Chapter 341
Chapter 341:
Yousef curled his lip in open disdain. “Aiden turned out to be a complete coward. After the accident, he made one pathetic appearance at the hospital and disappeared. Meanwhile, Brayden is the one standing with the victim’s family, trying to hold them together. Aiden created the problem, but he’s letting everyone else scrub up the fallout p>
Gracie had always known Yousef held a low opinion of Aiden, but she hadn’t expected the criticism to slice quite so cleanly.
She shifted her gaze between Yousef and Gary, urgency tugging at her voice. “You’re not leaving, right? I need you to watch Bernie for me. Brayden needs me right now p>
Gary gave a calm, grounding nod. “Go. We’ll keep everything under control here,” he promised, his steady tone giving her just enough reassurance to move.
With their reassurance lingering behind her, Gracie slipped back into her room, swept her belongings together in a quick, practiced rush, and headed out of the resort villa.
During the drive, she fired off a message to Jessie letting her know she’d already left, then tapped Charlie’s number.
“What can I do for you?” His voice came through muddled by background noise, loud enough that she had to replay it in her mind just to make sense of it.
She tightened her grip on the wheel. “Where are you right now p>
“At the hospital p>
“Got it. I’m on my way p>
She dropped the call, pressed her foot hard to the pedal, and raced straight toward the hospital.
Feel the magic on gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․com
Skirting the reporters outside, she slipped into the stairwell and climbed toward the room. By the time she reached the doorway, a burst of frantic sobs and angry voices spilled into the hall.
“My husband’s hurt, and even if he pulls through, he’ll be disabled!” a woman cried, her voice raw. “How are we supposed to live like that? You need to compensate us, or we’re not letting this drop p>
“You’re a high-powered CEO, yet you keep squeezing people like us. Is it really that hard to give us what we’re owed p>
“If your company won’t pay, we’ll take this straight to the media. We’re not backing down p>
A tight crease formed between Gracie’s brows as she stepped into the room, her gaze landing on Brayden boxed in by the victim’s furious relatives.
He stood steady beneath the barrage of accusations and said, “Once the investigation confirms who’s responsible, the company will shoulder everything. You’ll get every cent you’re owed, I promise. But we need time to look into this properly p>
“Time? You’re stalling on purpose—hoping we’ll settle for less, aren’t you?” A middle-aged woman lunged forward, clutching Brayden’s collar with trembling hands, her tear-stained face contorted in fury.
Charlie cut in fast, bracing himself between them, fresh scratches scoring his cheeks from the earlier scuffle. Clive kept trying to soothe the agitated crowd, but every attempt fell flat.
Gracie stepped in, her voice steady. “Per procedure, we can’t authorize any payout until liability is established. That said, Brayden and I will cover all medical expenses ourselves. Getting proper treatment comes before anything else p>
The entire room froze, the shouting collapsing into a heavy, startled quiet.
The middle-aged woman clutched her grade-school son closer, tears streaking down her cheeks. “Why did this happen to us? I’m not here to bleed anyone dry… I just want my husband to come home healthy p>
Gracie eased a comforting hand onto her shoulder. “We hear you,” she murmured. “But the accident already happened. Right now, his care matters most. When the investigation wraps, you’ll receive a clear, fair explanation. And if the fault lies with us, we won’t run from it p>
She slipped an exclusive credit card from her pocket and spoke to the victim’s family with steady resolve. “In a moment, please come downstairs with my assistant. We’ll take care of every medical expense for now, and your husband’s treatment won’t be held up p>
A wavering silence circled the room before the family glanced from the gleaming card to their loved one lying on the bed and finally offered reluctant nods.
Gracie passed the card to Clive with quiet firmness. “Handle the payment with them p>
Clive gave a crisp nod and guided the group out of the room.
Brayden crossed the space once they were gone, his tone dropping to a low murmur. “What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to stay at the resort villa p>
“I need a word with you.” Gracie drew him into the quiet hallway, her grip firm on his sleeve as the door eased shut behind them. “About that video of Frazier,” she said, lowering her voice. “He walked into Aiden’s office and resigned the very next day. I’m willing to bet he’s holding something—enough proof to put the blame squarely on Aiden p>