Chapter 321

“Talk!” Mr. Green strode forward, locking eyes with her. “Tell the truth. What really happened?”
The woman jumped, her face draining of color. “It-it was Carson. He bumped into Mr. Lane’s sister by accident, I swear it was an accident! That’s why the kettle fell.”
As she spoke, she clung anxiously to Mr. Green’s arm. “Uncle, you raised Carson after his father passed away. You bought his formula when he was just a baby-you know him better than anyone. Carson would never hurt anyone on purpose. He’s just a child. He doesn’t understand anything. Please, don’t blame him.”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke, because Mr. Green’s face had turned as dark as a thundercloud. He’d never looked at her like this before; his glare made her heart clench, leaving her even paler.
“Uncle, who is that man? Why are you so afraid of him?”
Smack-
Mr. Green’s hand lashed out, landing hard across her cheek. He didn’t hold back; the slap rang out in the room.
Clutching her stinging face, the woman stared at him, hurt brimming in her eyes. “Uncle, why did you hit me again?”
Mr. Green jabbed a finger at her, face flushed with rage, his teeth gritted. “You idiot. Are you trying to ruin me?”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. The little boy, seeing his mother struck, shrank even further behind her, refusing to come out.
Mr. Green spotted the boy hiding behind her in an instant. He lunged forward, yanking the child out into the open and grabbing him by the collar. “Why did you run into her, huh?! Speak! Why did you do it?!”
The boy trembled, clutching at Mr. Green’s hand, his eyes wide with terror. His lower lip quivered, and he broke into wailing sobs. “Mom! Mom!”
The woman rushed forward, pulling her son away from Mr. Green’s grip. “Uncle, Carson’s just a child! He’s just a child, please—don’t treat him like this.”
Mr. Green was so furious his jaw clenched tight. He pounded his fist against his own forehead, the other hand planted on his hip as he paced back and forth, seething with anger and panic.
Carson kept sobbing, his cries sharp and shrill, impossible to soothe no matter how his mother tried.
Mr. Green’s patience snapped. “Enough! Be quiet!”
The boy’s crying stopped instantly. His eyes, puffy and red, stared blankly at Mr. Green.
Hands on his hips, Mr. Green glared at them. “Do you have any idea who Mr. Lane is?”
He jabbed his index finger toward the ceiling. “That’s Andrew Lane! The man could have me thrown out of this hospital with a snap of his fingers. He could wipe out everything I have destroy my reputation, erase my entire life-without breaking a sweat. Even I wouldn’t dare cross him, and you two-how could you be so foolish?!”
The woman froze, her mouth parting in disbelief before she forced a shaky smile. “He can’t be that powerful, can he?”
Mr. Green let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Can’t he?”
“His last name is Lane. There aren’t five people in this entire city-hell, in this entire country-who’d risk offending Andrew Lane.” Mr. Green was practically beside himself with rage. “How could you say it’s impossible? You’re going to be the death of me! Now I don’t even know if I’ll keep my job as director!”