NovelAppChapter 53
Tarquin heard the clatter of voices approaching and planted himself firmly outside the hospital room, a living
barrier to their advance. Not an inch closer to Elijah would they
come.
Allegra, Tarquin’s aunt, was clearly displeased, “Tarquin, the moment we heard Elijah was under the weather and
admitted, we braved the snow to see him. A ‘thank you’ is the least we'd expect. Now you are not thanking us
but barring the door. What's the meaning of this?”
Tarquin didn’t even grant her a glance, “Elijah isn’t pining for your company.”
“Nonsense! I'm your father’s sister and your aunt, and I'm related to him too! How dare you speak tothis
way? Have you no regard foror your own father?” Allegra scowled.
Tarquin raised his head at the mention of his father, “If it weren't for my dad, do you you'd even be allowed to
speak in my presence?”
think
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“You... Listen to this, Dad. This is your darling grandson. Does he give a hoot about the Bradford family? He...”
“Enough! Zip it! This is a hospital, not sfish market. We're supposed to keep the peace here. As the madam
of Bradfords, you are yelling all the tand stooping low instead of acting high and mighty. That's so
inappropriate.” Gideon snapped back, silencing her.
“I...” Allegra was so taken aback by the retort that she started to cry.
Verity quickly handed over a tissue to Allegra, “Allegra, please, calm down. Tarquin’s already on edge with Elijah
being sick, and you're fanning the flames bringing up his late
dad.”
“And what of it? My brother would never have dared to speak tolike that!”
“Let’s just... drop it, okay?” Verity attempted to soothe the tension before turning to Tarquin. “Look, Tarquin, your
aunt here is genuinely worried about Elijah.”
Tarquin scoffed inwardly and lit a cigarette.
Verity continued, “Don’t fret. Elijah’s the last of the Bradfords. He's got his guardian angels and the old family
luck. He'll pull through.”
“How's he doing, really?” Gideon inquired.
Tarquin flicked ash from his cigarette, “Sas always.”
“All these specialists and no improvement?”
Annoyed, Tarquin didn’t respond. Then Verity remarked, “It's a malady of the heart, and
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that requires a therapy that regular doctors can’t apply.
If regular doctors can’t do the job, then what about the extraordinary ones? We cant just let this drag on
indefinitely. Allegra grumbled. “We can’t keep going like this. Elijah is the sole male heir of our generation. He's
supposed to inherit the full weight of the Bradford legacy. But in this state, how can he take over the Bradford
Group? Can we really hand over the reins to someone so frail? And besides, if he can’t even...
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She was cut off by a sharp look from Gideon. Allegra’s lips moved, but no more words dared escape.
Tarquin glared at her and extinguished his cigarette with force. Tired of the theatrics, he decided to get straight
to the point, “What do you all want? Spit it out. Don’t waste my tor yours.
He knew they weren't here out of concern for Elijah.
After a brief silence, Gideon said, “We've heard there's been a few business deals snatched right from under the
Bradford name, which cost us a fortune. What's the deal?”
“Cuts and thrusts of business,” Tarquin replied coolly.
Gideon narrowed his eyes, “You've been on top of the gfor years. How did someone manage to outplay you
all of a sudden?”
“I'm human, not infallible. Losses are part of the game.”
“Who's behind it? Someone from Jindale City?” Gideon was suspicious.
Tarquin saw through his scheme, so he met his gaze with an inscrutable look, “Granddad, you are getting on in
years. You needn’t worry about business affairs. I've got it under control.”
Gideon's brow furrowed in concern, while Allegra’s temper flared anew.
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