Samuel had been treated and promptly transferred to a regular ward.

Two bodyguards stood sentry outside the single-patient ward, one on each side of the door.

Marianne approached the ward with a puzzled look on her face as she held a thermal container in her hand. “And you two are?”

Tessa opened the door at this moment. “Ms. Connors, my father’s fall might not have been an accident. Stephen sent these two here to protect him.”

Marianne frowned. “Tess, what are you implying?”

“Please come in. I’ll tell you everything.”

Ten minutes later, Marianne looked at Tessa with fear and worry in her eyes. “So, you’re saying that Caleb’s bastard son harmed your father to flush you out?”

Tessa nodded solemnly.

“You have to be extra careful from now on, Ms. Connors. You should also have bodyguards with you at all times. It’s also best to keep Seline homeschooled for now. The person who kidnapped Seline was also one of James’ men,” Tessa advised her sternly.

“Alright.” There was clear fright in Marriane’s eyes as she added, “I’ll hire a tutor for Seline.”

Tessa suggested, “You might want to hire a reliable tutor, and thoroughly investigate their background before you do. I’m worried they might send someone to pose as a tutor to sneak into the house to take you and Seline hostage.”

“Yes, I’ll hire the tutor we’ve gotten Seline in the past.” Marianne nodded firmly.

“Thank you so much, Ms Connors.” Tessa massaged her temples wearily. “How’s Seline doing? Was she frightened yesterday?”

Marianne shook her head. “I didn’t tell Seline anything. Your father was found toward the end of the party, so I told Seline that he left early because something came up.”

“I see. I’ll have Stephen select capable bodyguards to protect you and Seline, Ms. Connors,” said Tessa.

“Okay.”

…

The next afternoon, Stephen finally managed to pay Samuel a visit after wrapping up his work.

Marianne was sitting by the bedside, feeding Samuel his medication. Meanwhile, Tessa was sitting on the couch. She had her laptop and case files spread out on the coffee table while she kept Samuel company.

Stephen entered the ward, followed by Samson, who placed bags of nutritional supplements and fruit baskets on a nearby table.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Yates,” Stephen said. “I’ve been busy tracking down the culprit after

I heard about your accident and wasn’t able to visit you immediately.”

Samuel let out a grunt in response.

Tessa looked up from her laptop. “Have you found the culprit?”

“Yes,” Stephen replied.

A spark of anger ignited in Tessa’s eyes. “Where is he?”

“I’ve handed him over to the authorities. Unfortunately, James has a solid alibi. All we can do now is apprehend the person who did the deed. We’ve got nothing substantial on James to arrest him,” Stephen elaborated.

Tessa’s expression darkened. “That madman wouldn’t be foolish enough to implicate himself.”

Stephen turned to Samuel, who was lying on the hospital bed, and apologized once more. “I’m very sorry you were dragged into this, Mr. Yates. This happened all because of me.”

Samuel looked very sickly and pale. “Stephen, Tessa told me everything. Are you telling me that the

Jacobsons, with all their power and influence, are unable to eliminate James? Are you going to just let him roam about harming people?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Yates. Currently, we’re only speculating that he’s involved in this. We don’t have any evidence that ties him to any of these cases, and the police won’t be able to assist us without it,” Stephen explained further.

Samuel grumbled, “Stephen, sometimes you have to cast your gentlemanly conduct aside. If your opponent plays dirty, all you can do is be craftier to defeat him. You’re not a cop, so why must you insist on finding evidence?”

Stephen lowered his gaze. He understood what Samuel was getting at very well.

It wasn’t that he needed evidence to confront James, but James had just returned

to Orkford. He kept a low profile and had no fixed residence to speak of.

Although Stephen had managed to track James’ whereabouts, his men always returned empty-handed.

Stephen patiently went into detail about their current situation.

Unfortunately, Samuel didn’t seem appeased. Instead, he merely sighed and continued to take his medication in dissatisfied silence.