Chapter 53

Tarquin heard the tter of voices approaching and nted himself firmly outside the hospital room, a

living barrier to their advance. Not an inch closer to Elijah would they

Allegra, Tarquin’s aunt, was clearly displeased, “Tarquin, the moment we heard Elijah was under the

weather and admitted, we braved the snow to see him. A ‘thank you‘ is the least we’d expect. Now you

are not thanking us but barring the door. What’s the meaning of this?”

Tarquin didn’t even grant her a nce, “Elijah isn’t pining for yourpany.”

“Nonsense! I’m your father’s sister and your aunt, and I’m rted to him too! How dare you speak to

me this way? Have you no regard for me or your own father?” Allegra scowled.

Tarquin raised his head at the mention of his father, “If it weren’t for my dad, do you you’d even be

allowed to speak in my presence?”

think

“You… Listen to this, Dad. This is your darling grandson. Does he give a hoot about the Bradford

family? He…”

“Enough! Zip it! This is a hospital, not some fish market. We’re supposed to keep the peace here. As

the madam of Bradfords, you are yelling all the time and stooping low instead of acting high and

mighty. That’s so inappropriate.” Gideon snapped back, silencing her.

“I…” Allegra was so taken aback by the retort that she started to cry.

Verity quickly handed over a tissue to Allegra, “Allegra, please, calm down. Tarquin’s already on edge

with Elijah being sick, and you’re fanning the mes bringing up histe

dad.”

“And what of it? My brother would never have dared to speak to me like that!”

“Let’s just… drop it, okay?” Verity attempted to soothe the tension before turning to Tarquin. “Look,

Tarquin, your aunt here is genuinely worried about Elijah.”

Tarquin scoffed inwardly and lit a cigarette.

Verity continued, “Don’t fret. Elijah’s thest of the Bradfords. He’s got his guardian angels and the old

family luck. He’ll pull through.”

“How’s he doing, really?” Gideon inquired.

Tarquin flicked ash from his cigarette, “Same as always.”

“All these specialists and no improvement?”

Annoyed, Tarquin didn’t respond. Then Verity remarked, “It’s a mdy of the heart, and

20.07

that requires a therapy that regr doctors can’t apply.

If regr doctors can’t do the job, then what about the extraordinary ones? We cant just let this drag on

indefinitely. Allegra grumbled. “We can’t keep going like this. Elijah is the sole male heir of our

generation. He’s supposed to inherit the full weight of the Bradford legacy. But in this state, how can he

take over the Bradford Group? Can we really hand over the reins to someone so frail? And besides, if

he can’t even…

She was cut off by a sharp look from Gideon. Allegra’s lips moved, but no more words dared escape.

Tarquin red at her and extinguished his cigarette with force. Tired of the theatrics, he decided to get

straight to the point, “What do you all want? Spit it out. Don’t waste my time or yours.

He knew they weren’t here out of concern for Elijah.

After a brief silence, Gideon said, “We’ve heard there’s been a few business deals snatched right from

under the Bradford name, which cost us a fortune. What’s the deal?”

“Cuts and thrusts of business,” Tarquin replied coolly.

Gideon narrowed his eyes, “You’ve been on top of the game for years. How did someone manage to

outy you all of a sudden?”

“I’m human, not infallible. Losses are part of the game.”

“Who’s behind it? Someone from Jindale City?” Gideon was suspicious.

Tarquin saw through his scheme, so he met his gaze with an inscrutable look, “Granddad, you are

getting on in years. You needn’t worry about business affairs. I’ve got it under control.”

Gideon’s brow furrowed in concern, while Allegra’s temper red anew.