preparing to leave. You can come over now."

She had earlier agreed with Aunt Julia that she would only show up when Timothy was gone. Aunt Julia probably figured out a way to let Timothy leave.

Samantha responded immediately, "Okay, I'll go over right now."

She decided to call Alan after she went there.

Once Samantha arrived at the hospital, she walked in only after making sure that Timothy had left. She changed into some personal protective equipment before entering the intensive care unit, where she sat on the bedside chair and held Old Madam Barker's hand.

…

Timothy drove out of the hospital and stopped at the intersection when the light turned red.

His phone rang at that moment and he glanced at the caller ID. It happened to be Howard Plummer, the general manager of the Barker Group's security department and one of the world's best-known hackers.

Timothy had gotten someone to send Howard the hotel's surveillance footage. Howard was instructed to check if anyone entered or exited his room, but several hours' worth of footage that night was somehow tampered with.

Nothing could be seen.

He did not believe that it was all just a coincidence and was certain that it was the product of human interference!

He was curious to know who would dare to provoke him like that!

As a result, he left it to Howard and asked him to repair the overwritten surveillance video.

There must have been a result if he was calling at that moment!

Timothy put on his Bluetooth earpiece and tapped it to answer the call.. He spoke first and uttered two words in an ice-cold tone, "Tell me."