Volume 1: The Night When the Iris Withered
Irene tightly held Carl's cold hand, and the feeling of guilt in her heart gnawed at her like a venomous snake. She knew that Carl might have had an ulterior motive when he approached her, yet she couldn't help being drawn to him. Now, he was in danger because of her.
"It's me... I got you into this trouble," Irene's voice was tinged with sobs. "I shouldn't have let you get close to me, I shouldn't have..."
Carl shook his head with difficulty and said weakly, "No... It's not your fault... They... Sooner or later... Will find me..." His voice was intermittent, and it seemed that he was expending all his strength with every word he uttered.
"Who are they?" Irene asked eagerly. "Who wants to harm you?"
Carl's eyes suddenly became wary. He managed to raise his head and tried to grab Irene's hand, but his hand just feebly swiped through the air. "Don't... Don't ask... You... You're in danger..."
Before he could finish his words, Carl coughed painfully, and blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth, staining the white bedsheet red. Irene was so frightened that she quickly pressed the call bell beside the bed. Doctors and nurses rushed in upon hearing the call 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 pained groans. Her mind was in chaos, and all kinds of speculations and questions were tangled together 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 there was also a hint of worry in his deep eyes. "Irene, don't you think... Carl seems to know something?"
Irene nodded and told Sean what Carl had said before he passed out. "He said that someone would find him sooner or later, and that I was in danger... Sean, what exactly does he know?"
Sean was silent for a moment, then raised his hand to rub 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 waters of the Rockefeller family are deep. Anyone who threatens the family's interests won't 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 misfortune was related to Sean's uncle, that ambitious second-in-command of the Rockefeller family.
The night passed without sleep.
The next morning, Irene came to the hospital again to visit Carl. Carl was still in a coma, his breathing was faint, and it seemed as if he could leave this world at any moment. Irene sat by the bedside, silently holding his hand, filled with 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 there was a faint trace of sadness on her face, as if she was really here 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 by your side?"
"Sean is dealing with some matters," Irene said indifferently. She felt disgusted by Victoria's false show of concern.
Victoria smiled, and a trace of barely noticeable mockery flashed in her eyes. "Is that so? It seems that Sean is really busy, too busy to 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 sickbed, 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 concern."
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, right?" Victoria's tone was somewhat playful.
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 say something about Olivia, and afraid that he would expose her identity.
Just then, the door of the intensive care unit suddenly opened, and the doctor came out.
"Mr. Howard is awake!" the doctor said excitedly. "But his condition is still critical, and we need to continue observing him."
Upon hearing this, both Irene and Victoria were stunned. A glimmer of hope rose 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 you can't stay 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 up 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 just like that?
The doctor ran over, examined Carl's body, then shook his head and announced his death.
Irene stood there in a daze by the sickbed, looking at Carl's pale face, and the grief welling up in her heart was indescribable. Carl was dead. With his unspoken words and unsolved secrets, he had left this world forever.
Carl's death was like the end of a grand 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, take every step carefully, so that she could survive in this class game woven with lies and avenge her sister Olivia.