Chapter: 401

Joanna felt a twinge of confusion. Where had Duncan heard those lines before? It felt like she'd heard them countless times.

Meanwhile, Norah had just finished a call with Susanna when Joanna's call came through. She pressed the Bluetooth headset to her ear, her other hand resting on the steering wheel. “What's up?"

"Oh! Finally! Norah, well done! I saw Susanna's social media post. Oh my! I'm really shocked! Weren't you on a mission in Otland? How did you end up in a car race and being together with Mr. Scott?"

Joanna's voice exploded in Norah's ear, prompting her to quickly adjust the volume on her earpiece. "I'll fill you in when I come back. By the way, I haven't called you in the past few days. How's your recovery going?"

“It's going well. Norah, when will you be back? I can't wait to hear all the details!"

Norah facepalmed in exasperation. Joanna got her injuries when she was trying to uncover some juicy gossip.

"I may need to extend my stay by another half month. A friend of mine is injured, and I feel I must stay here to take care of her,"

Norah replied.

Alice, an orphan trained by a secretive organization to become a formidable operative, had suffered her injuries in an attack. The thought of leaving Alice to fend for herself in such a condition was unthinkable to Norah.

"Alright, I miss you dearly. Make sure to fill me in with all the details once you're free. I'm eagerly waiting to hear everything!"

Joanna responded, already aware of Norah's new relationship and now keen on the juicy details. After all, firsthand accounts always carried a special authenticity.

“Got it." Norah concluded the conversation and maneuvered the sleek, deep blue sports car into the hospital's underground parking, making her way to Alice's ward.

Thanks to Norah's financial resources, Alice was placed in the hospital's finest VIP single room on a floor dedicated to such exclusive care, surrounded by silence.

As Norah neared Alice's ward, she was met with the shrill sound of a woman's voice. Peeking in, she witnessed the caregiver she had hired aggressively cleaning Alice's face with a washcloth. “You're such a sorry sight, all alone with no one to care for you! Not a single visitor all morning. How pathetic!"

Alice, barely conscious, her face pale and her golden hair sprawled across the pillow, weakly attempted to resist with her uninjured hand, to no avail.

"Bang!" With a forceful push, Norah burst into Alice's ward and swiftly brought the caregiver down with a kick, not stopping at just one but delivering two more. “How dare you treat her like this?"

Norah had chosen this caregiver based on the latter's supposedly excellent reputation and had not hesitated to pay a premium for what she believed would be superior care for Alice. Yet, Norah was confronted with this appalling scene on the very first day.

Lying on the floor, the caregiver erupted into curses. “What right do you have to attack me? Aren't I the one supposed to be nursing her?

She wasn't cooperating, so I had to apply a bit more pressure. I'm calling the police to report your assault."

Grasping the spot on her waist where Norah's kick had landed, the caregiver shakily tried to reach for her phone.

With a swift movement, Norah's foot connected with the caregiver's phone, propelling it across the room.

"Oh, I've captured your misconduct on camera. Feel free to call the police. Let's see who they'll cart off, you or me?" Norah brandished her phone confidently, clearly unsettling the caregiver.

Despite her predicament, the caregiver defiantly claimed, "I was merely tending to her, wiping her face. Didn't you notice she was sweating? You..."

"Enough!" Norah cut her off sharply. "What I've witnessed first-hand won't be dismissed by your feeble excuses. You can save your stories for the police."