Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Tristan Lawson Collected the Money for Noelle Sutton

Noelle Sutton stared at Tristan Lawson’s steadily bleeding wound, the bright red of the blood reflected in her eyes until they seemed stained crimson.

Several times, she nearly pulled the handkerchief from her purse to press against the wound, but she managed to restrain the impulse.

To erase eleven years of deep love in such a short time was nearly impossible.

Even a speeding car doesn’t stop instantly when the brakes are slammed. It still lurches forward for several feet.

Noelle pulled out her phone, but her fingers trembled, and it slipped from her grasp, hitting the floor with a CLATTER.

"Tristan, Noelle, did something happen between you two?"

Hearing the noise, Sophie Hughes threw open the bedroom door. She saw Tristan Lawson’s blood-stained collar and the bloody trail snaking down his neck. Panicked, she rushed forward, swiftly pulling out a handkerchief and pressing it to his wound.

Sophie Hughes’s voice trembled, and she sounded on the verge of tears. "Tristan, what happened? Let’s go. I’ll take you to the hospital right now."

Tristan Lawson gave Noelle a one last, deep look with his cold eyes. "Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back as soon as I get this wound treated at the hospital."

With that, he left with Sophie.

’He could feel the blood pouring out.’

’He knew he had to get to a hospital immediately.’

Noelle bent down and picked up her phone. A thin crack now marred the screen.

Just as Tristan’s car reached the villa’s gate, another vehicle pulled up, blocking their path.

Sophie honked the horn impatiently. Hugo Sterling stepped out of his car and saw Tristan in the passenger seat through the front windshield.

Carrying a case, he walked over to the passenger side and tapped lightly on the window.

Tristan lowered the car window.

Hugo Sterling noticed his bleeding neck and frowned. "You’re hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Then you should get to the hospital. I’m just here to see Noelle. I won’t waste your time."

With that, Hugo prepared to move his car.

"Wait."

Tristan stopped him.

Hugo turned back. "You’ve lost a lot of blood. You need to get to the hospital."

"What do you need to see Noelle for?"

Earlier that night at The Carmine Club, Tristan had whisked Noelle away before he’d had a chance to ask why she and Hugo were meeting there.

Hugo lifted the case in his hand and smiled. "I bought something from her. Just came to drop off the payment."

The handkerchief Tristan was holding to his neck was nearly soaked through with blood. Sophie urged, "Hugo, please move your car. I need to get Tristan to the hospital."

Even Tristan’s lips were turning pale.

He was starting to feel dizzy from the blood loss. "Give me the case," he said. "I’ll give it to her."

’He could ask about everything else later.’

Hugo recalled how Tristan had lost his temper earlier that night when Kyle Sawyer called Noelle a mute. ’He must really care about her.’

"Fine, you can give it to her."

Hugo gave the case to Tristan.

’Tristan was on his way to the hospital, and besides, it was late. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him, a grown man, to go see Noelle alone anyway.’

Then, Hugo got in his car and drove off.

Sophie quickly drove Tristan away from the villa.

With one hand, Tristan opened the case Hugo had given him.

It was filled to the brim with cash.

It looked like at least thirty million.

Tristan couldn’t help but clench his fist.

Sophie caught a glimpse of the money in the rearview mirror. She frowned slightly and asked, "What on earth did Noelle sell to Hugo to get so much money?"

Tristan pressed his pale lips into a thin line and snapped the case shut.

His expression grew even colder.

He didn’t answer Sophie’s question.

By the time they reached the hospital entrance, Tristan had lost consciousness from blood loss.

Sophie immediately called for help, and paramedics lifted Tristan from the car.

Sophie glanced at the case on the passenger seat before quickly following them inside.

Once Tristan was taken into the emergency room, Sophie pulled out her phone and dialed Kyle Sawyer’s number.

"Kyle, Adrian and Hugo were still in the private room after we left tonight. Could you call Adrian and ask him why Hugo was meeting with Noelle?"

Kyle was still angry about Tristan throwing the glass earlier. "I’m not getting involved in Tristan’s private life."

Kyle and Sophie were very close, and he was still furious that Tristan had married a mute instead of being with her.

"Kyle, can you please stop being so childish? It looks like Tristan and Noelle had a huge fight when they got home. He has a big gash on his neck, lost so much blood that he passed out, and now he’s in the emergency room. I have to find out what caused all this."

Kyle couldn’t bring himself to refuse Sophie’s request, especially since Tristan was injured.

Throwing a glass was no big deal. They were childhood friends; he wasn’t going to hold a real grudge over something like that.

"Alright, fine. I’ll call and ask right now. But I’m doing it for you, not for Tristan."

"I know. Our Kyle is the kindest person there is."

At Sophie’s sweet-talking, a smile spread across Kyle’s face. "Just wait for my good news."

A short while later, Kyle called Sophie back.

The patriarch of the Sterling family was a collector of paper-cuttings. Apparently, Noelle was skilled at it, and her work caught Hugo’s eye. He was meeting her to buy some of her art. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’Sophie thought about the case of money.’

’Noelle’s piece, *A Renaissance Cityscape Painting*, had certainly used paper-cutting techniques and had been highly praised by Director Ford.’

’But even if she was good, could her work really be worth that much money?’

’Hugo must be desperate to get on Tristan’s good side, resorting to such extreme measures.’

Sophie waited outside the emergency room.

Fortunately, Tristan’s injuries were just blood loss and an external wound. It wasn’t long before he was out of the ER.

His wound was bandaged, he’d received a transfusion, and the doctor said he’d be fine after a night of rest.

Sophie sat by his bedside, gazing at Tristan’s handsome, sleeping face, her mind filled with emotion.

’She used to feel so lucky that she’d been adopted by the Hughes family. It had made her the young lady of a wealthy household, with adoptive parents who doted on her.’

’But now that she was an adult, that very status had become an obstacle.’

’That’s how Noelle had managed to get everything—becoming Tristan’s wife, bearing his child.’

’The thought of Tristan and Noelle being intimate in bed was like a knife twisting in her heart.’

’She knew Tristan had never been with another woman.’

’Noelle had gotten ridiculously lucky, becoming Tristan’s first and only woman.’

’Being his first woman was already a fact she couldn’t change.’

’But was she supposed to just stand by and watch Noelle remain his only one?’

’The doctor had just said that the wound was from a bite that had ruptured a blood vessel.’

’Noelle was completely insane.’

Sophie stepped out of the hospital room and called Mrs. Miller.

Mrs. Miller didn’t recognize the number, so she picked up.

"Mrs. Miller, it’s Sophie Hughes. Mr. Lawson has been hospitalized. He was injured and is unconscious. Could you please tell Noelle to come to the hospital to look after him?"

"Mrs. Lawson just went out, I think?"

Sophie’s voice grew urgent. "She went out? What do we do then? I have something urgent I need to take care of, too. I don’t feel right leaving Tristan here alone. Can you think of something? See if you can find someone to come and watch over him."

’Mrs. Miller had no intention of letting a homewrecker like Sophie stay by Tristan’s side.’ "I understand," she said.

Sophie hung up the phone.

Sophie had been staying at Westhill Villa for a few days, so she could tell Mrs. Miller didn’t like her.

’She definitely wouldn’t want me to be the one looking after Tristan at the hospital.’

’With Noelle out and Joshua still at home, Mrs. Miller wouldn’t dare leave the house. She’d have to stay and look after the boy. That means Mrs. Miller would definitely have to call someone else.’