Chapter 479

Victor had only wanted Theresa to yield to him.

Since Jason was involved, he wouldn’t have actually abandoned the dog if she had just backed down. But hearing what Theresa said, his own temper flared.

“You’re breaking up with me over a dog?”

“Fine, Theresa. You’ll regret this.”

“As long as I’m here today, I guarantee no hospital will take that dog!”

Victor was determined to win this battle of wills.

True to his word, no hospital would help them.

Time and again, Theresa and Jason were politely turned away, each clinic giving them the same flimsy excuse. She finally understood that Victor was serious this time.

But she couldn’t bring herself to bow her head and apologize.

There was a selfish part of her, too.

She believed she wasn’t in the wrong. If she gave in now, Victor would only become more emboldened. He would think his cold-bloodedness was right, that his threats were an effective tool.

Jason noticed her hesitation. “It’s okay. There are private clinics.”

With that, Jason made a call and they took the puppy to a privately owned hospital.

“The injuries are severe. I can only promise to do my best to save him, but you should prepare yourselves for the worst,” the vet told them honestly. “And since we’re a private clinic, our equipment isn’t as advanced as those big-name hospitals. But we’ll give it everything we’ve got.”

Theresa’s heart tightened.

She instinctively glanced at Jason, expecting him to be upset, to blame her, to resent her for angering Victor and putting them in this position. She even imagined he might be so worried that he’d beg her to give in to Victor.

That’s what Kearney would have done.

Whenever she angered Victor, and he pulled an investment or some other benefit from the Carlisles, Kearney would coax and pester her to make peace with him.

“What’s pride? Profit is what matters most!”

“The Carlisle family is where it is today because I swallowed my pride and built this business piece by piece.”

“Can you bear the responsibility if the Carlisle family’s legacy is ruined because of you?”

Every time, Theresa felt something was wrong with that logic, but she could never put her finger on it.

Now, her back stiff with tension, she looked at Jason.

He glanced back at her, but it was just a brief look, a simple acknowledgment of her gaze, nothing more. He quickly turned his attention back to the vet, his voice calm but firm.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Please, do your best.

The doctor shook his hand, changed into his scrubs, and went into the operating room. Jason waited outside, not saying another word to her.

It was as if he had forgotten she was even there.

No pressure to compromise.

No blame.

Everything seemed to return to a state of calm.

If Theresa hadn’t seen his hands clenched into tight, trembling fists, she would have

thought he didn’t care at all.

Theresa felt increasingly restless.

After what felt like an eternity, she couldn’t help but speak up. “I’m sorry.”

Jason just looked at her, confused. “Hmm?”

“If it weren’t for me, he would have been treated at a hospital right away. We wouldn’t have had to take such a big risk,” Theresa said softly. “It’s my fault.”

Jason replied, “So, are you going to apologize to Victor?”

Hearing this, Theresa hesitated for a second.

In that instant, she felt the distance between them grow. A moment ago, she’d felt they were on the same side. Now she remembered: Jason was also a Lockridge, and a friend of Victor’s.

He was just one more person pressuring her to bow to Victor.

Theresa’s heart turned cold, and her tone grew icy. “No.”

“Why not?” Jason asked again. “Apologizing to Victor would gain you far more than you’d lose. So why are you hesitating?”

Theresa retorted, “Because I don’t believe I did anything wrong.”

“But because of you, we can’t find a hospital,” Jason pointed out.

This was the exact thought that had been tormenting Theresa-that it was her fault

Victor was blocking them, putting the puppy at greater risk.

But it was one thing for her to think it, and another for Jason to say it.

She felt as if the man standing before her wasn’t Jason, but her father, Kearney, forcing her to go apologize to Victor.

Anger flared within her. Her face flushed as she said, her voice fulkof indignation, “But I’m not the one who made them refuse us! The culprit isn’t me! I’m a victim here, too!”

Her eyes reddened, and her voice trembled with a sense of injustice.

Even the way she looked at Jason was now tinged with defiance.

The atmosphere was tense for a couple of seconds.

Then, Jason suddenly smiled. “That’s right. You’re a victim, too. So why should you feel sorry to me?”

“You’ve already done the best you

could,” Jason told her gently. “After all, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t. have had the means to get him to hospital, or the ability to give him

this chance at life.”

“Do what you can. You don’t have to compromise on something you believe wasn’t

wrong.”