Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her heart ached unbearably\u2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Monday, a vice president at the Livingston Group quietly submitted his resignation, citing a family emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The HR department reported that he was eager to leave, saying the remaining procedures could be handled online.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The HR manager reminded him with a smile, \u201cCarolyn Martinez,\u00a0<\/p>\n
our company doesn\u2019t have a process for that. Please wait a\u00a0<\/p>\n
little while.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing this, Carolyn could only nod awkwardly, sitting down\u00a0<\/p>\n
and nervously wiping the sweat from his forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just a few minutes after he sat down, the door to the HR\u00a0<\/p>\n
department opened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several uniformed investigators entered and walked straight toward Carolyn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re Carolyn, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, that\u2019s me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe received a tip that you\u2019re suspected of leaking secrets from\u00a0<\/p>\n
the Livingston Group. Please come with us to cooperate with\u00a0<\/p>\n
the investigation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In an instant, Carolyn\u2019s face turned deathly pale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His body went limp, and he was practically dragged out by the\u00a0<\/p>\n
investigators.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone at the Livingston Group came out to watch the\u00a0<\/p>\n
commotion, unable to resist whispering among themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Carolyn? Did he get into some trouble?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard he leaked company secrets. It must be about that last\u00a0<\/p>\n
bid.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my god, so Carolyn was the mole in the company?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he must have been behind that incident with the branch\u00a0<\/p>\n
office, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely. And to think we\u2019ve been wrongly accusing Chase all\u00a0<\/p>\n
this time\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s horrible. Good thing it didn\u2019t affect the relationship\u00a0<\/p>\n
between the CEO and Chase.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
At this moment, the CEO\u2019s wife they were talking about,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daquan, was cuddling in the office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Gerry came in to report on the matter, he didn\u2019t know\u00a0<\/p>\n
where to look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUm, Roderick, the person has been taken away. I\u2019ll follow up on\u00a0<\/p>\n
the situation later and report back if there are any issues.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the sofa, the two of them were sitting together, with\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine completely encircled in Roderick\u2019s arms, looking at\u00a0<\/p>\n
the same phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing Gerry\u2019s words, Roderick didn\u2019t even lift his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGot it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay. By the way, Roderick\u2026 um.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry rubbed his nose. \u201cAbout that paid leave you mentioned\u00a0<\/p>\n
last time\u2026 was that for real?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine looked up when she heard this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPaid leave?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s great. But Gerry has been working so hard, he really\u00a0<\/p>\n
should take some time to relax.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry was so moved he could have cried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was worth bringing it up specifically while Chase was present.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chase really was the best human shield!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked up, glancing first at Madeleine, then turning his\u00a0<\/p>\n
head to look at Gerry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat, you think I\u2019d go back on my word?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, of course not!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry smiled awkwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick saw right through my little scheme~\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked away and said calmly and generously, \u201cTwo\u00a0<\/p>\n
weeks at most. I\u2019ll reimburse your expenses personally.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry\u2019s eyes instantly lit up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Roderick!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thank you, Chase!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
Long after Gerry had left, Madeleine still hadn\u2019t processed it,\u00a0<\/p>\n
asking Roderick strangely:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy was he thanking me for no reason?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick shrugged, and the two of them went back to cuddling\u00a0<\/p>\n
and looking at the phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not two days later, Madeleine was starting to regret speaking\u00a0<\/p>\n
up for Gerry and getting him the time off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No one had told her how busy Roderick would become without\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry around\u00a0<\/p>\n
He usually completed most of his daily work with Gerry\u2019s help.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without his right\u2013hand man, most of the work now fell to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine had also asked if he didn\u2019t have any other special\u00a0<\/p>\n
assistants besides Gerry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There really weren\u2019t any.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It turned out Gerry\u2019s experience wasn\u2019t something just anyone\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
could replace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a result, Roderick was so swamped he didn\u2019t even have time\u00a0<\/p>\n
to eat his meals at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The person happiest about this was Kevin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy~\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The little guy held up the drawing he\u2019d made in kindergarten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
and excitedly went to find Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was looking at some documents with a serious face,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but when she heard her son\u2019s sweet voice, she immediately put\u00a0<\/p>\n
them down and put on a happy smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev, you\u2019re back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin held the drawing up for Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, Mom, I drew you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine took it happily. The drawing showed her holding\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin\u2019s hand, surrounded by colorful flowers and plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking at the drawing, Madeleine had mixed feelings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
She remembered a few months ago, when Nanette pointed to a\u00a0<\/p>\n
dark, messy blob of a drawing and said it was Kevin\u2019s drawing\u00a0<\/p>\n
of his mom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine had felt her heart break.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, finally\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bitter times were finally over. Her relationship with her son\u00a0<\/p>\n
was mended, and his psychological problems had been treated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to her last conversation with the doctor, if Kevin\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
condition showed signs of improvement, she wouldn\u2019t need to\u00a0<\/p>\n
worry anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, his condition had been so severe back then, mostly\u00a0<\/p>\n
due to Nanette\u2019s brainwashing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 224\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash ` 223 Chapter 223\u00a0 Her heart ached unbearably\u2026.\u00a0 On Monday, a vice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}