CHAPTER 946: CHAPTER 946: CHILDBEARING TOOL

Ann Vaughn looked coldly at Jude Halloway’s back, took a deep breath, walked up to Reese Lynch, and handed her some tissues.

"Thank you, Miss Vaughn." Reese Lynch accepted the tissues and wiped her eyes, her voice even weaker than when she had just woken up. "My attending doctor told me that thanks to you, my life was saved this time. Otherwise, it would have been dangerous. Really, thank you."

"No need to thank me." Ann Vaughn sat down by the bedside, contemplating for a few seconds before hesitantly saying, "You’ve just woken up. By rights, there are some things I shouldn’t tell you at this time, but I think it’s better for you to know."

Reese Lynch’s heart tightened, "Is it about my daughter? Is she...not doing well?"

"It is somewhat related to your daughter." Ann Vaughn pursed her red lips and tactfully informed Reese Lynch about the residual saffron toxin in her body.

Reese Lynch’s newborn daughter also carried a small amount of saffron toxin from her mother’s body.

Although the amount is small, over time, it can have certain harmful effects on the body.

"What did you say? There’s saffron in my body!?" Reese Lynch covered her mouth in disbelief, "That’s impossible. I was very careful with my diet during pregnancy. There’s no reason I would inadvertently consume it..."

At this point, Reese Lynch’s voice was abruptly cut off, as if someone had suddenly muted her.

Ann Vaughn looked up at Reese Lynch and saw her face grow paler and paler, faintly showing some embarrassment.

"I remember now... When I first found out this one was a girl, my mother-in-law brewed me some traditional medicine, claiming it was to stabilize the pregnancy." Reese Lynch said with difficulty, "But I didn’t like the taste, so I drank it twice and secretly poured out the rest."

Reese Lynch covered her eyes with her hand, "No wonder, no wonder she initially wanted me to abort the child, but then brewed me pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. I thought she had a change of heart."

If she hadn’t stopped drinking those "pregnancy-stabilizing medications," she might not have escaped the fate of miscarriage.

What exactly does the Halloway Family take her for?

A breeding tool?!

Ann Vaughn didn’t know how to comfort her, so she said, "When your daughter is a bit older, I can help her remove the remaining toxins in her body, so it won’t have much of an impact on her health. But your body... has suffered too much damage and can only be slowly nursed back to health."

Every family has its hardships, but the one Reese Lynch faces seems particularly difficult.

"Thank you, Miss Vaughn, I will certainly remember your kindness."

Recalling the earlier events, Ann Vaughn couldn’t help but ask, "What do you plan to do next?"

Reese Lynch wiped the corners of her eyes. She still looked frail, but there was determination in her voice, "After I’m discharged... no, tomorrow I’ll ask him for a divorce. I’m a person, not an animal. Why should I let their family treat me this way?"

"Miss Lynch, I support you!" An assistant entered, saying excitedly, "You’ve finally figured it out. If Uncle and Auntie knew, they’d be very pleased."

Ann Vaughn clearly noticed Reese Lynch’s expression dimmed. She hadn’t intended to ask, but she heard her say, "Ever since I willfully decided to marry Jude Halloway, my parents cut ties with me. They haven’t been willing to see me for so long."

How could Reese Lynch bring herself to call them now and explain her grievances?

Parents...

Ann Vaughn’s eyes darkened slightly, then she said to Reese Lynch in a calm voice, "At least you still have family you can contact. Some things, if you don’t do them now, you might never have the chance to do later."

Like her, wanting to contact her own parents.

Only to realize she had no parents at all.

Reese Lynch was visibly moved, but when she picked up her phone, she was too fearful to dial that familiar number.

"Miss Vaughn, I... I’m afraid..." For some reason, even though Ann Vaughn looked much younger than herself, Reese Lynch couldn’t help but want to lean on her.

Ann Vaughn took her phone. "I’ll make the call for you, don’t make a sound for now."

The call was answered in less than five seconds, and an elderly, resonant voice came through.

"What business do you have calling?" The tone sounded indifferent.

"Hello, Uncle. I’m Reese Lynch’s friend. My name is Ann Vaughn." Ann Vaughn’s expression instantly turned anxious, as if about to cry, "Reese suffered a massive hemorrhage during childbirth. Her situation is critical, but no family members are around, so I had to use her phone to call you."

There was the sound of a teacup clattering, which only stopped after a moment.

"Is what you said true?" Mr. Linden couldn’t maintain his indifferent tone anymore, "What hospital is Reese in? How is she now? Hemorrhage... Reese is B blood type, is there enough in the blood bank?"

"At the Imperial Capital First Hospital. The surgery is over, but the doctor said Reese hasn’t passed the critical period. I’m worried something unexpected might happen..."

"Her mother and I will book a flight immediately and come over, young lady. I’ll have to trouble you in the meantime." Mr. Linden said solemnly.

"It’s no trouble. Uncle and Auntie, please be careful on your way, or else... there will be no one to stand up for poor Reese."

There was more to Ann Vaughn’s words, and someone as astute as Mr. Linden couldn’t miss it, making his mood even heavier.

After hanging up, Mr. Linden immediately called his personal secretary to quickly book plane tickets.

"Commander, shouldn’t we report this to the higher-ups first? After all, your health..."

"Do I need to file a report to see my daughter? Who stipulated that? Just book the tickets, I’ll handle everything else!"

The secretary could only comply, "Yes, Commander."

Meanwhile, Reese Lynch and her assistant, having witnessed Ann Vaughn’s series of "performances," were both stunned.

When Ann Vaughn was putting on the "pity act," her voice was choked and urgent, as if the sky was falling.

In reality, her face showed no expression at all.

If she hadn’t been looking directly at her expressionless face, Reese Lynch might have thought she was at death’s door, let alone her unsuspecting father.

"Miss Vaughn, now I understand why your acting in ’Phoenix’s Rise’ is so good." The assistant gave a thumbs up.

Even before being captivated by her role as Green Jade, the assistant had privately wondered why Ann Vaughn, a skilled traditional Chinese doctor, would go into acting.

Now it seemed, she had been narrow-minded.

Calmly, Ann Vaughn returned the phone to Reese Lynch, quietly savoring her achievements.

But...

"You know ’Phoenix’s Rise’? Then do you know the name of the actress who plays Green Jade?"

The assistant laughed upon hearing this, and coincidentally was reading reviews of ’Phoenix’s Rise’ on her phone. She pulled up the cast page to show Ann Vaughn.

"Miss Vaughn, look, your name is on the cast list. How could you not remember it?"