Chapter 446

The family dinner had lasted two hours, and yet Frederick and Hayes were still not back.

Powell was thoroughly disappointed, nudged by Lisette to leave the restaurant. Before they departed, Lisette couldn’t resist making a sarcastic comment to Jocelyn.

“Don’t ever accuse the Winston family of playing favorites again. Frederick is so rude. We’ve been waiting for him all night and he still hasn’t shown up. Isn’t this just a slap in the face to Powell?”

Jocelyn stood there, a complex expression on her face, but it was Powell who shot Lisette a glare, reprimanding, “Couldn’t you just keep quiet?”

Lisette sulked and left the restaurant with Powell.

Jocelyn walked towards the front hall, standing by the massive French windows, scanning the outdoors.

Teresa, ever the considerate one, handed a cup of hot chocolate to Jocelyn. With a childish tone, she asked, “Jocelyn, are you waiting for Hayes’ daddy?”

Jocelyn took the hot drink and patted Teresa’s head. She managed to muster a weak smile but didn’t directly answer, “It’s late. Time for you to go to bed!”

But Teresa shook her head sadly, pressing her small face against the chilly window, “I don’t want to go!

Hayes and his dad haven’t come back. I’m worried too!”

Teresa’s concern warmed Jocelyn’s heart. She turned to look at Marguerite and sighed softly.

Marguerite rested her chin on Jocelyn’s shoulder from behind, her hand gently massaging her shoulder. She asked quietly, “Jocelyn, are you going to wait for him?”

Jocelyn felt a pang in her heart, “I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling. I called him, but he didn’t answer.”

“Maybe his phone’s dead? And the weather’s terrible today. I was stuck in traffic for three hours on my way back. Thunderbolt Enterprises is far from here. If there was any accident, the evening news would have reported it by now. Jocelyn, you should go rest. You’ve been looking after Powell for days, and you haven’t been resting well. If Frederick sees you staying up so late, he’d be upset too.”

Marguerite’s words made sense. If something had happened to Frederick and Hayes, the news would have reported it right away.

Perhaps, she was worrying over nothing.

Jocelyn shook her head and went upstairs to rest.

After Marguerite tucked Teresa into bed, and it was almost midnight. She returned to her room, looking out the window once more.

Frederick’s car was usually parked under the front yard oak tree, but now there was no sign of it.

Why hadn’t he come back? Suddenly, Marguerite felt a terrible premonition.

She brushed her teeth and washed her face, but when she laid in bed, she found it impossible to fall asleep.

After what felt like ages, she heard the crunching sound of a car rolling over snow.

She instinctively sat up and looked out the window, immediately recognizing the familiar Maybach.

It was Frederick’s car! They were back? Marguerite breathed a sigh of relief.

She was about to go back to sleep when her bedroom door was carefully pushed open.

Marguerite sat upimmediately, her face wary as she looked at the dark entrance.

“Who’s there?”

She instinctively turned on the bedside light.

The room was suddenly filled with light, causing Marguerite, who had adjusted to the darkness, to immediately close her eyes.

After a while, she opened them again, only to see Hayes standing at the door, his face covered in blood, his small body looking utterly disheveled.

1 Marguerite was shocked and rushed over to him, checking him over, “What happened to your face?

Why is it covered in blood? Hayes, don’t scare me! What happened?”

Hayes sniffed, tears streaming down his face, and pulled Marguerite out of the room.

They walked out the front door, towards the car parked under the oak tree.

Marguerite was trembling, because she saw that the passenger side window was covered in blood!

What on earth had happened?

And there, in the driver’s seat, with the door wide open, Frederick was slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious!