Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 166 Natalia's frown deepened as she stepped outside, only to see Graham had made yet another appearance.

This time, he wasn't alone; a crew trailed behind him.

Trouble was brewing.

A shadow crossed Natalia's face as she quickly gestured for Debby to call security.

Graham, heedless of those around him, was determined to barge in.

"Natalia, get out here!" he bellowed.

The two bouncers blocked his path, unresponsive to his bluster.

"Do you know who the hell I am? I'm that woman's husband! What right do you have to stopfrom seeing my wife?" Graham sneered at them.

The bouncers' faces remained stone-cold, ignoring his rant.

Graham continued to shout. "Natalia, cout, or I swear I'll wreck this hospital!" Natalia's expression turned grim.

She didn't keep hiding, though.

Graham was here for her, and she knew he wouldn't back down until she faced him.

"Graham, this isn't your playground! Go ahead, make a move. I dare you!" If her memory served her right, this hospital belonged to the Lehner family.

Graham could make a fuss looking for her, and she might not have a way out.

But if he dared to cause a scene, to damage property, the Lehner family wouldn't let him off the hook. That, however, was something Graham didn't realize.

He had cwith a posse today, intending to escalate things until Natalia was forced to capitulate.

It was all because of the debt he owed, which was due, and he was banking on Lucinda's payout.

Of course, if Natalia could cough up five hundred thousand, he wouldn't be at a loss.

In the end, whoever paid him was on his side.

Graham smirked maliciously. "Natalia, who are you trying to scare? You think I don't know you're cut off from Hamilton now? Do you really think he'd cto your rescue?" With that, he gave a signal, and one of his cronies swung a baseball bat at a decorative planter in the hallway, shattering it. Passersby screamed in terror.

Graham's cold laughter echoed.

"See? I told you I'd do it!" Natalia ignored him, her eyes fixed on the elevator.

Graham mistook her silence for fear and motioned for his goons to continue their rampage.

But before they could proceed, a voice boomed, "Stop!" Elliott, flanked by security guards, emerged from the elevator.

Graham glared at Elliott.

"Who do you think you are, getting in my way? I'm here to see my wife, and this... wench is refusing to let me!" Elliott's brow furrowed deeply. He glanced at Graham and then signaled the security team to pin him to the ground.

Graham, far from deterred, yelled even louder.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm trying to see my wife! What's it to you?" Elliott faced Graham with a stern look. "This hospital is Lehner family property. You vandalize my family's place and have the nerve to claim it's none of my business?" Graham's eyes bulged.

"You're the owner of this hospital?" Elliott wasn't actually the owner. The Lehnerrs had a long tradition in medicine, but Elliott had no interest in joining the family business. The hospital had been passed on to his cousin. Still, he liked to visit occasionally.

Sof the doctors were quite easy on the eyes, after all.

He never expected to walk into a situation involving Natalia.

"So, you're the owner? Then you can refundfor my wife's treatment! This hospital is a sham, taking in patients just to make money. Have you no shame?" Graham's shouts reverberated through the hallway. Elliott motioned to security to remove him.

"Get him out of here and keep an eye on him. If he sets foot in here again, throw him out on the spot!" Despite his defiance, Graham was eventually dragged away.

Natalia let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry for the trouble," she apologized to the people from the nearby rooms before returning to her ward. "Thank you, Mr. Lehner." Elliott raised an eyebrow. "What about treatinga meal for dinner?" Natalia fell silent for a moment before agreeing. "Alright." Elliott chuckled. "Nah, just kidding. I've got a date with a lovely doctor. I better get going. We'll talk sother time." Natalia nodded with a smile.

"Take care, Mr. Lehner." Elliott regarded her for a moment before nodding and walking away.

After being ejected from the hospital, Graham immediately called Lucinda.

"Why the hell didn't you tellthe hospital was Lehner territory?" Lucinda, already in a foul mood, was incensed by Graham's words. "Are you an idiot? Benevolent Care Hospital has always been under the Lehnerrs. How could you not know this?" How was Graham supposed to know? Other than indulging in vices, he hadn't done anything worthwhile in years.

But he couldn't stomach the thought of the money slipping through his fingers.

"Lucinda, you should've cluedin. Now that the Lehner family is backing Natalia, this plan might fall through. Just givea hundred thousand to smooth things over." Lucinda exploded with rage.

"You can't even handle this simple task, and you still want money, Graham? You're useless!" "You're callinguseless? Lucinda, do you believe I won't spill your secrets?" Lucinda snorted dismissively. "Do you really think I'm scared of you? Go ahead and tell them! Who would believe you?" After hanging up, Eveleen, who had overheard the conversation, was pale with fury.

"Didn't you say Graham was reliable?" Lucinda frowned. "Who knew he'd becsuch a deadbeat? Looks like we'll have to find another way." Eveleen clenched her teeth tightly, and after a long pause, she finally said, "Go find that necklace, will you?" Hamilton was summoned out for drinks.

He really didn't want to come.

Lately, he was not in the mood for drinking.

But he couldn't ignore the persistent calls from his rowdy bunch of friends.

In the end, he showed up.

The gang was having a good twhen suddenly Victor dropped a bombshell.

"Hamilton, I heard you refused to fix Eveleen's face?" he said.

Hamilton paused, turning to look at Victor with a sneer.

"Oh, Mr. Henkel, you have a problem with that?" Victor clicked his tongue, "Eveleen's a star, Hamilton. You know, this ain't good for her image." Hamilton lounged on the sofa, an air of nonchalance about him.

His eyes half-closed, a frosty aura enveloping him.

"She didn't cherish her own face, let that scar be a lesson to her," he said coldly.

Victor raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, so you're just upset she hurt herself? Here I was thinking it was all about Natalia." Of course, it was about Natalia.

Eveleen dared to disfigure herself in an attempt to harm Natalia; that scar was her just deserts.

Hamilton may have harbored old affections for Eveleen, but his tolerance had limits.

Yet he didn't bother explaining this to Victor.

Victor mistook his silence for acquiescence.

He suddenly burst into laughter.

"Con out, Eveleen," he called you see with a smirk, "you see oldyoum Hamilton wouldn't stay mad at you." We As Victor's words echoed, Eveleen emerged from the restroom of the private booth.

Hamilton's eyes narrowed slightly.

Then, his gaze fell on the necklace around her neck.

The lighting in the booth was dim, but Hamilton could still see the necklace crystal clear.

Tears brimmed in Eveleen's eyes.

"Hamilton, do you remember this necklace? You gave it towhen we were kids." Hamilton's expression was a dark enigma, his emotions unreadable.

He did give her that necklace long ago.

Eveleen had only worn it once, when they reconnected by the seaside as children, never again after that.

The reason she was wearing it now was crystal clear to him.

He knew he shouldn't, and couldn't, go soft on Eveleen.

Not for his sake, nor for Natalia's.

But seeing Eveleen's teary eyes as she wore that necklace, his gaze softened slightly.

"Hamilton, please help me, will you?" Eveleen pleaded. "You said you' an protectfor life." Her tears fell steadily. "I know I was wrong. Stop being angry, will you?" Hamilton's brow furrowed.

Just when everyone thought he'd cave and forgive Eveleen, Hamilton said sharply, "Eveleen, you've got to pay the price for what you've done."