Chapter 5 Andy Is in Trouble

The Thomas Group issued a statement, and the online comments were quickly deleted in their entirety.

Those harassing calls and messages to Evelyn were also recorded one by one and sent to the police station for unified investigation and handling.

The investigation results were just as Evelyn expected—they all came from paid trolls at the same company.

According to the company's person in charge, someone had paid them to launch a cyberbullying campaign against the Miller Group CEO's wife, wanting to ruin her reputation.

Evelyn didn't need to guess who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

But she didn't have time to settle scores now. The work pace in her new environment was fast, and the project Joseph assigned her was very challenging, involving cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields that required her full concentration.

This sense of immersion also gave her a temporary reprieve.

Until that evening, when she had just finished a meeting and returned to her apartment, her phone screen lit up. It was Andy.

She hesitated for a moment, but still answered.

"Hello?"

Andy's bossy voice came through the phone: "Mom! Where are you? Get home now—I need you to make me a grilled cheese!"

"And those bear-shaped cookies, Bianca's don't taste good, and Maggie can't make them either. Come back and make them for me!"

He didn't miss his mom—he missed his mom's cooking.

Evelyn leaned against the cold wall. Starlight City's sunset shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the room in warm orange light, yet she felt no warmth at all.

"Andy," she began, her voice so calm it surprised even herself, "I'm not home right now. I'm working somewhere far away. If you want grilled cheese, you can ask Bianca to learn how to make it, or have Maggie buy it for you."

"I don't want that, I only want yours!"

Andy started throwing a tantrum. "Come home right now and cook for me. Maggie says you're deliberately hiding away, that you don't love me!"

Maggie says.

It's always what Maggie says.

Evelyn closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only cold clarity remained.

"Andy." Her tone was more distant and formal than ever before.

"Listen carefully. I won't be on call anymore. Whatever you want to eat, whatever you need, you should first ask the person taking care of you now."

"I have my own work, my own life. I can't be like before, dropping everything and appearing in front of you the moment you call."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

Then came even sharper crying and cursing: "Bad mommy, horrible mommy! I don't want you anymore, go away! Maggie is so much better than you, you're no good at all!"

The child's vicious words were like ice-cold knives stabbing through the phone.

Evelyn didn't hang up immediately.

She pressed the record button.

Only after Andy had tired himself out from cursing, leaving only sobs and mumbled "I want Maggie," did she calmly say:

"Done? Then goodbye. Don't contact me unless it's something important."

She hung up.

The apartment fell completely silent, with only the faint sounds of the city outside.

Evelyn sat on the floor, not moving for a long time.

She opened WhatsApp, found Luke's chat, and without any extra words, sent the recording directly.

"Mr. Miller, please take more care of your son's education. I'm powerless and don't want to be involved anymore."

She clicked send.

Soon, Luke replied with a voice message.

Expecting more questioning and accusations, she was surprised that Luke's tone this time carried rare urgency.

"Andy's had an accident! Come to the hospital immediately."

An accident?

Evelyn's heart skipped a beat.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then called Luke back.

He answered after just one ring.

Luke's voice carried suppressed anger. "Where are you? Get to the children's hospital right now. Andy fell down the stairs and hit his head!"

Evelyn's breath caught: "How did he fall? Is it serious?"

"What do you think?" Luke's sarcasm was undisguised. "His forehead is cut open, he needs observation, the doctor says they can't rule out a mild concussion. It's all because of you!"

"Because of me?" Evelyn found it absurd. "Luke, I've been in Starlight City these past few days. How could I have caused your son to fall?"

"Maggie said Andy kept crying after taking your call, then when she wasn't paying attention, he ran downstairs and missed a step, falling down the stairs!" Luke's anger finally erupted.

"Evelyn, you're so heartless. You can even use Andy's health as a tool for revenge?"

Evelyn gripped the phone, her fingertips ice-cold.

"Luke," her voice was soft but exceptionally clear, "in your heart, have I become this despicable?"

There was silence on the other end.

Then Luke took a breath: "I don't want to argue with you. Right now, come to the hospital immediately. You're his mother; taking care of him is your responsibility."

"Fine." Evelyn took a deep breath. "I'll come."

She hung up and quickly checked flights.

The next flight back was in two hours.

She grabbed her coat and bag and rushed out of the apartment.

After the long journey, she arrived at Oceancrest Children's Hospital early the next morning.

The hospital ward corridor was quiet, the lighting cold.

Following the message Luke had sent earlier, Evelyn found the room.

Andy lay in the hospital bed, his face pale, his head wrapped in bandages, already asleep, but his brow still slightly furrowed.

Maggie sat in a chair beside the bed, holding Andy's hand that was outside the covers, her eyes red and swollen.

Seeing Evelyn enter, she seemed startled, then broke into a smile: "Evelyn, you're finally here."

Luke stood by the window, his back to the door, only turning around when he heard it open.

"You actually came?" He kept his voice low to avoid waking the child, but the coldness in his tone was undiminished.

Evelyn ignored him and walked straight to the bedside, her gaze falling on Andy's pale face.

Her heartbeat still accelerated uncontrollably—after all, he was her son.

She reached out, wanting to touch his forehead, but her fingers stopped in mid-air.

"What did the doctor say?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"He has a mild concussion and needs to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days to avoid a second impact."

It was Maggie who answered, lifting her tear-filled face, her voice choked: "It's all my fault, I didn't watch Andy properly."

"After he took that call this afternoon, he kept crying, saying his mommy didn't want him anymore, calling him a bad child. No matter how I tried to comfort him, it didn't work. He suddenly rushed out saying he wanted to find his mommy, and by the time I followed him out, he had already fallen down the stairs..."

Luke's expression darkened further as he looked at Evelyn: "Did you hear that? Are you satisfied now?"

Evelyn slowly straightened up, turning to Luke, then looking at Maggie.

"Maggie," her voice wasn't loud, but it made Maggie's sobbing pause, "did you tell Andy that I called him a bad child and abandoned him?"

Maggie's eyes flickered, then she looked even more aggrieved: "Evelyn, I didn't. I was just comforting him, saying mommy doesn't want him, mommy is just busy with work..."

"I have a recording of my afternoon call with Andy. Mr. Miller should have already listened to it."

Evelyn's gaze moved to Luke. "Did I curse at him even once?"

Luke's brow furrowed.

He had listened to the recording. Although Evelyn's words were cold and distant, there was indeed no cursing.

"Then let's wait until Andy wakes up."

Andy woke up close to noon.

The moment he opened his eyes and saw Evelyn sitting beside him, his face immediately fell: "Get away! I don't want you, you horrible mommy. I want Maggie!"

Evelyn didn't move, looking expressionlessly at Luke.

Luke snapped: "Andy, is that how you talk to your mother?"

Hearing Luke's voice, Andy quieted down, but still showed no kindness toward Evelyn.

"Andy," Luke's expression became serious, "tell me honestly, how did you really get that injury on your head?"

Hearing this question, Andy instinctively looked at Maggie standing behind Evelyn.

Maggie quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Mr. Miller, Andy just woke up. Don't be so stern with the child, you'll scare Andy."

Then, walking to Andy's side, Maggie comforted him: "Andy, don't be afraid. Your daddy is just concerned about you. Just tell the truth, don't feel any pressure."

Andy looked at Luke, then at Evelyn, remembering what Maggie had taught him to say earlier.

His expression immediately became pitiful: "I, I just wanted to get mommy's attention. Mommy said not to contact her unless it's something important, but if I got hurt, Mommy would definitely come back to see me. Daddy, please don't blame me..."

Andy cried while Maggie comforted him beside him, her face full of heartache.

Evelyn's heart turned completely cold.

A five-year-old child couldn't have such schemes—it turned out her son had long been taking orders from Maggie.

"Evelyn," Luke's temple veins throbbed, "you can even use your son's health, so unscrupulous. Do you even deserve to be a mother?"