Chapter 192
The housekeeper obeyed without hesitation.
Her hands shook violently as she dialed Dominic's number. The first call went unanswered. The second attempt met the same fate.
Yet the line kept connecting each time.
After what felt like an eternity of redialing, someone finally picked up.
"Sir, Reginald Blackwood has suffered a cardiac arrest. He's at City Hospital now. Please come immediately!" The housekeeper's voice cracked with urgency.
City Hospital's VIP ward.
Reginald Blackwood lay motionless on the sterile hospital bed. The medical team had successfully stabilized him, his vital signs gradually returning to normal.
Beatrice Lockwood sat hunched in a chair beside the bed, dabbing at her swollen eyes with a tissue. The guilt radiating from her seemed almost tangible.
Margaret Lockwood and Julian Blackwood arrived shortly after receiving the news. As Edmund's second son, Julian shared an unbreakable bond with his grandfather - the man who'd practically raised him after his father's untimely death.
Reginald had been strict, yes, but fiercely protective of his family.
Julian actually felt closer to his grandfather than he ever had to his late father.
There was another reason for Julian's deep gratitude.
When Edmund had tried to abandon Margaret to marry Beatrice, Reginald had intervened. He'd vehemently opposed his son's decision, ensuring Margaret and Julian retained their place in Blackwood Manor.
Julian vaguely recalled the Armstrong family teetering on the edge of ruin during that turbulent period.
Without Reginald's intervention, he and Margaret would have been cast out onto the streets while Beatrice reaped all the benefits.
Julian had always carried this gratitude silently beneath his rebellious exterior. He longed to repay his grandfather, but business acumen wasn't his forte.
Unlike his older brother - heaven's perfect gift to Blackwood Industries.
If only Dominic's mother weren't so despicable.
Julian's forehead creased as he watched the frail old man struggle for breath. Reginald deserved to live a century, free from suffering.
Meanwhile, Margaret shot Beatrice a suspicious glance. Those crocodile tears didn't fool her. "Father seemed perfectly fine when I left this morning. What triggered this attack?" she demanded.
Margaret knew Beatrice's true nature. That woman wouldn't shed genuine tears unless hell froze over.
Something far more sinister was at play here.
The spacious VIP ward resembled a luxury suite more than a hospital room, complete with plush seating arrangements.
Dominic hadn't spoken since arriving.
Not during the agonizing wait outside emergency. Not when the doctors finally emerged with news. Not even when they transferred Reginald to this ward.
Silence hung thick until Margaret's unanswered question.
The attending nurse gently massaged Reginald's IV site to ease discomfort.
Dominic's polished shoes clicked against the tile as he turned to leave.
He'd missed his scheduled departure time with Evelyn. Her phone went straight to voicemail. That haunted expression she'd worn earlier gnawed at him.
Reginald stirred weakly. Even blindfolded, he'd recognize those footsteps anywhere. "Dominic... wait..." he rasped.
Margaret's eyes snapped to her father-in-law.
Julian turned toward his brother, frozen mid-exit.
The pieces clicked into place.
Dominic had somehow caused this.
Margaret couldn't reconcile this with the dutiful son she knew.
Beatrice accepted a fresh tissue from a nurse, dabbing her red-rimmed eyes. "Give us some privacy," she requested.
Julian complied immediately, recognizing his grandfather needed to speak with Beatrice and Dominic alone.
Margaret resisted until Julian physically guided her out.
The medical staff followed.
Only three remained: Reginald on the bed, Beatrice at his side, and Dominic by the door.
Beatrice kept her head bowed as she wiped tears. "Dominic, I know you hate me for telling your grandfather. But I had no choice!"
She rushed to explain before Reginald could gather strength to interrupt.
"Do you know how hard it was raising you alone? The family rejected me. My so-called friends abandoned us. You were my only comfort."
Her voice cracked dramatically. "To protect you, I had to swallow my pride and accept Robert Sinclair's help."
This performance was for both men.
Zachary's temper no longer frightened her, but the Blackwood patriarch still held power.
If her son wouldn't support her this morning, she needed Reginald's intervention.
She'd known the risk to his health. But Evelyn could never marry into their family!
Dominic's voice cut through the ward like winter wind. "My records show I grew up in an orphanage until the Blackwoods took me in."
He bore no resentment about his past.
He pitied Margaret, though duty compelled him to respect Beatrice as his birth mother - even when she was wrong.
Yet her actions erected an invisible wall between them.
That's why he maintained polite distance rather than genuine closeness.
The orphanage had taught him life's harsh realities. The Blackwood scandals schooled him in morality.
His mother was a mistress who traded integrity for wealth. An undeniable truth.