Chapter 190

Chapter 190 The next day.

Upon hearing that Vincent had been in a car accident, Joseph disregarded the unresolved thorn hand incident and rushed to the hospital without delay.

In the VIP Ward Room Lying straight on the bed with a waist and neck supporter, Vincent opened his mouth wide to catch the apple that the secretary had cut and fed him.

That silly son, with his stupid look, was unable to take care of himself in the main house and was abusing his own maid.

Joseph walked into the ward room and looked at him with a frown. “Did Anderson Group discover a new oil field? You’re not even thirty yet, how can you be so successful?”

The female secretary swiftly stepped aside, bowed to the man, and then tactfully moved to the door to give the brothers space to converse.

“Brother, are you here to visit me or to make things hard for me? What kind of oil do I have? Do I need to be like this if I can get by? Hiss...”

Vincent bowed, his forehead beaded with sweat from the pain, and he winced in agony.

“Stay put. Look after yourself.”

Joseph’s expression remained cold, yet he hastened to the bed and assisted him in lying down.

“Brother, if I were paralyzed, would you push my wheelchair for me?” Vincent asked plaintively, his face full of sorrow.

“You have so many girlfriends, it’s not my turn to be one of them.”

“Don’t fret, even if you can only move your lips from top to bottom, you’re still the Anderson Group’s young master. You won’t be dallying around, nor will you be delaying any of the women who will be trailing you.”

“Tsk, that’s right...,” Vincent agreed, “my personal charm is right here.”

Personal charm?

Money has a certain charm to it.

“How did it come to this?” Joseph asked, his brow furrowed.

“Then you’ll have to bloody ask your sister about the vegetable flower.”

Vincent thought of the small figure fleeing in terror in the night’s darkness. His chest heaved with rage. “It’s all her fault I’m half-

paralyzed! Your fourth sister should be the one pushing my wheelchair for life!”

“Vincent, make it plain. What does this have to do with Annie?” Joseph’s handsome face suddenly dropped.

“Last night, at your dinner party, your sister of vegetable flower also tried to come in. She was barred from entering. If I hadn’t encountered her, you wouldn’t have been aware of how your sister was being mistreated by those sightless bodyguards!”

“Did Annie come last night?” Joseph couldn’t help but be startled.

Thinking about it, this was why Vincent had suddenly called him to clean the door.

“I graciously changed her clothes...”

“Change her clothes?!” Joseph’s face paled in an instant. His usually soft voice was raised, and his fists clenched. “Don’t get it wrong! My secretary altered it for her. I didn’t do it myself!”

Vincent quickly elucidated. He was determined not to risk losing his arms and legs again. “Subsequently, I escorted her to the banquet hall to meet Ada. In the end, she just stepped inside the banquet hall. I had no idea what had transpired, but she dashed out as if she had gone berserk.”

“I was scared that something might happen to a girl at night, so I kept an eye on her. Unfortunately, when she crossed the road, she almost got hit! I rushed up to save her at the crucial moment, and my lower back hit the ground. That’s how it happened.”

“What about Annie? Is she hurt?” Joseph asked anxiously.

“Should I be... not? I was in such agony that I couldn’t even stand. She got up and vanished in a flash, as if she had stepped on a burning wheel. She actually abandoned me! What else can I do to her porcelain?” Vincent pondered it and still felt furious. He kept harping like an old mother.

“Vincent, I have already cautioned you not to entertain any thoughts about Annie.”

Joseph’s handsome face suddenly dropped, “At Grandfather’s birthday banquet last time, it was an accident. Annie isn’t from the same world as you. Don’t have any hopes or illusions about her that you shouldn’t.”

“No, I became like this to safeguard her. Don’t you have any compassion? You don’t express gratitude, but you reprimand me?!”

Vincent was unable to move, only able to extend his neck to dispute with the man. His demeanor was somewhat comical.

“Who requested that you bring her to the banquet hall? Who requested that you change her clothes and have her stand in front of strangers?”

“What do you mean?” Vincent asked, perplexed.

“Annie has serious social anxiety and autism. She is very apprehensive of encountering strangers and is very reluctant to attend any social gatherings.” Joseph recalled Annie’s typical wary and shy demeanour, and he felt very uneasy.

“Autism...?”

Vincent was completely stunned, and his heart seemed to be stabbed by a needle, and his fingers secretly clenched.

No wonder Annie’s words and actions were a little peculiar; for although she was twenty-two years old, she still had the air of a young child.

This was why Aubree kept her confined at home all year and prevented her from seeing anyone.

“When you did those things for her, did you consult her? Did you inquire if she wanted to? You never took into account her feelings from her point of view, because you never had this thought in your head.”

Joseph took a deep breath and felt a dull ache in his heart. “Annie just wants to live in tranquility. Don’t stir up any more trouble for her. You’ll hurt her if you do this.”

Vincent was taken aback for a moment and croaked, “Is there a way to heal her?”

“If I had the power,” Joseph shook his head helplessly, “would she still be like this now?”

Vincent’s expression froze as he gazed upon the delicate and pretty face that had been pale with panic the night before, causing his heart to twitch and leaving him speechless.

Joseph’s phone rang at that moment; it was Jake calling.

The man furrowed his brow and paused for a beat. He had to reply, “Dad.”

“Now, make haste to the Sawle Group. I’ll be awaiting your arrival in the office.”

After that, he ended the call decisively.

Joseph lowered his eyes and fixed his gaze on the darkened screen. His thin, sharp lips curved into a cold smile.

Were they really father and son?

He often thought that it would be great if there were no superficial familial loves, so he wouldn’t have to hate Jake so much.

**

Sawle Group, the chairman’s office.

The secretary opened the door and, with respect, ushered Joseph in.

Upon entering the office, the man was stunned.

In addition to Jake, who was seated behind the wide desk, Skyler was also present in the room.

Joseph’s eyes, which had been twinkling with stars, dimmed as he faintly sensed that something was about to occur.

“Second Brother,” Skyler said with a beaming smile, addressing him affectionately.

Those who were unaware would assume they had strong emotions for one another.

Joseph nodded expressionlessly, never having been kind to his third sister.

“Joseph, I heard about the incident at the hotel last night, including that Ada, the esteemed guest you invited, was taken away by the Thorp family immediately. Skyler informed me that Twitter is trending today. Secretary Xanos already showed it to me.”

Jake leaned forward and placed his fingers on the table. He lifted his eyes and looked at Joseph with a blank expression. “Now that things have gone this way, the public’s view of our Sawle Group Hotel is really poor. There’s no end to the questions. What’s your plan for handling it?”

“The PR team and the PR department have been taken care of overnight. By sundown, all the negative press stemming from this incident will be wiped off Twitter and other platforms.” Joseph spoke in a low voice, his eyes devoid of emotion.

“No matter how spotless it may be, the damage has already been done. Last night’s events should have been kept within the group. To be honest, it’s a bit awkward...” Skyler’s face was full of concern, but her words had a tinge of mockery.

Upon hearing this, Jake’s jaw clenched slightly.

“No matter what, there will always be both good and bad noises. The competition in the business world is between you and me.

It’s unavoidable.”

“As long as Sawle Group emerges victorious in the end, these doubts will vanish and be no more.”

As he spoke, the man coldly glanced at Skyler, saying, “In business, you should not only focus on short-term gains and losses.

You should have a long-term outlook, or else you could end up losing a lot for the sake of small gains.”

Upon hearing that she had been ridiculed, Skyler gritted her teeth in anger.

There came an urgent knock on the door, and the secretary rushed in from outside.

“Chairman, have a look at this!”

The secretary quickly handed the phone to Jake. He peered at it and instantly felt his heart race. He barked, “Flick on the TV!

Check out the news channel right away!”