Arthur didn't get to finish. Madilyn stepped in and spoke over him. Hearing her voice, Charles turned his head slowly toward her. Madilyn moved closer to the bed, her face a mask of concern. "Arthur never left your side. No one's more relieved than him that you've woken up. Please focus on recovering. We'll go home once you're feeling good." Charles' expression, already stern, grew even colder at her words. "I thought you were waiting for me to die." His sharp reply sucked all the air from the room. Madilyn froze where she stood. Charles in the bed was staring straight at her—his gaze felt like a silent questioning, as if he'd uncovered some secret. At a time like this, she couldn't let a single hint of unease show. Not now, at least."How can you say something like that?" She moved nearer, dabbing at her eye as if wiping away a tear. "After the accident, you were in a deep coma. The doctors told us you might never wake up. All this time, Arthur and I have been searching for any treatment that could help. Even Dr. Palma, the one who did your surgery—Arthur went to so much trouble to get him here from abroad, and paid a fortune for it." Her voice trembled slightly. "We truly did everything possible." Just the surgery alone had cost over 20 million dollars. If Arthur hadn't said yes right away, she would have tried to talk him out of it. Madilyn continued her performance of devoted concern, though her true feelings were far different. Charles ignored her completely. He looked at Arthur and drew a slow breath. "I need some peace. I want to rest now." "Of course, Grandpa." Arthur quickly motioned for the medical staff to leave. Within moments, the room grew still.After a final glance at Charles, Arthur stepped out first. "Grandpa, rest well. I have some things to handle. I'll come back later to see you." He closed the hospital room door behind him. When he turned around, Madilyn was already standing right in front of him, staring hard. "Mom, Grandpa's awake now. I'll stay with him. You've been exhausted for days. Go home and rest," Arthur said, sounding tired. "Arthur, did you see the news?" Madilyn asked carefully. "What news?" "Well..." From his face, she could tell he'd been so focused on the surgery that he hadn't checked anything online. Right now, news was everywhere about Jennifer setting up Arthur's ex-wife. Whether Arthur had been married or not—true or not—was spreading all over. Probably a bunch of reporters were already waiting outside Myers Group for a statement. Arthur had handed everything off to his team and buried himself in the surgery. Now that Charles was awake, he'd find out sooner or later. The fact that Arthur had an ex-wife couldn't become public—at least not while she was still on Jennifer's side. "Jennifer's in trouble. She needs your help," Madilyn said seriously. "You're the only one who can help her." She handed him her phone so he could see what was happening online. Arthur took the phone, looked through the headlines, and his face turned stern instantly. "Jennifer told me that man hurt her before. She's been running for so long, and he still found her. He's blackmailing her. You have to do something." Madilyn lowered her voice. "Jennifer only has you. You need to move the wedding forward." Videos could be faked; rumors and smears could be made up. If Arthur stepped up at that moment to formally marry Jennifer, that would calm everything down and the remarks in those videos would also become false claims. Arthur handed the phone back, his voice flat. "Mom, I know what to do. Go home first." Madilyn stared at his calm face, unsure. She didn't know what that calm meant. Normally, whether he cared about Chloe or Jennifer, he should be angry—so angry he'd order the company to delete all those posts. But he did nothing. "Arthur, you—" She started to speak, but Arthur walked away without looking back. Worried things might get worse, Madilyn called Jennifer. "Arthur saw the posts. I tried to convince him to marry you right away to stop the rumors. But he's too calm. I've never seen him like this," Madilyn said quietly. "You said he has no choice, that he has to marry you. What else are you planning?"Before Madilyn could get an answer, Jennifer hung up.