Linda’s eyes burned with fury as she glared at Elissa, who was still pressed against Ernest’s chest.
The sight was almost too much for Linda to process—Elissa, alive and breathing.
Drawing in a sharp breath, Linda sneered, her words like ice. “Some people just don’t know how to stay dead, do they?”
“Enough, Linda!” snapped Ernest, throwing her a dark warning look.
His own anger was boiling over as he turned on Jane. “What are you waiting for? Get her out of here!”
“Understood.” Jane looked hurt, shrinking back as she answered. After all, she was only doing what she’d been told.
“You’re not getting rid of me!” Linda refused to back down. She pointed a shaking finger at Elissa, refusing to look away from Ernest. “Choose now—her or me! Which one is it?”
Ernest ignored her demand, barking new orders instead. “Why is everyone just standing there? Get her out!”
“Right away.”
Jane, along with the bodyguards, quickly moved in to surround Linda. But Linda wasn’t going quietly. “Don’t you dare touch me! I mean it!”
“Mr. Flynn!” Suddenly, Quentin raced over, clutching his phone, urgency written all over his face. “I just got a call from the nurse. Mr. Holland’s in critical condition—they’re prepping him for emergency surgery. They need a family member to sign off!”
The color drained from Elissa’s face, leaving her ghostly pale.
“Grandpa!” she cried, wrenching herself from Ernest’s grasp and sprinting for the hospital room, forgetting everything else.
“Elissa!” Hadley rushed after her, calling out, “Wait for me! I’ll come with you!”
Ernest barely spared Linda another thought. Right now, Addy’s situation took priority. If anything happened to her grandfather, Ernest knew Elissa would never forgive him.
He shot a 100k glance at Quentin and said, “If she wants to stay, just let her.”
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“Understood.”
Linda’s mouth dropped open in shock. She had never expected Ernest to turn his back on her so easily. She wanted to protest, but there was nothing she could do.
Inside the hospital room, Ernest stayed close to Elissa as they made their way to the doctor’s office. With him there, Elissa signed the consent papers herself.
Hadley waited in the hallway. Linda had followed, watching from her wheelchair, her stare fixed and cold. Hadley shivered under Linda’s intense gaze, but she couldn’t focus on that. She kept glancing at her watch, nerves on edge. Eric was on his way, and it wouldn’t be long before he would have to deal with Ernest’s anger.
No one brought up what everyone was really thinking. For now, Ernest’s attention was locked entirely on Elissa. With both her and Elissa appearing at the hospital together, Hadley was certain Ernest had pieced everything together by now.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Ernest and Elissa emerged from the doctor’s office.
.
.
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