At the end of the corridor.

Conrad West and Eartha Porter Madden stood together, completely walled off by a line of suited bodyguards.

Conrad furrowed his brow tightly, his voice laced with authority.

"Step aside! My daughter is in there, and as her father, I have every right to know her condition."

Eartha held a thermal food container in her hands, her face a perfect portrait of anxious maternal concern.

She tugged gently at Conrad's sleeve, urging him softly. "Honey, keep your voice down. We don't want to disturb Liz's rest. We can talk this out calmly."

Conrad patted her hand, his expression grim.

"How can I not be anxious? My daughter gets into a horrific accident, and her own family is barred from seeing her or checking on her? What kind of logic is that? Lizetta and Remington are divorced. They have zero legal ties to one another. Remington has absolutely no right to do this! If you don't let me see my daughter right now, I'm calling the police!"

Eartha nodded at him. "I know you're worried, Honey. I know."

She then turned her gentle gaze back to the towering bodyguards.

"Please, could you just ask Mr. Dashiell again? Ask him to try and understand the terror parents feel when their child is hurt. If we can't confirm Liz is safe with our own eyes, we'll have no choice but to alert Nelson back in Tranquil Meadows. If something terrible happens to her, not only will it break our hearts, but we'll never be able to explain it to the old man."

Just as the words left her mouth, a glacial voice echoed down the corridor.

"Who exactly are you cursing with 'something terrible'?"

Eartha looked up to see a tall, impeccably tailored figure striding powerfully down the hall.

Every step he took seemed to carry the weight of a thunderstrike, his aura radiating absolute, freezing authority.

His predatory gaze locked onto Eartha, completely devoid of basic politeness, making zero effort to hide the sheer disgust and contempt swimming in his eyes.

Under his stare, a chill ran violently down Eartha's spine. But having weathered decades of high-society warfare, she wasn't one to crack easily.

She immediately plastered on a warm, slightly surprised smile.

"Mr. Dashiell, I think you misunderstood my intentions. Look,

I even made chicken soup for Liz she's awake please let her father and me go in and see her."

Remington held out a hand. "Just give the soup to me."

Eartha's eyes lit up with triumph. Stepping forward eagerly, she handed the thermal container over.

"Mr. Dashiell, it's better if I go in and care for her personally. How can Liz recover without an elder there to look after her We know you care. deeply for her, but at the end of the day, you're a man. There are details in nursing a patient that you just won't consider..."

While talking, Eartha grabbed Conrad's arm, fully preparing to push her way down the hall.

But in the next second, Remington flicked his wrist.

*Crash.*

The expensive thermal container was hurled violently into a nearby trash can, echoing with a deafening, metallic slam.

"Ah!"

Eartha jumped back, letting out a sharp shriek of terror.

Conrad's face twisted in fury. He shielded Eartha behind him and barked at Remington.

"Remington Dashiell, even if you and Lizetta are divorced, we are still your former in-laws. What kind of attitude is this?!"

Remington stared dead at Conrad, watching him fiercely protect Eartha. He found the entire display deeply pathetic.

"In-laws? Do you really think you deserve the title?"

His voice was practically dripping with ice, openly weaponizing his sheer hatred for the couple.

Conrad's chest heaved. "You're completely out of line! With your arrogant narcissistic behavior, no wonder Lizetta divorced you. Mark my words, I will never allow my daughter to be with a man like you!"