Chapter <b>185 </b>
For the first time, Jessica felt her minde to a halt. ‘<i>So </i>this man, who looked so much like Reba, is an old acquaintance of Amelia’s?‘ she thought.
“Let’s go,” Reba said to Jessica..
Jessica nodded and followed.
Just as they were about to get to Amelia’s hospital room, Ryan came running over, his voice way louder than before. “Just give me a minute with her. I swear I’ll say my piece and leave right after
Reba frowned slightly, ready to say no. But before she could, Amelia called out from inside the room, “Let
him in.”
Jessica blinked. Somehow, she felt that Ryan had been waiting until they’d walked a good distance before chasing after them–only to say that right outside the ward door. So that Amelia could hear him and call him <ol><li>in. </li></ol>
“Mom.” Reba called as she walked into the room.
“Amelia,” Jessica greeted with a smile.
Amelia’s eyes softened, her voice gentle. “Jessica, you’re here.”
Jessica went over to the bed to check up on Amelia, asking how she was feeling and what had happened since she woke up. Amelia answered everything and then asked about how Jessica was doing these days.
When Jessica was little, her parents were rarely home, so she’d often bring Ian over to hang out with Reba. Over time, Amelia’d grown quite close to these kids.
By the time their conversation ended, five minutes had passed. Ryan had been quietly standing about five steps from Amelia’s bedside, watching her. He didn’t dare interrupt while she and Jessica caught up–he just waited patiently.
Finally, Amelia turned to him, her voice t. “One minute.”
Ryan froze for a moment, realizing she was talking to him. He hurriedly asked, “Is Reba our child?”
Jessica stared at Reba, her eyes wide. ‘What the heck is happening right now?‘ she thought in shock.
“She’s only my child,” Amelia said, cutting off any hope Ryan might have.
“I know. But the month she was born lines up exactly with that child we had back then. You can’t fool me,” Ryan said, his sharp eyes fixed on Amelia.
Amelia looked at him like he was an idiot. Then, in a cold, t tone, she said, “Time’s up.”
Ryan’s brow furrowed. “Amelia…”
<b>10:59 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>2 </b>
Amelia met his gaze calmly. “Get out.”
Ryan just stared at her, a whirlwind ofplicated emotions swirling in his eyes.
Sensing the tense, stifling atmosphere, Jessica cleared her throat and whispered to Reba, “Maybe I should step out for a bit ande backter?”
This was such a huge bombshell–not something a woman from the younger generation like her should
overhear.
“No need,” Amelia cut in, her words carrying an unspoken meaning. “He’s the one who should be leaving.”
“Can’t we talk like normal people?” Ryan said, struggling. “If you hate me for what happened back then, I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. But don’t you want Reba to have someone strong in her corner–<b>a </b>real dad?”
“Richard’s my dad on paper,” Reba said coolly, “but in my heart, Mom’s all my parents.”
She thought, ‘Richard’s awful, forcing me to go drinking with clients and even hiring a driver to get rid of me. But he only ever came after me. He stuck to our deal and left Mom alone.
‘Honestly, Richard is better than Ryan when ites to Mom. At least Richard’d kept up the act and protected Mom before Jensen Group copsed. Ryan, on the other hand, hurt Mom deeply.
“We don’t have any connection at all,” Reba said, her tone icy. “If you’re done here, Mr. Guzman, please leave.”
Ryan kept staring at Amelia, hoping she’d change her mind.
“Reba, get the bodyguards,” Amelia said tly, not even bothering to look at Ryan. “There’s no use wasting time on someone like him.”
“Okay,” Reba replied, pulling out her phone to make the call.
“Don’t bother. I can walk myself out,” Ryan said, forcing down the emotions churning inside him. His gaze swept over Reba’s face, then Amelia’s. “We’ll talk again when you’re better.”
With that, he turned on his heel and left, not sticking around another second.
The room grew quiet. Jessica nced at Reba–even though she’d been through so much, she wasn’t sure how to break the tension right now.
“Richard already knows about Reba. No need to feel awkward,” Amelia said to Jessica, wanting to clear things up for her. After all, she was Reba’s best friend.
Finally, Jessica felt at ease. “No wonder I thought he looked like Reba thest time I ran into him. They are family.”
Amelia paused. “They look alike?<b>” </b>
Despite her disdain for Ryan, his face was pretty much burned into her memory from all those years
<b>10:59 </b>Thu, <b>Oct </b><b>2 </b>
together. And Reba’d always been right by her side.
She knew them both so well that she’d never even noticed how much they looked alike.
“Honestly, it’s like a seven or eight out of ten,” Jessica said. She’d never met Ryan before, but the second she saw him, she instantly thought of Reba.
Amelia frowned, falling into thought,
Reba caught the change in her expression. “Mom, anything wrong?” she asked.
Amelia looked at her. “Do you want to acknowledge him as your father?”
Reba and Jessica stared, both dumbfounded.
“Just forget it,” Amelia said before Reba could reply. “Those Guzmans are totally nuts. If you went back to them, you’d get tangled up in their crazy mess. For your own good, let’s not even go there.”
“Amelia,” Jessica started, hesitating.
Amelia looked at her. “Yeah?”
Jessica continued, “I’ve got a question, but it might be a bit rude.”
Amelia immediately saw through her. “You’re worried that if Reba is taken back by the Guzman family, people might call her an illegitimate child, right?”
“Yeah,” Jessica admitted, not surprised Amelia had guessed it. Back when she used to hang out with Reba, she’d noticed Amelia always had this uncanny intuition about things–like she just knew what everyone was
thinking.
“Ryan doesn’t have a wife or kids,” Amelia said, her voice calm. “So if Reba went back to him, no one would gossip.”
“How do you know that?” Reba asked. “He told me you two haven’t seen each other in like twenty years.”
Amelia shrugged. “May told me.”
Reba got it right away. If May ever talked about Ryan, it was always to roast him–not a single nice word,
ever<b>. </b>
They didn’t dwell on it for long. After tossing out a couple of casual remarks, they moved on.
<b>***** </b>
Ever since Jeffrey learned that Ryan tagged along with Reba and Jessica into Amelia’s hospital room, he had his guys watching the room closely.
Even after Ryan left, Riley couldn’t drop the topic.
“Do you think he was there trying to get all fatherly with Reba?” she teased.
<b>10:59 </b>Thu, <b>Oct </b><b>2 </b>
Jeffrey’s voice was t. “Whatever. Doesn’t concern me.”
專區
“How does it not concern you?” Riley arched an eyebrow. “If I were Reba, I’d recognize that dad and let him go after you.” <fnaf96> This content belongs to FιndNovel</fnaf96>
Jeffrey nced at her.
Riley nudged further, “Sure, the Guzman Group isn’t quite as stacked as the Hanson Group, but Ryan’s been around way longer than you. If he steps in as Reba’s dad and starts gunning for you, how sure are you you’d win?”
Jeffrey almost instantly concluded: fifty–fifty. He’d have the edge in a straight–up business fight. But with Reba in the mix, he wasn’t sure how far he could go.
Riley, who had a clear–headed perspective on the situation, pressed, “You still think this is none of your business?<b>” </b>