Marrying A Secret Zillionaire: Happy Ever After Novel

Chapter 1155: Her voice came out hoarse, layered with hurt and exhaustion. "I'm just... I'm just scared. For Alicia. For Jeffery. Jeffery might pull through... but Alicia..." Silence stretched between them before Linsey spoke again, her voice strained with worry. "Alicia is still pregnant, which makes her body more vulnerable right now. There's a chance she might..." The words died in her throat. Tears welled in Dolores' eyes as the implications sank in. "None of this should have involved them. They're completely innocent in all this." Guilt weighed heavily on Dustin's shoulders.

"My plan is what prevented me from warning them about Joanne beforehand. I should have seen this coming." Regret carved deep lines across his face as he shook his head. "I should have stationed more people to watch Joanne last night," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "How could I have underestimated just how cunning and ruthless she could be?" Linsey released a weary sigh. "Dwelling on it won't help anyone now. Joanne is gone, and all we can do is pray that Alicia and Jeffery make it through this nightmare." Silence fell over them again until Dolores suddenly looked around.

"Wait, where's Collin?" Linsey hesitated, her gaze shifting to Dustin. "I haven't seen him since this morning." Dustin raised his hands in bewilderment. "I'm just as clueless. Collin hasn't reached out to me at all." Studying him for several long seconds, Linsey finally spoke. "Honestly, before I knew about your scheme, I was convinced you two had some kind of serious falling out." A wry smile tugged at Dustin's lips as he scratched his head. "Fall out with Collin? Never. I was simply setting the stage, acting jealous of him on purpose.

That performance made it easy for my mother and Joanne to buy into the whole charade at the banquet." His expression grew serious again. "Still, you should try reaching Collin. He needs to know what happened here." Linsey's mouth tightened into a thin line. "He's been nowhere to be found all morning. Even if I tell him now, what difference would it make? If Alicia survives this, it'll be because of the medical team fighting to save her life." She pulled out her phone as she spoke.

gⱯlnσνs․com, the heart of storytelling Ready to give Collin a piece of her mind for disappearing without warning, she stopped short when the screen revealed dozens of missed calls from him. Linsey stared at the display, uncertainty flooding through her. Turning to Dustin, she asked with growing concern, "Has Collin been trying to reach you too?" Dustin fumbled for his phone, his face paling as realization hit. "Damn it, my battery died hours ago. I completely forgot to charge it!" Linsey's gaze shifted to Dolores, the question clear in her eyes.

Dolores blinked sheepishly, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "I blocked Collin's number ages ago. With everything that's been happening, it completely slipped my mind to unblock him." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I doubt he'd suddenly call me." Without a word, Linsey held up her phone screen for Dolores to see. "Apparently, he tried calling you too, but obviously couldn't get through." Dolores' eyes widened as she took in the long list of missed calls. "Well, that's our Collin for you. Still as persistent as ever when it comes to you." . . .