?Chapter 996:


    In her heart, Dolores was certain of one thing—Gorman wasn’t walking away without a fight.


    Collin dumped out the basin and walked out of the bathroom, carrying the hairdryer along with him.


    On his way past Dustin, he tossed the hairdryer over. “How about you lend a hand for once?”


    “You mean me?” Dustin, caught off guard, barely managed to grab it. He nced over at Gorman.


    Gorman hardly reacted. He was busy drying off his hair with a towel, carefully using his uninjured arm.


    Linsey, noticing the awkward moment, quickly volunteered. “I can take care of it,” she offered, remembering her promise to look after Gorman. But before Linsey could reach for the hairdryer, Collin swiped it back from Dustin, irritation written all over his face.


    “I’ll do it myself. You can just rx,” Collin said, sounding less than thrilled, but still started to dry Gorman’s hair.


    Across the room, Joanne watched the entire exchange in disbelief. Stories about Collin had always reached her through Haven, how he threw himself into his work, never leaving any room for romance. It wasn’t just Haven, either. Anyone from Grester who knew Collin would say he was distant by nature.


    Yet, the Collin she was watching now seemed nothing like the cold, driven founder of CR Corporation everyone talked about.


    A wave of sadness washed over Joanne.


    If she were in Haven’s shoes, watching Collin change so much for another woman would be almost too much to bear.


    It wasn’t that Collin didn’t know how to love. He had just given all his affection to Linsey.


    No matter how captivating or impressive other women might be, Collin never seemed to notice anyone else.


    Dolores, meanwhile, caught Joanne eyeing Collin from across the room. She frowned, her mind already working through the possibilities. Had Joanne, who had arrived with Dustin, suddenly set her sights on Collin instead?


    “Now that you and Collin are fine, we’ll take our leave now,” Dolores said without hesitation as she turned to Linsey. She gently guided Dustin toward the door.


    Her other hand grabbed Joanne and almost pulled them both along. “We shouldn’t bother Gorman right now. We’ll drop by againter.”


    Before anyone could process what had happened, Dolores had hustled everyone out of the room.


    Left behind, Linsey shot a puzzled look at the closed door, deciding she would ask Dolores about itter.


    Just outside, Dolores nted her hands on her hips and faced Dustin and Joanne with a chilly expression. “Thanks for your help earlier. Linsey and Collin are fine now, so there’s no need for so many people in a hospital room. It’s better to give them space.”


    Dustin hesitated. “What about you?”


    Now that he knew Linsey and Collin were safe, Dustin’s attention was fixed entirely on Dolores.


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