Emerald shook her head, wanting to refuse, but suddenly her vision went ck, and she fainted.


    When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a hospital room. She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, recalling how she had copsed in the study earlier.


    Fully awake now, she sat up slowly and noticed an IV in her arm. She couldn''t help but frown.


    The door to the room opened, and Filipe walked in.


    When he saw that Emerald had woken up, a look of relief shed in his eyes. "Madam, you''re finally awake! You''ve been unconscious for an entire day!"


    Emerald could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her frown intensified, and she asked, "How could I have been unconscious for so long?"


    "The doctor said you''ve been sleep-deprived for a long time, and with the recent emotional strain, it caused you to cough up blood.


    "From now on, you need to get at least eight to ten hours of sleep each day, or your health will continue to decline," Filipe exined.


    Emerald''s face darkened. She had been racing against time every day, trying to secure her position before Edward fully recovered. She also had to handle the southernnd issue, and Brian and Delia were both causing her trouble.


    As she thought about it, her emotions stirred again.


    She took a deep breath to suppress her irritation and asked, "When can I leave?"


    "You need to finish the IV first," Filipe replied.


    Emerald nodded but didn''t say anything further.


    Filipe opened a food container he had brought and asked, "Madam, are you


    hungry? You should eat something to keep your strength up."


    Emerald was about to respond when there was a knock at the door.


    "Come in," she said.


    George entered quickly and walked straight to the bedside. "Ms. Kinsey, Mr. Rex visited Mr. Edwardst night and stayed in his hospital room for several hours."


    Emerald''s eyes turned cold. "Keep an eye on him. If there''s any news, inform me immediately."


    "Understood. By the way, I''ve temporarily detained Vik. What should we do next?" George asked.


    "Has Mary noticed he''s missing?" Emerald inquired.


    "It doesn''t seem so. Since I detained Vik, no one from Mary''s side has been looking for him," George answered.


    "Good. Keep him locked up. Feed him, but take away his phone. Don''t let him


    contact anyone outside," Emerald instructed.


    George lowered his gaze. "Got it."


    "Any news about N?" Emerald continued.


    "Not yet. Someone is deliberately


    hiding their movements, but it


    -doesn''t seem like


    Bumards are


    helping them," George reported.


    Emerald squinted, her voice low. "Apart from the Bumards, no one else would help them. Keep monitoring the Bumards."


    "Understood," George replied.


    After George left, Emerald lost her appetite and nced at Filipe. "Put the food away. I''m not in the mood to eat."


    Filipe sighed. "Madam, your health is already fragile. If you don''t eat, it will only get worse you won''t even be able to return to work then,


    Emerald couldn''t help but smile wryly. "You know exactly what to say to get me to care. Bring it over."


    She ate a little snack. When she checked the IV, she saw there was still half a bag left.


    Just as she was about to take a break, the door opened again.


    Delia walked in, her eyes red.


    Upon seeing Emerald lying on the bed, pale and frail, without her usual sharp demeanor, tears immediately welled up in her eyes.


    "Mom... Why didn''t you tell me you were sick? I just found out..." she cried.


    Emerald turned her head away, not wanting to look at her. "Weren''t you


    nning to move out of the estate


    and sever ties with me?" >