Preston Vance’s gentle voice was faintly audible over the phone.
Chloe Reed was just about to reply when she suddenly heard Walker Grant break into a violent fit of coughing.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
Fiona Linton looked bewildered. She thought, "It’s just a fever, not a respiratory infection. What are you coughing for?"
But Chloe’s attention was already drawn away. She looked at Walker with concern.
"I’ll... go to the hospital to see you... later," she said hurriedly to Preston.
Preston had also heard the intense coughing. It was loud and impossible to ignore. Understanding as always, he replied, "Alright."
Hanging up the phone, Chloe went to Walker’s side. She patted his back gently, looking at his face, which had flushed red from the violent coughing.
"How... are you?"
Walker coughed for a moment longer before suppressing it with great effort. "I’m fine," he said.
"He..."
Fiona opened her mouth to say something, but immediately sensed Walker turning his head slightly to look at her. An unmistakable sense of pressure followed suit.
Fiona was speechless. "Fine," she thought.
Chloe looked at her suspiciously and asked, "What about him?"
She wondered why Fiona had stopped mid-sentence.
Fiona’s eyes flickered. "He has a very bad cold. Let’s hurry up and eat so we can set up his IV drip."
Chloe nodded. "Okay."
In the dining room, the food was already laid out on the table. The three of them sat down and ate in silence.
Chloe’s gaze frequently landed on Walker’s face, and she even served him food.
Fiona took in the entire scene. She could clearly see that Walker was thoroughly enjoying this moment!
She thought, "What a scheming man! He probably caused his own fever, too. Is his whole goal just to make Chloe feel sorry for him? Does he really have no other tricks up his sleeve? Now he’s playing the sympathy card. Tsk!"
Fiona looked away in utter disgust.
Just then, her phone rang. She pulled it out, and her expression shifted slightly as she saw the caller ID.
"I need to take this," she said to Chloe. "Take your time eating."
Chloe nodded, a hint of worry in her eyes as she noticed Fiona’s grim expression.
Fiona returned to her room and answered the call. "Hello?" she said, her tone laced with displeasure.
"You’re so fierce," a lazy voice drawled from the other end. Without the deafening sounds of artillery fire from the night before, the background was completely silent, making his voice sound exceptionally pure and smooth.
Fiona frowned in disgust. "Can you speak properly?"
The man chuckled softly. "I’m just calling to let you know I received the wire transfer. I was afraid you might come after me later and complain that I didn’t tell you."
"Heh, you’re overthinking it. It’s impossible for me to ever look for you again," Fiona retorted bluntly. "Is there anything else? If not, I’m hanging up."
Without waiting for a response, she prepared to end the call.
"Jasper Holloway is planning to return to the country soon."
However, that single sentence stopped her dead in her tracks. Her eyes instantly turned icy, and her tone grew dead serious. "Is that true?"
The man scoffed with a light laugh. "This is what I do for a living overseas. Why would I lie to you?"
Fiona gritted her teeth. "That animal. He’s finally willing to crawl out of his rat hole."
"So, what do you plan to do?" the man asked.
"Kill him!"
Fiona made no effort to hide her hatred.
The man voiced his agreement. "Good idea. But how exactly are you going to do that? Are you capable of pulling it off?"