The Olsens gathered outside the emergency room with Claudia at the forefront, wearing a grim expression. Not a single person dared to step forward and speak to her.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

In the end, they exchanged glances, and Laura was the first to step forward, whispering, "It's going to be okay, Mother. Don't worry."

Claudia remained silent, her expression serious.

"Jo didn't do it on purpose. She was just mad at you, and she may have gone a bit too far,” Laura continued.

Claudia's expression turned grimmer at that. She gazed upward at the lit-up sign of the emergency room, filled with anxiety.

Zach, who had been sitting aside all this while, was no longer there.

At the end of the corridor, Josie sat on the dimly lit staircase, her eyes unfocused, her mind a mess. She tried to calm herself down, but her ears kept ringing.

After what seemed like an eternity, a voice echoed through the ringing in her ears. "You jinx! You've got some nerve showing up here. If I were you, I'd leave the country with my illegitimate daughter and never ever return!"

Josie, nursing a throbbing headache, took a moment to lift her head and see Zach's face, contorted with loathe.

Ignoring his sarcastic remark, she asked, "Is he out?"

Zach did not expect her to have the audacity to ask. In disbelief, he crouched down, gritting his teeth. "Are you hoping he won't? So you can take over the Olsen family? You can forget about those schemes of yours!"

Schemes?

Josie couldn't be bothered to argue with him. "Looks like he isn't out yet."

Seeing that she refused to respond to him, Zach was so frustrated that he grabbed her face and forced her to face him. "Drop your act, do you hear me? Book a flight and leave Wavery immediately!" Josie closed her eyes, allowing him to do what he wanted. She no longer had the strength to resist.

"You're not very patient."

"What?"

"The moment he was rushed to the emergency room, you couldn't wait to get rid of me. Your intentions can't be more obvious. But let me tell you, rushing like this won't get you anywhere," she said calmly.

Zach, taken aback by her calm lecture, released her in exasperation. "Do you really think you have the right to tell me what to do? Don't forget who caused this! You're nothing but a jinx!" Josie's mind wandered, the overwhelming remorse almost drowning her, leaving her without the energy to retort.

"Yes, it was my fault."

She actually admitted it. Taken

aback, Zach was about to say something when a voice interrupted him, "You should be waiting for your father to finish his surgery at this critical moment instead of insulting people."

"Who's that?"

A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. The man's face was expressionless as he lifted his eyelids, giving off an eerie, intimidating aura.

"Dexter... You..." Zach was shocked to see him.

"Are you going to leave?" Dexter tugged at his tie impatiently.

Zach, of course, was reluctant to back off. However, it had been a long time since he last saw Dexter. He knew instantly who Dexter was here for. Weighing the pros and cons, Zach didn't think it was necessary to argue with him right now.

As he left, Josie remained in a daze, clearly distraught and out of sorts.

Dexter draped his suit jacket over her head, shielding her from most of the light. Josie could detect a hint of woody fragrance from his jacket. Dexter sat next to her, gently saying, "It's okay if you want to cry."

Josie didn't cry, but her shoulders slumped. She was clearly devastated, and as she hugged her knees, her voice was hoarse. "This wouldn't have happened if I wasn't so stubborn. I knew he was unwell,

yet still brought that up. I'm always like this..."