Chapter 889 A Broken Rib
Stephanie stayed in the ward for an hour before leaving. Upon exiting the ward, she tossed a glance at Noah, who did not enter the ward at all.
“Noah, you should go in and accompany Isabella. She’s in quite a pitiful state. She’s crippled—both her arms and legs. Oscar has been merciless this time. As her family, we can’t just leave her on her own.”
A tinge of shock glinted across Noah’s eyes as he stared at Stephanie in mild disbelief. “Go on inside. I’ll head back to the Clinton residence first. If anything happens, I’ll let you know when I come back.” Taking no interest in the shift in his expression, Stephanie bolted away.
It was only until he could no longer see her silhouette did Noah stopped staring at her. Entering the ward, Noah looked down at Isabella’s disheveled appearance. Not a trace of sympathy could be detected on his face. At the sight of him, Isabella raised the corner of her lips into a smirk.
“You must be here to mock me, Noah. But you and I are not that different. If I’m going to have a hard time, you’re going to have a hard time either. I have quite a lot of information against Clinton Corporations in my hands right now. If you show me a bit of sympathy, maybe I can share some of them with you to counter Clinton Corporations. That way, our company will have time to rise back to its feet.”
A glint flashed across Noah’s eyes.
“Noah, I believe that you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. What do you say? As long as you promise me one thing, I will give you all the information I have. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be in a fight against Oscar either,” she added.
Isabella knew Noah like the back of her hand. She knew that he had sacrificed a lot for Walker Group and that he would never pass on such a golden opportunity.
“What do you want?” As expected, Noah took the bait.
Looking at him icily, Isabella said, “I need you to send me overseas so that I can receive treatment from the best medical experts.”
Noah stared at her, deep in his thoughts.
“Are you saying you can’t fulfill this simple request, Noah? If that’s the case, I can guarantee you that you will never win against Oscar in your entire life,” Isabella added mockingly on purpose.
Upon hearing that, Noah could not help but sneer.
“Don’t push my buttons, Bella. I’m gonna be honest with you. With my abilities now, it’s impossible for me to send you overseas. But if you give me the information that you have, maybe I can keep Oscar busy for a while. With him out of the way, you can use that time to rest up and recuperate. Otherwise, you can only rot along with the information you choose to keep a secret,” Noah said shamelessly with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
Isabella’s expression shifted.
“You sure are heartless, Noah. Even at this time, you’re still willing to throw your own sister under the bus.”
After a pause, she continued, “But since you’re unable to fulfill my request, then we shall see each other in hell. With you down there with me, at least I won’t suffer any loss.” After all, not like things can get any worse. Fear loses its power when one’s luck is constantly terrible. Death will only be a relief.
However, being in a lawful society, Oscar would not take her life. The worst thing that could happen to her was that she would have to struggle in every living moment of her life.
Sometimes, dying is better than living a low-quality life.
Noah’s expression changed slightly. “Let me think about it.”
The corners of Isabella’s lips turned upward as she felt her spirits lifted.
“I’m glad that you’re willing to consider it, Noah. After all, we’re siblings. We share the same flesh and blood. If misfortunes befall me, your luck may not be any better. If we join forces, we may be able to turn the ship around,” Isabelle said.
Noah lowered his head to think. After a moment, an idea popped into his head.
“I can help you. But if you want me to help you, you’ll have to reveal some of the information you have regarding Clinton Corporations. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know if you were being genuine,” argued Noah.
Isabella lowered her gaze as she fell silent.
“Bella, we’re on the same boat here. If I’m ruined, the Walker family will not have enough money to get you a decent ward and the best treatment. Only if you’re willing to help me I can fight back. As much as I despise you, as your brother, I won’t leave you to rot. You better think long and hard about my offer,” Noah said nonchalantly.
After a brief pause, he continued, “Bella, don’t even think about asking others for help. Perhaps others might be nice to you for their own benefit, but the moment you’re of no use to them, they might not remain loyal any longer. By then, you can only be left to beg on the streets. But I’m different. Even with all the resentments I feel toward you, Mom and Dad will still care for their daughter. As long as the Walkers still hold some power over this city, you’ll still have food on your table.”
Isabella’s eyelashes quivered. She looked as though she was convinced.
“All right, I’ll give it to you.”
Signaling for Noah to lean closer, Isabella whispered something in his ear.
“I’ll head back now.”
Noah turned and strode toward the door. Just as he was about to exit, Isabella called out to him, “Noah, don’t forget that I’m still your baby sister. You used to hold me in your arms when we were younger, remember?”
Noah halted in his tracks. A hint of hesitation flickered across his eyes.
“If the Walker family is not burned to the ground by Oscar, I won’t leave you in the dust.” With that, Noah left.
Isabella looked up at the ceiling, a twinkle in her eyes.
She had always been so focused on obtaining the things that she wanted. Yet as she lay alone in the ward, she realized too late that the thing that she wanted was no longer important. If she could turn back time, she would never have provoked Oscar. That man was not someone she could afford to mess around with.
Unfortunately, there was no cure for regret.
The rim of Isabella’s eyes began to redden. Her arms and legs had become useless. Even the doctors had told her that the chances of her ever walking again were one in ten thousand. She had become completely crippled. Moreover, she had no idea how Oscar would take his revenge on her again in the future, or if he even would. Fear of the uncertain crept into her chest.
She was terrified that she would be completely abandoned by everyone.
Lying in the silent room, Isabella could not help but feel a little melancholic.
Meanwhile, Noah did not have the time to think about so many things. The moment he stepped out of the ward, his mind was flooded with the thought of getting his hands on the documents. Because of that, he drove all the way to Oceania Garden in midtown without paying much attention to his surroundings. Holding the keys that were given to him by Isabella, Noah showed them to the security guard and said Isabella’s name. After inspecting the keys, the guard allowed Noah entry.
Pulling his car to a stop, he jogged up the stairs until he reached the third floor.
After a long search in the room, he finally found the documents that Isabella had told him about. Before he could smile, however, the documents in his hands were snatched away by someone.
He whipped his head around, and his expression changed drastically.
“Hugo.”
Hugo glanced at Noah, then made his move without warning.
Startled, Noah quickly moved back, dodging Hugo’s potentially harmful kick by a hair.
“Hugo, listen to me. Everything that happened to Oscar was Isabella’s fault. It has nothing to do with me. You crippled all her limbs, but my family has been kind enough not to press any charges. On account of our generosity, shouldn’t you spare me this time?” Noah tried to reason with Hugo as he hid from Hugo’s blows.
A look of disdain flashed across Hugo’s eyes. He could not believe that someone would be so spineless to blame everything on their own sister.
Men who depended on women but blamed women were the people he hated the most.
“Mr. Walker, your good days have come to an end. It’s time for you to have a taste of bitterness in life. I believe you’ll love to spend time with your sister in the hospital,” responded Hugo coolly.
Noah’s face contorted. He was well aware that he was not a match for Hugo. If Hugo did not hold himself back, Noah knew he would either die or be severely injured.
As he continued hiding from Hugo’s blows, Noah tried to think of an escape route. However, as he stared at the sealed door, he knew that escaping would be impossible.
When Noah was lost in thought about escaping, Hugo seized that moment to pin him on the ground with his foot and stepped on his chest.
Feeling the crushing pressure on his chest, Noah paled as he spat out a mouthful of blood. He only had time to glance at Hugo before losing consciousness.
Hugo lifted his leg slightly before stomping on Noah’s chest. A muffled groan escaped Noah’s lips as he jolted awake from the pain. He tried to move, but as he did so, a sharp pain shot from his chest.
He had no doubt that he had a broken rib.
