Chapter 381

Two days later.

Lawrence stood by the bedside, holding Madam Rodriguez's hand.

Madam Rodriguez was slowly recovering at a visible rate. These past two days, her vision had become clear, and she could distinguish between individuals. She could make clear gestures toward Lawrence, like smiling, blinking or showing displeasure.

Even the doctor said, "Madam Rodriguez's progress is remarkable. All of Madam Rodriguez's movements were slightly noticeable. Even now, she is able to slowly support herself to get out of bed and take a few steps."

Lawrence's mouth curved upwards, radiating a particularly joyful expression. "Mother, did you hear that? You'll be completely fine soon," Lawrence said with a smile, blinking his eyes at Madam Rodriguez.

"Can you try speaking?" Lawrence leaned down and touched the old woman's hair. His gaze gradually deepened as he held Madam Rodriguez's hand, trying to ask, "Can you tell me what happened that night three years ago when you were abducted by Elliott and Winnie? Can you tell me yourself?"

Caught off guard by the question, Madam Rodriguez froze for a moment. Then her state of mind became unsettled, her eyes filled with fear, and the withered hand held by Lawrence trembled uncontrollably.

She moved on the bed, reaching down to touch her left kidney. Madam Rodriguez hissed, opening her mouth to her son as if she had a thousand words to accuse, but she could only utter simple monosyllables. "Isss issss"

"Mr. Rodriguez, not now!" The doctor intervened as he observed the skyrocketing data on the monitor. "The patient's emotions, heart rate, and lung fluctuations are too intense at the moment. It will seriously affect her condition, especially considering her vocal cords and language organization ability have not fully recovered yet."

Lawrence felt heartbroken. From his mother's expression, he probably guessed that the night three years ago was very traumatizing for her.

"What does 'is' mean? Does she want to say who?" Lawrence quickly held his mother's hand, who was about to roll her eyes, and comforted her, "Mom, don't worry. If you can't speak, don't force yourself. Rest first."

Under his reassurance, Madam Rodriguez slowly regained her serenity from her confused gaze. She couldn't bear any exhaustion. Her eyelids drooped halfway, and the doctor gestured for Lawrence to step out and talk.

As he was leaving, Madam Rodriguez held Lawrence's hand, and Lawrence understood her expectation. "Do you want to see Sidney?"

Madam Rodriguez shook her head. She wanted to see both of her grandsons, and she made a gesture with her hand.

Lawrence frowned in confusion. "What do you mean by two?" He suddenly realized something and sighed. "You only have one grandson."

Madam Rodriguez was stunned. She distinctly heard two names, Sidney and Oscar, at home a few days ago when she hadn't woken up yet.

Although she could only vaguely recognize some voices, she was certain that she had two grandsons. She wondered why did her son seemed unaware.

"Wait here. I'll call him," Lawrence said to himself, letting go of her arm. The man walked out, arranging for the maid to bring Sidney into the ward.

Then his gaze turned to the doctor. He was the top rehabilitation expert Lawrence had invited from abroad.

The doctor said, "Mr. Rodriguez, you also saw just now Madam Rodriguez's emotional outburst. It will be detrimental to her condition. Moreover, her vocal cords and language organization ability have not yet recovered."

Although Madam Rodriguez expressed herself briefly, Lawrence did not push her. The results of her blood tests were still pending, and she was experiencing multiple organ-related issues. Considering her previous ailments, she was in a vulnerable state and required stability above all.

Lawrence understood what the doctor was trying to inform.

Judging by his mother's reaction, something terrible must have happened during the three days from the night of the kidnapping three years ago to the kidney transplantation. He wanted to know, but he couldn't be impatient.

"Please provide the best medical care for my mother." As he was giving instructions to the doctor, his phone rang.

It was Bryan calling, reminding him, "Mr. Rodriguez, it's time to board the plane. Ystad contract cannot proceed without you."

"How did the inquiry go?"

In the hospital room, Darcy was waiting for Barbara to come back.

Barbara anxiously replied, "Not good. I asked the maid to inquire, and she found out that this morning Mr. Rodriguez consulted with experts and asked Madam Rodriguez about what happened three years ago that night. While Madam Rodriguez cannot speak, she was still able to emit a syllable or two."

"Darcy, we can't waste any more time!" Mrs. Ordelia exclaimed as she stood up sharply.

Darcy's complexion paled. It was time to take action. She looked at Barbara with a menacing gaze and asked, "Have you gathered all the necessary information?"

Barbara nodded, speaking in a hushed tone, "Madam Rodriguez's room is located on the second floor of Island Electronics Hospital, and in order to ensure she receives the best treatment, Mr. Rodriguez had the entire floor to herself, undisturbed. As per your instructions, I bribed the maid 500 thousand, and she informed me of the time when the security guard changes shift in the afternoon."

Mrs. Ordelia narrowed her eyes and glared fiercely at her daughter. "We can't afford any mistakes this time, so Darcy, you must swiftly take action."

After visiting her grandmother in the guarded ward, Sidney came out and informed Oscar. Winnie, who was standing nearby, joined the conversation and wanted to know about the old woman's condition. "Grandma still can't speak! And this morning, Dad asked her something that made her almost faint from breathlessness."

Winnie furrowed her brows. Lawrence probably asked Madam Rodriguez about what had happened three years ago.

At this moment, Winnie knew nothing about Madam Rodriguez's condition, and she was truly concerned.

Suddenly, Sidney blurted out, "Dad is going on a business trip to Ystad today. If you want to visit grandma, Oscar, you can actually take my place in the ward."

'Yes!' Winnie's mind flashed with inspiration. She quickly thought of a way to "examine" Madam Rodriguez. She held Oscar's hand. "Darling, go visit grandma quickly. You've been by Mommy's side for three years, and you've seen Mommy treat patients. You cooperate better with me than Sidney. What we can do once you enter is that we can video chat, and through the video, I can assess your grandmother's condition."

Oscar nodded with understanding.

Winnie took a deep breath. In fact, it wasn't difficult to heal Madam Rodriguez's vocal cords. They simply needed to find the right medication and implement the appropriate speech therapy exercises to restore language function from the brain.

She was very worried, especially since Lawrence had asked Madam Rodriguez. It was clear that Darcy had likely planted spies to gather more information, and they shouldn't be underestimated. Once Darcy found out about the progress, she had to compete with her for time. Otherwise, Madam Rodriguez was in great danger, but Lawrence remained unaware of this.

At 3 pm, Madam Rodriguez was lying in the hospital room, drinking the medicine brought by the nurse.

With a smile, the nurse nodded and left. As the door opened, Madam Rodriguez saw the maid delivering meals to the four bodyguards. It seemed to be the time for a shift change.

The television was on, and it had rained in the afternoon. The luxurious room with closed windows was very quiet.

Before long, another nurse came in, wearing a mask and pushing a medication cart. She gestured toward the intravenous drip bag for Madam Rodriguez. Madam Rodriguez nodded, knowing that it was time for an IV drip.

The nurse then adjusted the needle and walked to the head of Madam Rodriguez's bed, hanging the IV bag.

But Madam Rodriguez had an inexplicable feeling that the atmosphere had turned chilly. She turned her head to look around, and suddenly, something felt off. This nurse seemed different from the one she had encountered before. The previous nurse would engage in conversation with her rather than making gestures. Madam Rodriguez wondered why the nurse was gesturing to her. Perhaps the nurse knew that she couldn't speak at the moment.

A series of speculations made Madam Rodriguez feel uneasy. She looked up at the nurse wearing a mask, unable to see her face, but those eyes, they were sinister and eerie. Madam Rodriguez felt a strange sense of familiarity with those eyes, as if they were etched into her memories of terror.

"You..." A single syllable escaped Madam Rodriguez's pale mouth as she struggled.

Darcy's face beneath the mask slightly changed, quickly taking out a needle pack from her pocket, the silver needle glistening. They were all soaked in highly concentrated mute poison. She had used it on the old woman's cranial nerves before, altering her short-term memory.

Now, as long as she accurately stabbed the mute poison into the right area of the brain, and then pierced the vocal cords, Madam Rodriguez would never be able to speak again in her lifetime. Even tilting it slightly, causing her to become mentally impaired and unconscious, would not be a problem.

Darcy was well-versed in this art of poisoning. Therefore, to ensure Madam Rodriguez became fully muted, she had to take the risk and do it herself. She couldn't trust others. With gloved hands, she quickly held Madam Rodriguez's weakened head and mouth, leaning in to administer the needle.

Suddenly, the door to the hospital room burst open, and a small figure darted in, saying, "Grandma, I've come to see you!"

Darcy's expression froze, her eyes flickering, looking at Sidney at the door as she cursed inwardly at the sight of the little boy.