Volume 2: The Feast Above the Lies
Irene tightly held Carl's cold hand, and the sense of guilt in her heart gnawed at her like a venomous snake. She knew that Carl might have had his own motives for approaching her, yet she couldn't help being drawn to him. Now, he was in a dangerous situation because of her.
"It's my fault... I got you into this," Irene's voice was choked with sobs. "I shouldn't have let you get close to me, I shouldn't have..."
Carl shook his head with great difficulty and said weakly, "No... It's not your fault... They... Sooner or later... would find me..." His voice was intermittent, and it seemed as if he was using all his strength to utter each word.
"Who are they?" Irene asked urgently. "Who wants to harm you?"
Carl's eyes suddenly became alert. He tried to raise his head and reach for Irene's hand, but he could only feebly wave it in the air. "Don't... Don't ask... You... You're in danger..."
Before he could finish speaking, Carl coughed painfully, and blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth, staining the white bedsheet red. Irene was terrified and quickly pressed the call button at the head of the bed. Doctors and nurses rushed in upon hearing the alarm and drove Irene out of the ward.
Irene stood outside the ward, waiting anxiously. She could hear the busy voices of the doctors inside and Carl's painful moans. Her mind was in a mess, and various speculations and questions were tangled up like a mess of threads. Who on earth wanted to kill Carl? Was it really because of the feud between the Howard family and the Rockefeller family? Or... did Carl discover some deeper secret?
Sean stood beside Irene in silence, and his deep eyes were also filled with worry. "Irene, don't you think... Carl seems to know something?"
Irene nodded and told Sean the words Carl had said before he passed out. "He said someone would find him sooner or later, and he also said I was in danger... Sean, what exactly does he know?"
Sean was silent for a moment, then raised his hand and rubbed his tired eyebrows. "I need to investigate what Carl has been doing recently and who he has been in contact with." He paused, and his eyes turned cold. "The Rockefeller family is very complicated. Anyone who threatens the family's interests will not end well."
Irene looked at Sean's stern profile, and a chill rose in her heart. She knew that what Sean said was true. The Rockefeller family would stop at nothing to safeguard their family's interests. She even began to suspect that Carl's situation was related to Sean's uncle, the ambitious second-in-command of the Rockefeller family.
She didn't sleep a wink throughout the night.
The next morning, Irene went to the hospital to visit Carl again. Carl was still in a coma, his breathing was faint, and it seemed as if he could leave the world at any moment. Irene sat by the bedside, silently holding his hand, feeling a sense of powerlessness. She knew that all she could do now was to pray silently, praying that Carl could overcome his illness and survive.
At noon, Victoria suddenly appeared in the hospital. She was wearing a black suit and had a faint look of sorrow on her face, as if she was really there to visit the patient.
"Irene, I heard that Mr. Carl was attacked. It's really unfortunate," Victoria walked up to Irene and said softly. "Where's Sean? Isn't he here with you?"
"Sean is dealing with some matters," Irene said indifferently. She was disgusted by Victoria's false sympathy.
Victoria smiled, and a trace of barely noticeable mockery flashed in her eyes. "Is that so? It seems that Sean is really busy, so much so that he can't even take care of his fiancée."
Irene ignored Victoria's provocation and just looked at her coldly. "What are you doing here?"
Victoria shrugged, walked up to Carl's hospital bed, bent down, and said softly, "Mr. Carl, what a pity. I originally wanted to cooperate with you a few more times, but I didn't expect you to... Sigh..."
A strong sense of disgust welled up in Irene's heart. She felt that Victoria's arrival was definitely not just a simple visit. She must have some ulterior motive.
"Victoria, you'd better stay away from Carl," Irene warned. "He needs to rest quietly now and doesn't need your false kindness."
Victoria straightened up and looked at Irene with a smile. "Irene, why are you so nervous? Are you afraid that I'll do something to Mr. Carl?"
"I just don't want anyone to disturb him," Irene said.
"Is that so? I think you're more afraid that Mr. Carl will wake up and say something that you don't want others to know," Victoria's tone was tinged with a hint of playfulness.
Irene's heart sank. Victoria's words hit the nail on the head. She was afraid that Carl would wake up, afraid that he would reveal something about Olivia, and afraid that he would expose her true identity.
Just then, the door of the intensive care unit suddenly opened, and the doctor came out.
"Mr. Howard has woken up!" the doctor said excitedly. "But his condition is still critical, and we need to continue observing."
Upon hearing this, both Irene and Victoria were stunned. A glimmer of hope welled up in Irene's heart, while Victoria's face turned a little pale.
"Doctor, can I go in and see him?" Irene asked.
The doctor nodded. "Yes, but only one person can go in, and not for too long."
Irene couldn't wait to enter the ward and found that Carl's eyes had regained clarity. He looked at Irene and gave a weak smile.
"Irene..." Carl said softly. "I have something... to tell you..."
Irene bent down and put her ear close to Carl's mouth.
"The Rockefeller family... is not simple... Be careful..." Carl used his last bit of strength to say these words, and then his eyes slowly closed.
Irene was stunned. Before she could react, Carl... was gone?
The doctor ran over, examined Carl's body, then shook his head and announced his death.
Irene stood there in a daze by the hospital bed, gazing at Carl's pale face, and the grief welling up in her heart was indescribable. Carl was dead, departing with unspoken words and unsolved mysteries, and he had left this world for good.
Carl's death was like the end of a feast, indicating that a more brutal truth was about to surface. Irene knew that what she had to face next would be an even more dangerous situation and more cunning enemies. And she had to be cautious and plan every step carefully to survive in this class game woven with lies and avenge her sister Olivia.